Launch
Chinese space firms present big ambitions at commercial space forum
Players in China’s emerging commercial space sector have outlined big plans for rockets, spaceplanes and more for the coming years at a space forum hosted in Wuhan, central China.
Kuaizhou-1A rocket launches classified Shiyan-11 satellite
A Chinese Kuaizhou-1A rocket launched the experimental Shiyan-11 satellite for China’s main space contractor from northwest China late Nov. 24.
Spanish startup PLD Space gears up for 2022 suborbital launch
Spanish launch startup PLD Space has debuted a fully assembled Miura 1 reusable suborbital rocket as a step towards its inaugural flight in 2022.
Falcon 9 launches DART
A SpaceX Falcon 9 successfully launched a NASA mission that will deliberately collide with a near Earth asteroid to test a technique that could be used to deflect the trajectory of any future asteroid on a collision course with the Earth.
Rocket Lab ready to attempt midair recovery of Electron booster
Rocket Lab says it’s ready to move to the next step in its efforts to recover and reuse Electron first stages by attempting to catch a booster in midair on an upcoming launch.
Astra ready for commercial operations after first successful launch
After reaching orbit for the first time, Astra Space executives said they are ready to begin commercial operations of their small launch vehicle and scale up production, while also preparing to test a new vehicle next year.
China launches new Gaofen-11 high resolution spy satellite to match U.S. capabilities
HELSINKI — China launched its third Gaofen-11 reconnaissance satellite Nov. 19, adding to a set of classified satellites with an optical resolution which may be comparable to top U.S. spy satellites.
Pangea Aerospace tests aerospike engine
A European small launch vehicle startup has successfully tested a small version of an aerospike engine powered by methane and liquid oxygen it plans to scale up for use in an orbital vehicle.
Astra’s Rocket 3.3 reaches orbit on fourth attempt
Astra Space’s Rocket 3.3 successfully reached orbit on a Nov. 20 launch, the fourth orbital launch attempt by the small launch vehicle startup.
Rocket Factory Augsburg lands new customer in build up to first launch
German launch startup Rocket Factory Augsburg has signed a new customer for the first launch of its RFA One rocket next year.
Rocket Lab launches BlackSky satellites
Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket placed two BlackSky imaging satellites into orbit Nov. 17 on the rocket’s first launch in three and a half months.
Musk predicts first Starship orbital launch in early 2022
SpaceX Chief Executive Elon Musk said he expects this first orbital flight of his company’s Starship vehicle to take place as soon as January, pending regulatory approvals.
Virgin Orbit bullish on national security launch
Virgin Orbit is actively pursuing new business in the national security market, executives said Nov. 17 during an “Investors Day” event.
Commercial spaceports seen as the future for European launch
Actors engaged in the emerging European commercial launch sector are looking to European commercial spaceports to be established rather than shipping rockets farther afield.
Arianespace to launch Australian Optus-11 on Ariane 6
Arianespace has secured a contract with Australian operator SingTel Optus to launch the Optus-11 communications satellite using Ariane 6 in 2023.
SpaceX launches Starlink satellites after upgrading user antennas
SpaceX successfully deployed another 53 Starlink satellites Nov. 13 in its first dedicated launch for the broadband constellation in two months.
