Space News 5 June 2025

The Space Race for the Internet: Inside the Billion-Dollar Satellite Mega-Constellation Boom

As of mid-2025, Starlink operates about 7,500 active satellites, the largest fleet in history, accounting for more than 60% of all active satellites. Starlink’s next-generation satellites (v2) weigh about 800 kg each, vs 260 kg for v1, and use inter-satellite laser links to route data across continents. Amazon’s Project Kuiper plans 3,236 LEO satellites at roughly 600 km altitude, with more than $10 billion invested, the first 27 operational satellites launched in April 2025, and a target to deploy half the constellation by July 2026. OneWeb completed its Gen1 constellation with 618 of 648 satellites in 1,200 km polar orbits

5 June 2025

Inside America’s Silent Sentinels: The Untold Story of GSSAP in Space Surveillance

GSSAP-1 and GSSAP-2 were launched on July 28, 2014 aboard a Delta IV M+(4,2) from Cape Canaveral, accompanied by the ANGELS experimental satellite. The GSSAP satellites operate in near-geosynchronous orbit roughly 35,900 km (22,300 miles) above Earth and function as a “neighborhood watch” for the GEO belt, providing space situational awareness to USSPACECOM. Built by Northrop Grumman on the GeoStar-1 bus, GSSAP satellites are three-axis stabilized and carry high-resolution optical sensors capable of rendezvous and proximity operations with other GEO objects. Each GSSAP spacecraft carries limited onboard propellant, meaning its maneuvering life spans only a few years before it must

5 June 2025

GSSAP · Military · NYSE:NOC · Space · Surveillance · Technology

Orbiting at Zero Speed: How Geostationary Satellites Rule Global Communications

Geostationary orbit sits at about 35,786 km above the equator and completes a sidereal day (~23h56m), so satellites appear fixed over one longitude; Arthur C. Clarke popularized it in 1945, giving the region the nickname the Clarke Belt. A GEO satellite remains stationary relative to the ground, allowing ground antennas to point at a fixed spot without tracking. Three GEO satellites spaced roughly 120° apart can provide near-global coverage, excluding polar regions. Syncom 2, launched in 1963, reached a geosynchronous orbit with a slight inclination, while Syncom 3, launched in 1964, was placed over the equator with zero inclination and

5 June 2025

Communications · Geostationary Satellites · Global Networks · NASDAQ:VSAT · NYSE:I · Space · Technology

Mega-Constellations Exposed: How Swarms of Tiny Satellites Are Taking Over Low Earth Orbit

By 2024, small satellites accounted for over 95% of all satellites launched annually. SpaceX’s Starlink operates the world’s largest constellation with over 7,000 active satellites in orbit as of late 2024. Starlink’s initial shell consisted of about 4,400 satellites at roughly 550 km altitude and 53° inclination, with FCC approval for about 12,000 satellites and potential expansion to 42,000. Iridium uses 86.4° near-polar orbits in six planes at ~780 km to achieve global coverage including polar regions. OneWeb’s Gen1 network aimed for ~1,200 km orbit with ~86–87° inclination and had deployed 618 satellites by March 2023, before merging with Eutelsat

5 June 2025

Low Earth Orbit · Mega-Constellations · NASDAQ:AMZN · NASDAQ:IRDM · Satellites · Space · Technology