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SpaceX targets first Starship orbital flight as China unveils Raptor 3 rival and ULA faces existential crisis
space25 days ago

SpaceX targets first Starship orbital flight as China unveils Raptor 3 rival and ULA faces existential crisis

SpaceX is preparing its 14th Starship mission for an orbital launch, potentially as early as September 22, to deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites. Meanwhile, Chinese startup Space Pioneer revealed a methane engine design nearly identical to SpaceX's Raptor 3, prompting Elon Musk to warn that replicating the complex internal geometry is difficult. In the US, United Launch Alliance faces financial strain and potential ownership changes as it struggles to compete with reusable rivals, while Avio reports a surge in customers turned away by SpaceX's saturated Falcon 9 schedule.

via Ars Technica|
#china#rocket-engines#space
SpaceX leaves a lunar mark as launch landscape shifts
space1 month ago

SpaceX leaves a lunar mark as launch landscape shifts

In this Rocket Report edition, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 upper stage made a fresh lunar crater captured by NASA’s LRO, signaling a future likely dominated by Starship as Falcon 9 commercial launches may wind down after 2028; China’s Long March family rebounds with a successful Long March 12 flight and a Chang’e 7 mission targeting Shackleton crater near the Moon’s south pole; LandSpace’s Zhuque-3 demonstrates booster recovery; Taiwan’s NCSIST test for a military launcher experiences a trajectory anomaly triggering self-destruct; Innospace suffers a second suborbital failure; ULA names Mark Peller as president and CEO amid Vulcan grounding; ESA halts Ariane 6 Block 3 in favor of Block 2 and a new kick stage; cost-to-orbit data show the U.S. leading due to reuse, while Ukraine strikes a Russian rocket facility.

via Ars Technica|
#long-march#moon#space
ULA relies on parent backing to weather Vulcan grounding
business2 months ago

ULA relies on parent backing to weather Vulcan grounding

ULA’s Vulcan Centaur grounding due to booster nozzle anomalies has prompted its corporate parents to guarantee up to $500 million in borrowings to bolster liquidity, with Lockheed Martin recognizing a $64 million increase in its investment to reflect the guarantee’s fair value. The issues stem from booster anomalies on two Vulcan launches, leaving Vulcan idle since USSF-87 as Northrop Grumman works on redesigned motors, Space Force considers manifest adjustments, and Atlas 5 flights continue while Starliner faces schedule uncertainty. ULA had planned a high launch cadence for 2026 but has a backlogged pipeline of more than 80 missions, and both parents say they may provide further liquidity if needed, though impairment risks exist if Vulcan underperforms.

via SpaceNews|
#boeing#business#lockheed-martin
Space Force Expands Launch Budget, Targets Over $30B in Military Satellite Missions
space2 months ago

Space Force Expands Launch Budget, Targets Over $30B in Military Satellite Missions

The Space Force has raised the Lane 1 cap for its National Security Space Launch program to $17 billion and, with 25 additional Lane 2 missions identified, the combined ceiling for Lane 1 and Lane 2 now exceeds $30 billion as the Pentagon signals rising demand for military satellite launches; Lane 1 will broaden participation beyond SpaceX, ULA, and Blue Origin to include Rocket Lab, Stoke Space, Relativity Space, and Impulse Space, while Lane 2 remains limited to SpaceX’s Falcon 9/Heavy and ULA’s Vulcan for high-priority missions.

via Ars Technica|
#national-security-space-launch#space#space-force
Atlas V set to deploy 29 Amazon Leo satellites from Cape Canaveral
space-launches-and-spacecraft3 months ago

Atlas V set to deploy 29 Amazon Leo satellites from Cape Canaveral

ULA’s Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral is slated to launch a 29-satellite Amazon Leo mission in a 12:24 a.m. ET window on July 2, delivering a roughly 18-ton payload for Amazon’s low-Earth orbit broadband megaconstellation (aiming for about 3,200 satellites). The mission, Amazon Leo 8, continues Amazon’s effort to rival SpaceX’s Starlink, with live coverage provided by Space.com and ULA starting around midnight ET.

via Space|
#amazon-leo#atlas-v#cape-canaveral
space3 months ago

ULA closes Atlas 5 era with final 551 LA-08 mission for Amazon Leo

ULA launches the final Atlas 5 in the 551 configuration (AV-114) for Amazon Leo’s LA-08 mission, carrying 29 satellites from Cape Canaveral’s SLC-41; liftoff at 12:24 a.m. EDT, marking the end of the Atlas 5 era with only six Atlas 5 launches remaining (reserved for Starliner in N22), as Amazon Leo eyes initial commercial service later this year and Vulcan's first Leo flight is expected in Q3 2026.

via Spaceflight Now|
#amazon-leo#atlas-5#la-08
space4 months ago

Atlas 5 set to lift 29 Amazon Leo satellites from Cape Canaveral

ULA is preparing to launch 29 Amazon Leo satellites on an Atlas 5-551 from Cape Canaveral's SLC-41 in the Amazon Leo 7/LA-07 mission within a 29‑minute window; this is the seventh Leo production batch and the penultimate Atlas 5 mission for Amazon, leaving one Atlas 5 launch remaining after LA-07. Weather is forecast to be challenging with about a 30% chance of acceptable conditions; broader context includes delays to Blue Origin's New Glenn, the Vulcan program, and FCC requirements for the constellation, while Amazon's satellites were at NASA's Kennedy Space Center and not harmed by the New Glenn explosion on May 28.

via Spaceflight Now|
#amazon-leo#atlas-5#cape-canaveral
Amazon bets on Blue Origin and ULA to scale its 3,200-satellite Leo network
space4 months ago

Amazon bets on Blue Origin and ULA to scale its 3,200-satellite Leo network

Amazon is expanding its satellite program by using both Blue Origin’s New Glenn and ULA’s Vulcan to deploy its Amazon Leo network. After a prior New Glenn upper-stage failure, Blue Origin plans a mission delivering 48 satellites for Amazon as soon as June, with the FAA having closed the investigation and Blue Origin outlining corrective actions. ULA’s Vulcan remains grounded due to booster anomalies, complicating the schedule for future Amazon launches. Amazon has previously relied on Atlas V, Falcon 9, and Ariane 6 and aims to deploy about 3,200 satellites, seeking faster deployment and potential competition to SpaceX’s Starlink, contingent on Vulcan’s recovery and ongoing testing.

via Ars Technica|
#amazon#blue-origin#leo-constellation
Space Force weighs new launch options as Vulcan faces months of grounding
space6 months ago

Space Force weighs new launch options as Vulcan faces months of grounding

The Space Force is reworking a slate of national-security launches after ULA’s Vulcan booster anomaly could keep the rocket grounded for months, prompting reassignment of at least one GPS mission to SpaceX and prompting officials to explore rideshares, mission reallocation, and other options while investigations continue and Blue Origin’s New Glenn certification remains unsettled.

via SpaceNews|
#national-security#space#space-force
US Space Force pivots GPS III-8 to SpaceX, expediting national GPS delivery
space6 months ago

US Space Force pivots GPS III-8 to SpaceX, expediting national GPS delivery

The U.S. Space Force’s Space Access and SYD 80 teams have swapped the GPS III-8 mission from United Launch Alliance to SpaceX, with a Falcon 9 now set to deliver the final GPS III SV-10 to orbit no earlier than late April from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral. ULA will instead handle the USSF-70 mission no earlier than summer 2028. The change aims to maintain rapid, reliable GPS capability while the Vulcan anomaly investigation continues, and there are no announced changes to other manifests.

via ssc.spaceforce.mil|
#gps#nssl#space
NASA backs Centaur upper stage to power future SLS missions
space7 months ago

NASA backs Centaur upper stage to power future SLS missions

NASA has chosen the Centaur upper stage from ULA to replace the Exploration Upper Stage on the Space Launch System for Artemis 4 and 5, via a sole-source contract that includes a flight spare; this follows NASA’s decision not to pursue the Block 1B EUS and the end of ICPS production, with Centaur favored over Blue Origin’s New Glenn due to familiarity, existing infrastructure, and schedule risks.

via SpaceNews|
#artemis#centaur#nasa
space7 months ago

Centaur 5 Clinches the SLS Upper Stage for Artemis 4 and Beyond

NASA has selected United Launch Alliance’s Centaur 5 as the upper stage for the Space Launch System, starting with Artemis 4 no earlier than early 2028, via a sole-source contract to standardize the fleet to a near-Block 1 configuration. The decision leverages Centaur 5’s RL10 heritage and existing infrastructure, while bypassing alternatives like Boeing’s EUS and Blue Origin’s NGUS due to cost, schedule, and development risks, in line with NASA’s push to accelerate manufacturing and increase launch rates.

via Spaceflight Now|
#artemis-program#centaur5#nasa