Reuters
Spain’s PLD Space has raised an additional €108 million in a Series C extension, bringing the round’s total to €288 million. The launch company is using the fresh capital as it prepares for the debut flight of its Miura 5 rocket and continues scaling its space-transportation business.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
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MaiaSpace has completed another upper-stage validation campaign for its Maia launcher, advancing development ahead of the vehicle’s planned orbital debut in 2027. The milestone marks continued progress toward the launcher’s first flight and commercial introduction.
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Spain’s PLD Space has raised an additional €108 million in a Series C extension, bringing the round’s total to €288 million. The launch company is using the fresh capital as it prepares for the debut flight of its Miura 5 rocket and continues scaling its space-transportation business.
Chinese commercial launch company Galactic Energy successfully sent its first Pallas-1 rocket to orbit late Monday. Future missions are expected to attempt first-stage recovery, marking the company’s move toward reusable launch operations as China’s commercial space sector expands its launch capabilities.
Six missions are scheduled across launch sites in Norway, India, New Zealand and the United States from Aug. 31 to Sept. 6. Isar Aerospace is targeting the second flight of its Spectrum rocket, while ISRO pursues an Earth-observation launch and SpaceX continues Starlink missions from Vandenberg.
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NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has left Earth aboard its mission to study dark energy and the evolving universe. The 300-megapixel observatory will spend roughly three months traveling to the second Sun-Earth Lagrange point, about one million miles away, before beginning its science mission.
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NASA and its contractors are increasing activity ahead of next year’s Artemis III mission, with continued Solid Rocket Booster stacking and RS-25 engine installation on the SLS Core Stage 3. The agency says four SLS vehicles are now in production, signaling a broader production ramp-up for Artemis missions.
NASA and SpaceX have delayed a planned International Space Station mission after identifying an oxidizer leak in the Dragon spacecraft’s propulsion system. The postponement underscores an additional prelaunch technical issue requiring resolution before the spacecraft can safely proceed to the station.
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NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launched Sunday on its mission to Lagrange Point 2, beginning a commissioning period months ahead of schedule. The Hubble-class observatory will deliver wide-field, high-resolution views to investigate dark energy and dark matter while searching for Earthlike planets around other stars.
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