Launch

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has closed its mishap investigation into SpaceX’s Starship flight test in April, giving the company 63 corrective actions in order to move forward, including redesigning the launch pad.  The FAA released a brief statement on Friday about the investigation, saying the investigation’s closure does not mean SpaceX can immediately resume...

L3Harris has ordered three dedicated launches from Firefly Aerospace on its Alpha launch vehicle, the companies announced Tuesday. The launches are targeted for 2026. The three missions will launch from Firefly’s launch site at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The announcement was light on details, but Firefly said the launches to Low-Earth Orbit will support the...

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lofted 13 satellites for the U.S. Space Force’s Space Development Agency (SDA) Tranche 0 effort into orbit on Sept. 2 from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. The second Tranche 0 launch included 10 Lockheed Martin Transport Layer satellites, one York Space Systems’ Transport Layer satellite, and two SpaceX Tracking Layer satellites. The SDA Low-Earth...

Globalstar signed a launch services agreement with SpaceX to launch the first set of satellites in its SPOT network upgrade to support Apple’s emergency messaging service. The launch window is targeted for 2025, and Globalstar is paying $64 million for the launch.  Globalstar disclosed the launch in filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission on...

A U.S. Space Force mission to demonstrate on-demand satellite launch and delivery into an assigned orbit officially entered a six-month window on Aug. 30, in which Millennium Space Systems and Firefly Aerospace will be given the go-ahead to proceed. Sometime during the “hot standby” phase of the VICTUS NOX Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) mission, Space...

Rocket Lab launched a previously flown Rutherford engine in a Thursday morning mission from New Zealand, a milestone toward the company’s goal of reusing the entire Electron first stage. Rocket Lab hit this milestone on the company’s 40th mission.  “Congratulations to our team on delivering 40 Electron launches, completing another booster recovery, and proving Rutherford...

Japanese Earth imaging company iQPS has tapped Rocket Lab for a dedicated Electron launch, switching mission providers after Virgin Orbit went out of business. The mission is set for September and will launch the company’s QPS-SAR-5 satellite named “TSUKUYOMI-I.”  iQPS originally contracted Virgin Orbit for the launch, announced in May of 2022, but Virgin Orbit...

Korean launch company Innospace signed a deal with Equatorial Launch Australia (ELA) to launch multiple orbital missions from the Arnhem Space Centre (ASC), a new spaceport in Australia’s Northern Territory. Innospace’s first launches from the ASC are expected to commence in early 2025, and the deal announced Aug. 17 is a five-year agreement that runs...

Orbex, has appointed a former British Airways exec Lesley Still as its new chief of spaceport operations. The company announced the appointment, Aug. 15. Orbex is advancing preparations for the United Kingdom’s mainland’s inaugural vertical rocket launch. Still will oversee the operational management of Sutherland (formerly Space Hub Sutherland), ensuring its readiness for the first...

Astra Space recently laid off 70 employees and reallocated other employees from its launch business to its spacecraft engine team in a bid to manage expenses and put more resources toward its engine business.  Astra debuted as a prospective smallsat launcher and was focused on developing smallsat launch capability, but the company hit roadblocks with...