The launch of a satellite named COSMO-SkyMed Second Generation on the Falcon 9 vehicle on Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 21:09 ET on 2 January 2026, was at the correct moment, marking the beginning of the calendar year, SpaceX.
On its 21st flights, the booster landed successfully only 8.5 minutes later and the upper stage hurled the payload into a low Earth orbit at 620 km (2600 miles) (385 miles).
It is the inaugural SpaceX launch of 2026, as well as the 160th Falcon 9 launch of 2025 alone.
Radar Powerhouse Unveiled
The synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite was developed by the Space Agency and the Ministry of Defence in Italy, and has brought continuous effect on the earth in cloud cover and darkness.
It supplements the COSMO SkyMed constellation, which will have six second generation units by 2027 to provide the necessary data to prevent disasters, protect citizens, monitor the sea, and manage agriculture.
All this is becoming a more urgent requirement within the context of a once per year due to rise of the climatic risks as per United Nations data.
Market Analysis
The military navigation market is projected to grow from an estimated $ 8.87 billion in 2018 to $12.07 billion by 2023.
Increasing preference for the use of UAVs in modern warfare and rising demand for missiles and artillery systems due to geopolitical instabilities and changing nature of warfare are the key factors expected to drive the military navigation market during the forecast period.
Similarly, the geospatial imagery analytics market is set for significant expansion, reaching $18.55 billion by 2030 from an estimated $ 12.12 billion in 2025, indicating a CAGR of 8.9% between 2025 and 2030.
The major players in the geospatial imagery analytics market include IBM (US), Oracle (US), Google (US), Hexagon AB (Sweden), TomTom (Netherlands), Trimble (US), Esri (US), Planet Labs (US), BlackSky (US), and Furgo (Netherlands).
Road Ahead
It is estimated that there will be three more COSMO launches in 2026 and this will add to the expectations of more than 150 missions launched by SpaceX the same year.
Reusability represents a significant milestone towards the performance of radar constellations, and 2026 promises to be a target year as the cost of launch is expected to reduce.
The strategic edge of Italy is also enhanced in the scenario of growing geopolitical tensions increasing the need to have all-weather intelligence.
