SpaceNews.com
• Jeff Foust
German launch startup Isar Aerospace says it is ready to begin commercial launches of its Spectrum rocket after a successful test flight earlier this month, marking a transition from development testing toward operational launch services in Europe’s emerging commercial space market.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
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Russia plans to launch the Progress 96 uncrewed cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station on Sept. 16, carrying roughly three tons of supplies and equipment. The mission will be streamed live, offering visibility into ongoing station resupply operations.
German launch startup Isar Aerospace says it is ready to begin commercial launches of its Spectrum rocket after a successful test flight earlier this month, marking a transition from development testing toward operational launch services in Europe’s emerging commercial space market.
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Russia’s Progress MS-35 cargo spacecraft is expected to launch from Kazakhstan on Sept. 16, shortly after Progress MS-33 departs the International Space Station. The mission will sustain the station’s logistics pipeline, delivering cargo and supplies to the orbiting complex.
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SpaceX has told multiple prospective customers that it is no longer accepting new commercial Falcon 9 launch reservations, according to industry officials. The move appears to mark a gradual preparation for retiring the workhorse rocket in favor of the super-heavy Starship vehicle.
High activity
SpaceX said it is targeting Sept. 22 for Starship’s first attempt to reach orbit. The roughly 10-hour mission is also expected to deploy 26 V3 Starlink satellites, combining a major test of the vehicle’s orbital capability with the first launch of a new-generation constellation spacecraft.
Nine orbital launches are scheduled worldwide this week, including two Falcon 9 missions from California and a Vega C flight from French Guiana carrying the Sentinel-3C and FLEX satellites. The schedule reflects continued activity across commercial launch providers and Earth-observation programs.
A new breakthrough could make it possible to produce rocket fuel on Mars rather than transport it from Earth. Local production would reduce the mass a Mars mission must launch and carry, potentially improving mission architecture and expanding the feasibility of sustained exploration beyond Earth.
German launch startup Isar Aerospace plans to more than double its launch capacity in 2028, signaling an effort to scale production and operations in response to strong demand for access to space. The company is backed by the NATO Innovation Fund.
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