{"id":584533,"date":"2026-04-08T03:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/?p=584533"},"modified":"2026-04-08T09:24:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:24:06","slug":"astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/","title":{"rendered":"Astroscale passes key design milestone for UK military space-tracking cubesats"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Astroscale has completed the critical design review for two cubesats slated to launch next year to help the British military monitor space weather and track objects in LEO.<\/p>\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Astroscale has completed the critical design review for two cubesats slated to launch next year to help the British military monitor space weather and track objects in LEO.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11009,"featured_media":584534,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"newspack_pugpig_automated_push":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"fullscreen","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[4149,4161],"tags":[2239,819,2542,13415,891],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[3507],"class_list":["post-584533","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-militaryspace-archive","category-news-archive","tag-astroscale","tag-europe","tag-open-cosmos","tag-sn","tag-uk","membership-content","access-restricted","entry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Astroscale passes key design milestone for UK military space-tracking cubesats - SpaceNews<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Astroscale has completed the critical design review for two cubesats slated to launch next year to help the British military monitor space weather and track objects in LEO.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Astroscale passes key design milestone for UK military space-tracking cubesats\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Astroscale has completed the critical design review for two cubesats slated to launch next year to help the British military monitor space weather and track objects in LEO.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SpaceNews\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SpaceNewsInc\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-08T07:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-08T13:24:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Orpheus_satellites_graphic_Apr26-scaled.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1724\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jason Rainbow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@JasonRainbow\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@SpaceNews_Inc\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jason Rainbow\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/438d1b5369fe96bb6bc9117b480b5ed4\"},\"headline\":\"Astroscale passes key design milestone for UK military space-tracking cubesats\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-08T07:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-08T13:24:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":378,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/Orpheus_satellites_graphic_Apr26-scaled.png?fit=2560%2C1724&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"Astroscale\",\"Europe\",\"Open Cosmos\",\"SN\",\"UK\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Military\",\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\\\/\",\"name\":\"Astroscale passes key design milestone for UK military space-tracking cubesats - SpaceNews\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/Orpheus_satellites_graphic_Apr26-scaled.png?fit=2560%2C1724&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-08T07:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-08T13:24:06+00:00\",\"description\":\"Astroscale has completed the critical design review for two cubesats slated to launch next year to help the British military monitor space weather and track objects in LEO.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/Orpheus_satellites_graphic_Apr26-scaled.png?fit=2560%2C1724&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/Orpheus_satellites_graphic_Apr26-scaled.png?fit=2560%2C1724&ssl=1\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1724,\"caption\":\"An illustration of the two Orpheus cubesats that Astroscale plans to operate in low Earth orbit.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Astroscale passes key design milestone for UK military space-tracking cubesats\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"SpaceNews\",\"description\":\"Covering the business and politics of space\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SpaceNews\",\"alternateName\":\"SN\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/logo2x2.jpg?fit=200%2C200&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/01\\\/logo2x2.jpg?fit=200%2C200&ssl=1\",\"width\":200,\"height\":200,\"caption\":\"SpaceNews\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/SpaceNewsInc\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/SpaceNews_Inc\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/spacenews\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/twitter.com\\\/SpaceNews_Inc\"],\"description\":\"SpaceNews: The latest news covering the business and politics of the space industry.\",\"email\":\"support@spacenews.com\",\"legalName\":\"SpaceNews, Inc.\",\"foundingDate\":\"1990-12-01\",\"taxID\":\"45-5551942\",\"naics\":\"513110\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"11\",\"maxValue\":\"50\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/438d1b5369fe96bb6bc9117b480b5ed4\",\"name\":\"Jason Rainbow\",\"description\":\"Jason Rainbow writes about satellite telecom, space finance and commercial markets for SpaceNews. He has spent more than a decade covering the global space industry as a business journalist. Previously, he was Group Editor-in-Chief for Finance Information Group, including its industry publication Connectivity Business (formerly SatelliteFinance and TelecomFinance).\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/JasonRainbow\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/author\\\/jrainbow\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Astroscale passes key design milestone for UK military space-tracking cubesats - SpaceNews","description":"Astroscale has completed the critical design review for two cubesats slated to launch next year to help the British military monitor space weather and track objects in LEO.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Astroscale passes key design milestone for UK military space-tracking cubesats","og_description":"Astroscale has completed the critical design review for two cubesats slated to launch next year to help the British military monitor space weather and track objects in LEO.","og_url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/","og_site_name":"SpaceNews","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SpaceNewsInc\/","article_published_time":"2026-04-08T07:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-04-08T13:24:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1724,"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Orpheus_satellites_graphic_Apr26-scaled.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Jason Rainbow","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@JasonRainbow","twitter_site":"@SpaceNews_Inc","schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/"},"author":{"name":"Jason Rainbow","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/438d1b5369fe96bb6bc9117b480b5ed4"},"headline":"Astroscale passes key design milestone for UK military space-tracking cubesats","datePublished":"2026-04-08T07:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-08T13:24:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/"},"wordCount":378,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Orpheus_satellites_graphic_Apr26-scaled.png?fit=2560%2C1724&ssl=1","keywords":["Astroscale","Europe","Open Cosmos","SN","UK"],"articleSection":["Military","News"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/","url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/","name":"Astroscale passes key design milestone for UK military space-tracking cubesats - SpaceNews","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Orpheus_satellites_graphic_Apr26-scaled.png?fit=2560%2C1724&ssl=1","datePublished":"2026-04-08T07:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-04-08T13:24:06+00:00","description":"Astroscale has completed the critical design review for two cubesats slated to launch next year to help the British military monitor space weather and track objects in LEO.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Orpheus_satellites_graphic_Apr26-scaled.png?fit=2560%2C1724&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Orpheus_satellites_graphic_Apr26-scaled.png?fit=2560%2C1724&ssl=1","width":2560,"height":1724,"caption":"An illustration of the two Orpheus cubesats that Astroscale plans to operate in low Earth orbit."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Astroscale passes key design milestone for UK military space-tracking cubesats"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/","name":"SpaceNews","description":"Covering the business and politics of space","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#organization","name":"SpaceNews","alternateName":"SN","url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo2x2.jpg?fit=200%2C200&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/logo2x2.jpg?fit=200%2C200&ssl=1","width":200,"height":200,"caption":"SpaceNews"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SpaceNewsInc\/","https:\/\/x.com\/SpaceNews_Inc","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/spacenews\/","https:\/\/twitter.com\/SpaceNews_Inc"],"description":"SpaceNews: The latest news covering the business and politics of the space industry.","email":"support@spacenews.com","legalName":"SpaceNews, Inc.","foundingDate":"1990-12-01","taxID":"45-5551942","naics":"513110","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"11","maxValue":"50"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/438d1b5369fe96bb6bc9117b480b5ed4","name":"Jason Rainbow","description":"Jason Rainbow writes about satellite telecom, space finance and commercial markets for SpaceNews. He has spent more than a decade covering the global space industry as a business journalist. Previously, he was Group Editor-in-Chief for Finance Information Group, including its industry publication Connectivity Business (formerly SatelliteFinance and TelecomFinance).","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/JasonRainbow"],"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/author\/jrainbow\/"}]}},"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","canonical_url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/","smart_links":{"inbound":0,"outbound":0},"traffic_boost_suggestions_count":0,"meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"Astroscale passes key design milestone for UK military space-tracking cubesats","url":"http:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"http:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Orpheus_satellites_graphic_Apr26-scaled.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Orpheus_satellites_graphic_Apr26-scaled.png?fit=2560%2C1724&ssl=1"},"articleSection":"Military","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Jason Rainbow"}],"creator":["Jason Rainbow"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"SpaceNews","logo":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/spacenews_35.jpeg"},"keywords":["astroscale","europe","open cosmos","sn","uk"],"dateCreated":"2026-04-08T07:00:00Z","datePublished":"2026-04-08T07:00:00Z","dateModified":"2026-04-08T13:24:06Z"},"rendered":"<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"wp-parsely-metadata\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"headline\":\"Astroscale passes key design milestone for UK military space-tracking cubesats\",\"url\":\"http:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\\\/\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"http:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/astroscale-passes-key-design-milestone-for-uk-military-space-tracking-cubesats\\\/\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/Orpheus_satellites_graphic_Apr26-scaled.png?resize=150%2C150&ssl=1\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/i0.wp.com\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/04\\\/Orpheus_satellites_graphic_Apr26-scaled.png?fit=2560%2C1724&ssl=1\"},\"articleSection\":\"Military\",\"author\":[{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Jason Rainbow\"}],\"creator\":[\"Jason Rainbow\"],\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"SpaceNews\",\"logo\":\"https:\\\/\\\/spacenews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/12\\\/spacenews_35.jpeg\"},\"keywords\":[\"astroscale\",\"europe\",\"open cosmos\",\"sn\",\"uk\"],\"dateCreated\":\"2026-04-08T07:00:00Z\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-08T07:00:00Z\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-08T13:24:06Z\"}<\/script>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/spacenews.com\/p.js"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Orpheus_satellites_graphic_Apr26-scaled.png?fit=2560%2C1724&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":579217,"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/astroscale-selects-isar-aerospace-to-launch-elsa-m-mission\/","url_meta":{"origin":584533,"position":0},"title":"Astroscale selects Isar Aerospace to launch ELSA-M mission","author":"Jeff Foust","date":"March 13, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Japanese satellite servicing company Astroscale has selected Isar Aerospace to launch a deorbiting mission developed by its British subsidiary.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Commercial&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Commercial","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/section\/commercial-archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Astroscales-ELSA-M-Servicer_2025-1-scaled.png?fit=1200%2C788&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Astroscales-ELSA-M-Servicer_2025-1-scaled.png?fit=1200%2C788&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Astroscales-ELSA-M-Servicer_2025-1-scaled.png?fit=1200%2C788&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Astroscales-ELSA-M-Servicer_2025-1-scaled.png?fit=1200%2C788&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Astroscales-ELSA-M-Servicer_2025-1-scaled.png?fit=1200%2C788&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":576694,"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/open-cosmos-unveils-vision-for-imagery-linked-sovereign-satellite-connectivity\/","url_meta":{"origin":584533,"position":1},"title":"Open Cosmos unveils vision for imagery-linked sovereign satellite connectivity","author":"Jason Rainbow","date":"March 2, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Open Cosmos shed more light on its proposed sovereign broadband constellation for Europe March 2, branding the Ka-band network ConnectedCosmos while leaving how it will meet mid-2026 deployment deadlines in the dark.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Commercial&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Commercial","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/section\/commercial-archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ConnectedCosmos-scaled.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ConnectedCosmos-scaled.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ConnectedCosmos-scaled.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ConnectedCosmos-scaled.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ConnectedCosmos-scaled.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":577722,"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/infinite-orbits-acquires-uk-startup-lunasa-to-expand-satellite-servicing-capabilities\/","url_meta":{"origin":584533,"position":2},"title":"Infinite Orbits acquires UK startup Lunasa to expand satellite servicing capabilities","author":"Dan Robitzski","date":"March 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"LONDON \u2013 In-orbit services provider Infinite Orbits announced plans March 3 to acquire London-based in-orbit servicing and manufacturing startup Lunasa, marking a step in the company\u2019s expansion into the United Kingdom.\u00a0 The acquisition, the value of which the companies didn\u2019t disclose, will bring together the Infinite Orbits\u2019 and Lunasa\u2019s investments\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Commercial&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Commercial","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/section\/commercial-archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Illustration of Infinite Orbits' Endurance spacecraft. Credit: Infinite Orbits","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Endurance-IO_LUNASA.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Endurance-IO_LUNASA.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Endurance-IO_LUNASA.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Endurance-IO_LUNASA.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Endurance-IO_LUNASA.png?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":578318,"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/missile-detection-satellite-designed-by-bae-systems-passes-early-review\/","url_meta":{"origin":584533,"position":3},"title":"Missile detection satellites designed by BAE Systems pass early review","author":"Sandra Erwin","date":"March 9, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Space Force pushes ahead with medium Earth orbit sensor layer for hypersonic tracking","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Military&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Military","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/section\/militaryspace-archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/250602-X-X0813-1001-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/250602-X-X0813-1001-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/250602-X-X0813-1001-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/250602-X-X0813-1001-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/250602-X-X0813-1001-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":577648,"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/uk-announces-500-million-package-for-industrial-growth-and-national-security\/","url_meta":{"origin":584533,"position":4},"title":"UK announces \u00a3500 million package for industrial growth and national security","author":"Mike Gruss","date":"March 5, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"LONDON \u2013 The United Kingdom is refocusing its funding priorities with a new 500 million pound ($668 million) space funding package that aligns more closely with economic growth and national security priorities, Liz Lloyd, the UK minister for the Digital Economy at the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, said\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Civil&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Civil","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/section\/civil1\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Rocket Factory Augsburg aims to launch from SaxaVord Spaceport, located at the northernmost part of Scotland\u2019s Shetland Islands, in 2024. Credit: Rocket Factory Augsburg","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/spaceport.png?fit=1200%2C659&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/spaceport.png?fit=1200%2C659&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/spaceport.png?fit=1200%2C659&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/spaceport.png?fit=1200%2C659&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/spaceport.png?fit=1200%2C659&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":584625,"url":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/inspection-cubesat-demo-planned-as-first-step-toward-orbital-defense-mothership\/","url_meta":{"origin":584533,"position":5},"title":"Inspection cubesat demo planned as first step toward orbital defense mothership","author":"Jason Rainbow","date":"April 8, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Bulgarian satellite maker EnduroSat and British defense tech startup Shield Space aim to deploy a cubesat next year capable of maneuvering near other satellites for inspection, ahead of plans to develop a mothership that could house dozens of them for on-demand missions.","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Military&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Military","link":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/section\/militaryspace-archive\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SpaceNews_EnduroSat-Shield-Space-_-Project-Nexus-MotherShip-2-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SpaceNews_EnduroSat-Shield-Space-_-Project-Nexus-MotherShip-2-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C666&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SpaceNews_EnduroSat-Shield-Space-_-Project-Nexus-MotherShip-2-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C666&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SpaceNews_EnduroSat-Shield-Space-_-Project-Nexus-MotherShip-2-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C666&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/spacenews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/SpaceNews_EnduroSat-Shield-Space-_-Project-Nexus-MotherShip-2-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C666&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584533","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11009"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=584533"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584533\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":584806,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/584533\/revisions\/584806"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/584534"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=584533"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=584533"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=584533"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=584533"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spacenews.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=584533"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}