Space.com
• Elizabeth Howell
Rocket Factory Augsburg found an issue with its launch vehicle during testing at the U.K.’s SaxaVord Spaceport, delaying the country’s first orbital rocket launch. The vehicle requires further investigation before the attempt can proceed, adding uncertainty to the schedule for Europe’s emerging commercial launch sector.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
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The Air Force Research Laboratory added $11.7 million to a Blue Origin contract exploring whether commercial rockets could transport military supplies around the world. The expansion brings the agreement’s total value to approximately $13 million and broadens the Air Force’s examination of commercial launch capacity for logistics.
Rocket Factory Augsburg found an issue with its launch vehicle during testing at the U.K.’s SaxaVord Spaceport, delaying the country’s first orbital rocket launch. The vehicle requires further investigation before the attempt can proceed, adding uncertainty to the schedule for Europe’s emerging commercial launch sector.
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SpaceX is positioning its Starfall capsule to address microgravity access and point-to-point cargo delivery while the company considers life after Falcon 9. Separately, Boeing says redesign work on CST-100 Starliner is progressing ahead of a potential 2026 cargo mission to the International Space Station.
China launched two TJS-27 satellites into a previously unused orbit while advancing its on-orbit communications relay capabilities with a next-generation Tianlian satellite. The mission highlights Beijing’s continued investment in classified spacecraft and resilient space-based communications infrastructure.
SpaceX’s inaugural earnings call as a public company is expected to center on profitability, AI investment and Starlink’s satellite communications business. Retail shareholders, however, are submitting questions ranging from Starship’s lunar mission and orbital refueling to the possibility of painting the company’s rockets pink.
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SpaceX has begun flying Block 3 missions from its newly redesigned Starbase Pad 2 while crews continue retrofitting Pad 1. The work is intended to bring Pad 1 to the same configuration as Pad 2, Kennedy Space Center’s LC-39A and the SLC-37 pad still under construction.
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SpaceX stock has fallen below its June IPO price and swung sharply in the run-up to its first earnings report as a public company on Aug. 4. Investors are also preparing for the release of hundreds of millions of locked-up shares and updates on Starship, Starlink and AI initiatives.
SpaceX released drone and “buoy cam” footage showing Starship’s upper stage making a soft landing in the ocean after its 13th test flight on July 24. The imagery offers a detailed view of the vehicle’s post-flight recovery and landing performance.
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