Launcher

Firefly Reaches Swedish Launch Site, SSC Space Signs First Defense Contract

SSC Space secured a $21.5M defense contract with Sweden's Defense Materiel Administration, with Firefly Aerospace as the launch vehicle partner. Infrastructure completion was announced on June 30, positioning U.S. orbital launch capability on mainland Europe for the first time.

Mach breaks the SRM duopoly with $300M and an acquisition

Mach Industries acquires solid rocket motor maker Exquadrum and raises $300M Series C, ending a 30-year two-supplier monopoly that has starved U.S. launch and defense programs of propulsion capacity.

Avio launches Vega-C solo, reshaping Europe's small-lift market

Avio's first independent launch of Vega-C succeeded May 19, displacing Arianespace and validating Europe's only domestic small-to-mid-lift option against Falcon 9 rideshare competition.

Isar Aerospace targets May launch after four delays

Europe's first private orbital rocket is in active launch window at Andøya after COPV repair; qualification flight carries five CubeSats and defines European commercial spaceflight viability.

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.

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.

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.

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.

ESA's Celeste IOD-1 Transmits Europe's First LEO Navigation Signal

ESA confirmed the first navigation signal from Celeste IOD-1 on April 8, a dual-frequency L- and S-band transmission from a 12U CubeSat that secures European spectrum rights before the May 2026 ITU deadline.

Avio's First Solo Flight Stalls Days Before Launch—SMILE Postponed After Integration Defect

Avio postponed the April 9 Vega-C launch of ESA's SMILE satellite on April 5 after discovering a supplier defect post-integration—the company's first independent mission since splitting from Arianespace in 2025, now at risk of missing its solar-maximum observation window.