SpaceNews.com
• Sandra Erwin
The U.S. Space Force has reassigned a next-generation missile-warning satellite and a payload stack for an experimental cislunar surveillance mission from United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan to SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy. The moves are part of a broader reshuffling of military launches prompted by Vulcan delays.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
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The U.S. Space Force has reassigned a next-generation missile-warning satellite and a payload stack for an experimental cislunar surveillance mission from United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan to SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy. The moves are part of a broader reshuffling of military launches prompted by Vulcan delays.
China plans to use a Lanyue lunar lander cargo flight to demonstrate the vehicle’s ability to reach the surface before taikonauts fly aboard. The mission will carry items weighing no more than 50 kilograms, providing a pre-crewed test of the lander as part of China’s crewed Moon plans.
SpaceX’s development targets call for weekly Starship launches in the first half of 2027, potentially increasing to twice weekly by December. The company also aims to reuse a recovered upper stage and demonstrate orbital propellant transfer, as a separate report describes Falcon 9 cadence slowing during a Starlink launch from California.
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NASA’s October Artemis update outlines two architectures for delivering astronauts to the lunar surface in 2028, while detailing near-term SLS work, a lighter sortie spacesuit and plans for an Artemis III lander test flight in Earth orbit next year. The agency has not announced a firm launch date for that test.
The Space Force is considering three potential models for a new spaceport: a public-private arrangement, a federal installation or state-owned land. The options reflect an ongoing effort inside the Pentagon to identify a home for the facility; the available reporting provides no further details on location, timing or scale.
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Since its July 2024 debut, Ariane 6 has restored Europe’s independent heavy-lift access to orbit, but dependable launch cadence remains the test. ESA says engine issues behind delays have been resolved, while Airbus Netherlands has delivered a Vulcain aft bay that is 400 kilograms lighter and 55 millimeters shorter.
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