Outer Space Today

Launch

Orienspace Completes Third Gravity-1 Sea Launch, Placing Nine Satellites in Orbit

Chinese commercial launch firm Orienspace conducted the third flight of its Gravity-1 solid rocket on July 22, lifting off from waters off Shanghai and successfully placing nine satellites into orbit. The mission marked the vehicle's third flight overall and was carried out from a sea-launch platform

Deep Space

NASA Puts $2.1 Billion Price on Nuclear Mars Spacecraft, Science Payload Not Included

NASA is spending more than $2.1 billion to develop a nuclear-powered spacecraft intended for Mars, according to reporting this week. The figure covers the spacecraft alone and does not include the cost of the science mission it would carry, meaning the true program cost is substantially higher than

Interlune Demonstrates 99% Pure Helium-3 Production With New Cold Capture Technology

Interlune has demonstrated a breakthrough cryogenic separation system capable of producing 99% pure helium-3 from existing terrestrial helium supplies, marking a major milestone in the company's strategy to build a commercial helium-3 business years before beginning lunar mining operations. The Seattle-based startup announced that its

Defense

Boeing Directs All Space Investment to Defense as Starliner Recovery Continues

Boeing is concentrating its entire space investment on national security and defense work, its Defense, Space and Security CEO Steve Parker said, positioning the military side of the portfolio as the company's future while it works to get the troubled Starliner crew capsule back on track. Parker, speaking

Launch

Northrop Grumman Launches Robotic Servicing Vehicle Toward Geosynchronous Orbit

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral on Tuesday carrying Northrop Grumman's Mission Robotic Vehicle and three Mission Extension Pods, a mission built to prolong the working lives of multiple satellites already in geosynchronous orbit. The launch marks one of the first

Defense

Space Force Commander Declares Return to Spectrum Dominance After Middle East Operations

The commander of U.S. Space Force Combat Forces Command declared on July 17, 2026, that recent multi-domain joint deployments in the Middle East mark a decisive return to American electromagnetic spectrum dominance. Speaking at a virtual event, military leadership said orbital assets have shifted from passive tactical support

Markets

UK Space Agency Misses Deadline on £75.6 Million Debris Removal Contract

The UK Space Agency has missed a deadline to award a £75.6 million contract for the country's first mission to capture and remove dead satellites from low Earth orbit. The agency, which had been expected to award the contract by 30 March 2026, is now targeting summer

Markets

Pentagon More Than Triples National Security Launch Ceiling to $17 Billion

The Department of Defense added $11.4 billion to its National Security Space Launch contract pool on Friday, raising the total ceiling from $5.6 billion to $17 billion. The move more than triples the funding available in a single action, signaling a major acceleration in the Pentagon's

Policy

NASA Watchdog Warns Artemis Crews Could Be Stranded on the Moon With No Rescue Option

NASA's Office of Inspector General has identified a fundamental flaw in the agency's plan for the first crewed lunar landing in 2028, warning that astronauts who suffer a life-threatening emergency on the Moon's South Pole could not be rescued under the current architecture.

Policy

Taiwan Moves to Exempt Starlink From Ownership Rules to Shore Up Wartime Connectivity

Taiwan's parliament is set to amend its telecommunications law to clear a legal path for Elon Musk's Starlink to operate on the island, part of an effort to strengthen communications resilience against the threat of a Chinese blockade or invasion. The self-ruled island has no

Markets

UK Loses 340 Million Pounds on Eutelsat OneWeb Starlink Bet

British taxpayers have lost 340 million pounds on Eutelsat OneWeb, the government-backed venture positioned as a rival to SpaceX's Starlink. The company has slumped in value after struggling against competitors in the low Earth orbit broadband market. The UK government backed OneWeb as a strategic national asset

Launch

NASA Sets August 30 Launch for Roman Space Telescope on Falcon Heavy

NASA has opened media accreditation for the launches of its Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and the SpaceX Crew-13 mission, both targeting liftoff in the coming months. The Roman observatory is slated to launch no earlier than 7:20 a.m. EDT on Sunday, August 30, aboard a SpaceX

Launch

Skyroot's Vikram-1 Reaches Orbit on Debut Flight, a First for Indian Commercial Rockets

Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 rocket lifted off on its inaugural flight July 18, becoming the first commercial Indian rocket to reach orbit. The company declared the upper stage reached its planned 450-kilometer low Earth orbit 15 minutes after liftoff, achieving orbital insertion on its first attempt. The

Defense

Space Force Chief Nominee Warns of China's "Breathtakingly Fast" Space Advances

Lt. Gen. Doug Schiess, nominated to become the third chief of the U.S. Space Force, told the Senate Armed Services Committee this week that China's rapidly advancing space capabilities are a primary justification for the service's budget. His confirmation hearing was short and nonconfrontational, and

Markets

Arianespace Chief Urges EU or Germany to Order Ariane 6 in Blocks of 10 to 20

Arianespace CEO David Cavaillolès has called on either the European Commission or the German government to place block orders for 10 to 20 Ariane 6 launches. He argues that such a commitment would transform how the company plans and manages its supply chain, and warned that the necessary political decisions

Deep Space

Helium Escape Reveals Atmosphere on Rocky Habitable-Zone Planet 48 Light-Years Away

Astronomers have detected helium escaping from LHS 1140 b, a rocky super-Earth orbiting within the habitable zone of a small red star about 48 light-years away. The signal is the first clear evidence of an atmosphere around a rocky planet in the habitable zone of another star. It

Markets

NASA Taps SpaceX Starlink to Beam Artemis III Imagery in 4K

NASA has awarded SpaceX a contract to deliver laser communications capabilities for the Artemis III mission using Starlink, marking another step in the agency's shift from building its own communications systems to buying commercial relay services. The deal will equip the Orion spacecraft with two Starlink mini laser

Launch

Starship Flight 13 Aborts at Engine Startup, SpaceX to Swap Two Raptors

SpaceX called off the 13th full-scale test flight of its Starship rocket and Super Heavy booster on Thursday when onboard computers triggered an automatic abort during the booster's engine startup sequence. Several Raptor engines failed to ignite, forcing engineers to drain the vehicle's propellant tanks

Launch

Rocket Lab Clears Full-Duration Archimedes Burn, Advancing Neutron Toward First Flight

Rocket Lab has completed a full-duration static fire of the second-stage variant of its Archimedes engine, a hardware milestone that clears the way for integration with the company's next-generation Neutron rocket. The company announced the successful burn in a July 13 social media post, calling

Markets

AST SpaceMobile Pushes Commercial Satellite-to-Phone Service to Early 2027

AST SpaceMobile has deferred the commercial launch of its Direct-to-Device service to early 2027, moving away from a previously targeted late-2026 timeline. The company disclosed the revised schedule in a regulatory filing on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, alongside plans to raise up to $1 billion in new

Markets

SpaceX Stock Slips Below Its $135 IPO Price for the First Time

SpaceX shares fell below their $135 IPO price for the first time on Wednesday, closing at $135.27 after spending much of the day beneath that level and dipping under $133 at one point. The drop capped a steady decline in the month since the company went public and came

Launch

Starship Flight 13 Set to Deploy First V3 Starlink Satellites in Operational Debut

SpaceX is preparing to launch Starship Flight 13 on Thursday, July 16, from its Starbase test site in Texas, with liftoff targeted for no earlier than 6:45 p.m. EDT. The mission will carry the first generation of V3 Starlink satellites, marking the first time Starship deploys an operational

Markets

SpaceX Veteran Raises $65 Million to Modernize Aerospace Wire Harnesses

Senra, a startup founded by former SpaceX engineer Jordan Black, has raised a $65 million Series B round to modernize the manufacturing of wire harnesses, the internal electrical cabling that runs through rockets, satellites, and defense vehicles. The company argues that wire harness production has barely changed since the Cold

Satellites

Amazon Leo Lands First African Consumer Broadband Deal With South Africa's Herotel

* Fast Facts: * > Amazon Leo has signed its first African consumer broadband partnership, teaming up with South Africa's Herotel to launch the satellite internet service in 2027. * > Herotel's existing network of 350,000 customers, 550+ towns, and 120 local offices will support installation and customer

Satellites

Starlink Satellites Now Dodging Collisions Almost Weekly as Maneuvers Triple in a Year

SpaceX's Starlink satellites performed more than 355,000 collision avoidance maneuvers over the past year, meaning each spacecraft now dodges debris and other satellites on an almost weekly basis. The figure, drawn from SpaceX's latest semiannual disclosure to the Federal Communications Commission, marks more than three