Launch
First launch of Chinese Kuaizhou-11 rocket ends in failure
Launch of a new Chinese Kuaizhou-11 commercial solid rocket ended in failure Friday resulting in the loss of two satellites.
ESA confirms Ariane 6 delay to 2021
Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket won’t launch until the second half of 2021, a delay of at least six months if not more, the European Space Agency confirmed July 9.
Ex-Im Bank to step up support for space industry challenged by Chinese competitors
Congress stood up the “Program on China and Transformational Exports" which Ex-Im is now working to implement
Apstar-6D launches on Long March 3B rocket
The first satellite for a Chinese company planning a global system of geostationary satellites, launched July 9 on a Long March 3B rocket.
The long countdown to commercial crew’s liftoff
How a 2005 call for ‘skin in the game’ started a 15-year countdown to the first human orbital spaceflight from U.S. soil since 2011
China launches Shiyan-6 and Gaofen remote sensing satellites with two launches in three days
China launched the classified Shiyan-6 (02) satellite on Saturday, following launch of a Gaofen ‘multi mode’ Earth observation satellite two days earlier.
Rocket Lab Electron launch fails
A Rocket Lab Electron rocket failed to reach orbit during a July 4 launch after a problem during the rocket’s second-stage burn.
Op-ed | On the verge of a new era for space exploration? Assessing the impact of the ongoing crisis
Establishing an international long-term sustainable lunar presence in partnership with the private sector remains the core focus in space exploration
NASA preparing second round of smallsat launch services program
NASA plans to issue multiple contracts in the coming months for smallsat launch services in the second phase of a program intended to support the emerging small launch vehicle industry.
Commercial launch industry off to slow start in 2020
The first half of 2020 has been sluggish for the commercial launch industry, but its problems can’t be explained solely by the coronavirus pandemic.
Blue Origin delivers the first BE-4 engine to United Launch Alliance
The engine Blue Origin delivered is a pathfinder engine to be used in tests.
DoD withdraws Defense Production Act small launch contract awards
The U.S. government “will not award the identified contracts at this time.”
Yahsat hires new CFO • Vega launch delayed to August • Tim Peake joins Skyrora advisory board
Arianespace announced early Wednesday that it has pushed back the small launch vehicle's upcoming mission, carrying 53 smallsats, until at least Aug. 17.
Mars 2020 launch slips again
The launch of NASA’s next Mars rover mission has been delayed to no earlier than July 30 because of a launch vehicle processing issue, the latest in a series of slips that have now used up nearly half of the available launch opportunities for the mission.
SpaceX launches a U.S. Space Force GPS 3 satellite, recovers rocket’s first stage
This was the first time SpaceX recovered a booster following a National Security Space Launch mission.
