Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News

Space.com • Mike Wall

Expedition 74 set for new crew launch: NASA astronaut Anil Menon and two cosmonauts to fly to the ISS on Soyuz MS-29 on July 14

Expedition 74 is preparing to receive three new crew members as NASA astronaut Anil Menon and two cosmonauts launch to the International Space Station on Soyuz MS-29 on Tuesday, July 14. The mission is expected to begin an eight-month stay aboard the ISS, with live launch coverage available.

3 Sources

2026-07-13T14:16:13.806794-07:00

SpaceNews.com

SDA awards $1.75B for Golden Dome Tranche 3 tracking satellites; L3Harris gets $955M for 18 spacecraft

15 Sources

2026-07-13T14:19:46.091532-07:00

Space.com

NASA begins stacking SLS solid rocket boosters for Artemis III launch

1 Source

2026-07-13T09:52:10.922104-07:00

Reuters

SpaceX targets July 16 for Starship Flight 13, deploying Starlink from a v3 vehicle after schedule slips

26 Sources

2026-07-13T07:45:06.737977-07:00

Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News Timeline

SpaceNews.com

15 sources

SDA awards $1.75B for Golden Dome Tranche 3 tracking satellites; L3Harris gets $955M for 18 spacecraft The U.S. Space Development Agency awarded $1.75 billion for Tranche 3 Tracking Layer satellites supporting the Golden Dome missile defense shield. L3Harris received $955 million to produce 18 satellites, with Sierra Space getting $798 million, under fixed-price OTA rapid-prototyping contracts targeting Tranche 3 by end-2028.

2026-07-13T14:19:46.091532-07:00

SDA awards $1.75B for Golden Dome Tranche 3 tracking satellites; L3Harris gets $955M for 18 spacecraft

Space.com

3 sources

Expedition 74 set for new crew launch: NASA astronaut Anil Menon and two cosmonauts to fly to the ISS on Soyuz MS-29 on July 14 Expedition 74 is preparing to receive three new crew members as NASA astronaut Anil Menon and two cosmonauts launch to the International Space Station on Soyuz MS-29 on Tuesday, July 14. The mission is expected to begin an eight-month stay aboard the ISS, with live launch coverage available.

2026-07-13T14:16:13.806794-07:00

Expedition 74 set for new crew launch: NASA astronaut Anil Menon and two cosmonauts to fly to the ISS on Soyuz MS-29 on July 14

Breaking Defense

1 source

Reditus readies first launch of ENOS re-entry vehicle/hypersonic target as MDA evaluates it under SHIELD The Missile Defense Agency is evaluating Reditus’ ENOS spacecraft as a hypersonic target and testbed under the SHIELD contract, according to Reditus CEO Stef Crum. The company said it is preparing its first launch of the re-entry vehicle/hypersonic target configuration.

2026-07-13T13:16:22.477158-07:00

Reditus readies first launch of ENOS re-entry vehicle/hypersonic target as MDA evaluates it under SHIELD

Space.com

1 source

NASA begins stacking SLS solid rocket boosters for Artemis III launch NASA has started assembling segments of the Space Launch System (SLS) solid rocket boosters that will support the Artemis III mission, targeting astronaut launch as early as next year. The work marks a key step in preparing the boosters for integration ahead of the mission’s 2027 timeframe.

2026-07-13T09:52:10.922104-07:00

NASA begins stacking SLS solid rocket boosters for Artemis III launch

SpaceNews.com

1 source

Accel and Prosus back QOSMIC with $3.33M seed round to develop optical ground stations for the “orbital data economy” QOSMIC, an optical ground-station developer, raised $3.33 million in seed funding co-led by Accel and Prosus, with participation from South Park Commons, ARTPARK and angel investor Manish Jain. The company plans laser-based ground infrastructure to downlink data from orbital assets.

2026-07-13T08:28:50.427429-07:00

Accel and Prosus back QOSMIC with $3.33M seed round to develop optical ground stations for the “orbital data economy”

CNBC

12 sources

❗️

China accelerates “space race” bid to challenge SpaceX—while Starlink’s business aviation pricing jumps and SpaceX faces IPO-era New reporting says China is preparing to challenge SpaceX’s edge in launch and space-enabled services, including an IPO-driven push by multiple Chinese aerospace firms. In parallel, SpaceX has raised Starlink pricing for business aviation with new regional restrictions and a global “unlimited” tier at $20,000/month, as SpaceX shares fall amid lockup-expiration and concerns over Starship/Starlink spending.

2026-07-13T07:59:11.552893-07:00

China accelerates “space race” bid to challenge SpaceX—while Starlink’s business aviation pricing jumps and SpaceX faces IPO-era

Reuters

26 sources

❗️

SpaceX targets July 16 for Starship Flight 13, deploying Starlink from a v3 vehicle after schedule slips SpaceX is preparing Starship’s 13th test flight later this week, with a target no earlier than July 16. Flight 13 will use the rocket’s Version 3 configuration and is intended to be similar to Flight 12, while SpaceX also plans to test new Starlink satellites in orbit. The launch has seen at least one T-0 pushback.

2026-07-13T07:45:06.737977-07:00

SpaceX targets July 16 for Starship Flight 13, deploying Starlink from a v3 vehicle after schedule slips

Space.com

1 source

Skyroot Aerospace eyes next milestone for Vikram-1 as it targets a major push to make India’s private orbital launch market Skyroot Aerospace is positioning Vikram-1 as a potential catalyst for India’s commercial launch industry, backed by a $1.1 billion valuation. The company says the rocket is set to fly soon, as it prepares its bid for a first-of-its-kind private-sector path to orbit for India.

2026-07-13T06:09:52.174543-07:00

Skyroot Aerospace eyes next milestone for Vikram-1 as it targets a major push to make India’s private orbital launch market

Create a free account to see more recent Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation clusters.