Launch

A collection of 195 posts

Launch

NASA Aids Blue Origin Probe Into New Glenn Explosion, Points to Engine Issue

NASA is actively supporting the investigation into the May 28 explosion of Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket, Administrator Jared Isaacman confirmed Sunday. Investigators have already identified a potential engine issue as the likely cause, a finding that carries direct consequences for the timeline of NASA's Artemis

Launch

Semiconductor Test Beds Ride Falcon 9 Booster on Sunrise Starlink Launch

Two semiconductor fabrication test beds flew a sub-orbital ride on the first stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that lifted a batch of Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral shortly after sunrise on July 5, 2026. The manufacturing pods belong to Washington, D.C.-based startup Besxar Space Industries,

Launch

French Launcher Latitude Picks Oman's Etlaq Spaceport for 2027 Debut

Latitude will stage the debut launch of its rocket from Oman's Etlaq Spaceport in late 2027 under an agreement announced this week. The deal is the latest in a growing set of partnerships linking European space organizations with operators in the Middle East, a region offering European firms

Markets

Planet Germany Picks Isar Aerospace for German-Built Satellite and Rocket Launch

Planet Labs' German subsidiary has selected Isar Aerospace to launch one of its Pelican Earth observation satellites aboard a Spectrum rocket, with both companies aiming to complete the mission in less than 12 months. The agreement pairs a German-built satellite with a German-built rocket, a first for

Launch

Ship 40 Completes Six-Engine Static Fire, Clearing a Milestone for Starship's 13th Flight

SpaceX fired all six Raptor engines on the upper stage of its Starship rocket for a full minute at Starbase, Texas, less than a week after the vehicle's first static-fire test. The engine checkout moves Ship 40 a step closer to Starship's 13th fully stacked

Satellites

Amazon Leo Reaches 396 Satellites, Enough to Begin Broadband Service

Amazon says its low-Earth orbit constellation now carries enough satellites to switch on its broadband internet service, with 396 spacecraft deployed following a launch on July 2. The company states the constellation can now support continuous service across initial latitudes, keeping it on track for commercial availability targeted for

Launch

Robotic Servicer Launches to Raise Orbit of NASA's Swift Observatory

A Katalyst Space commercial robotic spacecraft called LINK is set to launch no earlier than Friday, July 3, from Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands, tasked with raising the orbit of NASA's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory satellite. If successful, it will be the first time

Launch

Atlas 5 551 Flies Final Mission, Delivering 29 Amazon Leo Satellites to Orbit

United Launch Alliance launched the final flight of its Atlas 5 rocket in the 551 configuration early Thursday, lofting 29 Amazon Leo broadband satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The predawn liftoff closed a significant chapter for ULA and marked the last Atlas 5 to carry a satellite payload.

Launch

Blue Origin Bets on Hybrid Rebuild to Return New Glenn to Flight by Year's End

One month after the New Glenn anomaly that severely damaged Launch Complex-36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Blue Origin has completed debris removal and begun rebuilding the pad under a new hybrid concept of operations. CEO Dave Limp maintains the company intends to return the vehicle to flight

Launch

Firefly and SSC Space Target 2028 for First Orbital Launch from Sweden's Esrange

Firefly Aerospace and SSC Space have set 2028 as the target for the first orbital launch from Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden, using Firefly's Alpha rocket. The companies announced the timeline during a press briefing in Stockholm on June 30, citing progress on infrastructure, regulatory agreements, and

Satellites

SiriusXM Lofts Most Powerful Satellite Yet on Falcon 9, Built by Intuitive Machines Subsidiary

SpaceX launched SiriusXM's SXM-11 satellite aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Sunday, sending a 7.5-ton broadcasting spacecraft toward geostationary orbit. The satellite, the most powerful in SiriusXM's fleet, is built to replace two aging satellites and was

Launch

Rocket Lab Marks 10th Straight Success for Synspective With "Ten Owl of Ten" Launch

Rocket Lab (NASDAQ: RKLB) launched a radar-imaging satellite for Japanese company Synspective on June 26th, completing its 10th dedicated mission for the customer with a 100 percent success rate across all ten flights. The launch lifted off from New Zealand under the mission name "Ten Owl of Ten.

Launch

SpaceX Plans Eight-Mile "Starpipe" Natural Gas Line to Fuel Starship in Texas

SpaceX intends to begin construction next month on a private natural gas pipeline to supply its Texas launch facilities, according to county filings. The eight-mile line, named "Starpipe," is meant to fuel the company's Starship rocket as SpaceX works to increase its launch cadence. The

Defense

Commercial Radar Firm Detects Object Released by China's Shenlong Space Plane

A private space surveillance company has detected an unknown object apparently released by China's Shenlong space plane while it operates on a classified orbital mission. The detection, made by commercial radar rather than a government agency, marks the latest in a series of object deployments observers have linked

Defense

Rocket Lab Lofts Space Force Satellite Less Than 17 Hours After Receiving Launch Order

Rocket Lab launched the U.S. Space Force's VICTUS HAZE mission on June 19, 2026, just 16 hours and 42 minutes after receiving the Notice to Launch from Space Systems Command. The launch beat the previous responsive space record by more than 10 hours, marking a major step

Launch

SpaceX Readies First Flight of Secret Disk-Shaped Starfall Reentry Capsule

SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, June 23 for the debut flight of Starfall, a reentry capsule developed almost entirely in private, with a Falcon 9 launch window opening at 6:43 a.m. ET from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The vehicle targets the orbital manufacturing

Launch

Roman Space Telescope Reaches Kennedy for Falcon Heavy Launch No Earlier Than August 30

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope arrived at the Kennedy Space Center aboard the agency's Pegasus barge late Sunday morning, June 21, beginning the final stretch before a targeted launch from Launch Complex 39A. The $4.3 billion observatory now faces roughly 70 days of prelaunch

Launch

South Korea Launches Search for Second Spaceport to Handle Reusable Rocket Surge

South Korea will open a nationwide search for the site of a second spaceport, the Korea AeroSpace Administration said, preparing for an expected jump in launch activity driven by reusable rockets. The agency announced Sunday it would accept bids from local governments through August 6 to host the facility, which

Policy

Texas Supreme Court Blocks Beach Access Lawsuits Against SpaceX Launch Closures

The Texas Supreme Court ruled on June 19, 2026, that private environmental groups have no legal remedy to sue over public beach closures near SpaceX's Boca Chica launch site. The decision allows SpaceX to continue closing the beach during rocket launches and removes one of the few remaining

Launch

Ariane 64 Lofts Record 36 Amazon Leo Satellites on Debut of Upgraded Boosters

Arianespace launched its heaviest payload to date on June 17, sending 36 Amazon Leo broadband satellites into low Earth orbit aboard an Ariane 64 rocket flying with newly upgraded solid rocket boosters for the first time. The mission, designated VA269 by Arianespace and Leo Europe 03 by Amazon, lifted off

Launch

Astrobotic Unveils Griffin-1 Lunar Lander, Now NASA's Moon Base 2 Mission, Ahead of Late-2026 Launch

Astrobotic showed off its nearly completed Griffin-1 lunar lander on June 15 at its Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania facility, marking a major milestone for the robotic vehicle before it ships to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California for environmental testing later this month. The lander, which carries a 650

Launch

Chinese Commercial Rocket Stage Breaks Apart in Orbit, Scattering Debris Near Starlink Shell

The upper stage of a Zhuque-2E rocket has fragmented in low-Earth orbit, generating an estimated 100 to 150 pieces of debris in a region home to the International Space Station and a significant portion of SpaceX's Starlink network. The breakup occurred shortly after the rocket reached

Launch

Booster 20 Clears Cryo Proof Testing as Ship 40 Heads Toward Static Fire

SpaceX has completed cryogenic proof testing on Starship Booster 20 and is preparing Ship 40 for static fire, with both vehicles forming the stack for Flight 13. The activity comes roughly three weeks after Flight 12, with all development focus now shifted to the next vehicle pair. Flight 13 will

Launch

China's Tallest Active Rocket Reaches Orbit as LandSpace Readies Second Landing Try

China debuted its tallest currently flying rocket, the Chang Zheng 12B, on June 1, lofting two SpaceSail Qianfan satellites into orbit on its maiden flight. The launch came amid a burst of Chinese space activity that included three constellation missions in under four days and preparations by commercial provider LandSpace

Launch

Stoke Space Clears Nova First Stage Structural Qualification, Eyes Late-2026 Debut

Stoke Space has completed proto-qualification of the first stage of its Nova rocket at its Moses Lake, Washington, testing site, the company announced in early June 2026. The milestone clears a major technical hurdle for the medium-lift Nova vehicle, which the company is targeting for a debut flight