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Astrostrategy

The strategy of orbits and the moon

Latest News

‘Almost magic’ as SpaceX craft caught mid-air: Why it matters

SpaceX's Starship successfully returned to its launchpad after orbiting in space.

Nov 15, 2026
Starshield restrictions help Russia’s energy attacks on Ukraine: Zelenskyy

Starlink has recently denied restricting internet speeds, but Elon Musk suggested the US m...

Nov 15, 2026
Starshield speed restrictions hamper Ukraine's ability to defend energy infrastructure against Russian jet-powered drones, Zelensky says

"Russian forces are targeting substations with Shahed drones. And many of these strikes ge...

Ukraine · Nov 15, 2026
What's next for SpaceX's Starship after epic Flight 15 chopsticks catch?

SpaceX just made spaceflight history, catching the upper stage of its Starship megarocket ...

Nov 15, 2026
Watch: SpaceX catches Starship in midair on return to launch tower

SpaceX's Starship spacecraft was successfully caught by giant mechanical arms at its Texas...

Nov 15, 2026
SpaceX makes rocketry history by recapturing massive reusable rocketship

After failing to catch a booster yesterday, SpaceX managed to recapture its massive reusab...

Nov 15, 2026
SpaceX catches part of its Starship rocket in historic first

Crowds outside the Texas Starbase erupted into cheers as the mechanical arms closed around...

Texas, United States · Nov 15, 2026
Zelenskyy questions SpaceX over reported Starshield speed restrictions

The restrictions have been directly affecting Ukraine's ability to intercept Russian jet-p...

Nov 15, 2026
From pills to orbit: Boryung heir's bold space bet

When Boryung signed a research cooperation agreement with German aerospace agency DLR last...

Nov 15, 2026
SpaceX Successfully Catches Starship Upper Stage

SpaceX made history on Saturday, recovering a Starship upper stage from orbit for the firs...

United States · Nov 15, 2026
SpaceX’s Starship nails a smooth return with historic catch

SpaceX Starship made a triumphant return to Earth, caught midair by giant mechanical ‘chop...

Nov 15, 2026
Watch: SpaceX's Starship completes first-ever midair catch on return from orbit

SpaceX's Starship spacecraft returned from its mission with a successful midair recovery b...

Nov 15, 2026
With Starship catch, SpaceX still shows it can dazzle the world

It felt like stepping into the future.

Nov 15, 2026
SpaceX’s Starship captured by launchpad arms in dramatic first

SpaceX officials say catch by mechanical arms shows Starship's full reusability, crucial f...

Nov 15, 2026
SpaceX pulls off first-ever spaceship ‘catch’

The feat marked a milestone in the space industry's decadeslong pursuit of fully reusable ...

Nov 14, 2026
SpaceX successfully catches Starship rocket in huge milestone for the space industry

The historic first gets SpaceX closer to “rapid reusability” of rockets.

Boca Chica, Texas, United States · Nov 14, 2026
SpaceX’s Starship returns to launch pad from orbit in victory for company

Although booster exploded, company caught upper stage for first time in campaign to make m...

Texas, United States · Nov 14, 2026
SpaceX rocket orbits Earth then returns to launch pad in a world-first

The successful return of the SpaceX rocket to its launch pad is a breakthrough in the comp...

Florida, United States · Nov 14, 2026
SpaceX’s Starship returns from orbit and is captured by launch pad arms in a dramatic first

SpaceX expects to begin launching Starships from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center within the...

Florida, United States · Nov 14, 2026
(Digital) SpaceX Catches Starship in Novel Landing

(Digital) SpaceX Catches Starship in Novel Landing (Source: Bloomberg)

Nov 14, 2026
'Can you believe it?': SpaceX catches part of its Starship rocket on return to Earth

SpaceX has performed the historic catch using mechanical arms nicknamed "chopsticks".

Nov 14, 2026
'Can you believe it?': SpaceX catches part of its Starship rocket on return to Earth

SpaceX has performed the historic catch using mechanical arms nicknamed "chopsticks".

Nov 14, 2026
'Can you believe it?': SpaceX catches part of its Starship rocket on return to Earth

SpaceX has performed the historic catch using mechanical arms nicknamed "chopsticks".

Nov 14, 2026
SpaceX Catches a Starship

SpaceX’s 15th Starship Integrated Flight Test (IFT-15) returned to Earth today and was “ca...

Texas, United States · Nov 14, 2026
SpaceX catches upper stage of Starship rocket in historic first

Starship Test Flight 15 marked the first time Elon Musk's company tried to catch both the ...

Texas, United States · Nov 14, 2026
SpaceX successfully carries out first-ever spaceship catch

SpaceX’s Starship spacecraft on Saturday returned from its longest ⁠flight in orbit yet to...

Texas, United States · Nov 14, 2026
SpaceX's Starship set for return to Earth after failed booster catch

SpaceX's Starship spacecraft was on track to return to its Texas launch site for a planned...

Texas, United States · Nov 14, 2026
SpaceX Starship re-enters Earth, lands at same spot from which it launched a day ago

SpaceX's Starship spacecraft on Saturday returned from its longest flight in orbit yet to ...

Texas, United States · Nov 14, 2026
Elon Musk's SpaceX aborts booster recovery due to technical issues

Elon Musk's SpaceX is in the midst of a 15th test-flight of its Starship rocket. The compa...

Nov 14, 2026
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Weekly Analysis

Geopolitical Summary 18 October 2026

AI-prepared Oct 18, 2026 · the week across all seven sites

A thin week in orbit but a heavy one for orbital dependency: Washington throttled Starlink over Ukraine's interceptors, ESA advanced a €10bn autonomy plan built without NASA, and Eutelsat jumped 19% on sovereign-risk pricing.

Read the full analysis →

Every weekly analysis →

Active payloads on orbit, by operator country

Every catalogued payload still in orbit and not decayed, grouped by the operator code CelesTrak records.

United States14KRussia / CIS1.7KChina1.7KUnited Kingdom726Japan250TBD152France130India122ESA114Germany105Italy102Intelsat (ITSO)100
View as table
Seriespayloads (payloads)
China1,714
ESA114.0
France130.0
Germany105.0
India122.0
Intelsat (ITSO)100.0
Italy102.0
Japan250.0
Russia / CIS1,714
TBD152.0
United Kingdom726.0
United States13,996

Source: CelesTrak · retrieved 15 Nov 2026 · No redistribution restriction found (usage-policy.php governs rate limits only)

Download CSV · Embed this chart

Read the interpretation → · All charts

From the Blog

Geopolitical Summary 7 September 2026

In the week to 6 September the United States and Iran resumed open exchange of fire around the Strait of Hormuz, and the effects showed up in American...

Sep 06, 2026
Originally on Wedgetail
Cislunar Traffic Management Is a Governance Problem First

The volume between GEO and the Moon is filling up faster than the rules for operating in it.

Jul 19, 2026
The Lunar South Pole: Small Craters, Large Stakes

Permanently shadowed regions concentrate the Moon's most useful real estate into a few square kilometres — a recipe for friction.

Jul 08, 2026
Orbital Debris and the Coming Liability Fight

Attribution in orbit is improving faster than the law that would make attribution matter.

Jun 25, 2026
Launch Cadence Is the New Strategic Metric

Payload mass gets the headlines, but the ability to reconstitute a constellation in weeks is what changes military calculations.

Jun 11, 2026

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