Space.com
• Mike Wall
SpaceX is scheduled to launch 130 payloads into orbit on Oct. 1 aboard the Transporter-18 rideshare mission, including a prototype Google artificial-intelligence satellite. The mission underscores the continuing expansion of shared launch services for deploying diverse commercial and technology-demonstration spacecraft.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
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SpaceX is scheduled to launch 130 payloads into orbit on Oct. 1 aboard the Transporter-18 rideshare mission, including a prototype Google artificial-intelligence satellite. The mission underscores the continuing expansion of shared launch services for deploying diverse commercial and technology-demonstration spacecraft.
UK launch developer Skyrora successfully hot-fired a scaled-down version of the engine intended for its Skyrora XL orbital vehicle. The test marks progress in the company’s propulsion-development program as it works toward an orbital launch capability.
NASA and Boeing plan to fly an additional uncrewed Starliner test in 2026 before a potential astronaut mission in 2028, following problems during the spacecraft’s 2024 flight. The schedule also depends on spacecraft upgrades and certification of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket.
Rocket Lab reported record revenue and backlog, guided to another record quarter and completed its 97th Electron mission as it secured a 20-launch Synspective contract. Shareholders also approved the company’s acquisition of Iridium, underscoring its expanding role across launch services and space systems.
Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said the company still aims to return its New Glenn rocket to flight before the end of the year, despite a May explosion at Cape Canaveral. Limp also said the company’s first outside funding round is oversubscribed and remains open.
Chinese launch startup Z-Trak Space has secured a new funding round to advance its Fission-A small reusable rocket, which uses electric-pump propulsion. The company is targeting a first flight in late 2027, adding another entrant to China’s developing commercial launch sector.
Experts warn that continued growth in rocket launch frequency could increase the likelihood of uncontrolled space-debris reentries and, eventually, a fatality on the ground. The trend underscores the safety consequences of expanding launch activity and the need to manage debris generated by increasingly crowded orbital operations.
High activity
Russia says it is continuing work on a reusable, crewed transport spacecraft, despite the program’s lengthy delays. The announcement offers little detail on the vehicle’s development status or timetable, leaving its path to operational service unclear.
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