Space.com
• Mike Wall
Newly released video shows LandSpace’s Zhuque-3 rocket exploding during its first attempt to land the reusable first stage, offering a close look at the spectacle and the risks facing China’s emerging commercial launch sector as it develops orbital-class recovery capability.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
Latest source-backed stories
Newly released video shows LandSpace’s Zhuque-3 rocket exploding during its first attempt to land the reusable first stage, offering a close look at the spectacle and the risks facing China’s emerging commercial launch sector as it develops orbital-class recovery capability.
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Highlands and Islands Enterprise has acquired the assets of Sutherland Spaceport Ltd following the collapse of launch company Orbex. The Scottish development agency has not yet determined what will happen to the spaceport, leaving the site’s operational and commercial future unresolved.
Shanghai has started work on a wharf designed to connect a planned commercial rocket manufacturing hub with sea-launch operations, according to Chinese commercial space sources. The infrastructure would link production and maritime launch activity within the city’s emerging commercial space ecosystem.
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Exolaunch will manage the deployment of 68 client payloads across SpaceX’s upcoming Transporter-18 and Bandwagon-5 rideshare missions, underscoring the scale of its role in arranging access to orbit for satellite operators and other commercial space customers.
SpaceX’s stock has shown unusual volatility since its record IPO, with shares now largely flat for three weeks as options traders watch closely. Morgan Stanley says the company’s proposed $100 billion Louisiana spaceport could lift launch cadence and support a valuation it considers attractive, while early investors report returns exceeding 10x.
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The European Space Agency has awarded €543.6 million in three-year European Launcher Challenge contracts to Isar Aerospace, PLD Space and Rocket Factory Augsburg, with a MaiaSpace agreement expected to follow. All three selected providers had previously targeted inaugural orbital flights in 2026.
Chinese commercial launch provider Galactic Energy is targeting Sept. 1 for the first orbital flight of its Pallas-1 liquid-propellant rocket, according to airspace closure notices. The planned mission marks the company’s entry into orbital operations with a new launch vehicle.
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The Meteosat Third Generation Imager-2 is encapsulated inside an Ariane 6 fairing at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana for a planned Aug. 27 launch. NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has reached SpaceX’s Launch Complex 39A ahead of its targeted Aug. 30 launch from Florida.
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