Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News

NASA Spaceflight • Ryan Weber

SpaceX Starship Flight 13 shows Ship 40 reentry/water impact survivability as Booster Block 3 remains in refinement

Starship Flight 13 demonstrated that Ship 40 can complete its mission and return intact, surviving water impact without destruction. SpaceX said the booster is still a work in progress, as it continues refining the clean-sheet Block 3 design for subsequent flights.

1 Source

2026-07-28T10:41:59.241200-07:00

Space.com

China signals an offshore satellite-launch push while SpaceX expands Starlink cadence after Starship test activity

3 Sources

2026-07-28T08:11:28.873571-07:00

Bloomberg

SpaceX rout wipes $1T+ in value as stock falls below IPO price ahead of Aug. 6 lock-up expiration

8 Sources

2026-07-28T06:57:04.971216-07:00

Space.com

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

2 Sources

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

Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News Timeline

NASA Spaceflight

1 source

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SpaceX Starship Flight 13 shows Ship 40 reentry/water impact survivability as Booster Block 3 remains in refinement Starship Flight 13 demonstrated that Ship 40 can complete its mission and return intact, surviving water impact without destruction. SpaceX said the booster is still a work in progress, as it continues refining the clean-sheet Block 3 design for subsequent flights.

2026-07-28T10:41:59.241200-07:00

SpaceX Starship Flight 13 shows Ship 40 reentry/water impact survivability as Booster Block 3 remains in refinement

Space.com

3 sources

China signals an offshore satellite-launch push while SpaceX expands Starlink cadence after Starship test activity China is pursuing sea-based satellite launches, aiming to narrow the US orbital gap and broaden commercial launch options, according to a July 28, 2026 roundup. The competitive push lands as SpaceX executed a Starship flight test and continues deploying Starlink via Falcon 9—most recently lifting 24 satellites from Vandenberg on July 25.

2026-07-28T08:11:28.873571-07:00

China signals an offshore satellite-launch push while SpaceX expands Starlink cadence after Starship test activity

European Spaceflight

1 source

Germany mulls dedicated armed-forces launch facility to secure national-security access to space Germany is considering establishing a dedicated launch facility for its armed forces to ensure reliable access to space for future national security missions. The proposal is aimed at reducing dependence on external launch capacity as Germany plans for next-generation defense space requirements.

2026-07-28T07:56:46.726313-07:00

Germany mulls dedicated armed-forces launch facility to secure national-security access to space

Bloomberg

8 sources

SpaceX rout wipes $1T+ in value as stock falls below IPO price ahead of Aug. 6 lock-up expiration SpaceX shares have continued to slide since the company’s IPO, erasing more than $1 trillion in market value and pushing the stock about 20% below its IPO price. The selloff is playing out as investors brace for an Aug. 6 lock-up expiration that could release up to 911.5 million shares, expanding supply.

2026-07-28T06:57:04.971216-07:00

SpaceX rout wipes $1T+ in value as stock falls below IPO price ahead of Aug. 6 lock-up expiration

Space.com

2 sources

China to fly Africa’s first lunar science probes aboard Chang’e 8 to target the lunar south pole in 2029 China plans to launch Africa’s first space exploration mission using a trio of spherical probes carried on the Chang’e 8 lander. The mission is scheduled for 2029 and aims to conduct lunar-south-pole science as part of Chang’e 8 operations.

2026-07-28T06:41:48.916561-07:00

China to fly Africa’s first lunar science probes aboard Chang’e 8 to target the lunar south pole in 2029

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

13 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

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