Launch

A collection of 195 posts

Launch

Electron Nears 100th Flight With 13th Synspective Satellite Delivery

Rocket Lab launched its 97th Electron mission on September 26, delivering the 13th StriX satellite for Earth-monitoring operator Synspective directly into a 559 kilometer low Earth orbit. The flight sustains Electron's position as the world's most frequently launched small-lift orbital rocket and brings the

Launch

Space Force Clears Falcon 9 for USSF-385 Launch From Vandenberg

The U.S. Space Force has approved a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch of the USSF-385 mission early Saturday from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The primary launch window opens at 7 a.m. Saturday, September 26, with a backup opportunity Sunday at 5:49

Markets

Space Epoch Raises $343 Million to Ready Reusable Methalox Rocket for Debut

Chinese commercial launch startup Space Epoch finalized a B++ financing round on September 23, 2026, lifting its total Series B capital raised over the past six months to more than 2.3 billion yuan, or $343 million. The growth capital will fund the company's inaugural orbital launch campaign

Launch

China Flies Four Different Rockets to Orbit in 45 Hours, Two of Them Private

Four Chinese orbital rockets lifted off in a 45-hour span from September 15 to September 16, flying from three different launch sites and delivering their payloads successfully. Two of the four vehicles were operated by private companies, a sign of the growing diversity and capability of China's

Markets

Exolaunch Commits Customer Payloads to First SpaceX Starfall Reentry Mission

German launch integrator Exolaunch has signed an agreement to support customer payloads on a SpaceX Starfall reentry mission, the company announced today. The mission is scheduled to launch on a Starship no earlier than 2029, and it marks Exolaunch's first time supporting payloads on an Earth-return mission

Launch

China Advances Tianwen-3 Mars Sample Return Into Prototype Phase

China has moved its Tianwen-3 Mars Sample Return mission into prototype development, targeting a 2028 launch and the return of Martian samples to Earth around 2031. The effort could become the world's first Mars sample return mission, running alongside an expanding lunar program, a student-led asteroid

Markets

Space Cargo Unlimited Locks Up a Third of SpaceX's Starfall Return Capacity

Space Cargo Unlimited has secured a dedicated mission on SpaceX's new Starfall reentry vehicle and has already sold one-third of the vehicle's 1,000-kg capacity, CEO Nicolas Gaume told Payload. The Luxembourg-based company expects to have customers locked in for half of the

Launch

Turbopump Anomaly Slows Ariane 6 Ramp, Cutting 2026 Flights to as Few as Six

A turbopump anomaly discovered in August will prevent Europe's Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket from meeting its target of eight missions this year, industry officials said, with the total possibly falling to just six. The setback comes as the vehicle is in the middle of a ramp toward

Launch

SpaceX Targets September 28 for Starship's First Orbital Flight as Florida Pad Nears Operational

SpaceX is targeting Starship Flight 14 no earlier than Monday, September 28, pending regulatory approval, in what would be the vehicle's first orbital mission. The flight follows 13 suborbital tests and coincides with the buildout of Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center, positioning the program for a

Launch

NASA Taps SpaceX Falcon 9 Rideshare for StarBurst Gamma-Ray Mission

NASA has selected SpaceX to launch its StarBurst mission, a small satellite built to study neutron star mergers and the origins of short gamma-ray bursts. The spacecraft will fly as a rideshare payload aboard a Falcon 9 no earlier than 2028, adding another astrophysics investigation to the agency'

Launch

NASA Recasts Artemis III as an Earth-Orbit Rehearsal for SpaceX and Blue Origin Landers

NASA plans to use Artemis III in 2027 as a major rehearsal for future crewed Moon landings, flying test versions of the SpaceX and Blue Origin human landing systems in low Earth orbit rather than descending to the lunar surface. The mission will require three of the world's

Launch

Starship Targets First Orbital Flight on 14th Test, Carrying Starlink V3 Satellites

SpaceX is preparing to launch the 14th flight of Starship as soon as Tuesday, September 22, in what would be the vehicle's first attempt to reach orbit around Earth. The 75-minute launch window opens at 7:15 a.m. CT, pending regulatory approval, and the mission marks

Defense

Blue Origin Gains Access to Historic Air Force Propulsion Hardware Under Expanded CRADA

Blue Origin and the Air Force Research Laboratory's Rocket and Space Propulsion Division at Edwards Air Force Base have signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to transfer advanced rocket propulsion hardware and engineering artifacts to the company. The agreement gives Blue Origin access to material from AFRL&

Launch

Air-Breathing Plasma Thruster Aims to Keep Satellites Aloft in Very Low Earth Orbit Indefinitely

A new plasma engine design uses the thin atmosphere itself as propellant, potentially allowing satellites to remain in Very Low Earth Orbit without carrying fuel. The concept, developed by Francesco Romano as part of his PhD thesis at the University of Stuttgart, addresses the persistent drag problem that forces spacecraft

Launch

Impulse Space's Twin Mira Vehicles Close to 650 Feet in Orbital Rendezvous

Two Mira orbital transfer vehicles operated by California startup Impulse Space maneuvered within 650 feet (200 meters) of each other in low Earth orbit, a demonstration the company says proves the agility and propulsion needed for a new class of on-orbit operations. Both spacecraft photographed the encounter, capturing images

Launch

Rocket Lab Launches 16th Electron of 2026 on Dedicated Flight for Undisclosed Customer

Rocket Lab launched its 16th Electron mission of the year on September 11, carrying a dedicated payload for a confidential customer from its New Zealand launch complex. The company said the flight solidifies its status as the world's leading small-launch provider. The mission continues a steady Electron

Policy

DOT Creates SPACE Task Force to Speed Commercial Launch Approvals

The US Department of Transportation has launched a new SPACE Task Force intended to make space launches faster and more cost-effective while keeping the United States ahead in commercial space. Coverage published September 9 framed the initiative as an effort to unleash commercial space innovation. The task force arrives

Defense

SpaceX Sets Vandenberg Launch of Classified USSF-153 Space Force Mission

SpaceX is preparing to launch USSF-153, a classified mission for the United States Space Force, aboard a Falcon 9 Block 5 from Vandenberg Space Force Base. Liftoff is targeted for 15:42 UTC on September 10, 2026, within a three-hour window opening at 15:37 UTC. The mission

Launch

SpaceX Pairs Booster 22 and Ship 42 at Massey's for Flight 15 Cryo Testing

SpaceX has rolled Super Heavy Booster 22 out of Mega Bay 1 to its Massey's test site for cryogenic proof testing, where Ship 42 has since joined it on a second trip to the stand. The pairing is slated to fly on Flight 15, which could come about

Markets

NASA Adds Relativity Space's Terran R to Launch Services Roster

NASA has awarded Relativity Space a Launch Services II contract for its Terran R vehicle under the contract's on-ramp provision, the agency announced September 9. The addition makes Terran R available for the agency's future missions and expands NASA's roster of launch options.

Markets

Besxar Strikes Deal to Prototype an Orbital Chip Factory Across a Dozen Falcon 9 Flights

Besxar, a startup founded by former OpenAI staffer Ashley Pilipiszyn, says it has convinced SpaceX to let it prototype an orbital semiconductor factory across a dozen flights aboard a Falcon 9 booster. The company aims to manufacture key precursors for advanced semiconductors in the vacuum of space and return the

Launch

NASA Manifests Shoebox Satellite to Flight-Test Green Dual-Mode Propulsion

NASA has manifested a small spacecraft called GPDM, for Green Propulsion Dual Mode, on an upcoming SpaceX rideshare mission to demonstrate a low-toxicity propellant in orbit. The shoebox-sized satellite will spend nine months validating a propulsion system that could offer an alternative to hydrazine for small satellites. The

Launch

Isar Aerospace Reaches Orbit on Second Spectrum Flight, a First for Commercial Western European Launch

Germany's Isar Aerospace reached orbit on Saturday on the second flight of its Spectrum launch vehicle, deploying five satellites and marking the first time a commercial company has reached orbit from Western European soil. The success, on a mission named "Onward and Upward," gives European commercial

Markets

Stoke Space Raises $1 Billion and Reveals 15-Ton Fully Reusable Nova Block 2

Stoke Space has closed a $1 billion Series E financing round as it prepares for the first orbital flight of its fully reusable Nova rocket, and the company used the announcement to publicly unveil a substantially larger vehicle capable of delivering 15 metric tons to low Earth orbit. The raise

Launch

Artemis III Booster Stacking Reaches Four of Five Segments as Orion Heat Shield Fix Confirmed

Teams at NASA's Kennedy Space Center have stacked the next pair of solid rocket booster segments for the Artemis III Space Launch System inside the Vehicle Assembly Building, advancing hardware toward flight readiness. The progress coincides with post-flight analysis of Orion's Artemis II heat shield,