Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News

Space.com • Mike Wall

SpaceX Starship Flight 13 test flight recap highlights on the megarocket’s progress

SpaceX’s Starship completed its 13th test flight, described as going “pretty well,” with an accompanying set of highlights from the mission. A separate weekly recap also points to broader momentum around moon-lander/rover concepts, AI-enabled engineering, and large-scale launch and communications funding.

2 Sources

2026-07-27T15:06:24.692742-07:00

Ars Technica

NASA says thermal-protection research has seen limited investment for decades, underscoring reusability and heat-shield challeng

1 Source

2026-07-27T11:38:07.089625-07:00

Wall Street Journal

Rocket Lab lands record $266M U.S. Space Force award for up to 18 suborbital launches

4 Sources

2026-07-27T10:21:33.727045-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Amazon asks FCC approval for up to 5,105 direct-to-device satellites, leveraging Globalstar assets post-$11.6B acquisition

23 Sources

2026-07-27T05:06:36.442142-07:00

Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News Timeline

Space.com

2 sources

SpaceX Starship Flight 13 test flight recap highlights on the megarocket’s progress SpaceX’s Starship completed its 13th test flight, described as going “pretty well,” with an accompanying set of highlights from the mission. A separate weekly recap also points to broader momentum around moon-lander/rover concepts, AI-enabled engineering, and large-scale launch and communications funding.

2026-07-27T15:06:24.692742-07:00

SpaceX Starship Flight 13 test flight recap highlights on the megarocket’s progress

Ars Technica

1 source

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NASA says thermal-protection research has seen limited investment for decades, underscoring reusability and heat-shield challeng Despite recent breakthroughs, the path to frequent, rapid reuse—such as SpaceX’s Starship approach—remains constrained by re-entry/thermal protection gaps. NASA indicates thermal protection research has not received substantial investment for decades, raising questions about the technical depth behind next-generation reusability timelines.

2026-07-27T11:38:07.089625-07:00

NASA says thermal-protection research has seen limited investment for decades, underscoring reusability and heat-shield challeng

Wall Street Journal

4 sources

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Rocket Lab lands record $266M U.S. Space Force award for up to 18 suborbital launches Rocket Lab secured a $266 million multi-launch contract from the U.S. Space Force—its largest launch agreement to date. The deal covers up to 18 primarily suborbital missions, with work concentrated around a spaceport in Kodiak, Alaska, and is tied to U.S. missile defense capabilities.

2026-07-27T10:21:33.727045-07:00

Rocket Lab lands record $266M U.S. Space Force award for up to 18 suborbital launches

SpaceNews.com

23 sources

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Amazon asks FCC approval for up to 5,105 direct-to-device satellites, leveraging Globalstar assets post-$11.6B acquisition Amazon’s Project Leo filed with the US Federal Communications Commission to deploy a direct-to-device constellation of up to 5,105 satellites in five orbital shells (510–580 km) to provide voice and data to mobile phones. The plan anticipates construction of Globalstar’s next-generation constellation after Amazon’s planned $11.6B Globalstar purchase closes.

2026-07-27T05:06:36.442142-07:00

Amazon asks FCC approval for up to 5,105 direct-to-device satellites, leveraging Globalstar assets post-$11.6B acquisition

SpaceNews.com

1 source

Blue Origin to test New Glenn upper stages at NASA Stennis Space Center Blue Origin says it will use NASA’s Stennis Space Center to test New Glenn upper stages as it rebuilds its Cape Canaveral launch complex. The move shifts part of New Glenn’s development and validation work to Stennis infrastructure while Blue Origin continues ground-site recovery and integration planning.

2026-07-27T04:10:19.467774-07:00

Blue Origin to test New Glenn upper stages at NASA Stennis Space Center

SpaceNews.com

9 sources

Space Force awards Rocket Lab a record $266M multi-launch contract for up to 18 suborbital missile-defense missions from Alaska The U.S. Space Force has awarded Rocket Lab a $266 million multi-launch contract for suborbital missile-defense testing under its Rocket Systems Launch Program. The deal covers 12 missions over three years, with an option for up to six additional launches, starting no earlier than late 2026 from a new launch pad at Kodiak, Alaska.

2026-07-27T04:10:19.153796-07:00

Space Force awards Rocket Lab a record $266M multi-launch contract for up to 18 suborbital missile-defense missions from Alaska

Payload

3 sources

SpaceX completes Starship Flight 13 with first intact Starship water landing SpaceX flew the 13th Starship test flight, culminating in the first time an intact Starship was put in the water. The milestone follows earlier flight attempts as SpaceX works through iterative Starship test objectives toward reusable operations.

2026-07-26T18:36:46.983428-07:00

SpaceX completes Starship Flight 13 with first intact Starship water landing

SpaceNews.com

1 source

ULA parents guarantee loan as Vulcan grounding drives financial strain United Launch Alliance’s corporate parents have provided a guaranteed loan to help the company address “financial challenges” tied to the ongoing Vulcan grounding. The support is intended to bridge the period of constrained launch activity and associated cost pressures.

2026-07-24T13:42:43.928716-07:00

ULA parents guarantee loan as Vulcan grounding drives financial strain

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