July 10, 2026 Quick space links
Courtesy of BtB’s stringer Jay. This post is also an open thread. I welcome my readers to post any comments or additional links relating to any space issues, even if unrelated to the links below.
Note: X now appears to require log in to view videos. You can get around this by clicking on the three dots at the top right to get the embed code. Ask for the code for an “embedded video.” The video will then be available for watching.
- A picture of the factory floor where Thales-Alenia is building the hulls of two of Axiom’s space station modules.
A lot of stuff for sure, all of which still needs to be assembled.
- Eight NATO allies launch HALO satellite constellation initiative
The nations are Denmark, Canada, Finland, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Sweden and Turkey. No U.S. The constellation will supposedly provide “high-speed communications, intelligence and missile tracking,” though these are usually done by completely different satellite constellations.
- Astra shows off video of an engine static fire test
Jay: “An X commenter asked what fuel they are using for that dark exhaust. One guy answered best: ‘Investor’s money’.” Still, the company has been surviving on its engine sales, even if no one believes its new rocket is real.
- On July 10, 1962 AT&T’s Telstar-1 was launched on a Thor-Delta rocket purchased from NASA for $3 million
The satellite successfully relayed TV broadcasts from Europe to the U.S. AT&T hoped to build a constellation of satellites then to provide this service, but was blocked by Congress and President Kennedy, who passed a law creating the quasi-private company Comsat and requiring all American communciations satellites to be launched by it. That law squelched the American satellite industry — and the American launch industry — for more than a decade.







