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Space.com • Andrew Jones

Blue Origin’s Blue Moon MK1 lands key NASA milestone: post-Artemis II race for a 2028 crewed lunar landing

Blue Origin says its Blue Moon MK1 lunar lander cleared major environmental testing inside NASA’s Thermal Vacuum Chamber A in Houston. With Artemis II completed, NASA is leaning on two still-unproven commercial landers—timelines and readiness for an astronaut landing targeted for 2028 remain the critical constraint.

2026-05-05T03:51:16.136752-07:00

SpaceWatch Global

Sweden fields first military SAR and electro-optical observation satellites via Planet and radar/sensing partners; initial orbit

2026-05-05T02:07:18.245195-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Firefly readies first Alpha Block 2 debut late this summer as SciTec wins US space-based missile defense OTA

2026-05-04T18:30:33.232070-07:00

NASA Spaceflight

Launch preview: SpaceX to fly two Falcon 9 missions and a Chang Zheng 7 to extend Starlink Group 17 by 48 satellites

2026-05-04T12:07:53.549383-07:00

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SpaceNews.com

Hancom InSpace commissioning Sejong-3 cubesat hyperspectral payload after SpaceX Transporter rideshare South Korea’s Hancom InSpace is expanding its Earth-observation constellation with Sejong-3, a cubesat carrying a hyperspectral sensor. The spacecraft launched in March on a SpaceX Transporter rideshare and is now in commissioning, marking another step toward broader spectral imagery capability.

2026-05-05T05:38:41.848988-07:00

Hancom InSpace commissioning Sejong-3 cubesat hyperspectral payload after SpaceX Transporter rideshare

Space.com

Blue Origin’s Blue Moon MK1 lands key NASA milestone: post-Artemis II race for a 2028 crewed lunar landing Blue Origin says its Blue Moon MK1 lunar lander cleared major environmental testing inside NASA’s Thermal Vacuum Chamber A in Houston. With Artemis II completed, NASA is leaning on two still-unproven commercial landers—timelines and readiness for an astronaut landing targeted for 2028 remain the critical constraint.

2026-05-05T03:51:16.136752-07:00

Blue Origin’s Blue Moon MK1 lands key NASA milestone: post-Artemis II race for a 2028 crewed lunar landing

SpaceWatch Global

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Sweden fields first military SAR and electro-optical observation satellites via Planet and radar/sensing partners; initial orbit Sweden has taken an operational step in military space capabilities with its first military observation satellite launched into orbit, supported by contracts for radar (SAR) and electro-optical payloads. Planet Labs launched three Pelican satellites—including one for the Swedish Armed Forces—while FMV signed agreements with ICEYE and Planet Labs to secure a first tranche of military-capable sensors.

2026-05-05T02:07:18.245195-07:00

Sweden fields first military SAR and electro-optical observation satellites via Planet and radar/sensing partners; initial orbit

SpaceNews.com

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Firefly readies first Alpha Block 2 debut late this summer as SciTec wins US space-based missile defense OTA Firefly Aerospace says it plans to debut the upgraded Alpha Block 2 rocket late this summer amid strong demand. Separately, SciTec, a Firefly unit, received an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) agreement from U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command for the Golden Dome space-based interceptor program—backed by a cited $3.2 billion Space-Based Interceptor total.

2026-05-04T18:30:33.232070-07:00

Firefly readies first Alpha Block 2 debut late this summer as SciTec wins US space-based missile defense OTA

Via Satellite

Lockheed Martin joins Firefly Aerospace and Seagate Space to develop sea-based national security launches Lockheed Martin said it is partnering with Firefly Aerospace and Seagate Space to develop sea-based launch capabilities for national security missions. The three-way collaboration builds on Firefly’s small-launch-vehicle offshore infrastructure concept, adding Lockheed’s strategic and missile defense systems footprint to the effort.

2026-05-04T14:04:28.560841-07:00

Lockheed Martin joins Firefly Aerospace and Seagate Space to develop sea-based national security launches

NASA Spaceflight

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Launch preview: SpaceX to fly two Falcon 9 missions and a Chang Zheng 7 to extend Starlink Group 17 by 48 satellites For the week commencing May 4, 2026, the launch roster includes two Falcon 9 flights and one Chang Zheng 7. SpaceX’s launches are set to add 48 Starlink satellites to Group 17 within its broader constellation of more than 7,000 spacecraft.

2026-05-04T12:07:53.549383-07:00

Launch preview: SpaceX to fly two Falcon 9 missions and a Chang Zheng 7 to extend Starlink Group 17 by 48 satellites

Vertical Mag

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Wisk Aero’s second Generation 6 autonomous aircraft enters flight testing with a May 4 Hollister, Calif., sortie Wisk Aero has completed the first flight of its second Generation 6 autonomous air taxi aircraft, flying the test platform from Hollister, California on May 4. The company says it put two Boeing-backed certification aircraft into simultaneous flight testing, doubling the pace of its Gen 6 certification flight program.

2026-05-04T09:36:35.049503-07:00

Wisk Aero’s second Generation 6 autonomous aircraft enters flight testing with a May 4 Hollister, Calif., sortie

SpaceNews.com

Texas residents sue SpaceX over alleged Starship launch impacts ahead of first flight of Starship v3 Texas residents have filed suit against Elon Musk and SpaceX, alleging that Starship launch activities are harming their homes and quality of life. The legal action arrives as SpaceX prepares for the first flight of Starship version 3, setting up a new friction point for rapid launch operations.

2026-05-04T08:03:41.270470-07:00

Texas residents sue SpaceX over alleged Starship launch impacts ahead of first flight of Starship v3

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Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News

Blue Origin’s Blue Moon MK1 lands key NASA milestone: post-Artemis II race for a 2028 crewed lunar landing

Sweden fields first military SAR and electro-optical observation satellites via Planet and radar/sensing partners; initial orbit

Firefly readies first Alpha Block 2 debut late this summer as SciTec wins US space-based missile defense OTA

Launch preview: SpaceX to fly two Falcon 9 missions and a Chang Zheng 7 to extend Starlink Group 17 by 48 satellites

News Timeline