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Space.com • Mike Wall

SpaceX stacks, fuels Starship V3 and clears Pad 2 milestone ahead of May 15 Flight 12

SpaceX has stacked and fueled the Starship V3 vehicle for the first time, following a full wet dress rehearsal of Ship 39 and Booster 19 at Starbase’s newly completed Pad 2. The company is moving toward a likely May 15 window for Flight 12, firing all 33 Super Heavy engines as part of pre-launch testing.

2026-05-12T03:58:49.180951-07:00

SpaceWatch Global

Lockheed Martin, Seagate Space and Firefly Aerospace team on sea-based launch mission concepts and flight demos

2026-05-12T00:56:56.937973-07:00

Space.com

Artemis 3 SLS core stage moves into hardware integration ahead of 2027 lunar-landers test launch

2026-05-11T14:06:48.689628-07:00

Space.com

SpaceX to launch a batch of U.S. government spy satellites from California

2026-05-11T09:50:23.695247-07:00

News Timeline

Payload

Fenix completes tow-launch prototype test campaign, demonstrating launch- and landing-capable operations without a pad Fenix Space has completed a week-long test campaign validating a tow-launch prototype’s ability to take off and land without using a launch pad. The results advance the company’s push for simpler ground operations and more flexible launch-style vehicle handling.

2026-05-12T05:28:25.340734-07:00

Fenix completes tow-launch prototype test campaign, demonstrating launch- and landing-capable operations without a pad

Space.com

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SpaceX stacks, fuels Starship V3 and clears Pad 2 milestone ahead of May 15 Flight 12 SpaceX has stacked and fueled the Starship V3 vehicle for the first time, following a full wet dress rehearsal of Ship 39 and Booster 19 at Starbase’s newly completed Pad 2. The company is moving toward a likely May 15 window for Flight 12, firing all 33 Super Heavy engines as part of pre-launch testing.

2026-05-12T03:58:49.180951-07:00

SpaceX stacks, fuels Starship V3 and clears Pad 2 milestone ahead of May 15 Flight 12

SpaceWatch Global

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Lockheed Martin, Seagate Space and Firefly Aerospace team on sea-based launch mission concepts and flight demos Lockheed Martin, Seagate Space and Firefly Aerospace will collaborate on mission-application concepts and flight-demonstration projects using Seagate’s Gateway offshore launch platform. The effort extends their work to operationalize maritime launch options for national-security payloads, linking systems integration with offshore infrastructure validation.

2026-05-12T00:56:56.937973-07:00

Lockheed Martin, Seagate Space and Firefly Aerospace team on sea-based launch mission concepts and flight demos

Space.com

Artemis 3 SLS core stage moves into hardware integration ahead of 2027 lunar-landers test launch NASA has raised the Artemis 3 SLS core stage into the Vehicle Assembly Building and is preparing for engine integration, advancing the rocket toward a planned 2027 launch. The step ties Artemis 3’s near-term hardware cadence to ongoing mission-profile planning as the agency readies for lunar landers validation.

2026-05-11T14:06:48.689628-07:00

Artemis 3 SLS core stage moves into hardware integration ahead of 2027 lunar-landers test launch

SpaceNews.com

NASA appoints Brian Hughes as senior director of launch operations at Kennedy NASA says Brian Hughes will return as senior director of launch operations, based at Kennedy Space Center. The move places a former NASA chief of staff in charge of launch operations and has drawn attention on Capitol Hill. Hughes’ assignment takes immediate effect within NASA’s launch organization.

2026-05-11T11:06:33.708474-07:00

NASA appoints Brian Hughes as senior director of launch operations at Kennedy

Space.com

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SpaceX to launch a batch of U.S. government spy satellites from California SpaceX is set to launch a classified batch of U.S. government reconnaissance satellites this evening (May 11) from California. The liftoff is live-streamed, underscoring ongoing refresh and expansion of U.S. space-based intelligence capability alongside a busy launch cadence.

2026-05-11T09:50:23.695247-07:00

SpaceX to launch a batch of U.S. government spy satellites from California

Ars Technica

Skyroot and India’s private launch push: orbital rockets targeted “in a few years” as the commercial space sector ramps up India’s private space industry is positioning for near-term orbital launch vehicle development, with Skyroot cited at the front of the pack and an aim to reach an orbital launch capability within “a few years.” The push underscores how quickly new entrants are trying to convert capability into timetable-driven access to orbit.

2026-05-11T08:55:10.010930-07:00

Skyroot and India’s private launch push: orbital rockets targeted “in a few years” as the commercial space sector ramps up

SpaceNews.com

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Tianzhou-10 cargo spacecraft docks with Tiangong after Long March 7 launch, delivering ~7 tons of supplies, equipment, experimen China launched the Tianzhou-10 cargo spacecraft on a Long March 7 rocket and docked it with the Tiangong space station hours later. The mission delivered nearly seven tons of supplies plus equipment, experiments and propellant, following vertical transport of the spacecraft–rocket stack to Wenchang as ground systems remained in good condition.

2026-05-11T04:30:09.956686-07:00

Tianzhou-10 cargo spacecraft docks with Tiangong after Long March 7 launch, delivering ~7 tons of supplies, equipment, experimen

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Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News

SpaceX stacks, fuels Starship V3 and clears Pad 2 milestone ahead of May 15 Flight 12

Lockheed Martin, Seagate Space and Firefly Aerospace team on sea-based launch mission concepts and flight demos

Artemis 3 SLS core stage moves into hardware integration ahead of 2027 lunar-landers test launch

SpaceX to launch a batch of U.S. government spy satellites from California

News Timeline