Space.com
• Mike Wall
Chinese startup LandSpace successfully soft-landed the first stage of its methalox-powered Zhuque-3 rocket after its second orbital launch from Jiuquan on August 18. The recovery places LandSpace among the private companies to demonstrate orbital-class booster reuse, a milestone aimed at lowering launch costs and improving commercial access to space.
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Chinese startup LandSpace successfully soft-landed the first stage of its methalox-powered Zhuque-3 rocket after its second orbital launch from Jiuquan on August 18. The recovery places LandSpace among the private companies to demonstrate orbital-class booster reuse, a milestone aimed at lowering launch costs and improving commercial access to space.
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NASA’s lunar spacecraft has captured the clearest images yet of a roughly 60-foot-wide crater created when a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage struck the Moon after 19 months adrift in space. The imagery documents the physical consequences of an unplanned lunar impact.
VinSpace, the recently formed space unit of Vietnamese conglomerate Vingroup, has signed a launch contract with SpaceX for in-orbit demonstration satellites. The spacecraft are planned to fly on a 2027 Transporter rideshare mission, marking an early step in Vietnam’s emerging commercial space sector.
Seraphim Space Investment Trust is committing another $30 million to Hubble Network, which is developing a satellite-powered Bluetooth network. The system is designed to let standard, off-the-shelf Bluetooth Low Energy chips connect directly to satellites without cell towers, gateways or custom hardware.
Spire Global reported a 16% year-over-year revenue increase for the quarter ended June 30 and expects full-year revenue to rise 50% compared with 2025. The multi-mission satellite operator said 85% of second-half revenue is already backed by firm orders, while expanding German manufacturing and partnerships with Schaeffler and Diehl.
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SpaceX has towed Starship Ship 40 into a protected bay at Christmas Island after a 24-day voyage through the Indian Ocean. The vehicle, which achieved the program’s first intact ocean splashdown during Flight 13 on July 24, will undergo further analysis by SpaceX engineers ahead of the next test flight.
SpaceX plans to conduct its 100th mission of the year on Aug. 18, marking a significant annual launch milestone. The event will be livestreamed, giving industry observers a real-time view of the company’s continuing launch cadence.
Intesa Sanpaolo disclosed for the first time that it held approximately $966 million in SpaceX shares at the end of June, according to a regulatory filing. The disclosure provides a rare view into the Italian bank’s exposure to one of the commercial space industry’s most valuable private companies.
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