Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News

Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation

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Ars Technica

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NASA plans more Boeing Starliner missions and support for certification of a new rocket

NASA intends to order additional Boeing Starliner missions and help certify a new rocket, signaling continued agency support for the crew capsule despite its troubled development. The approach would preserve Starliner as part of NASA’s human-spaceflight and transportation architecture while requiring further certification work.

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Flying Magazine

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SpaceX targets Sept. 28 for Starship’s first orbital flight, with 26 V3 Starlink satellites

SpaceX has moved Starship Flight 14 to no earlier than Sept. 28, pending regulatory approval, after initially targeting Sept. 22. The roughly 10-hour mission would be Starship’s first orbital flight and attempt to deploy 26 V3 Starlink satellites, marking a major test of the vehicle’s launch and in-space operations.

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Launchers Say the Era of Cheap, Price-Per-Kilo Pricing Is Ending

As SpaceX winds down the Falcon 9 launch program, rival launch providers say the market is approaching a reset. Their view challenges the launch industry’s prevailing price-per-kilogram model and signals a potential shift in how providers compete and structure commercial launch offerings.

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Space Force to review Vulcan commercial flights before clearing national security missions

United Launch Alliance is preparing to return Vulcan to flight with an Amazon Leo mission, but the Space Force will conduct a separate review before permitting the rocket to resume national security launches. The process adds an additional gate between Vulcan’s commercial return and military mission certification.

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SpaceNews.com

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Satellite companies pursue alternatives to SpaceX through launch diversification, consolidation and direct-to-device deals

Satellite operators and space startups are reassessing their exposure to SpaceX as Falcon 9’s role in the commercial market comes under scrutiny. At the same time, Rocket Lab’s proposed Iridium acquisition, spectrum-focused strategies and direct-to-device partnerships highlight intensifying competition across launch, connectivity and satellite services.

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