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• Sandra Erwin
Sierra Space says it has secured national security and commercial customers for the first orbital flight of its Dream Chaser spaceplane. The long-delayed vehicle is now targeting a debut mission later this year, marking a planned entry into the orbital transportation market.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
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Sierra Space says it has secured national security and commercial customers for the first orbital flight of its Dream Chaser spaceplane. The long-delayed vehicle is now targeting a debut mission later this year, marking a planned entry into the orbital transportation market.
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HyImpulse has expanded its Series A funding round by more than €50 million as the German launch company prepares flights of its SR75 and SL1 rockets. The financing will support suborbital and orbital launch services for commercial, research and defense customers.
High activity
Astroscale Japan has signed Isar Aerospace to launch ADRAS-J2, a mission designed to rendezvous with, capture and remove the upper stage of an old rocket from orbit. The spacecraft will fly aboard Isar’s Spectrum launch vehicle, expanding commercial demand for missions targeting the growing orbital-debris problem.
High activity
With Starship Flight 14 targeted for launch in the coming weeks, SpaceX is expanding facilities and launch infrastructure in Florida. The work is intended to enable Starship operations from Kennedy Space Center’s LC-39A and, eventually, SLC-37, broadening the program’s launch-site capacity.
MaiaSpace has completed another upper-stage validation campaign for its Maia launcher, advancing development ahead of the vehicle’s planned orbital debut in 2027. The milestone marks continued progress toward the launcher’s first flight and commercial introduction.
High activity
Spain’s PLD Space has extended its Series C round by €108 million, bringing the round’s total to €288 million and cumulative funding to more than $550 million, according to reports. The launch company is raising capital as it prepares for the first flight of its Miura 5 rocket.
Chinese commercial launch company Galactic Energy successfully sent its first Pallas-1 rocket to orbit late Monday. Future missions are expected to attempt first-stage recovery, marking the company’s move toward reusable launch operations as China’s commercial space sector expands its launch capabilities.
Six missions are scheduled across launch sites in Norway, India, New Zealand and the United States from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6. Isar Aerospace is targeting the second flight of its Spectrum rocket, while ISRO pursues an Earth-observation launch and SpaceX continues Starlink missions from Vandenberg.
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