Launch Vehicles & Propulsion

NASA has named eight U.S. companies that are eligible to bid for the development of the Mars Telecommunications Orbiter.

German space launch startup Rocket Factory Augsburg has secured two further ESA launches, while still working toward the inaugural liftoff of RFA One.

Rocket Lab suffered a structural failure of the Neutron's Stage 1 tank during testing, setting back efforts to get the fully reusable launcher to liftoff.

From “left-of-launch” early warning to terminal defense, Pitch Black is targeted at an integrated kill web hypersonic defense system.

German space startup The Exploration Company (TEC) is in talks to buy British launch startup Orbex.

Isar Aerospace is scrubbing a potential Jan. 21 launch of its Spectrum rocket to address a technical fault.

Australia has led a $141 million funding round for Gilmour Space Technologies aimed at working on the Eris rocket and expanding production capacity.

Editors are joined by Russ Matijevich, space industry veteran and a judge in the Space Tech Challenge Awards. Nominations are now open—could your solution be a winner?

The CEO of Isar Aerospace says a strong appetite for launch means the company is sold out through 2028 with more than $10 billion in its business pipeline.

Two Chinese rockets—CASC's Long March 3B and private launch provider Galactic Energy's Ceres 2—failed in launch attempts on Jan. 17.

NASA’s second Space Launch System heavy-lift rocket, topped with an Orion deep-space capsule, was rolled out to its Kennedy Space Center launchpad on Jan. 17.

Isar Aerospace has set Jan. 21 as the “not before” launch date for its Spectrum rocket as the German startup also aims to reach orbit as part of the effort to recover from last year’s failed test mission.

Lockheed Martin has unveiled initial details of a comprehensive hypersonic missile defense system developed under a secretive initiative dubbed Pitch Black.

CNES is transforming the Guiana Space Center (known as CSG, under its French acronym) into a hub where multiple operators offer launch services.

France has yet to find a ride to space for its twin-nanosatellite “Yoda” demonstration program for geostationary patrol against potential unfriendly spacecraft.

Firefly Aerospace plans to introduce upgrades to its Alpha rocket after the company suffered several mishaps with the launcher.

Low-cost launch startup Stoke Space is testing flight-capable Zenith engines in the buildup to the first orbital test flight of its Nova rocket.

MaiaSpace, an ArianeGroup subsidiary developing a small, reusable launcher, has plans for a larger version with twice the payload, CEO Yohann Leroy said.

China’s CAS Space says it has completed the first suborbital test flight of its Li Hong-1 reentry capsule, containing microgravity experiments.

India suffered a third-stage failure on its Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket on Jan. 12, leading to the loss of 15 satellites and a reentry capsule.

NASA sets Jan. 17 as the "no earlier than" date for the roll out of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule to be used for the Artemis II mission to take four astronauts around the Moon.

The U.S. Space Force has awarded military space launches worth $739 million to SpaceX to support future missions for the Space Development Agency and NRO.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

South Korean launch services provider Innospace is continuing to work on expanding its footprint despite the recent failure of its Hanbit-Nano rocket.

The number of orbital launch attempts worldwide last year surpassed the record 2024 flight rate by 25%.