Launch

A collection of 195 posts

Defense

SpaceX Set to Launch Classified USSF-481 Mission From Vandenberg

SpaceX will launch the classified USSF-481 mission for the U.S. Space Force this evening, October 15, from Vandenberg Space Force Base on California's central coast. The Falcon 9 flight marks the 114th mission of the rocket this year. The mission will deliver undisclosed payloads to an

Launch

SpaceX Starship Eyes Florida Debut, but Launch Date Stays Unconfirmed

SpaceX is preparing to fly its Starship rocket from new infrastructure in Florida, marking the vehicle's East Coast debut. A confirmed launch date has not been set, leaving the timeline for the program's expansion beyond Texas uncertain. The move represents a major shift for the Starship

Defense

Air Force Flight-Tests New Sentinel Reentry Vehicle From Vandenberg

The Air Force launched a developmental reentry vehicle for its Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program on October 9, lofting the vehicle atop a Minotaur I rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The test marks a visible milestone for the Sentinel modernization effort, one of the most scrutinized programs in

Launch

California Startup Bets on Giant Ground Gun to Slash Space Launch Costs

Longshot Space Technology, an Alameda, California startup, is developing a horizontal gun powerful enough to fire cargo toward space, aiming to collapse the work of a rocket's first stage into a reusable ground-based accelerator. The company has raised roughly $20 million from venture investors and is pitching

Launch

JAXA Phobos Sample Mission Set for October 20 Launch on H3 Rocket

The Martian Moons eXploration mission will lift off aboard an H3 rocket from the Tanegashima Space Center at 04:41 JST on October 20, 2026. MMX will be the first mission to collect a sample from Mars's moon Phobos and bring it back to Earth, a planetary-science

Defense

Sierra Space Drops Ghost Reentry Vehicle From 68,500 Feet in Orbital Delivery Test

Sierra Space demonstrated the flight recovery capabilities of its Ghost reentry vehicle on October 11, 2026, dropping a 10-ton test article from high-altitude balloons over Utah. The test validated the structural thermal protection and precision landing guidance behind a concept designed to deliver cargo anywhere on Earth within

Launch

Redwire Launches Final ROSA Wings to ISS, Capping Multi-Year Power Overhaul

Redwire Corporation announced on October 12, 2026 that the fourth and final pair of its Roll-Out Solar Array wings for the International Space Station is launching aboard NASA's SpaceX 35th commercial resupply services mission. The delivery completes a multi-year effort to modernize the station's

Launch

NASA Turns a Departing Cargo Ship Into a Flying Heat Shield Lab

NASA is testing the next generation of thermal protection materials by hitching a ride on a cargo spacecraft at the end of its life. When Northrop Grumman's 24th cargo resupply mission undocked from the International Space Station, it carried 12 small experimental capsules designed to gather reentry data

Markets

NASA and Boeing Restore Two Starliner Missions, Set December Launch Window for Uncrewed Flight

NASA and Boeing announced changes to the Starliner contract that add resources for human spaceflight certification and support the spacecraft as a long-term provider of crewed missions to low Earth orbit. The uncrewed Starliner-1 mission, carrying cargo to the International Space Station, is planned for the December 2026/

Launch

Cygnus XL Departs International Space Station for Destructive Re-Entry

The Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft is leaving the International Space Station, with ground controllers commanding its detachment from the Unity module ahead of release around 12:43 p.m. EDT. The spacecraft, which completed Northrop Grumman's Commercial Resupply Services-24 mission, is loaded with disposal items and will

Launch

NASA Launches SSPICY to Test Autonomous Inspection of Dead Satellites

A NASA-backed spacecraft has reached orbit to demonstrate technologies for inspecting defunct satellites and rocket bodies up close, a capability the agency says could enable future in-space repairs and help reduce orbital debris. The Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability mission, known as SSPICY, launched October 1 from

Policy

DOT Proposes Five Rule Changes to Streamline Part 450 Launch Licensing

The Department of Transportation on Tuesday proposed five FAA rules to streamline and modernize commercial space launch and reentry regulations. The package targets the Part 450 licensing framework and marks the first output from the department's new SPACE Task Force. Public comments close Nov. 4. The proposals aim

Defense

Space Force Seeks Industry Input on Vandenberg Mission Development Zone

The Space Force is soliciting industry feedback on plans to establish a new Mission Development Zone at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The zone would expand support for launch providers by adding payload processing capacity, test and assembly facilities, and potentially manufacturing infrastructure. The service outlined the proposal as

Launch

Nuri Achieves First On-Time Liftoff, Deploys All 15 Satellites on Fifth Flight

South Korea's homegrown Nuri launch vehicle reached its target orbit and separated all 15 payload satellites on its fifth spaceflight, launching from the Naro Space Center in Goheung on October 7. All flight procedures and engine burns proceeded normally, and for the first time the rocket lifted off

Launch

SpaceX Plans Roads, Bridge and Wharf at Vermilion Parish Site in Louisiana

SpaceX is planning a package of infrastructure including roads, a bridge, and a wharf for a site in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana. The buildout points to a significant new SpaceX footprint in the state. The plans were detailed in local reporting carried October 7. The inclusion of a wharf and a

Launch

NASA, SpaceX Target Oct. 7 for Crew-12 Undocking From Space Station

NASA and SpaceX are aiming for no earlier than 1:05 a.m. EDT on Wednesday, Oct. 7, to undock the agency's Crew-12 mission from the International Space Station. The target follows a review of weather and splashdown conditions off the coast of California and sets up

Launch

Falcon Heavy Flies First Mission for U.S. Spy Satellite Agency

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launched a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office from Florida on Thursday night, the first time the agency has flown on the heavy-lift vehicle. The mission, codenamed NROL-97, marked a milestone for both SpaceX and the NRO, America's spy satellite

Launch

Canada Rocket Company Breaks Ground Plans for National Engine Test Site in London, Ontario

Canada Rocket Company will build Canada's first large-scale rocket engine test facility at London International Airport, a $30 million complex for static firing of its methalox engines. The company describes the site as a foundational step toward sovereign Canadian launch capability, with full operations expected by 2028.

Defense

Avio USA Breaks Ground on 900,000-Square-Foot Solid Rocket Motor Plant in Virginia

Avio USA has broken ground on its first U.S. solid rocket motor facility in Hurt, Virginia, a 900,000-square-foot plant designed to produce thousands of motors annually for American tactical missile programs. Production is targeted to begin in early 2029, marking a new large-scale domestic entrant

Launch

Starship Engine Failure Raises Schedule Risk for NASA's 2028 Moon Landing

SpaceX suffered an engine failure on Starship, the vehicle it is developing to land NASA astronauts on the Moon. The anomaly could affect NASA's Artemis lunar landing objectives, injecting fresh schedule risk into America's return to the Moon. Starship is one of two vehicles competing to

Launch

Starship Reaches Orbit for First Time, Deploys 26 Starlink V3 Satellites

SpaceX's Starship Flight 14 reached Earth orbit on Monday, September 28, the vehicle's first orbital mission. After ascent, Starship fired a single Raptor engine to enter an orbit roughly 275 kilometres above Earth and deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites, with SpaceX confirming contact with all 26.

Launch

Star Catcher Readies Protostar for First Spacecraft-to-Spacecraft Power Beam

Star Catcher will attempt to beam power between two untethered spacecraft for the first time when its Protostar prototype launches no earlier than October 1 aboard SpaceX's Transporter-18 mission. Success would validate the company's core technology stack on orbit and mark a critical step toward

Launch

SpaceX Sets Starship's First Orbital Flight for Sept. 28 With Starlink V3 Deployment

SpaceX will attempt the first orbital mission of its Starship vehicle on Sept. 28, aiming to place 26 Starlink V3 satellites into an operational orbit. The flight marks a turning point for the world's largest and most powerful rocket after more than a decade of development and 13

Launch

Fusion Propulsion Ventures Report Early Milestones as Space Demo Targeted for 2027

Several companies are now building practical nuclear fusion propulsion engines, and they say recent tests suggest the long-theoretical technology may finally be within reach. U.K.-based Pulsar Fusion hopes to launch a demonstration mission to space in 2027, while separate efforts continue in the United States, potentially opening

Satellites

Planet Labs Ships Updated Pelican-12 to Florida for SpaceX Launch

Planet Labs has delivered its updated Pelican-12 satellite to Florida, where it now sits at the launch site ahead of an upcoming SpaceX flight. The arrival marks progress on the company's next-generation high-resolution imaging fleet and its push to move up-market against higher-resolution