Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News

SpaceNews.com

Impulse Space to Increase Cadence of Commercial GEO Rideshare Missions

Impulse Space plans to increase the cadence of rideshare missions to geostationary orbit, citing strong commercial demand. The expansion signals continued customer interest in dedicated orbital transfer and deployment services for GEO-bound payloads, while adding another demand indicator for the emerging commercial space transportation market.

SpaceNews.com

NASA to fly no cubesat secondary payloads on Artemis 3

NASA will omit cubesat secondary payloads from Artemis 3 after carrying small satellites on the first two Space Launch System missions. The change reduces the mission’s rideshare activity and underscores the evolving payload priorities for the next Artemis flight to the Moon.

Space.com

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NASA’s $4 Billion Roman Space Telescope Arrives at Kennedy Space Center Ahead of Aug. 30 Launch

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has arrived at SpaceX’s hangar at Launch Complex 39A ahead of its scheduled Aug. 30 launch. The observatory is designed to discover thousands of exoplanets and produce a statistical census of planetary systems, complementing capabilities unavailable from Hubble and JWST.

SpaceNews.com

Smallsat Rideshare Providers Buy Dedicated SpaceX Launches as Access to Orbit Tightens

Companies that built businesses arranging rideshare missions for small satellites are increasingly purchasing entire SpaceX launches for themselves. The shift signals intensifying competition for orbital access and suggests that dedicated launch capacity is becoming strategically valuable even for operators traditionally reliant on shared missions.

NASA Spaceflight

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SpaceX plans $100 billion Louisiana Starbase with 10 Starship launch pads and capacity for thousands of annual flights

SpaceX plans to build its largest launch complex yet on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast, replicating and expanding on its Starbase model in Texas. The proposed $100 billion development would include Starship factories and 10 launch pads, supporting thousands of launches annually and expanding the vehicle’s operational footprint.

SpaceNews.com

Ursa Major to go public in $2.3 billion SPAC deal to scale hypersonic and rocket-motor production

Colorado-based Ursa Major plans to merge with a blank-check company and enter public markets in early 2027 at a valuation of about $2.3 billion. The transaction is intended to fund the shift from development and low-rate production to full-rate output of rocket engines, hypersonic systems and solid rocket motors.

SpaceWatch Global

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MaiaSpace adds RIDE! to launch ecosystem for secondary payloads ahead of maiden flight

MaiaSpace is partnering with RIDE! to offer compatible secondary payload opportunities alongside the company’s primary missions. The agreement expands MaiaSpace’s commercial launch ecosystem ahead of its launcher’s maiden mission, giving satellite customers another potential route to orbit while the new vehicle moves toward initial operations.

Associated Press

Russia launches military satellite aboard Soyuz-2.1b rocket

Russia launched a military satellite aboard a Soyuz-2.1b rocket, adding another mission to the country’s military space activity. The launch highlights the continuing role of Soyuz vehicles in deploying payloads for national-security applications.