Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News

NASA Spaceflight • Justin Davenport

Launch Preview: Swift observatory rescue mission, first full flight for South Korea’s military launcher, and possible end of the

Multiple orbital launches are scheduled worldwide this week, including a mission to rescue NASA’s Swift observatory spacecraft. The roster also features the first full flight of a South Korean military rocket and could include the final satellite launch by an Atlas-family vehicle.

1 Source

2026-06-30T14:31:11.388137-07:00

European Spaceflight

MaiaSpace weighs fourth Prometheus engine for Maia rocket to double first-stage performance

1 Source

2026-06-30T06:32:56.121066-07:00

Space Intel Report

SSC Space and Firefly Aerospace say first Firefly Alpha launch from Sweden’s Esrange is set for 2028

3 Sources

2026-06-30T05:16:33.925136-07:00

SpaceWatch Global

Rocket Lab to buy Iridium Communications for $8B in cash-and-stock deal to build an end-to-end satellite services network

113 Sources

2026-06-29T00:06:44.285921-07:00

Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News Timeline

Politico

1 source

FAA decision clears SpaceX rocket launch licensing while tightening employee stock-trading restrictions The FAA has licensed SpaceX’s rocket launches, authorizing the company’s launch activities under the agency’s safety framework. Separately, the FAA is directing that employees can’t purchase SpaceX stock, signaling additional compliance guardrails tied to regulatory oversight.

2026-06-30T15:48:15.048023-07:00

FAA decision clears SpaceX rocket launch licensing while tightening employee stock-trading restrictions

NASA Spaceflight

1 source

Launch Preview: Swift observatory rescue mission, first full flight for South Korea’s military launcher, and possible end of the Multiple orbital launches are scheduled worldwide this week, including a mission to rescue NASA’s Swift observatory spacecraft. The roster also features the first full flight of a South Korean military rocket and could include the final satellite launch by an Atlas-family vehicle.

2026-06-30T14:31:11.388137-07:00

Launch Preview: Swift observatory rescue mission, first full flight for South Korea’s military launcher, and possible end of the

European Spaceflight

1 source

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MaiaSpace weighs fourth Prometheus engine for Maia rocket to double first-stage performance MaiaSpace, an ArianeGroup subsidiary, is assessing an upgrade to its Maia launcher by adding a fourth Prometheus engine to the rocket’s first stage. The change is intended to double the launcher’s performance, while keeping the vehicle focused on its first-stage architecture.

2026-06-30T06:32:56.121066-07:00

MaiaSpace weighs fourth Prometheus engine for Maia rocket to double first-stage performance

Space Intel Report

3 sources

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SSC Space and Firefly Aerospace say first Firefly Alpha launch from Sweden’s Esrange is set for 2028 Sweden’s SSC Space and US launch-services provider Firefly Aerospace say they’ve completed enough regulatory and technical preparations to announce a first launch of Firefly’s Alpha vehicle from Esrange in 2028, marking a trans-Atlantic milestone for Sweden’s space launch ambitions.

2026-06-30T05:16:33.925136-07:00

SSC Space and Firefly Aerospace say first Firefly Alpha launch from Sweden’s Esrange is set for 2028

SpaceNews.com

3 sources

Study flags diminishing returns—and potential constraints—for very large launch vehicles A new study argues that pursuing ever-larger rockets may not always improve mission economics or operational outcomes, suggesting there is a practical upper bound to launch-vehicle size. The findings come as SpaceX and other companies continue developing very large launch vehicles.

2026-06-29T18:57:34.584027-07:00

Study flags diminishing returns—and potential constraints—for very large launch vehicles

New York Times

24 sources

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NASA’s Swift Observatory orbital rescue: Katalyst Space Tech mission to be air-launched on Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL from a NASA and Katalyst Space Technologies will launch an orbital-servicing mission on June 30, 2026 to arrest the atmospheric decay of the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory. The Pegasus XL rocket will be released from a Lockheed L-1011 TriStar Stargazer on a racetrack approach from Kwajalein Atoll—its final operational flight.

2026-06-29T10:55:39.248124-07:00

NASA’s Swift Observatory orbital rescue: Katalyst Space Tech mission to be air-launched on Northrop Grumman’s Pegasus XL from a

SpaceWatch Global

113 sources

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Rocket Lab to buy Iridium Communications for $8B in cash-and-stock deal to build an end-to-end satellite services network Rocket Lab agreed to acquire Iridium Communications in a cash-and-stock transaction valued at about $8 billion—at $54 per share—aiming to expand into satellite telecommunications services and challenge SpaceX’s Starlink. The deal would give Rocket Lab control of Iridium’s satellite fleet and access to wireless resources to compete in space-based connectivity.

2026-06-29T00:06:44.285921-07:00

Rocket Lab to buy Iridium Communications for $8B in cash-and-stock deal to build an end-to-end satellite services network

NASA Spaceflight

3 sources

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Euclid expands survey work to backfill Milky Way center observations ahead of Roman Space Telescope launch Euclid has been operating outside its regular survey in support of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s exoplanet program. The Roman observatory has arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, where technicians will prepare it for a SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch no earlier than Aug. 30.

2026-06-28T14:55:25.575585-07:00

Euclid expands survey work to backfill Milky Way center observations ahead of Roman Space Telescope launch

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