Launch

In order to have meaningful access to space to meet the demand for launch services, the world needs more spaceports and launch centers. British and European launch services could also use new spaceports. Flying payloads to launch facilities across the ocean in French Guiana or the United States can get expensive. Because of the war...

Momentus reported late Monday that it was able to deploy two  customer satellites from its Vigoride demonstration orbital transfer vehicle (OTV), which experienced several anomalies after its launch. The U.S. space infrastructure company said it is continuing efforts to deploy other customer satellites from Vigoride, but have not confirmed any subsequent deployments. “While we previously...

SpaceX will launch AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3 test satellite from Cape Canaveral, Florida during the week of August 15, according to an AST SpaceMobile statement posted Monday. BlueWalker 3, which will gauge the company’s ability to operate a space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by standard mobile phones, was initially expected to launch on a...

SpaceX launched Nilesat 301 on Wednesday evening, a Geostationary (GEO) communications satellite for Egyptian operator Nilesat. A Falcon 9 rocket took off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on June 8 at 5:04 p.m.  The Falcon 9 first stage booster used in the mission previously supported the launch...

United Launch Alliance (ULA) placed an order for Northrop Grumman’s Graphite Epoxy Motor (GEM) motors worth more than $2 billion to support launches for Amazon’s Project Kuiper constellation.  The award, announced Wednesday, is for increased production of the 63-inch-diameter GEM 63 solid rocket booster and the extended length variation, GEM 63XL. The contract also includes...

As satellites become more diverse in size and mission requirements, the launch industry is evolving to tailor custom solutions between dedicated missions, rideshare, and new launch vehicles in development.  Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA), a German launch startup, is working to fill in what the company sees as a hole in the market. COO Stefan Brieschenk...

Colorado-based Ursa Major is developing its reusable Arroway 200,000-pound thrust liquid oxygen and methane staged combustion engine for military and commercial use. The development comes as the Department of the Air Force weans itself off of Russian RD-180 and RD-181 engines. In March, Dmitry Rogozin, head of the Russian state space agency Roscosmos, said that Russia would...

Space Systems Command ordered five launches from United Launch Alliance (ULA) and three launches from SpaceX for national security missions on May 26.  ULA was awarded five missions using the Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle — GPS III-7, USSF-23, USSF-43, WGS-11+, and USSF-16. SpaceX was awarded three missions on the Falcon 9 launch vehicle — USSF-124, USSF-62, and...

SpaceX launched 59 spacecraft to orbit in a rideshare mission on Wednesday. The Transporter-5 mission was the fifth mission in SpaceX’s dedicated smallsat rideshare launch program.  The Falcon 9 rocket took off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 2:35 p.m. ET. The first stage was successfully recovered...

Virgin Orbit is preparing for its next launch set for late June to support the U.S. Space Force’s STP-28A mission, the company announced Monday.  The mission, set for no earlier than June 29, will carry seven satellites from multiple government agencies that are experiments intended to demonstrate novel modular satellite bus, space domain awareness, and...