SpaceNews.comJeff Foust

Rocket Lab closes 2025 with 21 Electron launches and 100% mission success after Dec. 21 Japanese SAR deployment

Rocket Lab's Electron lifted off Dec. 21 from Māhia, completing a record 21-launch year and achieving 100% mission success after deploying Japan's iQPS radar-imaging satellite. The flight closes the company's most-active annual cadence to date and delivers the latest asset for Japanese Earth-observation capability.

2025-12-21T06:43:29.694279-08:00
Universe TodayAndy Tomaswick

Purdue Study: Building Reusable Lunar Launchpads from Local Regolith with Minimal Material Data

By Universe Today: Engineers need good data to build lasting things. Even the designers of the Great Pyramids knew the limestone they used to build these massive structures would be steady when stacked on top of one another, even if they didn’t have tables of the compressive strength of those stones.

2025-12-21T04:46:04.963408-08:00
Wall Street JournalAndrew Tangel

FAA documents show January 16 Starship explosion posed greater risk to flights over the Caribbean

By Wall Street Journal: FAA documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal show an explosion of SpaceX’s Starship on Jan. 16 posed a greater danger to planes in the air over the Caribbean than was publicly known.

Also: Aviation24
2025-12-20T20:49:48.640802-08:00
Spaceflight NowWill Robinson-Smith

Astronauts, launch teams practice Artemis 2 countdown

By Spaceflight Now: ![](http://spaceflightnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/20251220_Artemis-II_walkout_MC-1.jpeg) In a prelude to the real deal, the four astronauts of the Artemis 2 mission boarded their Orion spacecraft inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday afternoon.

2025-12-20T16:24:07.495409-08:00
ESAEuropean Space Agency

P160C solid rocket motor passes ground qualification review, boosting Ariane and Vega performance as production scales to 35+ units/year

By ESA: Europe’s next solid propellant rocket motor passes review In brief - The P160C solid propellant rocket motor passed its ground qualification review - The upgraded rocket motor will increase performance and competitiveness for the Ariane and Vega rockets - Teams are working on the first four flight units and on industrial ramp-up production to 35 or more motors a year In-depth After firing up on.

2025-12-20T18:23:57.380572-08:00