Space.com
• Josh Dinner, Mike Wall, Tariq Malik
SpaceX has moved Starship’s Super Heavy booster to the launch pad for Flight 15, a test planned for Friday, Nov. 13. The mission is expected to last more than 22 hours and will attempt to catch both the booster and Starship spacecraft with the launch tower’s mechanical arms, after about 14 Earth orbits.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
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The U.S. military appears increasingly concerned about a shortage of launch capacity, with one assessment saying the supply crunch is “exactly the situation we predicted.” The available report does not identify the affected launch providers, missions or proposed response.
Japan’s Synspective has ordered 10 launches on Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket, with two StriX synthetic aperture radar satellites planned for each flight. Firefly says Alpha Block II can carry about one ton and offers responsive launch, while the company’s earlier Alpha flights recorded three clean successes in seven attempts.
High activity
SpaceX has moved Starship’s Super Heavy booster to the launch pad for Flight 15, a test planned for Friday, Nov. 13. The mission is expected to last more than 22 hours and will attempt to catch both the booster and Starship spacecraft with the launch tower’s mechanical arms, after about 14 Earth orbits.
High activity
Germany’s DLR plans to buy 80 Red Kite solid rocket motors from Bayern-Chemie to support future sounding rocket missions. The articles do not specify the contract value, delivery schedule or missions the motors will support.
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has reached a long-term agreement with Seagate Space to use Gateway, Seagate’s first offshore launch platform. The companies said the partnership will advance mobile offshore launch capabilities for national security missions; the announcement did not disclose the agreement’s value or operational timeline.
Morgan Stanley is maintaining its overweight rating on SpaceX, according to a roundup of Tuesday’s notable Wall Street analyst calls. The report provides no price target, rationale or additional details on the analyst’s assessment.
Rocket Factory Augsburg is targeting 2027 for the first launch of its RFA One rocket from SaxaVord spaceport in Scotland, according to the report. The spaceport is drawing interest from several companies for orbital and suborbital missions, as RFA discussed its plans with delegates from Germany’s aerospace research center DLR.
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