Rocket Lab

Isar Aerospace plants European small-lift on North American soil

Isar Aerospace signed a letter of intent with Canadian spaceport operator Maritime Launch Services to launch its Spectrum vehicle from Nova Scotia, extending Europe's emerging commercial mid-lift to a second continent.

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.

Firefly's Alpha Block II Clears Engine Test, Eyes Summer Debut

Firefly Aerospace confirms Alpha Block II engine qualification complete with L3Harris as first customer, positioning the upgraded rocket for summer 2026 launch in NSSL Phase 3 competition.

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.

Anduril quietly built hypersonics. Now it's testing them for real.

Anduril Industries is contracting Rocket Lab for three $30M hypersonic test flights with its own capital, confirming a private defense tech firm is now funding independent hypersonic R&D outside government programs.

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.

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.

India's first OptoSAR satellite reaches orbit, reshaping Earth observation

GalaxEye launched Mission Drishti today, the world's first commercial satellite combining SAR and optical imaging in one payload, signaling India's emergence as a credible Earth observation competitor.

FAA's First Payload Fee Lands as Amazon Leo Launches Accelerate

The FAA activated a 25-cent-per-pound user fee on all commercial launches starting 2026, retroactive to January 1, with operators owing fees on flights already completed. The timing adds immediate cost pressure as ULA and Arianespace execute back-to-back Amazon Leo constellation missions.

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.