Launch

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Department of the Air Force have signed an agreement to streamline regulation for commercial space launch activity. The agreement, signed June 21, establishes a single approval process for launches at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Under the agreement, the...

SpaceX’s latest GPS III launch was its fourth time launching this type of satellite for the U.S. military, but Thursday’s mission marked a brand-new milestone: It was the first time a National Security Space Launch (NSSL) mission was conducted on a reused booster.  A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket took off from Launch Complex-40 at Cape...

Spaceplane launcher and propulsion company Dawn Aerospace (Dawn) entered into a non-legally binding MOU with Colorado Air and Space Port to explore establishing a Dawn presence at the spaceport, work together to meet Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guidelines, and potentially conduct test flights and launches. Dawn is both developing their Mk-II and Mk-III Aurora spaceplanes...

A Northrop Grumman Minotaur I rocket launched three classified national security payloads for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) on Tuesday morning.  The Minotaur rocket took off from Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0B at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on June 15 at 9:35 a.m. EDT. The NRO confirmed that the mission was a success. ...

Northrop Grumman’s air-launched Pegasus launch vehicle deployed a payload for the U.S. Space Force over the weekend — in its first launch since 2019. The L-1011 carrier aircraft dubbed Stargazer took off from Vandenberg Space Force Base at 4:11 a.m. EDT on Sunday, June 13. The Pegasus rocket was released at approximately 40,000 feet, and...

Commercial launch services provider Blue Origin‘s online auction for a ride on its New Shepard rocket concluded Saturday with a winning bid of $28 million. The auction winner, whose name the company said would be released within the next few weeks, will join Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos and his brother Mark on New Shepard’s...

Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) subsidiary Sierra Space signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Spaceport Cornwall that could lead to it acquiring an orbital return location for its Dream Chaser spaceplane at the facility’s horizontal launch spaceport in the United Kingdom. Sierra Space said it recently evaluated the Spaceport Cornwall site as part of a...

Relativity Space has raised $650 million in Series E equity funding round to help scale production for its Terran R fully reusable, entirely 3D-printed launch vehicle. This brings Relativity’s fundraising total to more than $1.2 billion. Produced alongside Relativity’s 3D-printed Terran 1 rocket, Terran R will be  a two-stage, 216-foot-tall rocket with a 16-foot diameter,...

The SiriusXM satellite SXM-8 launched early Sunday by SpaceX is performing as expected and in contact with ground stations, manufacturer Maxar Technologies confirmed after the launch. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying SXM-8 digital radio satellite took off at 12:26 a.m. EDT on June 6 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force...

Smallsat launcher Astra has moved to acquire propulsion company Apollo Fusion in a deal valued at up to $145 million. The company is pitching the acquisition as an opportunity to increase its addressable launch market, and deliver spacecraft to orbits beyond Low-Earth Orbit (LEO).  Apollo Fusion offers electric hall engines and has landed a number...