Ars Technica
• Eric Berger
Blue Origin plans to add Florida launch pads and aims for multiple New Glenn flights per week by decade’s end, while SpaceX is seeking approval to sharply increase Starship launches from Texas. Rocket Lab, meanwhile, has delayed Neutron’s first flight to 2027 because of a manufacturing issue.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
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RATLOG, a heavy-lift rocket startup, debuted this week as part of Y Combinator’s Fall 2026 batch. The company says it wants to cut the number of parts in a rocket engine by about 90%, though the available report does not detail its design, funding or development timeline.
Three newer Chinese launch companies announced rocket series or financing within a week, adding to an already crowded domestic launch market. Their varied vehicle designs and funding moves signal continued entry by private firms seeking a role in reusable launch, though the supplied reports provide no details on specific milestones or investment amounts.
Stoke Space’s reusable upper stage for its Nova rocket has shipped out for testing, marking a step toward evaluating the stage’s design and performance. The available report does not specify the test location, schedule or results.
Blue Origin is investing in additional launch pads and landing platform ships to support more New Glenn launches from Florida. The infrastructure expansion is intended to increase the rocket’s launch cadence; the company has also outlined a second Cape Canaveral complex as part of its longer-term plans for New Glenn operations.
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Blue Origin plans to add Florida launch pads and aims for multiple New Glenn flights per week by decade’s end, while SpaceX is seeking approval to sharply increase Starship launches from Texas. Rocket Lab, meanwhile, has delayed Neutron’s first flight to 2027 because of a manufacturing issue.
High activity
LandSpace launched eight ADA Space computing satellites aboard its Zhuque-2E rocket, with the mission testing technologies for orbital computing systems. The payloads are intended to evaluate AI processing, liquid cooling and laser communications in orbit, linking spacecraft computing capability with optical data transfer.
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NASA’s Cassini spacecraft lifted off from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station aboard a Titan 4B rocket on Oct. 15, 1997. The mission was designed to explore Saturn and its moons, beginning a journey that would take seven years to reach the planet.
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