Artemis III Adds 4K Starlink Lasers, Canadarm2 Repaired

The Daily Broadcast: Artemis III Adds 4K Starlink Lasers, Canadarm2 Repaired

NASA Taps SpaceX for 4K Laser Broadcasts From Artemis III

NASA has selected SpaceX to install two Starlink mini laser terminals on the exterior of the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis III mission, giving controllers and viewers on Earth a live 4K window on the flight scheduled for 2027.

The terminals rely on optical communications — invisible infrared light — rather than traditional radio waves to beam high-resolution imagery and telemetry to the Mission Control Center in Houston. The shift to optical wavelengths expands available bandwidth and will supplement the radio systems already onboard Orion. According to the agency, the upgrade is intended to “provide a front row seat for viewers from the Orion spacecraft” as astronauts test how the capsule approaches and docks with the commercial lunar landing systems NASA plans to use for crewed Moon landings beginning in 2028.

NASA previously flew a similar laser terminal during Artemis II, where it demonstrated high-definition video, photos, and voice over a direct line of sight. SpaceX demonstrated its laser technology for the agency during a 2025 flight, and the Artemis III hardware is based on the same architecture now linking more than 25,000 Starlink satellites in orbit. The company has already streamed live video during its own Starship rocket tests using that network.

The integration forms part of NASA’s Communications Services Project, run by the Space Communications and Navigation division, as the agency shifts toward commercial satellite services for missions close to Earth.

Williams Wraps ISS Stay After Spacewalk Repair of Canadarm2

NASA astronaut Chris Williams is set to undock from the International Space Station at 3:02 a.m. EDT on Sunday, July 26, alongside Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev, ending a 241-day mission that included a high-profile Canadarm2 repair.

Soyuz MS-29 crew arrives at ISS, U.S. EVA completes Canadarm2 repairs by Eleanor Day July 22, 2026 written by Eleanor Day July 22, 2026 7 The International Space Station’s (ISS) crew grew by three… | Source: NASASpaceFlight

Williams and NASA astronaut Jessica Meir completed U.S. spacewalk 95 on June 30, spending seven hours and 20 minutes outside the station’s Quest airlock to replace a malfunctioning wrist joint on Canadarm2. The arm had drawn elevated motor current and stopped moving correctly during operations on May 27. The outing was Meir’s fifth EVA and Williams’ second, marking the 280th spacewalk in support of ISS assembly and maintenance.

The Soyuz MS-28 crew is scheduled to parachute to a landing southeast of Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan at 6:26 a.m. EDT on July 26, having completed 3,856 orbits and travelled more than 102 million miles. It is the first mission for both Williams and Mikaev, and the second for Kud-Sverchkov.

At a change of command ceremony on Saturday, July 25, Kud-Sverchkov will transfer command of the station to Meir as Expedition 75 begins.

RSGS Robotic Servicer Reaches for GEO After Falcon 9 Launch

A Mission Robotic Vehicle carrying the Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites payload lifted off from Cape Canaveral on July 21 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 and is now on its way to geosynchronous Earth orbit.

Funded by DARPA, RSGS uses twin robotic arms built by the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory to inspect and upgrade GEO satellites by installing mission extension pods — small propulsion modules meant to add years of life to spacecraft that would otherwise be retired early for running out of fuel or having obsolete equipment.

The host vehicle, built by Northrop Grumman, is described as the nation’s first multi-mission robotic in-space servicer. NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center began supporting the programme in 2024 under an interagency agreement with DARPA, contributing dynamic simulation tools, performance-verification software, and a team of flight robot operators for the orbital procedures.

RSGS draws directly on NASA’s servicing heritage, including the Hubble Space Telescope servicing missions and the Robotic Refueling Missions flown on the International Space Station. Hundreds of satellites occupy GEO, and fully functional spacecraft are routinely decommissioned when fuel runs low.

Citations

“Artemis III Mission to feature live 4K video powered by Starlink lasers” — https://spaceq.ca/artemis-iii-mission-to-feature-live-4k-video-powered-by-starlink-lasers/
“Soyuz MS-29 crew arrives at ISS, U.S. EVA completes Canadarm2 repairs” — https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/2026/07/iss-roundup-072226/
“NASA Sets Coverage for Astronaut Chris Williams, Crewmates Return” — https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-sets-coverage-for-astronaut-chris-williams-crewmates-return/
“Robotic Servicing Mission Launches with NASA Support” — https://www.nasa.gov/technology/robotic-servicing-mission-launches-with-nasa-support/

Flight 13

Provider: SpaceX
Date: July 23, 2026
Time: 10:45 PM UTC
Vehicle: Starship

13th test flight of the two-stage Starship launch vehicle. Second flight of Starship V3.

For the first time, Starship will carry 20 V3 Starlink satellites to space, which will extend solar arrays and antennas and will attempt to connect with ground stations in South Africa and the larger Starlink constellation via high-capacity lasers.

6 of the satellites have been modified with a suite of cameras to scan Starship’s heat shield and transmit imagery down to operators to continue testing methods of analyzing Starship’s heat shield readiness for return to launch site on future missions. Several tiles on Starship have been painted white to simulate missing tiles and serve as imaging targets in the test.