NASA Spaceflight
• Chris Bergin, Eleanor Day
SpaceX has completed multi-day catch-related testing of unflown Ship 42 at Pad 2 and returned the vehicle to the production site for engine installation. The work precedes static-fire testing by Massey, while Starship Flight 14 is now targeted for no earlier than Sept. 22.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
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SpaceX has completed multi-day catch-related testing of unflown Ship 42 at Pad 2 and returned the vehicle to the production site for engine installation. The work precedes static-fire testing by Massey, while Starship Flight 14 is now targeted for no earlier than Sept. 22.
ESA’s FLEX and Copernicus Sentinel-3C satellites are preparing for Vega-C liftoff, while Airbus and Unseenlabs won France’s contract for next-generation SIGINT satellites. Separately, Cailabs is commercializing shared optical ground infrastructure and Satellogic plans to expand its Earth-observation constellation with three new spacecraft.
Exolaunch said Sept. 14 it secured capacity for rideshare payloads on two upcoming launches, one involving a Japanese rocket. The agreements add launch opportunities to Exolaunch’s manifest as the provider continues arranging shared-launch access for satellite customers.
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Companies and agencies announced new capabilities and partnerships in Paris, including HEO’s close-range inspection of a Long March 2C, BlackSky’s first Gen-3 imagery within 20 hours of launch, Space42-Viasat’s Equatys connectivity platform, and a European lunar polar rover mission.
Avio reported a 17.5% revenue increase and a 7.3% rise in adjusted EBITDA for the six months ended June 30. Two-thirds of its newly added backlog came from solid rocket motors for defense applications, while the company said additional funding is needed to increase Ariane 6 and Vega launch cadence.
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Avio is preparing the VV30 mission, carrying the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-3C and FLEX spacecraft together aboard a Vega C rocket. The launch will use the ELV pad at Kourou, French Guiana, highlighting Vega C’s role in deploying multiple spacecraft on a single mission.
SpaceX launched three SES O3b mPOWER communications satellites on Sept. 13, marking the 700th mission by the Falcon rocket family. The flight adds capacity to SES’s satellite network while underscoring Falcon’s sustained role as a launch provider for commercial communications constellations.
Sirius Space has completed the first hot-fire test of its fully integrated STAR-1 rocket engine, marking a development milestone ahead of a planned 2027 demonstration flight. The test advances the company’s commercial launch vehicle program toward an in-flight demonstration.
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