Starfish Space just scored a $52.5 million contract to deorbit satellites for the U.S. Space Force, the first deal ever signed for such "end of life" disposal services for a constellation in low Earth orbit.

Starfish Space has secured a $52.5 million contract from the Space Development Agency to dispose of worn-out military satellites.

The effort, known as Resilient GPS, or R-GPS, began in 2024 and funded three industry teams to develop designs and early prototypes for alternative navigation satellites. The Space Force confirmed it does not plan to move forward with deployments or on-orbit demonstrations.

Rocket Lab just launched its first mission of 2026. An Electron rocket carrying two satellites for the European company Open Cosmos lifted off from Rocket Lab 's New Zealand site today (Jan. 22) at 5:52 a.m. EST (1052 GMT; 11:52 p.m. local time in New Zealand).

Using a modified, off-the-shelf machine designed for knitting sweaters, engineers finally launched the U.K. satellite CarbSAR over the weekend.

A Rocket Lab Electron launched the first satellites for a new Open Cosmos constellation that will use spectrum previously assigned to Rivada.

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. An award-winning reporter writing about stargazing and the night sky. A dramatic rise in the number of internet satellites orbiting Earth could make it impossible for the Hubble Space ...