The CosmoSkyMed satellite was built by Thales Alenia Space.

Cosmo-SkyMed stands for Constellation of Satellites for the Mediterranean basin Observation.

The CosmoSkyMed satellites contribute to the European Copernicus program.

Telespazio operates the CosmoSkyMed satellite.

SpaceX launched the CosmoSkyMed satellite on January 2.

Telespazio confirmed successful signal acquisition after the launch.

The initial constellation of four Cosmo-SkyMed satellites was launched between 2007 and 2010, with three still operational.

The second-generation constellation is progressively replacing the first-generation system with upgraded capabilities.

SpaceX launched the satellite on a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The launch of the CosmoSkyMed satellite occurred at 6:09 p.m. PT on January 2.

The CosmoSkyMed satellite is owned by the Italian Space Agency and the Italian Ministry of Defense.

ULA now faces competition from SpaceX's significantly cheaper Falcon 9 rocket.

The Space Force has relied on SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket since the retirement of ULA's Delta IV Heavy last year.

Tory Bruno is the new head of the national security division of Blue Origin.

ULA announced Tory Bruno's resignation on December 22, 2024.

Blue Origin's BE-4 engine powers both the New Glenn rocket and the first stage of ULA's Vulcan Centaur.

Jeff Bezos welcomed Tory Bruno on X on December 26, 2024, and included Blue Origin's motto, 'Gradatim Ferociter.'

Certification of New Glenn would provide the Space Force with new options for heavy launch.

Stock analysts have stated that ULA is a prime candidate for acquisition by Blue Origin and other space companies, including Sierra Space.

ULA is a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

Tory Bruno was previously the CEO of United Launch Alliance (ULA) for nearly 12 years.

Blue Origin is owned by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos.

ULA once dominated military launch with Atlas and Delta rockets.

The BE-4 engine replaces the Russian RD-180 previously used on the Atlas V rocket.

ULA's Vulcan Centaur had its military debut in August 2024 for the U.S. Space Force's USSF-106 mission.

Many trends indicate the increasing use of reusable or partially reusable rockets, including Falcon 9 and Blue Origin's New Shepard.

The New Glenn heavy launch rocket had its second certification flight for the Space Force National Security Space Launch program last month.

In April 2025, Thales Alenia Space ordered four coupling mechanisms for the ESA's habitable module included in the future Lunar Gateway space station.

This agreement supports the rapidly growing European commercial space sector.

Redwire announced on November 18 the award of an eight-figure contract with The Exploration Company for the supply of two IBDM.

In its first mission to the ISS, the Nyx spacecraft is expected to deliver around 2,600 kilograms of pressurized cargo to the orbital station.

The IBDM was developed by QinetiQ Space under a contract with the European Space Agency (ESA) awarded in 2014.

The coupling systems comply with the International Docking System Standard (IDSS) and will be used aboard the upcoming Nyx Earth demonstration flight to the International Space Station (ISS) scheduled for 2028.

In 2022, Redwire acquired QinetiQ Space for approximately 32 million euros, establishing its European subsidiary and assuming responsibility for the manufacturing and marketing of the IBDM.

The German company The Exploration Company awarded Redwire a contract to provide two International Berthing and Docking Mechanisms (IBDM) for its Nyx cargo spacecraft.

The contract with The Exploration Company is Redwire's second IBDM contract obtained in 2025.

The IBDM is designed as a standardized interface to facilitate the docking and berthing of the next generation of crewed and cargo spacecraft.

Redwire's IBDM allows for future coupling operations in IDSS compatible environments and is positioned to support missions requiring flexibility, security, and precision.

The Nyx spacecraft is expected to measure four meters in diameter and approximately seven meters in height.

The dataset also includes Earth-Moon resonances, capturing the complexities that complicate the mathematical modeling.

The physics package modeled includes gravitational forces from the Earth, Moon, satellite, and the Sun as a point mass.

The new dataset and software package from LLNL provide a 'Gold Standard' for testing navigation software and orbital planning systems for satellites.

Thermal radiation pressure from the Earth and solar radiation pressure from the Sun affect a satellite's trajectory as additional complexities in the system.

Cis-lunar orbits modeled by the LLNL have resulted in satellite collisions with the Moon, satellite combustion in Earth's atmosphere, or total expulsion from the system.

The growing presence of organizations in near-Lunar space aims to establish permanent bases and a Lunar Gateway for human expansion.

Only 9.7% of the simulated 1,000,000 cis-lunar orbits were stable over three years.

The work is published on the arXiv preprint server.

A small change in initial conditions or disturbances, such as solar storms, can cause significant and unpredictable changes in a satellite's orbital path in a three-body system.

Developing lunar mission orbital paths has been challenging due to the chaotic nature of three-body systems.

A surprising point of stability was found about five times farther than the geostationary orbit.