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NASA Spaceflight

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Stoke Space advances Nova toward potential 2026 debut with vehicle mating and engine completion

Stoke Space has completed first-stage engines and conducted second-stage fit checks for Nova, its fully reusable medium-lift launch vehicle. The milestones, including vehicle mating, mark further progress toward the startup’s potential 2026 maiden launch as attention remains focused on SpaceX’s Starship program.

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New York Times

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NASA and Katalyst Abandon Rescue of Aging Swift Space Telescope After LINK Control Problems

NASA and Katalyst Space Technologies have canceled an attempt to capture and raise the orbit of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory after the commercial LINK spacecraft developed persistent attitude-control problems. Swift is now expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere and disintegrate later this year, ending the rescue effort.

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SpaceNews.com

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Katalyst Space rescue mission fails, leaving NASA’s Swift observatory on course for reentry

NASA and Katalyst Space have called off an experimental servicing mission intended to boost the aging Swift gamma-ray observatory into a higher orbit. Technical problems on the recently launched rescue spacecraft prevented the attempt, and Swift is now expected to reenter the atmosphere later this year without intervention.

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Ars Technica

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LandSpace Recovers ZhuQue-3 Booster, Advancing China’s Reusable Launch Capability

LandSpace successfully recovered the first stage of its ZhuQue-3 orbital rocket after deploying the Honghu-03 satellite, marking the first landing of an orbital-class booster by a Chinese commercial company. The milestone brings China closer to SpaceX-style reusability, with implications for commercial launch economics and U.S. space-access advantages.

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Europe Risks Falling Behind in the Race for Orbital Data Centers

Europe is emerging as a laggard in the global effort to move data centers into orbit, trailing the United States and China. The competitive gap highlights a developing strategic contest over space-based computing infrastructure and the technologies needed to support it.

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