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Space News News 18 December 2025 - 10 January 2026

SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off with 29 Starlink satellites as FCC clears bigger buildout

SpaceX Falcon 9 lifts off with 29 Starlink satellites as FCC clears bigger buildout

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, Jan 9, 2026, 19:27 EST SpaceX launched 29 Starlink internet satellites into orbit on Friday on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The first-stage booster landed at sea on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas after stage separation, and SpaceX later confirmed the satellites were deployed. https://spaceflightnow.com/2026/01/08/live-coverage-spacex-to-launch-its-falcon-9-rocket-on-midday-starlink-mission-from-cape-canaveral/ The flight came as U.S. regulators moved to widen SpaceX’s room to grow Starlink, its low-Earth-orbit network that beams broadband from a few hundred miles above Earth. The Federal Communications Commission approved SpaceX’s plan to deploy an additional 7,500 second-generation satellites, bringing the authorized total to 15,000, and
10 January 2026
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SpaceX lines up Starlink 6-96 launch from Florida as 2026 launch tempo builds

SpaceX lines up Starlink 6-96 launch from Florida as 2026 launch tempo builds

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida, Jan 6, 2026, 19:55 EST SpaceX is targeting a Jan. 8 launch of its Starlink 6-96 mission from Florida, aiming to add 29 satellites to its broadband constellation, the company said. https://www.spacex.com/launches/sl-6-96 The launch matters because SpaceX is stacking missions early in 2026, with a schedule that includes two Starlink flights from Cape Canaveral and a rideshare launch from California in the same week, according to NASASpaceflight.com. https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/01/launch-previews-20250501/ That pace underpins Starlink’s growth push as demand for satellite internet rises and low Earth orbit—an altitude band a few hundred miles above Earth—gets more crowded with commercial constellations.
7 January 2026
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SOHO spots water gushing from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS after its Sun pass

SOHO spots water gushing from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS after its Sun pass

NEW YORK, January 4, 2026, 17:01 ET Scientists have measured water streaming from interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS after its late-October pass around the Sun, using a solar-monitoring spacecraft to estimate how fast the object was shedding ice into space.  Phys The timing matters because most early work on 3I/ATLAS focused on its approach, when sunlight was ramping up the comet’s activity. Post-perihelion data are harder to capture as objects fade and move farther from Earth, leaving a narrow window to document how a fresh interstellar visitor “winds down.”  Phys Interstellar objects are rare: 3I/ATLAS is only the third confirmed body observed
4 January 2026
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SpaceX scrubs year-end Falcon 9 launch again as Italy’s COSMO-SkyMed satellite waits at Vandenberg

SpaceX scrubs year-end Falcon 9 launch again as Italy’s COSMO-SkyMed satellite waits at Vandenberg

NEW YORK, December 28, 2025, 21:00 ET SpaceX delayed for a second straight night its planned Falcon 9 launch carrying Italy’s COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation FM3 satellite from California, saying it needs more time to check launch-pad systems and has not set a new liftoff date. Spaceflight Now The delay matters because the flight was slated to be SpaceX’s last Falcon 9 mission of 2025, capping a year in which the company has leaned on rapid pad turnarounds to keep its launch tempo high. Spaceflight Now It also pushes back a mission tied to Italy’s COSMO-SkyMed programme, a civil-and-military Earth observation
29 December 2025
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SpaceX Falcon 9 COSMO-SkyMed Launch Update: Italian Radar Earth-Observation Satellite Retargets Vandenberg After Scrub

SpaceX Falcon 9 COSMO-SkyMed Launch Update: Italian Radar Earth-Observation Satellite Retargets Vandenberg After Scrub

SpaceX has scrubbed its planned year-ending Falcon 9 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California after a ground systems issue at the launch pad, delaying the launch of Italy’s COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation Flight Model 3 (CSG-FM3) Earth-observation satellite. Spaceflight Now reported the scrub late Saturday (U.S. time) and said SpaceX was targeting a Sunday attempt, though an updated official launch time had not yet been confirmed by the company at the time of reporting. Spaceflight Now+1 When it flies, the mission is set to carry a dual-use (civil and defense) synthetic-aperture radar satellite for the Italian Space Agency (ASI)
28 December 2025
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Comet 3I/ATLAS Today (Dec. 25, 2025): Latest Updates, Skywatching Forecast, and What Scientists Expect Next

Comet 3I/ATLAS Today (Dec. 25, 2025): Latest Updates, Skywatching Forecast, and What Scientists Expect Next

On December 25, 2025, Comet 3I/ATLAS is already on its way out—yet it remains one of the most intensively monitored visitors of the year. After making its closest approach to Earth on Dec. 19, the rare interstellar comet continues to recede, but the science is accelerating: new analyses of its dust jets, multiple NASA and ESA spacecraft observations, and fresh radio results have sharpened the picture of what this object is (and what it isn’t). seti.org As of 06:01 UTC on Dec. 25, NASA/JPL ephemerides show 3I/ATLAS is about 1.814 AU from Earth and 2.463 AU from the Sun, with
25 December 2025
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Comet 3I/ATLAS Today (Dec. 25, 2025): What’s New After the Flyby, What NASA and ESA Just Saw, and Why It Matters

Comet 3I/ATLAS Today (Dec. 25, 2025): What’s New After the Flyby, What NASA and ESA Just Saw, and Why It Matters

December 25, 2025 marks the strange, quiet “afterglow” phase of Comet 3I/ATLAS—the third confirmed interstellar object ever found passing through our solar system. The comet’s closest approach to Earth is already behind us (it passed at a safe distance), but the science story is still unfolding fast: Breakthrough Listen has now reported results from an ultra-sensitive “are you broadcasting?” radio search, while NASA and ESA continue to publish spacecraft observations that help pin down what this visitor is actually made of—and how it behaves when the Sun starts cooking it. SETI Institute The quick recap: what is 3I/ATLAS, and why
25 December 2025
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Comet 3I/ATLAS Today: December 24, 2025 Updates on the Interstellar Visitor

Comet 3I/ATLAS Today: December 24, 2025 Updates on the Interstellar Visitor

December 24, 2025 — Comet 3I/ATLAS (also cataloged as C/2025 N1 (ATLAS)) is already past its closest point to Earth, fading and drifting outward again — but the science and the headlines are accelerating, not slowing down. Today’s developments include a newly released Breakthrough Listen radio search that reports no sign of artificial transmissions, fresh discussion about the comet’s cyanide chemistry, and continued analysis of the comet’s rare sunward-facing “anti-tail” and wobbling jet behavior. NASA Science+3arXiv+3The Economic Times+3 Where is Comet 3I/ATLAS today? As of December 24, 2025, ephemeris trackers place 3I/ATLAS at roughly 1.81 AU from Earth and 2.44
24 December 2025
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Comet 3I/ATLAS Today (22 December 2025): The Latest Science, Spacecraft Views, and “Radio Signal” Reality Check

Comet 3I/ATLAS Today (22 December 2025): The Latest Science, Spacecraft Views, and “Radio Signal” Reality Check

As of 22.12.2025, the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS—only the third confirmed object from beyond our solar system—is already on its way out again. Its closest pass by Earth happened just days ago, and while the comet never came anywhere near “close” in a human sense, the flyby has triggered a wave of fresh data releases, rapid-response observations, and (inevitably) some internet-fueled mythology. Here’s what’s new right now: what scientists have actually seen, what they haven’t seen, and what comes next as 3I/ATLAS heads toward the outer solar system. NASA Science+1 The big headline today: 3I/ATLAS is leaving—but the best data is
22 December 2025
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Comet 3I/ATLAS Today: Latest Updates, Science Highlights, and the Week-Ahead Skywatching Forecast (Dec. 21–28, 2025)

Comet 3I/ATLAS Today: Latest Updates, Science Highlights, and the Week-Ahead Skywatching Forecast (Dec. 21–28, 2025)

On Sunday, December 21, 2025, the interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS is already on the “goodbye” leg of its once-in-a-lifetime pass through our solar system—two days after its closest approach to Earth. The comet is still observable with amateur gear, but it’s fading night by night as it retreats outward, while scientists race to squeeze out every last clue about what formed around another star. AP News+2NASA Science+2 This week-ahead report pulls together the key news, observing forecasts, and scientific analyses available as of Dec. 21, 2025, including new space-telescope results (X-rays!), radio searches, and NASA mission updates—plus what to expect in
21 December 2025
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Comet 3I/ATLAS Today (Dec. 19, 2025): Closest Earth Flyby, New NASA/ESA Updates, and How to Watch Live

Comet 3I/ATLAS Today (Dec. 19, 2025): Closest Earth Flyby, New NASA/ESA Updates, and How to Watch Live

In the early hours of Friday, December 19, 2025, an icy visitor from beyond our Solar System swept through our cosmic neighborhood—not close enough to scare anyone, but close enough to thrill astronomers. Comet 3I/ATLAS (also known by its formal designation C/2025 N1 (ATLAS)) reached its closest point to Earth at about 1:00 a.m. EST (06:00 GMT)—still a vast ~1.8 astronomical units away, or roughly 168 million miles (270 million kilometers). Space+2NASA Science+2 That distance is nearly twice the average Earth–Sun separation, which is exactly why scientists keep repeating the same reassuring line: there is no impact risk. NASA Science+2European Space Agency+2 So why all the attention? Because 3I/ATLAS is only the
19 December 2025
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Starlink News on Dec. 18, 2025: DirecTV Warns FCC of Satellite TV Disruption, Starlink Mini Roam Pricing Expands in Australia, and China Pushes Back on “Near-Collision” Claims

Starlink News on Dec. 18, 2025: DirecTV Warns FCC of Satellite TV Disruption, Starlink Mini Roam Pricing Expands in Australia, and China Pushes Back on “Near-Collision” Claims

Starlink is closing out 2025 at full throttle—rolling out more portable consumer hardware, pushing regulators to revisit long-standing satellite spectrum rules, and getting pulled into a fresh geopolitical argument over space safety and “who coordinates with whom” in an increasingly crowded low Earth orbit (LEO). Below is what’s driving the conversation as of December 18, 2025, based on the latest reporting and primary-source-linked coverage from Australia, China, and global telecom markets. DirecTV vs Starlink: a new FCC flashpoint over interference and “boosting speeds” A U.S. regulatory dispute is bubbling again around a familiar theme: higher Starlink capacity vs. protection for
18 December 2025
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Stock Market Today

Nvidia stock jumps nearly 8% as Big Tech AI spending bets lift chipmakers and Dow tops 50,000

Nvidia stock jumps nearly 8% as Big Tech AI spending bets lift chipmakers and Dow tops 50,000

7 February 2026
Nvidia surged 7.8% Friday, leading a chip stock rally that pushed the Dow above 50,000 for the first time. The PHLX semiconductor index gained 5.7% as Advanced Micro Devices rose 8.3% and Broadcom 7.1%. Amazon fell 5.6% after projecting $200 billion in 2026 capital spending. Investors weighed a $600 billion AI infrastructure outlay against sharp losses in software shares.
Glencore share price steadies after Rio Tinto walks away — what to watch next week

Glencore share price steadies after Rio Tinto walks away — what to watch next week

7 February 2026
Glencore shares closed up 0.6% at 478.1 pence Friday, rebounding after a 7% drop following the collapse of merger talks with Rio Tinto. The company is expected to announce the sale of its Kazzinc stake soon and has signed a non-binding agreement with Orion for a potential $9 billion deal in the DRC. Investors await Glencore’s full-year results on Feb. 18 for further guidance.
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