Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

Astrobotic is reporting a successful round of Jet Propulsion Laboratory-managed Deep Space Network (DSN) communications testing with the Griffin lunar lander.

Solar sails could make new deep space missions possible. One potential application is a “space weather buoy” between the Earth and the Sun.

Aurora’s Liberty Lifter; stratospheric HAPS; Radian’s subscale spaceplane; and GAC plans winged eVTOL air taxi.

SpaceX is suspending Falcon rocket launches planned for early October while investigating an anomaly that occurred during launch of the Crew-9 mission Sept. 28.

A NASA astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut began a 28-hr. trip to the International Space Station. In six months they will bring the Starliner CST-100 crew home.

NASA’s Nick Hague and Russia’s Alexander Gorbunov are slated to lift off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 1:17 p.m. EDT.

Scientists believe the ocean under Europa’s frozen surface may harbor life. The Europa Clipper spacecraft will travel there to gather data and assess chemicals.

The Texas legislature has appropriated $150 million in grants for selected Space Exploration and Aeronautics Research Fund (SEARF) grants.

In some emerging use cases in geostationary Earth orbit, conventional satellites weighing several metric tons would be too expensive.

Radian Aerospace of Seattle has unveiled the first prototype of its single-stage-to-orbit spaceplane.

Released Sept. 24, the 27-page audit makes five recommendations.

The static test fire at Cape Canaveral SFS marked Blue Origin’s first fueling of a New Glenn rocket stage with flight propellants, and the first engine burn of an integrated flight stage.

Chinese space launcher startup Deep Blue Aerospace suffered a landing failure in the latest test of its Nebula-1 when the engine cut off prematurely.

The praise demonstrates that startups are eagerly awaiting the new form of competition in Europe.

Management asserts that the $4.7 billion deal will lead to growth in new markets while investors are keen to see a payoff.

The service is close to identifying the launch providers eligible to send nearly 50 future national security missions to space.

The two-stage rocket is already at its launch site in Andoya, Norway, and now entering the final test phases.

European satellite operator Eutelsat has signed a first agreement with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to use the Japanese company’s new H3 rocket.

Roscosmos says the Angara mission from the Plesetsk launch site in northern Russia successfully placed the Kosmos-2577 and Kosmos-2578 spacecraft into orbit.

United Launch Alliance (ULA) is targeting Oct. 4 to launch its second Vulcan-Centaur rocket.

James Voss, one of the committee’s 10 members, raised the question about whether another Crew Flight Test (CFT) will be required.

The FAA is proposing to fine SpaceX $633,009 for allegedly failing to follow its launch license requirements during two Falcon flights from Florida last year.

Starship, currently in a test phase, is going to change the way space industry players see satellites.

Europe is planning to upgrade some of the software on its Ariane 6 heavy rocket to deal with a malfunction during the launcher’s inaugural mission.

Arianespace CEO Stephane Israel said after the July inaugural mission, Arianespace plans 10 flights in 2027 and will average nine or 10 flights from then on.