Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News

SpaceNews.com • Sandra Erwin

Blue Origin targets four‑flight New Glenn campaign to win Space Force certification

Blue Origin is targeting a four‑flight campaign for its New Glenn heavy‑lift rocket to secure U.S. Space Force certification, a necessary step to carry national‑security payloads. The program defines an operational verification path following the vehicle’s initial flights and upgrades.

2025-12-10T15:46:20.766163-08:00

Bloomberg

SpaceX targets $1.5tn IPO in 2026, aims to raise $25–30B+ as Starlink and launch tempo scale

2025-12-09T20:09:26.274344-08:00

Space.com

Shenzhou‑21 crew conducts eight‑hour EVA to inspect debris‑damaged Shenzhou‑20; vehicle judged unfit for reentry

2025-12-09T11:05:35.834228-08:00

SpaceNews.com

China conducts four orbital launches in 96 hours, accelerating LEO megaconstellation and reconnaissance build‑out

2025-12-09T03:09:16.359761-08:00

Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News Timeline

Wall Street Journal

Blue Origin and SpaceX race to put AI data centres into orbit Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has spent more than a year developing technology for orbital AI data centres, while SpaceX is pitching AI‑capable Starlink satellites and raising the idea in its share sale — a competition to move the trillion‑dollar cloud and AI compute boom into space.

2025-12-11T01:03:44.306722-08:00

Blue Origin and SpaceX race to put AI data centres into orbit

SpaceWatch Global

EIB lends €20m to ECAPS to accelerate high‑performance rocket engine development for space and defence The European Investment Bank will lend €20 million to ECAPS AB to accelerate development of high‑performance rocket engines and propulsion systems for space and defence applications, providing targeted capital to scale testing, qualification and industrialisation of propulsion technologies critical to European launch and defence programmes.

2025-12-11T00:49:57.920581-08:00

EIB lends €20m to ECAPS to accelerate high‑performance rocket engine development for space and defence

Ars Technica

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After years of resisting, SpaceX plans to go public to amass assets for the AI race SpaceX has abandoned its long-standing reluctance to list publicly, preparing an IPO to amass and deploy large-scale assets needed for competition in the AI era. The pivot signals a strategic shift to secure capital for expanded networks, launch capacity and on‑orbit capabilities.

2025-12-10T16:12:24.847074-08:00

After years of resisting, SpaceX plans to go public to amass assets for the AI race

SpaceNews.com

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Blue Origin targets four‑flight New Glenn campaign to win Space Force certification Blue Origin is targeting a four‑flight campaign for its New Glenn heavy‑lift rocket to secure U.S. Space Force certification, a necessary step to carry national‑security payloads. The program defines an operational verification path following the vehicle’s initial flights and upgrades.

2025-12-10T15:46:20.766163-08:00

Blue Origin targets four‑flight New Glenn campaign to win Space Force certification

GeekWire

Washington awards $350K to Portal Space Systems to accelerate Starburst satellite manufacturing in Bothell The Washington State Department of Commerce awarded $350,000 from the Governor’s Strategic Reserve Fund to Portal Space Systems to accelerate a 50,000-square-foot satellite manufacturing facility in Bothell. The grant will support production of Portal’s Starburst ESPA-class maneuverable spacecraft, with Starburst‑1 scheduled on a SpaceX launch in Q4 2026.

2025-12-10T14:07:01.328633-08:00

Washington awards $350K to Portal Space Systems to accelerate Starburst satellite manufacturing in Bothell

Breaking Defense

Space Force boosts counter‑drone defenses at Cape Canaveral Eastern Range The U.S. Space Force has strengthened counter‑drone defenses across Cape Canaveral’s Eastern Range to protect launch operations, replacing fragmented 'pockets' of coverage with more integrated surveillance and mitigation assets. "It's giving me a holistic coverage over the Cape," Launch Delta 45 Commander Col. Brian Chatman said.

2025-12-10T12:13:25.795033-08:00

Space Force boosts counter‑drone defenses at Cape Canaveral Eastern Range

Ars Technica

NASA accelerates SpaceX Dragon resupply as Baikonur Site 31 damage threatens Soyuz/Progress launches NASA is accelerating SpaceX Dragon resupply missions to cover an imminent launch shortfall after structural damage to Russia’s Site 31 at Baikonur. Repair timelines are uncertain, threatening Soyuz/Progress cargo runs and crew rotations to the ISS and forcing the agency to rely more on commercial vehicles.

2025-12-10T12:09:18.068463-08:00

NASA accelerates SpaceX Dragon resupply as Baikonur Site 31 damage threatens Soyuz/Progress launches

SpaceNews.com

China launches new TJS reconnaissance satellite as Lijian‑1 (Kinetica‑1 Y11) deploys nine smallsats, including UAE payload China conducted two launches Dec. 10, 2025: a state vehicle placed a new, opaque TJS reconnaissance satellite into orbit, while a commercial Lijian‑1 (Kinetica‑1 Y11) lifted from Dongfeng/Jiuquan and deployed nine smallsats — one carrying a UAE payload.

2025-12-10T09:53:10.708961-08:00

China launches new TJS reconnaissance satellite as Lijian‑1 (Kinetica‑1 Y11) deploys nine smallsats, including UAE payload

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