This Week in Space Tech #19
Dec 22 to Dec 28, 2025 was a holiday week with launch setbacks, a major direct to phone satellite step, and a notable leadership shift among US launch providers.
Welcome to This Week in Space Tech, covering Dec 22 to Dec 28, 2025. Here are the developments that mattered across space technology and space startups.
Launches and flight tests
Japan’s H3 suffered a high-profile setback on Dec 22: The rocket failed to deliver the Michibiki 5 navigation satellite to its intended orbit after an upper-stage issue, forcing JAXA into investigation mode and putting schedule pressure on Japan’s independent navigation ambitions.
A space startup swung for history on Dec 22, and missed: South Korea’s Innospace attempted its first orbital launch with Hanbit-Nano from Brazil, but the rocket failed shortly after liftoff, a painful reminder that reaching orbit is still the hardest product milestone in this industry.
China tested a new path to reuse on Dec 23: The maiden flight of the Long March 12A reached orbit, but its downrange booster landing attempt failed, signaling real momentum on reusability even as the recovery learning curve stays steep.
Space connectivity and commercial satellites
Direct-to-smartphone connectivity got a major hardware moment on Dec 23: AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird 6 launched on India’s LVM3, putting an enormous communications array into orbit as the company pushes toward cellular broadband that works with everyday phones.
ISRO’s commercial launch playbook kept expanding: The BlueBird 6 mission also underscored how India’s heavy-lift capacity is being pulled into global commercial programs, not just national missions, with more Western satellite operators looking at India as a credible option on the manifest.
Industrial chess moves in the US launch sector
A rare executive shake-up hit on Dec 22: Tory Bruno stepped down as president and CEO of United Launch Alliance, a change that lands as Vulcan is still climbing its operational ramp and the US national security launch market remains intensely competitive.
And then the next move arrived on Dec 26: Bruno joined Blue Origin, instantly adding seasoned launch-operations leadership to a company that has been investing heavily in manufacturing scale, test infrastructure, and a faster path to routine flight tempo.
Earth observation and weather infrastructure
SpaceX’s year-end schedule got squeezed on Dec 27: The company scrubbed another attempt to launch Italy’s COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation satellite due to ground-side issues, a small operational hiccup with outsized visibility because it was tracking as a year-closing mission.
China added new capacity in geostationary weather on Dec 26: Fengyun 4C reached orbit, reinforcing how meteorology and climate monitoring remain one of the quiet workhorses of national space programs, with real economic value and constant demand for refresh.