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Cosmic Penguin

@cosmicpenguinov103.bsky.social
668 followers 420 following 3.2K posts

Astronomy & spaceflight weeb penguin. In a relationship w/ Space Shuttle Discovery. Starship x Space Launch System shipper. Chinese spaceflight news hunter.

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Cosmic Penguin @cosmicpenguinov103.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
I just noticed that for the 1st time ever a Starship has entered USSF Space Track’s catalog! Ship 41 is recorded as “STARSHIP-14” (2026-225AC/100881) once in a 267 x 276 km x 30.52°, P=89.95 min orbit, with a Decay Date of 2026-09-28 as expected. @planet4589.bsky.social
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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
I *think* they (the authors of the CAS paper) are confusing things and the refuelling test was SJ-25/SJ-21 and not SJ-25/Beidou. But it is really odd and I admit I am perplexed.
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vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Hmm - @planet4589.bsky.social says "Unless the US Space Force had been tracking the wrong objects, 'the rendezvous postulated in early 2025 could not have happened'" www.scmp.com/news/china/s...
scmp.com
Claims China’s BeiDou satellite was refuelled in orbit could change space race
Research papers suggest the historic operation occurred in February last year, a manoeuvre that could have military implications.
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T.S. Kelso @tskelso.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Sorry for the delays in getting this data out, as we are continuing to work with SpaceX to automate this processing. As a consolation, here's a cool bonus view of the last Starlink satellite being deployed, as seen from the 25th deployment.
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T.S. Kelso @tskelso.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
CelesTrak has ephemeris-based SupGP data for all 26 satellites from the Starlink G31-1 launch (2026-225) atop a Starship rocket from Starbase on 2026-09-28 at 12:48:59 UTC: spaceflightnow.com/2026/09/28/s.... Data for the launch can be found at: celestrak.org/NORAD/elemen....
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Cosmic Penguin @cosmicpenguinov103.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
A question for @tskelso.bsky.social - it looks like SpaceX did not pass on the planned orbit data for Starlink Group 31-1 to Celestrak?
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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
From @thitch.bsky.social breakingdefense.com/2026/09/excl...
breakingdefense.com
EXCLUSIVE: SpaceX given unique access to classified DoD space tracking data, sources say - Breaking Defense
Commercial space monitoring firms are concerned SpaceX's ability to use the best DoD data could threaten the market, sources tell Breaking Defense.
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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
FARRAH III was declassified earlier this year. Although retired, radio amateurs followed its beacon signal until at least 2019 (such 'zombie' sats with a beacon still going post retirement are not super uncommon)
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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
The NRO/Lockheed/Motorola P-11 No. 5103 signals intelligence sat, FARRAH III (codename USA 32, NRO Mission 7348) launched in 1988 and retired sometime in the late 1990s, underwent a debris event on 2026 Sep 13 at 2113 UTC according to USSF Space-Track. It's in a 775 x 778 km x 85 deg orbit
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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
Exciting news: Jonathan's Space Library finally has electricity! The lights went on today. The shipping containers with the books should arrive in a few weeks.  "𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥, 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘐𝘵'𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘳.....".
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Jenny Winder she/her @ladyastrojenny.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Venus ate its own moon Study says that if Venus ever did have a moon, the planet's spin and gravity would cause the moon to be swallowed by it www.skyatnightmagazine.com/news/venus-a...
skyatnightmagazine.com
Venus ate its own moon | BBC Sky at Night Magazine
Study says that if Venus ever did have a moon, the planet's spin and gravity would cause the moon to be swallowed by it.
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Cosmic Penguin @cosmicpenguinov103.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Starlink Group 31-1 rocket Stage 2 Perhaps the most flattering name for a "rocket stage" in (at least recent) spaceflight history lmaooooooooooooooo
fixupx.com
SpaceNotices (@SpaceNotices)
A Local Notice to Mariners for the second contingency reentry area in the Pacific Ocean has been published. It also confirms that this mission is Starlink Group 31-1 https://www.navcen.uscg.gov/msi
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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
I talk smack about American space militarism to the @theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/science/2026...
theguardian.com
US confirms for first time it has deployed weapons in space
Analysts warn of an acceleration in high-risk arms race with Russia and China in Earth’s orbit
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DutchSpace @dutchspace.eurosky.social · 01/09/2026
Not that I’m keeping track or anything😇 but here is the list of Ariane 6 launcher serials so far. VA262 - A62 - L6001 VA263 - A62 - L6002 VA264 - A62 - L6003 VA265 - A62 - L6005 VA266 - A62 - L6004 VA267 - A64 - L6006 VA268 - A64 - L6007 VA269 - A64 - L6009 VA270 - A62 - L6008
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T.S. Kelso @tskelso.bsky.social · 31/08/2026
For those wanting to track the NGRST Falcon Heavy upper stage, SpaceX asked us if we could put this online. This is a temporary file, but SpaceX is interested in making this data available in the future. This is CATNR 100533/2026-199B/FALCON HEAVY R/B (not 2026-200A): celestrak.org/pub/mission_...
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Cameron Ogletree @catherdercam.com · 30/08/2026
Launch of the Roman Space Telescope abord a Falcon Heavy vechicle from LC-39A This is boster B1104 landing at LZ-40 /4
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Cameron Ogletree @catherdercam.com · 30/08/2026
Launch of the Roman Space Telescope abord a Falcon Heavy vechicle from LC-39A 3/4
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Cameron Ogletree @catherdercam.com · 30/08/2026
Launch of the Roman Space Telescope abord a Falcon Heavy vechicle from LC-39A 2/4
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Cameron Ogletree @catherdercam.com · 30/08/2026
Launch of the Roman Space Telescope abord a Falcon Heavy vechicle from LC-39A 1/4
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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
I wrote to Lisa Bartusek, Roman team member and the author of the 2022 paper that Wikipedia cites for the 10500 kg design planning value. She tells me the actual launch mass is 9174 kg including 1116 kg of hydrazine. Result!
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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 29/08/2026
Per JPL Horizons, injection orbit for Roman will be 190 km x 1.2 million km x 33.7 deg, with C3 about -0.65 km2/s2 (this q was asked in the NASA presser but not answered)
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Dwayne Day @kennen11.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
Harry Stranger and I have been doing mischief, gathering information on the Soviet Aspidnoye airfield in the far north. Not much available on it. It was a long runway, suitable for bombers, but never paved. My suspicion is they had bigger plans and never finished it. No aircraft in any photos.
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Soar Atlas @soaratlas.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
🚀 A high-res satellite image from Vantor, captured on August 3, showing Ship 40 secured alongside the Normand Ranger in the Indian Ocean. The imagery shows SpaceX's post-splashdown recovery operations in action. Explore the map: soaratlas.com/maps/142237 #SpaceX #Starship
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Dwayne Day @kennen11.bsky.social · 10/08/2026
Just sent in my LANYARD part 2 article along with a couple of dozen photos. I was looking for a good opener photo for the article. Could not find something great, but then stumbled across these images that I scanned from a Douglas Thor promotional booklet from the mid-1960s. I'm using one of these.
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Dwayne Day @kennen11.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
A couple more images of the KH-6 LANYARD camera system. One image shows both the film supply and takeup reels at the front of the camera. That takeup reel would have been mounted inside a reentry vehicle. Other photo shows the image reflecting mirror that looked down at Earth, and the camera lens.
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Dwayne Day @kennen11.bsky.social · 08/08/2026
Part 2 of my LANYARD series will be in The Space Review this coming week. The Samos E-5 camera was converted into the KH-6 LANYARD camera. Smaller, simpler, and using systems from the proven CORONA program. The article will also feature never-before-seen recon photos, via Harry Stranger.
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Dwayne Day @kennen11.bsky.social · 04/08/2026
My new article is online. This will be in three parts. Part 1 is mostly about the Samos E-5. Part 2 will mostly be about the KH-6 LANYARD, and part 3 will be about the Samos E-6 and SPARTAN. thespacereview.com/article/5281/1
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Michael Seeley @mseeley.net · 06/08/2026
Thursday, August 6 over Florida's Space Coast, an Airbus A320 (N663JB), @JetBlue 241, Orlando to Nassau, crossed the Sun @ 14,850 ft (and climbing) & 376 kts, contrail trailing off one wing, a couple of small sunspots on the disk. 📷: me, flight data: @flightradar24.com #photography #avgeek
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vsamsondc.bsky.social @vsamsondc.bsky.social · 05/08/2026
"In other words, when it comes to avoiding accidents in space, rather than evidence of effective stewardship, so far most of it comes down to luck." Thought-provoking op-ed from @comspoc.bsky.social's Dan Oltrogge breakingdefense.com/2026/08/the-...
breakingdefense.com
The confidence deficit in space - Breaking Defense
Satellite operators make decisions based on the quality and confidence of orbital data they receive. But new research indicates that such data must be improved in order for space safety and security t...
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ESO @eso.org · 05/08/2026
The team will provide more details after a full analysis has been conducted. Read more about this campaign: arxiv.org/abs/2607.14625 🔭 🧪 4/4
arxiv.org
Observational planning for the 2026 August 5 Falcon 9 Upper Stage lunar impact
On 2026 August 5, at approximately 06:35 UT, a spent Falcon 9 upper stage will impact the lunar surface near Einstein Crater. This event will occur on sunlit terrain near the eastern limb as seen from...
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ESO @eso.org · 05/08/2026
This prompted astronomers to observe this impact in real time with various telescopes worldwide. The VLT spectra, taken with the UVES instrument, show emission lines of sodium & lithium. The sodium likely originated from the lunar soil, whereas the lithium could come from the rocket itself. 🔭 🧪 3/4
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ESO @eso.org · 05/08/2026
This Falcon 9 rocket was launched on 15 Jan 2025 carrying the Blue Ghost & Hakuto-R Moon landers. Its upper stage, as tall as a five-storey building, didn't re-enter Earth after the lunch. Careful analysis of subsequent observations predicted that it would crash today on the Moon 🔭 🧪 📷 B. Gray 2/4
An image of the Moon, with one half illuminated and the other in shadows. A blue circle and an arrow at about 10 o'clock indicate the predicted location of the impact.
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ESO @eso.org · 05/08/2026
Earlier today, the discarded upper stage of a Falcon 9 rocket impacted on the Moon. As part of a coordinated observing campaign, our Very Large Telescope detected spectral lines of sodium and lithium gas in the impact plume lasting for 5-10 minutes after impact. 🔭 🧪 📷 ESO/C. Schmidt et al. 1/4
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Dwayne Day @kennen11.bsky.social · 03/08/2026
My next Space Review article will be a multi-part history of the KH-6 LANYARD reconnaissance satellite. LANYARD was derived from the failed Samos E-5 satellite.
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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 01/08/2026
Jonathan's Space Report No. 858 published at planet4589.org/jsr.html with the past month's space news
planet4589.org
Jonathan's Space Report - Latest Issue
Jonathan's Space Report | Current Issue
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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 29/07/2026
SWIFT reboost mission in trouble (but not game over yet) - LINK in multi-axis spin with two of three reaction wheels down.
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EUMETSAT @eumetsat.int · 28/07/2026
What does one satellite look like from another's point of view? On 18 Jul we found out! MTG-S1 & Meteosat-12 share an orbital slot 36,000km up & sometimes cross paths. The IRS on MTG-S1 caught Meteosat-12 over Timbuktu, Mali. ⬇️ The image is low-res, but you see Meteosat-12's solar panels/antennas.
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Harry Stranger @spacefromspace.com · 27/07/2026
A motion processed version of the capture showing them Starship and ship moving with the ocean.
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Harry Stranger @spacefromspace.com · 27/07/2026
Following a request from my friends at @nasaspaceflight.com, we attempted to capture the splashed down SpaceX Starship in the Indian Ocean using Umbra satellites. We seem to have caught it and its recovery ship. 2026-07-27 03:56 UTC. spacefromspace.com/spaceport-im...
A black and white image with a rainbow smudge in the middle.A black and white image with two rainbow smudges in the middle, being ships.
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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Starship flight 13: estimated orbit 8 (+/- 5) x 195 km x 26.5 deg, boosted to about 43 x 217 km x 26.5 deg after 17m/s Raptor restart burn.
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DutchSpace @dutchspace.eurosky.social · 24/07/2026
Dish update, although the looks are pretty dystopian, so far she seems ok, but the wildfires are raging and encroaching on the area. More importantly, I hope all the people in the area are safe. However I really hope she survives...
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NASASpaceflight.com @nasaspaceflight.com · 23/07/2026
Shortly after liftoff from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center earlier today, July 23, a Chinese Chang Zheng 3B/E rocket appeared to have been struck by lightning.
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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
Much better news on this: although the new registrations are not available by the UN OOSA web site, they can be found by guessing the document ID string on the main UN documents site documents.un.org - so it's a pain but not a total roadblock
documents.un.org
Official Document System - UN
Official Document System - UN
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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
I had cached PDFs of the English versions myself until 2018; wish I hadn't stopped. In case of further deterioration of the UN site, I have put a complete set of (mix of English and Russian versions of) the ST/SG/SER.E documents on my site at planet4589.org/space/un/doc...
planet4589.org
ser.e
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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
The situation with the United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA) website is even worse than I thought. Not only are new registrations not being published, but most of the links to the *old* docs are broken. Except for the versions in Russian; for some reason you can get those ok.
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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
Here is the comment on the OOSA page, but "Information... can be found here" is not true in that no new documents have been posted as far as I can see.
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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
I think this is pretty serious: for several months the UNOOSA (UN Office of Outer Space Affairs) has not been making public new sat registrations apparently because of an IT policy issue. A month or two I could accept, but at this point it's a failure of the international space governance regime
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Cosmic Penguin @cosmicpenguinov103.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
What Is Happening In Chinese Spaceflight in Quarter 3, 2026 - What do you mean that "We are getting important updates of spaceflight development progress of the current globe's no. 2 space-fairing nation through random social media photobombs"?
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Jonathan McDowell @planet4589.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Jonathan's Space Report issue no. 857 has been published at planet4589.org/jsr.html
planet4589.org
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