SpaceNews.com
• Andrew Jones
Chinese commercial launch company Landspace plans to refly the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket within six months of its historic successful vertical landing on Aug. 18. The timeline signals an effort to rapidly demonstrate reusable launch operations and shorten turnaround between missions.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
Latest source-backed stories
JAXA has set an October launch target for its Martian Moons eXploration mission, a sample-return effort focused on the Mars region. The schedule establishes a near-term milestone for Japan’s planetary exploration program and a mission designed to bring material from the Martian moons back to Earth.
Chinese commercial launch company Landspace plans to refly the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket within six months of its historic successful vertical landing on Aug. 18. The timeline signals an effort to rapidly demonstrate reusable launch operations and shorten turnaround between missions.
High activity
A new National Space Transportation Policy directs the U.S. government to support commercial launch providers and scale national launch and reentry activity to 1,000 missions annually by 2030. The target arrives as SpaceX reaches 100 launches in 2026 and Starlink approaches 11,000 operational satellites.
High activity
Europe has canceled planned upgrades for the Ariane 6 rocket, while Arianespace has not publicly disclosed the cost of an Ariane 6 launch. The decision removes a set of prospective enhancements from the program and leaves pricing transparency unresolved for customers and industry stakeholders.
Phantom Space has named Worth Wray chief operating officer, assigning him responsibility for day-to-day operations, efficiency, capital formation and business-process expansion. The appointment comes as the company works to increase production and establish a more consistent launch cadence.
High activity
Rocket Lab announced an agreement on June 29 to acquire Iridium, a move that would significantly broaden the launch company’s position in the satellite sector. Analysts are assessing how the transaction could accelerate Rocket Lab’s strategy to build a next-generation space company.
SpaceX is likely to attempt the first catch of a Starship upper stage using the launch tower within the next few months, CEO Elon Musk said. Musk previously identified late August as a potential window for the milestone, which would advance the company’s reusability ambitions for its next-generation launch system.
High activity
ESA has confirmed that the proposed Ariane 6 Block 3 evolution, including the lightweight ICARUS upper stage, has been shelved. The decision removes a planned pathway for upgrading Europe’s heavy-lift launcher, with implications for future Ariane 6 performance and development priorities.
Create a free account to see more recent Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation stories and keep bookmarks in one place.
