Space.com
• Monisha Ravisetti
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched Aug. 30 and has begun its journey to the Sun–Earth L2 point, starting commissioning ahead of science operations. The wide-field observatory will investigate dark energy and dark matter while searching for Earthlike planets and imaging the universe at unprecedented scale.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
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NASA and SpaceX have delayed a planned International Space Station mission after identifying an oxidizer leak in the Dragon spacecraft’s propulsion system. The postponement underscores an additional prelaunch technical issue requiring resolution before the spacecraft can safely proceed to the station.
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NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched Aug. 30 and has begun its journey to the Sun–Earth L2 point, starting commissioning ahead of science operations. The wide-field observatory will investigate dark energy and dark matter while searching for Earthlike planets and imaging the universe at unprecedented scale.
High activity
SpaceX fired all 33 engines on the Super Heavy booster ahead of Starship’s 14th test flight. The mission is expected to mark the vehicle’s first attempt to reach orbit, making the static-fire milestone a key readiness check for the company’s launch campaign.
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The European Space Agency has awarded the first contracts under its European Launcher Challenge, committing €543.6 million to three European rocket startups. The initiative is intended to broaden Europe’s launch options beyond Ariane 6 and Vega-C, expanding the region’s commercial launch ecosystem.
Newly released video shows LandSpace’s Zhuque-3 rocket exploding during its first attempt to land the reusable first stage, offering a close look at the spectacle and the risks facing China’s emerging commercial launch sector as it develops orbital-class recovery capability.
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Highlands and Islands Enterprise has acquired the assets of Sutherland Spaceport Ltd following the collapse of launch company Orbex. The Scottish development agency has not yet determined what will happen to the spaceport, leaving the site’s operational and commercial future unresolved.
Shanghai has started work on a wharf designed to connect a planned commercial rocket manufacturing hub with sea-launch operations, according to Chinese commercial space sources. The infrastructure would link production and maritime launch activity within the city’s emerging commercial space ecosystem.
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Exolaunch will manage the deployment of 68 client payloads across SpaceX’s upcoming Transporter-18 and Bandwagon-5 rideshare missions, underscoring the scale of its role in arranging access to orbit for satellite operators and other commercial space customers.
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