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Orbital Operations (Orbital Operations) is developing a high thrust (>5000 lbf), reusable space vehicle that will be stationed in orbit to rapidly defend against threats to high-value satellites.

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334,451 views • 1 year ago •via X (Twitter)

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The International Space Station experiences constant, low-level aerodynamic drag, which causes its orbit to steadily decay. Electrodynamic tethers had long been proposed to generate thrust by using solar power to drive electrical current (collected from the ionosphere in this animation) against an induced voltage, adding orbital energy to compensate for that which was lost to aero drag.
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The International Space Station experiences constant, low-level aerodynamic drag, which causes its orbit to steadily decay. Electrodynamic tethers had long been proposed to generate thrust by using solar power to drive electrical current (collected from the ionosphere in this animation) against an induced voltage, adding orbital energy to compensate for that which was lost to aero drag.

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The dots represent active satellites orbiting Earth, visualized using tracked orbital information from space agencies.
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The dots represent active satellites orbiting Earth, visualized using tracked orbital information from space agencies.

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STARLINK IS RUNNING EARTH’S LARGEST SERVER… IN ORBIT While everyone else is bragging about data centers on the ground, SpaceX quietly put 9,000 solar-powered computers in space and called it a constellation! Orbital Math: •⁠ ⁠Starlink sits at over 9,000+ active satellites after the latest batch •⁠ ⁠The entire rest of Earth manages roughly 3,000 to 4,000 combined •⁠ ⁠Each Starlink unit is a solar-powered network node with onboard compute •⁠ ⁠SpaceX now operates around 75 % of all active satellites in orbit At this rate Earth’s “space industry” is basically Starlink plus supporting characters! Source: Grok
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STARLINK IS RUNNING EARTH’S LARGEST SERVER… IN ORBIT While everyone else is bragging about data centers on the ground, SpaceX quietly put 9,000 solar-powered computers in space and called it a constellation! Orbital Math: •⁠ ⁠Starlink sits at over 9,000+ active satellites after the latest batch •⁠ ⁠The entire rest of Earth manages roughly 3,000 to 4,000 combined •⁠ ⁠Each Starlink unit is a solar-powered network node with onboard compute •⁠ ⁠SpaceX now operates around 75 % of all active satellites in orbit At this rate Earth’s “space industry” is basically Starlink plus supporting characters! Source: Grok

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KSP larpers finding out you need to learn orbital mechanics in order to play a game based entirely around orbital mechanics
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KSP larpers finding out you need to learn orbital mechanics in order to play a game based entirely around orbital mechanics

Testflight

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🚨 SPACEX IS ABOUT TO TEST A RADICALLY DIFFERENT KIND OF SPACECRAFT AND IT COULD UPEND THE ENTIRE ORBITAL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY. On Tuesday, SpaceX plans to fly the first prototype of Starfall, a flat, disk-shaped reentry capsule designed to return up to 1,000 kilograms of cargo from orbit in a single flight. That’s roughly 30 times more payload capacity than current commercial return vehicles (like those from Varda Space Industries). It’s not a scaled-down Dragon it’s a completely different approach: no onboard deorbit engine, a wide flat disk geometry, and Starlink terminals mounted to maintain communication through the plasma blackout during reentry. Why this matters: • Current orbital manufacturing companies are limited to returning only dozens of kilograms per mission • Starfall’s design could make large-scale commercial production in space economically viable for the first time • SpaceX would be directly competing with companies (like Varda) that currently pay SpaceX to launch their capsules • Successfully testing Starlink through reentry plasma would be a major technical win with applications across SpaceX’s vehicles The deeper implication: SpaceX is quietly expanding its vertical integration. They already dominate launch. Now they’re moving into the return leg of the orbital manufacturing supply chain the part that has been the biggest bottleneck for companies trying to make products in microgravity and bring them back to Earth. If Starfall works at scale, it doesn’t just give SpaceX another revenue stream. It gives them significant control over the economics of an entire emerging industry. The disk shape and high-capacity design suggest they’re thinking about high-cadence, lower-cost returns rather than the traditional high-value, low-volume approach. This is classic SpaceX: take an existing problem (expensive, low-capacity return from orbit), apply first-principles thinking to the vehicle design, and try to make it dramatically cheaper and higher volume. How do you think this move into orbital return changes the competitive landscape for companies trying to build businesses in space manufacturing? Follow for more analysis on SpaceX’s expanding role across the space economy.
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🚨 SPACEX IS ABOUT TO TEST A RADICALLY DIFFERENT KIND OF SPACECRAFT AND IT COULD UPEND THE ENTIRE ORBITAL MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY. On Tuesday, SpaceX plans to fly the first prototype of Starfall, a flat, disk-shaped reentry capsule designed to return up to 1,000 kilograms of cargo from orbit in a single flight. That’s roughly 30 times more payload capacity than current commercial return vehicles (like those from Varda Space Industries). It’s not a scaled-down Dragon it’s a completely different approach: no onboard deorbit engine, a wide flat disk geometry, and Starlink terminals mounted to maintain communication through the plasma blackout during reentry. Why this matters: • Current orbital manufacturing companies are limited to returning only dozens of kilograms per mission • Starfall’s design could make large-scale commercial production in space economically viable for the first time • SpaceX would be directly competing with companies (like Varda) that currently pay SpaceX to launch their capsules • Successfully testing Starlink through reentry plasma would be a major technical win with applications across SpaceX’s vehicles The deeper implication: SpaceX is quietly expanding its vertical integration. They already dominate launch. Now they’re moving into the return leg of the orbital manufacturing supply chain the part that has been the biggest bottleneck for companies trying to make products in microgravity and bring them back to Earth. If Starfall works at scale, it doesn’t just give SpaceX another revenue stream. It gives them significant control over the economics of an entire emerging industry. The disk shape and high-capacity design suggest they’re thinking about high-cadence, lower-cost returns rather than the traditional high-value, low-volume approach. This is classic SpaceX: take an existing problem (expensive, low-capacity return from orbit), apply first-principles thinking to the vehicle design, and try to make it dramatically cheaper and higher volume. How do you think this move into orbital return changes the competitive landscape for companies trying to build businesses in space manufacturing? Follow for more analysis on SpaceX’s expanding role across the space economy.

TheNewPhysics

445,776 views • 5 days ago

🚨 BREAKING: Starcloud just turned Starlink’s laser network into the backbone for orbital AI data centers. A company called Starcloud has ordered 50+ Starlink Mini Laser terminals to equip 25+ future satellites. Not ground stations. Not fiber cables. Direct laser-linked computing nodes in orbit plugged straight into SpaceX’s space-based optical mesh. This is the sci-fi future arriving now: Orbital cloud computing AI servers floating in space Powered by 24/7 sunlight Connected globally at light speed via Starlink lasers The insane part: Starcloud says its satellites will eventually handle full AI inference and training workloads directly in orbit. Data won’t always need to come back to Earth to be processed. The advantages are massive: • Unlimited solar energy (no grid limits) • Zero land or water constraints • Passive radiative cooling in vacuum • Instant global relay with zero terrestrial bottlenecks • Near real-time Earth observation analysis Their first major spacecraft (Starcloud-3) is designed for 200 kilowatts in orbit a full-on space-based data center node, not just a satellite. And here’s the bigger picture: SpaceX has filed plans for up to ONE MILLION orbital data centers of its own. Read that again. We may be watching the birth of the first true space-based computing infrastructure layer for civilization. The internet already left the ground. Now AI might be next. What happens when the cloud literally moves into space? Follow for more frontier physics and future technology.
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🚨 BREAKING: Starcloud just turned Starlink’s laser network into the backbone for orbital AI data centers. A company called Starcloud has ordered 50+ Starlink Mini Laser terminals to equip 25+ future satellites. Not ground stations. Not fiber cables. Direct laser-linked computing nodes in orbit plugged straight into SpaceX’s space-based optical mesh. This is the sci-fi future arriving now: Orbital cloud computing AI servers floating in space Powered by 24/7 sunlight Connected globally at light speed via Starlink lasers The insane part: Starcloud says its satellites will eventually handle full AI inference and training workloads directly in orbit. Data won’t always need to come back to Earth to be processed. The advantages are massive: • Unlimited solar energy (no grid limits) • Zero land or water constraints • Passive radiative cooling in vacuum • Instant global relay with zero terrestrial bottlenecks • Near real-time Earth observation analysis Their first major spacecraft (Starcloud-3) is designed for 200 kilowatts in orbit a full-on space-based data center node, not just a satellite. And here’s the bigger picture: SpaceX has filed plans for up to ONE MILLION orbital data centers of its own. Read that again. We may be watching the birth of the first true space-based computing infrastructure layer for civilization. The internet already left the ground. Now AI might be next. What happens when the cloud literally moves into space? Follow for more frontier physics and future technology.

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Spacecraft could become reusable too! The Exploration Company is developing Nyx, a reusable spacecraft that carries cargo to space stations and returns safely to Earth. It can launch, dock, re-enter, and be reused for future missions. 📍 Innovation Gallery at VivaTech 2026
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Spacecraft could become reusable too! The Exploration Company is developing Nyx, a reusable spacecraft that carries cargo to space stations and returns safely to Earth. It can launch, dock, re-enter, and be reused for future missions. 📍 Innovation Gallery at VivaTech 2026

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How HIGH is too high of a body count for high value/character men to marry you?
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How HIGH is too high of a body count for high value/character men to marry you?

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The countdown has begun! The upcoming SpaceX Transporter-12 mission, in collaboration with D-Orbit will carry four more of our Connecta IoT satellites into orbit. These additional satellites will unlock the high-capacity and decrease the revisit times, propelling our commercial services to new horizons. As we prepare to launch the next phase of our Connecta IoT Network, this mission marks a giant leap in our journey. Stay tuned and join us as we continue to redefine what's possible in space! #WeArePlanS #PlanS #Connecta #countdown
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The countdown has begun! The upcoming SpaceX Transporter-12 mission, in collaboration with D-Orbit will carry four more of our Connecta IoT satellites into orbit. These additional satellites will unlock the high-capacity and decrease the revisit times, propelling our commercial services to new horizons. As we prepare to launch the next phase of our Connecta IoT Network, this mission marks a giant leap in our journey. Stay tuned and join us as we continue to redefine what's possible in space! #WeArePlanS #PlanS #Connecta #countdown

Plan-S

10,489 views • 1 year ago

Satellite Map Over 12,000 satellites orbit Earth, more than 8,000 from Starlink. By 2030, we could see over 100,000 satellites in orbit. Awesome website to track them live: satellitemap .space
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Satellite Map Over 12,000 satellites orbit Earth, more than 8,000 from Starlink. By 2030, we could see over 100,000 satellites in orbit. Awesome website to track them live: satellitemap .space

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The Chinese Space Station will have 3 orbital conjunctions with the ISS this weekend. It will be a historic first photo opportunity. Here is a video of one conjunction over Africa. At the right solar angles, visibility may be favorable. But they will have to snap fast!
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The Chinese Space Station will have 3 orbital conjunctions with the ISS this weekend. It will be a historic first photo opportunity. Here is a video of one conjunction over Africa. At the right solar angles, visibility may be favorable. But they will have to snap fast!

pettitfrontier

97,478 views • 1 year ago

STARMIND sounds like something from a sci-fi movie. Naturally, SpaceX set its mind to make it real. Starlink connects the world from space. STARMIND would run AI from space. Solar-powered orbital compute, laser-linked satellites, and eventually a massive xAI network above Earth. Starlink's wi-fi connection went into orbit first. Now the xAI brain wants a launch window. SpaceX / Writer: Annette, Designer: Janné
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STARMIND sounds like something from a sci-fi movie. Naturally, SpaceX set its mind to make it real. Starlink connects the world from space. STARMIND would run AI from space. Solar-powered orbital compute, laser-linked satellites, and eventually a massive xAI network above Earth. Starlink's wi-fi connection went into orbit first. Now the xAI brain wants a launch window. SpaceX / Writer: Annette, Designer: Janné

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seeing the earth from space is absolutely life changing. my mission, Inspiration4, was the first all-civilian orbital space mission. it was a new beginning — opening up space exploration to more and more people. I hope that you all will be able to experience these views for yourself someday, but if you prefer staying on Earth, please enjoy my videos 🚀
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seeing the earth from space is absolutely life changing. my mission, Inspiration4, was the first all-civilian orbital space mission. it was a new beginning — opening up space exploration to more and more people. I hope that you all will be able to experience these views for yourself someday, but if you prefer staying on Earth, please enjoy my videos 🚀

Hayley Arceneaux

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As they travel around the Moon and back, the #Artemis II crew will be conducting science investigations that will inform future deep space missions, including Artemis III. Read about the missions' science operations HERE >>
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As they travel around the Moon and back, the #Artemis II crew will be conducting science investigations that will inform future deep space missions, including Artemis III. Read about the missions' science operations HERE >>

NASA Marshall

10,794 views • 10 months ago

"N140SC is the registration of the only airworthy L-1011 Tristar currently in existence. It's called the Stargazer, and it's used by Orbital Sciences (a division of Northrop Grumman) to launch Pegasus rockets carrying satellites"
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"N140SC is the registration of the only airworthy L-1011 Tristar currently in existence. It's called the Stargazer, and it's used by Orbital Sciences (a division of Northrop Grumman) to launch Pegasus rockets carrying satellites"

Air Safety #OTD by Francisco Cunha

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A katana carving through heavy rain. A swordswoman's high-speed CQC combo against a mud monster. 🎬 Stress-testing the Seedance 2.0 engine via Yapper for fluid dynamics and orbital cameras. Prompt breakdown below.
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A katana carving through heavy rain. A swordswoman's high-speed CQC combo against a mud monster. 🎬 Stress-testing the Seedance 2.0 engine via Yapper for fluid dynamics and orbital cameras. Prompt breakdown below.

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SOUND UP! United Launch Alliance's high-performance Atlas V 551 rocket powers toward space on 2.7 million pounds (12 megaNewtons) of thrust to precisely deliver the second batch of Project Kuiper satellites for Amazon.
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SOUND UP! United Launch Alliance's high-performance Atlas V 551 rocket powers toward space on 2.7 million pounds (12 megaNewtons) of thrust to precisely deliver the second batch of Project Kuiper satellites for Amazon.

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