Space News Mission Log — Satellite Launches, Orbital Events & Analysis
Daily space news, satellite launch reports, orbital debris analysis and weekly roundups — grounded in live tracking data from our network monitoring 15 published reports.
Sun-Synchronous Orbit: How Satellites Keep Consistent Light
Sun-synchronous satellites use Earth's equatorial bulge to keep a consistent solar schedule. Learn how the orbit works, why imaging missions use it and what it cannot guarantee.
KH-11: inside the US imaging satellite family
The KH-11 family transformed American reconnaissance by sending electronic images from orbit rather than returning photographic film. Its capabilities remain classified, but its history and observable orbits reveal its enduring role.
Fengyun-1C debris: the legacy of China's 2007 ASAT test
China's destruction of the Fengyun-1C weather satellite in January 2007 created a long-lived debris cloud. Its fragments remain a case study in how one interception can change the orbital environment for decades.
Envisat: ESA’s 8-tonne satellite and its collision risk
ESA lost contact with Envisat in April 2012. The large Earth-observation satellite remains in orbit, unable to avoid collisions, making it a significant long-term concern for space debris monitoring.
Satellite Spotlight: COSMOS 1408 — The 2021 Russian ASAT Test Debris Field
COSMOS 1408, also known by its NORAD ID 13552, was a Soviet-era electronic signals intelligence satellite launched on 16 September 1982. It was part of the Tselina-D series, designed to monitor electronic communications and radar emissions from Earth.
Aqua: tracking Earth's water cycle since 2002
NASA's Aqua satellite brought clouds, rainfall, ocean temperatures and atmospheric moisture into a single observing mission, building a record of how water moves through Earth's climate system.
Landsat 9: Earth Observation from 705 km
Landsat 9 is the latest satellite in the long-running Landsat programme, a joint initiative by NASA and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to monitor Earth's surface. Launched on 27 September 2021, Landsat 9 continues a legacy of Earth observation that began in 1972 with the launch of Landsa
Understanding Polar Orbits: Key Facts and Uses
Polar orbits pass over the Earth's poles, allowing satellites to scan the entire surface. They are crucial for Earth observation missions.
Landsat Satellites: Comprehensive Guide to Earth Imaging
Landsat satellites provide critical Earth imagery for monitoring natural resources and environmental changes, revolutionising remote sensing.
NOAA-19: The Last of the POES Weather Satellites
NOAA-19, also known as NOAA-N Prime, is the final satellite in the Polar Operational Environmental Satellites (POES) series. Launched on 6 February 2009, it serves as a crucial component in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) weather forecasting and environmental monitoring
Sentinel-2: Europe's Copernicus imaging workhorse
Sentinel-2 turns repeated, precisely calibrated images of Earth's land into practical evidence about crops, forests, water and natural disasters.
Types of Satellite Orbits: LEO, MEO, GEO and Beyond
Altitude is only part of an orbit’s story. Explore how height, tilt and shape determine what satellites can see, how they communicate and how long they remain in space.