Reuters
Rocket Lab has pushed the debut of its larger, more powerful Neutron rocket to 2027, citing manufacturing issues in the first-stage forward propellant dome. The schedule change followed the discovery of defects in the carbon-composite structure and sent the company’s shares lower in extended trading.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
Latest source-backed stories
High activity
Rocket Lab has pushed the debut of its larger, more powerful Neutron rocket to 2027, citing manufacturing issues in the first-stage forward propellant dome. The schedule change followed the discovery of defects in the carbon-composite structure and sent the company’s shares lower in extended trading.
SpaceX’s Starship has reached orbit ten years after Elon Musk publicly unveiled plans for the fully reusable megarocket. The milestone advances the vehicle toward its stated Mars ambition, but the article offers no schedule for reaching the planet, leaving the timeline the central unanswered question.
High activity
Ship 40 has returned to Starbase after surviving splashdown and a difficult recovery at sea. Engineers will study the first recovered Starship upper stage for evidence that could inform future vehicle reusability.
Reflect Orbital has purchased two launches from India’s Skyroot Aerospace to deploy satellites it is developing to redirect sunlight to locations on the ground. The agreement links Skyroot’s launch services with Reflect Orbital’s planned satellite-based system, though the articles provide no launch dates or mission details.
High activity
Investor Ron Baron says SpaceX could reach a $50 trillion valuation within 10 years, with Starlink alone potentially valued at $14 trillion to $15 trillion and generating $1 trillion in annual revenue. Separately, space startups attracted a record $20.8 billion in third-quarter funding, with capital flowing to launch providers, manufacturing and other infrastructure, according to Seraphim.
High activity
A relatively light launch manifest this week is led by SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9, with China’s ZhuQue-2E also scheduled to fly. The preview points to a quieter cadence rather than a major shift in launch activity; no mission dates, payload details or other launch providers are specified.
Varda Space Industries is currently operating two spacecraft in Earth orbit and plans eight additional missions in the coming year, signaling a rapid expansion of its in-space manufacturing and reentry cadence. The plans put execution, spacecraft availability and recovery operations at the center of the company’s next phase.
Create a free account to see more recent Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation stories and keep bookmarks in one place.
