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Ars Technica • Eric Berger

Orbex exits as Skyrora eyes assets while China’s reusable-rocket milestone tightens SpaceX price pressure

UK small-launcher Orbex has exited the market, prompting rival Skyrora to explore buying its assets. The move follows China’s successful reusable-booster test — called a ‘significant milestone’ — as SpaceX’s aggressive pricing forces a strategic rethink across commercial launch suppliers.

2026-02-13T04:10:26.399521-08:00

European Spaceflight

SpaceX Falcon 9 launches ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot to the ISS on Crew‑12

2026-02-13T02:49:44.584235-08:00

SpaceNews.com

iSpace raises $729M in record D++ round to accelerate reusable orbital rockets

2026-02-13T03:33:32.498552-08:00

SpaceWatch Global

MSC 2026: DLR positions ‘space for resilience’ as Ariane 6.4 enters service

2026-02-12T22:34:36.472116-08:00

News Timeline

Ars Technica

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Orbex exits as Skyrora eyes assets while China’s reusable-rocket milestone tightens SpaceX price pressure UK small-launcher Orbex has exited the market, prompting rival Skyrora to explore buying its assets. The move follows China’s successful reusable-booster test — called a ‘significant milestone’ — as SpaceX’s aggressive pricing forces a strategic rethink across commercial launch suppliers.

2026-02-13T04:10:26.399521-08:00

Orbex exits as Skyrora eyes assets while China’s reusable-rocket milestone tightens SpaceX price pressure

SpaceNews.com

iSpace raises $729M in record D++ round to accelerate reusable orbital rockets China’s iSpace secured a record D++ funding round of $729 million to accelerate development of reusable orbital rockets and expand its industrial footprint. The capital aims to scale hardware, testing and recovery capabilities as Beijing’s commercial sector pushes rapidly toward reusability.

2026-02-13T03:33:32.498552-08:00

iSpace raises $729M in record D++ round to accelerate reusable orbital rockets

European Spaceflight

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SpaceX Falcon 9 launches ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot to the ISS on Crew‑12 A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched Crew‑12 from Kennedy Space Center’s SLC‑40 on 13 February 2026 at 10:15 GMT, lifting ESA mission specialist Sophie Adenot to the International Space Station. The four‑person multinational crew includes NASA commander Jessica Meir, pilot Jack Hathaway and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrei Fedyaev.

2026-02-13T02:49:44.584235-08:00

SpaceX Falcon 9 launches ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot to the ISS on Crew‑12

SpaceWatch Global

MSC 2026: DLR positions ‘space for resilience’ as Ariane 6.4 enters service At a Munich Ariane reception, DLR Chairwoman Anke Kaysser‑Pyzalla outlined the agency’s post‑Ariane 6.4 agenda, casting space as a pillar of European resilience and signalling DLR priorities around launch capability, satellite services and industrial sovereignty as 2026 policy choices crystallize.

2026-02-12T22:34:36.472116-08:00

MSC 2026: DLR positions ‘space for resilience’ as Ariane 6.4 enters service

SpaceWatch Global

MSC 2026: Germany’s space sector at a defining moment — leaders push for scale, investment and risk tolerance At MSC 2026, BDLI principal Marie‑Christine von Hahn and Isar Aerospace CEO Daniel Metzler framed Germany’s space sector as at a defining moment. They urged bolder investment, industrial policy and a cultural shift to embrace risk — Metzler candidly said his firm's first rocket will likely explode.

2026-02-12T22:14:49.083579-08:00

MSC 2026: Germany’s space sector at a defining moment — leaders push for scale, investment and risk tolerance

NASA

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NASA selects Vast for sixth private astronaut mission to ISS, targeting summer 2027 NASA and Vast have signed an order for the sixth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, targeting launch no earlier than summer 2027 from Florida. The move marks Vast's first private crew flight and heightens competition with Axiom, which flew the prior five missions.

2026-02-12T13:30:22.193690-08:00

NASA selects Vast for sixth private astronaut mission to ISS, targeting summer 2027

Space.com

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Ariane 6 (Ariane 64) debuts four‑booster configuration, launches 32 Amazon Leo satellites On 12 February, Arianespace launched the first Ariane 6 in its four‑booster (Ariane 64) configuration from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, inserting 32 Amazon Leo broadband satellites into ~465 km orbit. The flight validates Ariane 6’s heavy‑lift capability and secures additional Amazon missions.

2026-02-12T09:24:43.456467-08:00

Ariane 6 (Ariane 64) debuts four‑booster configuration, launches 32 Amazon Leo satellites

Spaceflight Now

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NASA conducts unannounced liquid‑hydrogen load to validate SLS umbilical repairs as Artemis II slips to March NASA quietly loaded liquid hydrogen into the Space Launch System core stage at Kennedy Space Center to test repairs to a leaky umbilical that derailed a Feb. 2 wet dress rehearsal. The unannounced fueling validates fixes after hours‑long countdown holds and follows a slip of Artemis II to March.

2026-02-12T07:33:48.280724-08:00

NASA conducts unannounced liquid‑hydrogen load to validate SLS umbilical repairs as Artemis II slips to March

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Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News

Orbex exits as Skyrora eyes assets while China’s reusable-rocket milestone tightens SpaceX price pressure

SpaceX Falcon 9 launches ESA astronaut Sophie Adenot to the ISS on Crew‑12

iSpace raises $729M in record D++ round to accelerate reusable orbital rockets

MSC 2026: DLR positions ‘space for resilience’ as Ariane 6.4 enters service

News Timeline