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• Andrew Jones
China’s commercial launch sector logged second flights for both the Ceres-2 and Kinetica-2 rockets, with Ceres-2 reaching orbit and Kinetica-2 carrying Qianfan satellites. The launches came alongside two Long March missions for state programs, underscoring activity across both commercial and government launch providers.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
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China’s commercial launch sector logged second flights for both the Ceres-2 and Kinetica-2 rockets, with Ceres-2 reaching orbit and Kinetica-2 carrying Qianfan satellites. The launches came alongside two Long March missions for state programs, underscoring activity across both commercial and government launch providers.
High activity
NASA announced a slate of awards and mission updates to expand lunar transportation, science and infrastructure capabilities. The work includes contracts for a new generation of landers, selection of eight companies for the next phase of cargo-lander development, and plans to send the PROMISE nuclear-powered rover and miniCAST technology demonstrator to the lunar south pole.
Blue Origin has unveiled a new rocket engine and a third stage for its New Glenn program, while confirming the vehicle’s return to flight will slip into early 2027. The delay reflects continued work to rebuild the launch pad, following an earlier target of returning before year-end.
High activity
SpaceX plans to launch Starship’s 15th integrated flight test from Starbase on Nov. 13, pending regulatory approval, with a 5:45–7 p.m. ET launch window. The mission is expected to attempt the first tower catch of a Ship, alongside a Super Heavy booster catch, returning both stages to the launch site.
High activity
Blue Origin has unveiled a three-stage version of its New Glenn rocket, adding heavy-lift capability to the existing two-stage vehicle. The company says the variant can support longer lunar operations and deliver satellites to geostationary orbit, extending the launcher’s mission range.
SpaceX is scheduled to launch a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base’s pad 4E at 4:48 p.m. PST (7:48 p.m. EST, 0048 UTC). The classified U.S. Space Force mission is thought to carry satellites based on SpaceX’s Starshield platform.
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