This Week in Space Tech #20
Welcome to This Week in Space Tech, covering Dec 29, 2025 to Jan 4, 2026. Here is what mattered as the industry turned the calendar.
Launches and mission milestones
SpaceX opened 2026 with a Falcon 9 launch from Vandenberg carrying an Italian COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation radar satellite, adding all-weather imaging capacity for civil protection and defense users.
SpaceX followed with the first Starlink deployment mission of the year from Cape Canaveral, putting another batch of satellites into orbit and immediately reasserting that the Starlink production line does not take holidays.
China closed out the year with a Long March 7A launch from Wenchang carrying Shijian-29A and Shijian-29B, described as technology verification satellites tied to space target detection.
In-orbit operations and space sustainability
A SpaceX Cargo Dragon performed an International Space Station reboost burn, part of a broader effort to diversify how the station maintains altitude as ISS operations become increasingly logistics-driven.
Starlink announced a plan to lower thousands of satellites from roughly 550 km down to about 480 km over the course of 2026, framing it as a practical step to reduce collision risk and improve overall space safety.