Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News

Reuters • Susan Heavey

NASA to reopen competition for Artemis 3 lunar lander after SpaceX schedule delays

Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said the agency will reopen competition for the Artemis 3 human landing system contract, currently held by SpaceX, citing delays in SpaceX’s Starship schedule. Duffy said rivals such as Blue Origin could bid, and framed the move as a way to accelerate timelines and counter China.

2025-10-20T06:28:25.249950-07:00

Associated Press

SpaceX completes final Version 2 Starship test — 11th flight deploys test satellites and returns largely intact

2025-10-13T17:07:45.617123-07:00

Ars Technica

Artemis II completes final pre‑launch processing at Kennedy as rollout preparations continue amid US shutdown

2025-10-17T10:06:50.300229-07:00

Spaceflight Now

Orion arrives at KSC VAB ahead of SLS stacking for Artemis II

2025-10-16T21:56:28.502332-07:00

Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News Timeline

NASA Spaceflight

SpaceX to fly first expendable Falcon 9 since January as it plans up to four launches this week SpaceX will conduct up to four Falcon 9 missions this week, including the company's first expendable Falcon 9 flight since January, reinforcing its dominance of the weekly launch manifest and underscoring an operational mix of recoverable and one‑way missions that affects manifest planning.

2025-10-20T10:24:58.127423-07:00

SpaceX to fly first expendable Falcon 9 since January as it plans up to four launches this week

Reuters

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NASA to reopen competition for Artemis 3 lunar lander after SpaceX schedule delays Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy said the agency will reopen competition for the Artemis 3 human landing system contract, currently held by SpaceX, citing delays in SpaceX’s Starship schedule. Duffy said rivals such as Blue Origin could bid, and framed the move as a way to accelerate timelines and counter China.

2025-10-20T06:28:25.249950-07:00

NASA to reopen competition for Artemis 3 lunar lander after SpaceX schedule delays

European Spaceflight

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Avio completes MR10 methalox engine hot-fire, advancing FD1 rocket demonstrator Avio completed a hot-fire test of its MR10 methalox engine, a key step toward qualifying propulsion for the company's FD1 rocket demonstrator. The test advances Avio's methalox development program and helps de-risk the FD1 demonstrator's propulsion chain ahead of flight tests.

2025-10-20T05:44:51.361898-07:00

Avio completes MR10 methalox engine hot-fire, advancing FD1 rocket demonstrator

The Verge

SpaceX passes 10,000 Starlink spacecraft in orbit — roughly 1,400 already decommissioned SpaceX has exceeded 10,000 Starlink satellites in space after launching 28 more smallsats, marking a new deployment milestone for the broadband constellation. Public trackers and company disclosures show about 1,400 earlier Starlinks have been decommissioned, leaving a mix of active and retired assets on orbit.

2025-10-20T02:47:31.152865-07:00

SpaceX passes 10,000 Starlink spacecraft in orbit — roughly 1,400 already decommissioned

SpaceNews.com

Innospace wins KASA commercial launch authorization, cleared for end-of-month SPACEWARD orbital attempt South Korean launcher Innospace has become the first private company to secure commercial launch authorization from the Korea AeroSpace Administration for its 'SPACEWARD' mission, completing all approvals and receiving government clearance to attempt its inaugural orbital launch as soon as the end of the month.

2025-10-19T20:44:22.707727-07:00

Innospace wins KASA commercial launch authorization, cleared for end-of-month SPACEWARD orbital attempt

Universe Today

Study: space-based solar power faces ground-side logistical limits despite Caltech demo Space-based solar power is moving from lab to pilots after Caltech’s demonstration of wireless power transmission from GEO, but a new Italian–German paper finds the main barriers are ground‑based — site selection, transmission infrastructure, regulation and logistics, not orbital technology.

2025-10-19T16:52:36.938201-07:00

Study: space-based solar power faces ground-side logistical limits despite Caltech demo

Florida Today

SpaceX runs double‑launch day: two Falcon 9s from opposite coasts deploy 56 Starlink satellites On Oct. 19, 2025 SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 rockets from opposite U.S. coasts — Vandenberg and Cape Canaveral — deploying 28 Starlink smallsats each (56 total) into low‑Earth orbit as part of the Starlink Group 10‑17 effort to expand commercial broadband capacity.

2025-10-19T12:34:40.571794-07:00

SpaceX runs double‑launch day: two Falcon 9s from opposite coasts deploy 56 Starlink satellites

dailygalaxy.com

NASA's OSIRIS-APEX Secures $20M to Avert Cancellation; Apophis Mission Survives but Remains Precarious NASA’s OSIRIS-APEX mission to rendezvous with asteroid Apophis has narrowly avoided cancellation after securing $20 million in emergency funding. The mission, which overcame recent programmatic and budgetary hurdles, will proceed toward planned observations of Apophis, though its long‑term viability remains uncertain.

2025-10-19T11:44:03.016041-07:00

NASA's OSIRIS-APEX Secures $20M to Avert Cancellation; Apophis Mission Survives but Remains Precarious

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