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Seagate Space, Firefly sign MOU to develop offshore launch infrastructure for Alpha

Seagate Space and Firefly Aerospace signed a memorandum of understanding to develop offshore launch infrastructure for Firefly’s Alpha small launch vehicle, aiming to expand launch-site options beyond land-based ranges and provide maritime facilities to support Alpha's operational flexibility and commercial satellite deployments.

2026-04-06T05:27:22.470157-07:00

European Spaceflight

Avio delays ESA's SMILE launch after Vega C subsystem production issue

2026-04-06T01:25:56.393695-07:00

Space.com

Artemis II Crew Enters Lunar Space — First Humans Near the Moon Since 1972

2026-04-05T22:06:18.783705-07:00

SpaceNews.com

NASA halts Mobile Launcher-2 construction after SLS upgrade cancellation

2026-04-05T13:42:22.267703-07:00

News Timeline

Payload

Inside Orion’s windows: an Artemis II supplier profile Part of our Artemis II supplier series, this piece examines the design and supplier work behind the Orion spacecraft’s windows. For astronauts who invested decades of training, the ability to see space firsthand — enabled by those windows — is a key part of the mission payoff.

2026-04-06T05:36:07.575116-07:00

Inside Orion’s windows: an Artemis II supplier profile

SpaceNews.com

Seagate Space, Firefly sign MOU to develop offshore launch infrastructure for Alpha Seagate Space and Firefly Aerospace signed a memorandum of understanding to develop offshore launch infrastructure for Firefly’s Alpha small launch vehicle, aiming to expand launch-site options beyond land-based ranges and provide maritime facilities to support Alpha's operational flexibility and commercial satellite deployments.

2026-04-06T05:27:22.470157-07:00

Seagate Space, Firefly sign MOU to develop offshore launch infrastructure for Alpha

European Spaceflight

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Avio delays ESA's SMILE launch after Vega C subsystem production issue Avio has delayed the planned launch of ESA's SMILE mission aboard a Vega C rocket after identifying a subsystem production issue, prompting an as-yet-unspecified schedule slip while the manufacturer addresses the fault. ESA and Avio will reassess launch readiness and implement corrective production steps before announcing a new date.

2026-04-06T01:25:56.393695-07:00

Avio delays ESA's SMILE launch after Vega C subsystem production issue

Wall Street Journal

Starship Heavy could enable on‑orbit munitions and rapid strike An opinion piece argues SpaceX's Starship heavy‑lift capability could allow the U.S. to store powerful munitions in orbit for near‑instantaneous deployment, reducing risk to troops and compressing strike timelines. That would shift operational concepts, procurement needs and arms‑control considerations for military space.

2026-04-05T22:17:51.841970-07:00

Starship Heavy could enable on‑orbit munitions and rapid strike

Space.com

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Artemis II Crew Enters Lunar Space — First Humans Near the Moon Since 1972 The Artemis II crew has entered lunar space, marking the first time humans have been near the Moon since 1972. The milestone restores crewed access to the lunar vicinity after more than five decades and signals a major step in the Artemis effort to return humans beyond low Earth orbit.

2026-04-05T22:06:18.783705-07:00

Artemis II Crew Enters Lunar Space — First Humans Near the Moon Since 1972

SpaceNews.com

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NASA halts Mobile Launcher-2 construction after SLS upgrade cancellation NASA has halted work on Mobile Launcher-2, the ground infrastructure built to support an upgraded Space Launch System variant the agency no longer plans to develop. The move cancels further investment in the second mobile launch platform tied to the canceled SLS upgrade.

2026-04-05T13:42:22.267703-07:00

NASA halts Mobile Launcher-2 construction after SLS upgrade cancellation

SpaceNews.com

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ULA's Atlas V launches 29 Amazon Kuiper LEO satellites in heaviest Atlas V payload to date An Atlas V launched 29 Amazon Kuiper LEO broadband satellites on April 4, marking the heaviest payload and the largest number of spacecraft ever carried on an Atlas V. The mission brings ULA's total Kuiper satellites launched to 139 and was one of the rocket's remaining Atlas V flights.

2026-04-04T13:47:22.301868-07:00

ULA's Atlas V launches 29 Amazon Kuiper LEO satellites in heaviest Atlas V payload to date

Wall Street Journal

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NASA’s Artemis II Heads to the Moon as Trump Ousts AG Pam Bondi NASA launched Artemis II, sending astronauts toward the Moon — the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo — even as President Trump removed Attorney General Pam Bondi, days after ousting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The personnel moves raise questions about further cabinet upheaval.

2026-04-03T16:25:40.314364-07:00

NASA’s Artemis II Heads to the Moon as Trump Ousts AG Pam Bondi

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Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News

Seagate Space, Firefly sign MOU to develop offshore launch infrastructure for Alpha

Avio delays ESA's SMILE launch after Vega C subsystem production issue

Artemis II Crew Enters Lunar Space — First Humans Near the Moon Since 1972

NASA halts Mobile Launcher-2 construction after SLS upgrade cancellation

News Timeline