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Satellites 14 June 2025 - 21 June 2025

Zombie Satellite! Defunct NASA Orbiter Emits Blazing Radio Burst After 60 Years

Zombie Satellite Awakens: Defunct 1960s NASA Orbiter Blasts Earth with Mysterious Radio Pulse

On June 13, 2024, the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder detected a 30-nanosecond radio burst peaking over 300,000 Jy from the vicinity of NASA’s defunct Relay 2 satellite. The signal matched Relay 2’s predicted orbit at about 20,000 km altitude. Relay 2, silent since 1967, was launched in 1964 to relay television and study radiation belts. Scientists suspect an electrostatic discharge or micrometeoroid impact caused the burst.
21 June 2025
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France Tightens Grip on Space: Inside the €1.35 Billion Eutelsat Power Play

France Tightens Grip on Space: Inside the €1.35 Billion Eutelsat Power Play

France announced a €1.35 billion capital injection into Eutelsat in June 2025, raising its stake to 29.99% and making it the company’s largest shareholder. Eutelsat’s shares surged 28% on June 20 after the news. The recapitalization includes up to €2.2 billion in further funding for its LEO satellite fleet. France’s defense agency also signed a 10-year contract with Eutelsat worth up to €1 billion.
21 June 2025
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Zombie Satellite! Defunct NASA Orbiter Emits Blazing Radio Burst After 60 Years

Zombie Satellite! Defunct NASA Orbiter Emits Blazing Radio Burst After 60 Years

ASKAP detected a radio burst under 30 nanoseconds from the defunct NASA Relay-2 satellite on June 13, 2024, peaking at 300,000–350,000 Jy. The signal, traced to near-Earth space, marked a rare emission from a satellite retired in 1967. Scientists suspect either an electrostatic discharge or a micrometeoroid impact. Findings were reported in June 2025 by New Scientist and chron.com.
21 June 2025
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Pentagon’s Space Internet Nightmare: Why the Unified Satellite Network Keeps Stalling

Pentagon’s Space Internet Nightmare: Why the Unified Satellite Network Keeps Stalling

The Pentagon is building a software-defined SATCOM network linking DoD, allied, and commercial satellites across LEO, MEO, and GEO. Space Force awarded Sev1Tech a $188 million contract in September 2024 for meshONE-T ground infrastructure. MILNET, a 480-plus satellite LEO constellation built by SpaceX and managed by the NRO, was disclosed in June 2025. All SDA Tranche 1 satellites are expected in orbit by early 2027.
21 June 2025
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Eyes in the Sky: How Earth Observation Is Revolutionizing Disaster Management

Eyes in the Sky: How Earth Observation Is Revolutionizing Disaster Management

Sentinel-1 radar mapped 2,165 km² of flooding near Beira, Mozambique after Cyclone Idai in 2019, identifying 400,000 stranded people and guiding rescues. NOAA satellites tracked Hurricane Dorian’s approach to the Bahamas with real-time imagery. Satellite data mapped over 18.6 million hectares burned in Australia’s 2019–2020 bushfires and traced smoke 11,000 km to South America.
21 June 2025
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Solar Tempests & Orbital Guardians: The Secret Life of Space-Weather Satellites

Solar Tempests & Orbital Guardians: The Secret Life of Space-Weather Satellites

In 1859, the Carrington Event triggered global telegraph failures and equatorial auroras, marking the largest recorded geomagnetic storm. Modern satellites—GOES, SOHO, ACE, DSCOVR, SDO, STEREO-A, and Aditya-L1—monitor solar activity and warn of space weather threats. The 1989 Quebec blackout and 1994 Anik satellite failures highlighted ongoing risks to power grids and satellites. ESA’s Vigil mission is planned for 2031.
20 June 2025
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Inside Israel’s Space Power: Satellites, Services, and the Secret Strength of the Israel Space Agency

Inside Israel’s Space Power: Satellites, Services, and the Secret Strength of the Israel Space Agency

Ofek-1, Israel’s first home-built satellite, launched on September 19, 1988, making Israel the eighth nation to orbit its own spacecraft. Ofek-13, an advanced radar satellite, was launched in March 2023, marking the 10th successful Israeli orbital launch. The VENμS satellite, built with France, operated from 2017 to 2023 for environmental monitoring. Israel joined the Artemis Accords in 2022.
20 June 2025
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Iranian Satellites and Space Agency: Capabilities, Missions, and Strategic Vision

Iranian Satellites and Space Agency: Capabilities, Missions, and Strategic Vision

Iran launched its first indigenous satellite, Omid, in 2009 using the Safir rocket. In 2024, the Simorgh and Qaem-100 rockets achieved their first successful orbital flights, deploying multiple payloads including Mahda and Sorayya. Private Iranian satellites reached orbit for the first time in late 2024 via Russian Soyuz rideshare. Iran’s dual civilian and military space programs operate under sanctions with a $220 million budget.
20 June 2025
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Space Showdown: How Military Satellites Are Shaping the Ukraine‑Russia War

Space Showdown: How Military Satellites Are Shaping the Ukraine‑Russia War

SpaceX deployed 5,000 Starlink terminals to Ukraine days after Russia’s 2022 invasion, with active terminals reaching 15,000 by June and Ukraine handling 58% of global Starlink traffic. Russia tried to jam Starlink, prompting a software update; later, illicit terminals in Russian hands were disabled. A Russian cyberattack on Viasat’s KA-SAT network on February 24, 2022, crippled thousands of Ukrainian modems and disrupted European satellite links.
20 June 2025
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Top 100 Most Important Operational Satellites in 2025

Top 100 Most Important Operational Satellites in 2025

SpaceX’s Starlink constellation includes about 4,500 satellites in low Earth orbit, delivering global internet via Ku/Ka-band and laser links. James Webb Space Telescope launched in 2021, capturing deep infrared images with a 6.5-meter mirror. OSIRIS-REx returned asteroid Bennu samples to Earth in 2023. New Horizons continues exploring beyond Pluto, now at roughly 55 AU from the Sun.
20 June 2025
Sky Spies: The Ultimate Guide to Weather Satellites Tracking Storms, Saving Lives, and Monitoring Climate

Sky Spies: The Ultimate Guide to Weather Satellites Tracking Storms, Saving Lives, and Monitoring Climate

NASA’s TIROS-1 launched in 1960, transmitting over 19,000 cloud images in 78 days and proving satellite weather observation. By mid-2025, more than 300 Earth observation satellites are in orbit, including advanced systems like GOES-16, Himawari-8/9, and FY-4A, providing rapid, high-resolution data. The World Meteorological Organization coordinates global satellite data exchange, with most data freely shared.
19 June 2025
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Spies in the Sky: The Ultimate Guide to Spy Satellites and Their Secrets

Spies in the Sky: The Ultimate Guide to Spy Satellites and Their Secrets

The CORONA program began US satellite photo-reconnaissance in 1959, with Discoverer XIV’s mid-air film recovery in 1960. By early 2024, China’s Yaogan constellation reached 144 satellites, including sub-meter optical variants. Cosmos 954, a Soviet RORSAT, scattered radioactive debris over Canada in 1978. Over 1,100 active Earth-observation satellites orbited by 2025, more than half commercially owned.
19 June 2025
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13,000-Year-Old Alien Satellite? Unraveling the Black Knight Conspiracy Theory

13,000-Year-Old Alien Satellite? Unraveling the Black Knight Conspiracy Theory

In 1960, the U.S. military tracked an unidentified object in polar orbit, later identified as Discoverer 8 debris. The "Black Knight" legend links earlier reports, including Tesla’s 1899 radio signals and 1927 long-delayed echoes, to claims of an ancient satellite. NASA engineers and witnesses have debunked alleged sightings, attributing them to space debris or misinterpretations.
19 June 2025
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Sky Wars: The Satellite Arms Race—Government and Military Satcom Procurement Trends 2025–2035

Sky Wars: The Satellite Arms Race—Government and Military Satcom Procurement Trends 2025–2035

Global government and military Satcom spending is set to rise from $50 billion in 2024 to $64 billion by 2030, growing 7–10% annually. The U.S. Space Force expanded its Proliferated LEO contract ceiling to $13 billion, with Starlink winning most task orders. Australia canceled its $5 billion Lockheed Martin GEO program in favor of a distributed multi-orbit approach. Europe is advancing IRIS² and pooled NATO satcom contracts.
18 June 2025
Laser Wars in Orbit: The 2024-2030 Boom in Optical Inter-Satellite Links

Laser Wars in Orbit: The 2024-2030 Boom in Optical Inter-Satellite Links

The global Optical Inter-Satellite Links market reached US$402 million in 2024 and is projected to hit US$2.0 billion by 2030, driven by major LEO constellations and U.S. and Chinese programs. China set a 400 Gbps laser link record and launched 12 satellites with 100 Gbps ISLs in May 2025. North America is forecast to lead the market, with Europe and Asia-Pacific expanding rapidly. Rocket Lab plans to acquire Mynaric for up to US$150 million in 2025.
15 June 2025
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Satellite-Related Tenders in Ukraine – Overview and Key Examples (14.06.2025)

Satellite-Related Tenders in Ukraine – Overview and Key Examples (14.06.2025)

Ukraine’s State Space Agency announced a UAH 167 million tender on June 6, 2025, to build a national GNSS station network. Kyiv’s Telekompaniya Kyiv contracted satellite TV capacity for $72,000 in May 2025. Hundreds of Starlink procurements for military, police, and utilities have been recorded since 2022. No Prozorro tenders for building or launching a new Ukrainian satellite have been registered.
14 June 2025
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