LandSpace's Zhuque-2E Block 2 launches twice in 30 days, China's D2C race accelerates
LandSpace's methane-fueled medium-lift rocket flew its second consecutive Block 2 mission June 9, carrying competing direct-to-cell broadband satellites from China Mobile and SpaceSail, signaling the country's commercial space consolidation around methalox launch infrastructure.
Rocket Lab launches hypersonic test mission for DoD
Rocket Lab flies an Electron-family rocket on a classified military hypersonic test for the Defense Department, cementing its position as the primary small-rocket provider for suborbital DoD missions.
SpaceX booster hits 35 flights, shatters reuse record
Falcon 9 booster B1067 completed its 35th orbital flight today, becoming the first rocket booster ever to reach that reuse milestone and validating SpaceX's durability engineering.
Atlas 5 launches 29 Amazon satellites as New Glenn stays grounded
ULA's Atlas 5 delivered 29 Amazon Leo satellites on May 29, the same day New Glenn exploded, forcing Amazon to rely on four other launch providers to meet a July 30 FCC deadline for 1,618 satellites.
Blue Origin's New Glenn explodes on pad, freezes Amazon's $1.8B contract
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket destroyed in a static fire test at Cape Canaveral on May 28, freezing Amazon's 24-mission Leo constellation deployment and threatening the shared BE-4 engine supply to United Launch Alliance's Vulcan.
Cowboy Space raises $275M to build its own heavy-lift rocket
A space data center startup closes $275M Series B to develop dedicated launch vehicle and engine, targeting 2028 first launch as SpaceX and Blue Origin struggle with commercial availability.
SpaceX's Starship V3 Booster Aces 33-Engine Static Fire, May Launch Window Set
SpaceX completed the first full-thrust 33-engine static fire of Booster 19 at new Pad 2, validating Version 3 hardware targeting 100+ metric tons reusable LEO capacity, nearly three times Flight 11's payload.
Rocket Lab books record Neutron backlog before first flight
Rocket Lab signed its largest contract ever, five Neutron and three Electron dedicated launches, pushing backlog to $2.2B and proving the medium-lift market will pay full price for a working alternative to Falcon 9.
AST SpaceMobile gets FCC approval as Blue Origin's New Glenn stays grounded
The FCC cleared AST SpaceMobile to deploy 248 D2D satellites on April 21, but Blue Origin's New Glenn remains grounded after losing a BlueBird payload on April 19, forcing AST to rethink its 2026 launch timeline.
SpaceX rideshare hits 54 flights as New Glenn stays grounded
SpaceX launched its third rideshare of 2026, deploying 45 payloads including a South Korean Earth observation satellite delayed four years by Russia's invasion. The cadence gap with Blue Origin widens.
AST wins 248-satellite license as its prime launch partner gets grounded
The FCC authorized AST SpaceMobile's full 248-satellite constellation on April 21, but three days earlier New Glenn suffered an upper-stage failure that will ground the rocket, the vehicle designed to deploy most of AST's satellites by 2026.
FCC Greenlights AST SpaceMobile's 248-Satellite Constellation
The FCC approved AST SpaceMobile to deploy 248 satellites for direct-to-smartphone broadband using 700/800 MHz spectrum in partnership with AT&T and Verizon, just days after the company lost a $23 million satellite to a launch failure.
Rocket Lab launches JAXA satellites as FAA imposes retroactive user fees
Rocket Lab's Electron successfully delivered eight JAXA satellites to orbit on April 23, 2026, the same day the FAA published retroactive per-launch fees — the first of their kind in U.S. commercial space history.
AST SpaceMobile Loses Block 2 Satellite to New Glenn Orbit Error
AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 launched aboard New Glenn on April 19 but was placed in too-low an orbit by the upper stage, forcing de-orbit. The loss threatens the company's 45-satellite 2026 target and exposes launch cadence risk.
New Glenn's First Booster Reuse Succeeds, Upper Stage Fails Customer
Blue Origin landed its first reused New Glenn booster on NG-3 today, but the upper stage placed AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite into a lower-than-planned orbit, rendering it a total loss—splitting the mission verdict on booster reuse versus operational reliability.
Blue Origin Wins Vandenberg Heavy-Lift Lease, Breaks Cape Monopoly
Space Force selects Blue Origin to negotiate lease of SLC-14 at Vandenberg, enabling New Glenn launches to polar orbit and ending Cape Canaveral's monopoly on U.S. heavy-lift national security missions.
Blue Origin Attempts First Reflown New Glenn Booster, AST SpaceMobile Payload Ready
Blue Origin hot-fired its first recycled New Glenn booster on April 16, targeting April 17 launch of AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird 7 satellite—the company's critical proof point for booster reuse cadence.
Blue Origin Wins Vandenberg Launch Pad, Breaks Florida Monopoly
U.S. Space Force selects Blue Origin for West Coast heavy-lift launch pad at Vandenberg, ending sole reliance on Cape Canaveral for national security polar orbits and establishing New Glenn as dual-coast operational platform by 2028.
Blue Origin's New Glenn launches first booster reuse with AST's record antenna
Blue Origin's NG-3 rolls to pad today for hotfire ahead of April 16 launch, carrying AST SpaceMobile's 2,400-square-foot phased array — the largest commercial antenna ever deployed to orbit — atop a flight-proven, refurbished booster.
Amazon Leo's FCC Gamble: 210 Satellites, July Deadline, $10B Launch Bill
Amazon's Leo satellite internet entered enterprise beta on April 8, 2026, but faces a critical FCC milestone: deploy 1,618 satellites by July 30 or lose its spectrum authorization. The company has roughly 210 in orbit and needs an approved extension.