Northern Shetland launch site eyeing sovereign access
Air Force Secretary Troy Meink has said the United States has placed "on-orbit space control weapons" to defend the Joint Force. He has not described what the systems are, when they were deployed or how many exist. The admission follows years of concern about Chinese and Russian counterspace capabilities and will reshape deterrence and stability in Earth orbit.
Britain has announced a new RAF unit, No. III Space Effects Squadron, to defend satellites and counter hostile actions in space. The move follows global talk of space weapons, with the US and allies expanding capabilities. Defence Secretary Wes Streeting warns that space threats are rising as nations pursue deterrence and deeper space interoperability.
China has announced a failure in a Long March 7A launch carrying a ChinaSat 4B satellite. The blast occurred minutes into the flight after an in-flight anomaly, marking the first failure of this rocket family since 2020. Analysts are assessing the cause and potential implications for China’s space program.
Isar Aerospace has reached orbit on its second Spectrum flight and has deployed small satellites, making it the first purely commercial European launcher to do so. The success has prompted company plans to scale production and expand launch capacity as European governments and private firms ramp up investment in sovereign space capability.