🚀 Space Pulse · 2026-07-19 22:00 UTC
SPACE PULSE
Sunday, 19 July 2026 | 22:00 UTC
⚡ TL;DR
A multi-day high-energy electron bombardment of near-Earth space continues, with a G1 geomagnetic storm now forecast for 22 July to add to the unsettled conditions.
Two launches sit on the manifest for late July, keeping the cadence steady but unhurried.
🚀 LAUNCHES
UPCOMING: SOYUZ 2.1b / RASSVET-3 BATCH
- Roscosmos plans to loft 16 Rassvet-3 LEO broadband satellites for Russia's Bureau 1440 (Byuro-1440) internet constellation, with a target window opening 31 July 2026; payload identities are listed as uncertain. [1]
UPCOMING: MIR DEMO FLIGHT / SOUTH KOREAN MILITARY SMALLSAT
- South Korea's Agency for Defense Development targets 31 July 2026 for the first full orbital attempt of its Mir small-satellite launch vehicle, following two sub-orbital stage tests in March and December 2022 and one prior orbital test flight; the vehicle name is provisional. [2]
☀️ SPACE WEATHER
G1 GEOMAGNETIC STORM WATCH — 22 JULY
- NOAA SWPC issued Watch WATA20 (Serial 1116) at 20:14 UTC today, predicting a G1 Minor geomagnetic storm on 22 July; conditions are expected to remain below G1 on both 20 and 21 July. [3]
- A G1 storm can cause weak power-grid fluctuations, minor satellite orientation effects, and enhanced aurora visible at high latitudes (above ~60 degrees geomagnetic). [3]
ELEVATED HIGH-ENERGY ELECTRON FLUX — ONGOING SINCE 17 JULY
- NOAA SWPC continued Alert ALTEF3 (Serial 3719) at 12:04 UTC today: 2 MeV integral electron flux has exceeded 1,000 pfu continuously since 17 July 17:50 UTC, peaking at 1,170 pfu at 17:15 UTC on 18 July. [4]
- The same event was flagged in Serial 3718 the previous day, when the daily maximum reached 1,085 pfu at 15:20 UTC on 18 July, confirming a multi-day energetic particle environment in the outer radiation belt. [5] [4]
- Sustained flux above 1,000 pfu at 2 MeV poses elevated deep-dielectric charging risk to satellites in medium and geostationary orbits. [4] [5]
No new observatory, mission-update, or arXiv items were present in today's official data feed; those sections are omitted for accuracy.
SPACE PULSE is grounded solely in official sources. Stay curious. Back tomorrow.
📎 Sources
- Soyuz 2.1b | 16 x Rassvet-3 — Launch Library 2
- Mir | Demo Flight — Launch Library 2
- Space Weather Message Code: WATA20 — NOAA SWPC Alerts
- Space Weather Message Code: ALTEF3 — NOAA SWPC Alerts
- Space Weather Message Code: ALTEF3 — NOAA SWPC Alerts
Curated from official sources — NASA/ESA/JAXA/ESO/NOAA/arXiv/Launch Library. Informational only.
Serial 20260719-22-v32 · 2026-07-19 22:00 UTC · pulse.uzylab.com