Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News

NASA Spaceflight • Ryan Weber

SpaceX begins stacking Booster 19 as investigation into Booster 18 anomaly continues

SpaceX has begun stacking Booster 19 at its Starbase production site while an investigation continues into the anomaly that affected Booster 18. The company is proceeding with booster construction to sustain production flow and preserve momentum in its Starship integrated test campaign amid troubleshooting.

2025-11-28T12:27:50.472849-08:00

Ars Technica

Unsecured 20‑ton service platform discovered ahead of Soyuz launch

2025-11-28T08:45:43.278733-08:00

SpaceNews.com

ESA secures record €22bn ministerial package, but exploration programmes face funding shortfalls

2025-11-27T12:22:30.681208-08:00

Space.com

Soyuz MS-28 launches from Baikonur with NASA's Chris Williams and two Russian cosmonauts for eight-month ISS mission

2025-11-27T01:42:52.684380-08:00

Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News Timeline

SpaceNews.com

Varda Space launches fifth mission, extends AFRL test-flight campaign Varda Space has launched its fifth mission, extending a run of test flights conducted for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL). The flight advances Varda's AFRL campaign to validate flight hardware and operational procedures while the company builds repeated mission experience.

2025-11-28T14:44:11.165672-08:00

Varda Space launches fifth mission, extends AFRL test-flight campaign

NASA Spaceflight

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SpaceX begins stacking Booster 19 as investigation into Booster 18 anomaly continues SpaceX has begun stacking Booster 19 at its Starbase production site while an investigation continues into the anomaly that affected Booster 18. The company is proceeding with booster construction to sustain production flow and preserve momentum in its Starship integrated test campaign amid troubleshooting.

2025-11-28T12:27:50.472849-08:00

SpaceX begins stacking Booster 19 as investigation into Booster 18 anomaly continues

Spaceflight Now

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SpaceX launches Transporter‑15, lofting 140 payloads including D‑Orbit ION vehicles, ESA and NASA CubeSat SpaceX launched its Falcon 9 Transporter‑15 rideshare from Vandenberg, deploying 140 payloads into low Earth orbit, including D‑Orbit's ION in‑space transportation vehicles, an ESA spacecraft, three Canadian satellites and NASA's R5‑S7 CubeSat demonstration — underscoring the mission's international, multi‑customer manifest.

2025-11-28T09:45:03.850364-08:00

SpaceX launches Transporter‑15, lofting 140 payloads including D‑Orbit ION vehicles, ESA and NASA CubeSat

Ars Technica

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Unsecured 20‑ton service platform discovered ahead of Soyuz launch An unsecured 20‑ton service platform was found at the launch complex shortly before a Soyuz crew launch, prompting immediate safety and oversight questions about Russia's crewed-launch operations and potential impacts to International Space Station access. Officials signalled increased scrutiny of launch‑site procedures.

2025-11-28T08:45:43.278733-08:00

Unsecured 20‑ton service platform discovered ahead of Soyuz launch

European Spaceflight

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ESA backs two ISS cargo-return demos and signs on as anchor customer for commercial LEO return service The European Space Agency will fund two demonstration missions to return cargo from the International Space Station and has agreed to be an anchor customer for a future commercial low‑Earth‑orbit cargo‑return service, providing institutional demand to validate commercial payload‑return capabilities from LEO.

2025-11-28T06:23:59.224213-08:00

ESA backs two ISS cargo-return demos and signs on as anchor customer for commercial LEO return service

Universe Today

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Roman Space Telescope clears key acoustic, vibration and thermal‑vacuum tests NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope completed a fall campaign of acoustic, vibration and thermal‑vacuum testing, performed separately on its inner and outer spacecraft elements, marking a series of integration milestones as the observatory moves closer to transfer to a Florida launch pad.

2025-11-28T03:49:56.323186-08:00

Roman Space Telescope clears key acoustic, vibration and thermal‑vacuum tests

air-cosmos.com

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ArianeGroup completes maiden flight of France’s SyLEx sounding rocket ArianeGroup completed the maiden flight of SyLEx (Système de Lancement d’Expériences), a sounding rocket developed for France’s DGA since 2021. Launched from the Biscarosse missile test range on 28 November, SyLEx provides a sovereign suborbital test capability for civil experiments, including supersonic technology trials.

2025-11-28T03:10:08.354146-08:00

ArianeGroup completes maiden flight of France’s SyLEx sounding rocket

Soyuz MS-28 damages Baikonur crewed‑launch pad, threatens Russia's ISS launch cadence A Soyuz MS-28 launch on Nov. 27, 2025 damaged the Baikonur crewed‑launch pad; footage shows the service gantry falling into an exhaust trench. The damage to Russia's sole operational site for Soyuz and Progress missions jeopardizes upcoming ISS crew rotations and cargo launch cadence.

2025-11-27T15:47:43.154752-08:00

Soyuz MS-28 damages Baikonur crewed‑launch pad, threatens Russia's ISS launch cadence

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