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Russia, Japan and China completed a series of back-to-back-to-back launches between Thursday, Feb. 1 and Saturday, Feb. 3. Russia’s launch was the first, carrying two Kanopus 5 Earth Observation (EO) satellites into orbit on Feb. 1 on a Soyuz 2.1a rocket. Nine smallsats under Glavkosmos federal and commercial contracts also joined the mission, Roscosmos reported,...

Despite January’s Zuma launch mishap, SpaceX is moving forward with its manifest on schedule, orbiting a new satellite for SES and the government of Luxembourg Wednesday afternoon. Kicking off the mission around 4:30 p.m. EST on Jan. 31, SpaceX successfully launched GovSat 1 (or SES 16), a satellite that will support secure communications for Luxembourg’s...

Aerojet Rocketdyne announced that Greg Jones will join the company on Feb. 5 as senior vice president of strategy and business development. Jones will report directly to Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and President Eileen Drake and will serve as one of the officers of parent company Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings. Jones has more than 30 years...

Instant replay! Watch tonight’s flawless #Ariane5 liftoff from the Spaceport in French Guiana, which commenced #Arianespace’s year-opening flight at the service of @SES_Satellites and @yahsatofficial. #VA241 #MissiontoSuccess pic.twitter.com/FOLv5ZtJVm — Stéphane Israël (@arianespaceceo) January 25, 2018 An Ariane 5 rocket managed to orbit two communications satellites and a NASA scientific payload on Jan. 25, despite an...

First static fire test of Falcon Heavy complete—one step closer to first test flight! pic.twitter.com/EZF4JOT8e4 — SpaceX (@SpaceX) January 24, 2018 SpaceX is one step closer to launching its much-anticipated Falcon Heavy rocket. On Jan. 24, the company successfully performed a static fire test of the Falcon Heavy’s engines on launch site LC-39A at NASA’s...

Rocket Lab, whose new Electron launch vehicle recently reached orbit for the first time, revealed Jan. 23 that the rocket included a previously undisclosed kick stage designed to increase orbital options for small satellites. The kick stage is equipped with its own avionics, power and communications systems, and Rocket Lab plans to offer it as...

Iridium Communications has announced the date for its fifth Iridium Next launch for March 18, 2018 from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. The first of four launches planned for 2018, Iridium 5 will deliver 10 more Iridium Next satellites to orbit, bringing the total number of new satellites deployed to 50. This launch will...

The U.S. Air Force has cleared SpaceX from the failed Zuma satellite launch earlier this month, saying the launch services provider performed did everything right. This means the reason of the satellite’s failure is still a mystery; however, SpaceX will not lose certification for military missions. Read more at Bloomberg News

The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has successfully tested the Vulcain 2.1 engine at its P5 test facility in Lampoldshausen, Germany. The Vulcain 2.1 will power the main stage of the Ariane 6 launcher, which will fly for the first time in 2020. This is a version of the Ariane 5 Vulcain 2 engine specially adapted for the...

Rocket Lab has successfully reached orbit with the test flight of its second Electron orbital launch vehicle, Still Testing. The Electron lifted off on Jan. 20 from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 on the Mahia Peninsula in New Zealand, carrying a Dove Pioneer Earth-imaging satellite for Planet and two Lemur 2 satellites for Spire Global....