Space.com
• Josh Dinner
SpaceX is preparing the 14th flight of its giant Starship vehicle, with the mission targeting the rocket’s first trip to orbit. If successful, the flight would also deploy a group of new Starlink satellites, adding an operational payload objective to a major launch milestone.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
Latest source-backed stories
High activity
SpaceX is preparing the 14th flight of its giant Starship vehicle, with the mission targeting the rocket’s first trip to orbit. If successful, the flight would also deploy a group of new Starlink satellites, adding an operational payload objective to a major launch milestone.
High activity
Starship’s first intended orbital mission, Flight 14, is awaiting regulatory approval while a near-term manifest indicates the next two flights could follow in close succession. The sequence would provide an early view of the program’s planned operational tempo and development cadence.
Rocket Lab is scheduled to launch Strix, a radar-imaging satellite for Japanese company Synspective, on the “Owlright, Owlright, Owlright” mission on Sept. 25. The flight will support Synspective’s imaging constellation and marks another commercial deployment serving Japan’s growing space-data market.
High activity
Iridium stockholders approved Rocket Lab’s acquisition with 99.6% of votes cast, endorsing consideration valued at $54 per share, comprising $27 in cash and collared Rocket Lab stock. The transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close by mid-2027, while Rocket Lab signals further deals ahead.
The nose cone for the Callisto reusable rocket demonstrator has been shipped to CNES for integration, marking another step toward the vehicle’s initial hop tests in 2027. The milestone indicates that the demonstrator is moving from component production into vehicle-level integration ahead of its flight campaign.
SpaceX completed a wet dress rehearsal of its Starship megarocket on Sept. 24, clearing a key prelaunch milestone ahead of the vehicle’s planned first orbital test flight on Sept. 28. The rehearsal keeps the launch campaign on schedule, pending final preparations and approvals.
High activity
Google plans to launch prototype satellites with Planet by early 2027 to test whether orbital infrastructure can support large-scale AI computing. The Project Suncatcher experiments will evaluate TPU performance, radiation exposure, cooling and launch survival—early steps toward potential space-based data centers.
Scotland-based Aurora Avionics has installed its PF1 onboard computer system on DLR’s MAPHEUS suborbital research rocket, marking the first time the avionics platform has flown on the vehicle. The integration prepares the Scottish-German partnership for an initial flight test.
Create a free account to see more recent Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation stories and keep bookmarks in one place.
