Space.com
• Mike Wall
SpaceX says Starship could launch as soon as Sept. 22 on a roughly 10-hour test intended to reach orbit for the first time. The mission would also deploy 26 V3 Starlink satellites, marking the vehicle’s first orbital attempt and an expansion of the Starlink constellation.
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SpaceX says Starship could launch as soon as Sept. 22 on a roughly 10-hour test intended to reach orbit for the first time. The mission would also deploy 26 V3 Starlink satellites, marking the vehicle’s first orbital attempt and an expansion of the Starlink constellation.
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.
Canada is presenting a broad portfolio of strategic projects to international investors, spanning spaceports and satellite initiatives alongside data centers, critical-mineral mines, high-speed rail and an Arctic trade corridor. The pitch positions aerospace infrastructure within a wider national effort to attract capital to major economic and connectivity projects.
Maverick has booked 10 Kepler satellites on a dedicated launch operated by Portal, using available capacity as demand for orbital launch services continues to intensify. The deal highlights the value of flexible launch arrangements for satellite operators seeking access to increasingly constrained capacity.
SpaceX is scheduled to launch its second classified mission for the U.S. Space Force in less than a week on Sept. 15. The launch will be available to watch live, offering another public view of the company’s rapidly paced national-security launch activity.
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The first day of World Space Business Week 2026 highlighted a widening gap between abundant investment and maturing commercial models. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher is taking a crew-transport decision to Rome, while China accounts for 19 of the 40 operational launchers worldwide.
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