SpaceNews.com
• Sandra Erwin
United Launch Alliance is preparing to return Vulcan to flight with an Amazon Leo mission, but the Space Force will conduct a separate review before permitting the rocket to resume national security launches. The process adds an additional gate between Vulcan’s commercial return and military mission certification.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
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United Launch Alliance is preparing to return Vulcan to flight with an Amazon Leo mission, but the Space Force will conduct a separate review before permitting the rocket to resume national security launches. The process adds an additional gate between Vulcan’s commercial return and military mission certification.
The SpaceX team responsible for landing Falcon 9 boosters received the inaugural Neil Armstrong Space Prize at a ceremony in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 15. The award recognizes the team’s achievement in developing and executing reusable rocket-landing operations.
Valor Equity Partners, one of SpaceX’s largest institutional backers, has returned approximately $8.5 billion worth of shares in the rocket and artificial-intelligence company to its investors. The transaction highlights the scale of private-market liquidity available to major commercial space investors.
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Satellite operators and space startups are reassessing their exposure to SpaceX as Falcon 9’s role in the commercial market comes under scrutiny. At the same time, Rocket Lab’s proposed Iridium acquisition, spectrum-focused strategies and direct-to-device partnerships highlight intensifying competition across launch, connectivity and satellite services.
Space Cargo Unlimited has contracted to fly microgravity research payloads on SpaceX’s Starfall reentry vehicle, adding an in-space research option as the company develops broader access to microgravity missions. The agreement positions Starfall as a potential platform for recurring commercial payload opportunities.
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Roscosmos’ uncrewed Progress MS-35 cargo spacecraft launched aboard a Soyuz 2.1b rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome on Sept. 16 and entered orbit successfully. The vehicle is scheduled to dock with the ISS’s Poisk module on Sept. 19, carrying supplies and equipment for the Teledroid program.
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Avio says more customers turned away by SpaceX are seeking alternative launch providers as Isar Aerospace prepares commercial Spectrum missions after a successful test flight. Separately, Rocket Lab has completed a $1.944 billion share offering, fully financing its planned Iridium acquisition and eliminating the need for a $3.6 billion bridge facility.
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SEOPS has signed a multiple launch service agreement with Isar Aerospace for five dedicated Spectrum missions between 2028 and 2030. The launches are planned from Isar’s dedicated facilities at Andøya Space and Spaceport Nova Scotia, adding committed commercial demand for the European startup’s vehicle.
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