Bloomberg
• Loren Grush
NASA is exploring parallel launch-vehicle and lander architectures to keep a crewed lunar landing on track for 2028 without compromising safety. Its October update also covered Space Launch System stacking, a lighter sortie spacesuit and an Artemis III lander test flight planned for Earth orbit next year, though no firm launch date has been announced.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
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SpaceX’s development targets call for weekly Starship launches in the first half of 2027, potentially increasing to twice weekly by December. The company also aims to reuse a recovered upper stage and demonstrate orbital propellant transfer, as a separate report describes Falcon 9 cadence slowing during a Starlink launch from California.
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NASA is exploring parallel launch-vehicle and lander architectures to keep a crewed lunar landing on track for 2028 without compromising safety. Its October update also covered Space Launch System stacking, a lighter sortie spacesuit and an Artemis III lander test flight planned for Earth orbit next year, though no firm launch date has been announced.
The Space Force is considering three potential models for a new spaceport: a public-private arrangement, a federal installation or state-owned land. The options reflect an ongoing effort inside the Pentagon to identify a home for the facility; the available reporting provides no further details on location, timing or scale.
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Since its July 2024 debut, Ariane 6 has restored Europe’s independent heavy-lift access to orbit, but dependable launch cadence remains the test. ESA says engine issues behind delays have been resolved, while Airbus Netherlands has delivered a Vulcain aft bay that is 400 kilograms lighter and 55 millimeters shorter.
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The European Space Agency is unsure whether Themis, its reusable rocket demonstrator, will complete an initial hop test before the end of 2026. The uncertainty puts the timing of the program’s next flight milestone in question, though no revised schedule or reason for the uncertainty is provided.
A roundup reports SpaceX’s decision not to pursue military launches, a Spanish rocket nearing readiness and a call for Canada to reach orbit on its own terms. The available details do not specify the rocket programs, timelines or the military launch opportunity involved.
China’s first commercial launch site is expected to bring two additional pads online by the end of this year. The expansion is intended to support more than 30 launches in 2027, increasing the site’s planned launch activity.
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