Tag: spaceflight

Hiking into the solar system’s biggest canyon

12:09 pm

Overview map

The canyon walls in one spot in Valles Marineris
Click for original image.

Cool image time! The picture to the right, cropped, reduced, and sharpened to post here, was taken on June 3, 2026 by the high resolution camera on Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).

The white dot on the overview map shows the location, on the northern interior wall of Valles Marineris, the largest canyon in the solar system. The scientists took this image to get a good look at those canyon walls. I am highlighting the image because it provides a good way to illustrate the monumental scale of this vast canyon.

The inset on the overview map includes an orange dotted line, following the likely route for a trail along the nose of this ridge, going from the rim to the canyon floor. The picture to the right shows only one small section of that ridge trail, near the top. And yet, from the upper left to the lower right of the photograph a hike along that ridgeline would cover 2.2 miles and descend about 4,500 feet, a descent somewhat comparable to hiking into the Grand Canyon though dropping much more steeply. On either side of you the slopes would drop off from 1,600 to 2,000 feet.

To hike from the top of the rim to the canyon floor however would be far more challenging and be even more spectacular. The length of that orange dotted line is about 17.3 miles, with the total elevation drop about 23,000 feet — 3,000 feet greater than climbing the highest mountain in the U.S., Mount McKinley in Alaska.

Think about it. Along this part of Valles Marineris the elevation difference between the canyon floor and the rim is routinely much greater than the height of America’s tallest mountain. Every hike down into that canyon along the north wall would present a similar challenge. And from this point that northern canyon wall extends more than 650 miles westward and about 250 miles eastward. That’s a lot of Mount McKinley’s lined up in a row!

With these scales, it is at present difficult to imagine what the view from that rim would be like. You would see farther and deeper than most places on Earth, on a planet with a far thinner but more dusty atmosphere.

0 comments

Another recoverable capsule company enters the competition

9:28 am

Artist rendering of Enos in orbit
Artist rendering of Enos in orbit. Click for original animation.

A new recoverable capsule company, dubbed Reditus, says it has completed construction on its own small recoverable capsule — similar to Varda’s — and is now searching for either commercial or military customers.

Stef Crum, the company’s co-founder and CEO, told Breaking Defense that the spacecraft, called ENOS, can carry payloads for military testers wanting to evaluate how a specific system or technology functions in a hypersonic environment — or instead serve as a Mach 25+ target vehicle for interceptors both above and within the atmosphere.

The spacecraft is “designed to be launched and operate on-orbit like a satellite, leveraging the existing, and increasingly expanding launch-infrastructure. ENOS is capable of maintaining operations on-orbit, for days, months or years, providing operators with maximum mission flexibility. Then, ENOS can initiate its own reentry, and be recovered under parachute,” the Reditus announcement explained.

Reditus is only two years old and has raised $7.85 million in seed money. It plans to launch its first Enos demo mission on a Falcon 9 rocket, but apparently hopes to get a customer as well for that mission.

The recoverable capsule competition is sure getting crowded. In the U.S. Reditus joins Varda, SpaceX, Inversion Space, and Sierra Space, all of whom have raised money or won contracts for doing such orbital work. In Europe, The Exploration Company in France, Atmos in Germany, PLD in Spain, Genesis in Croatia, and Space Cargo in Luxembourg have also raised capital. So far, however, Varda is the only company to successfully fly capsules operationally, for a variety of customers.

3 comments

Thailand proceeding with plan to establish its own commercial spaceport

9:07 am

Thailand
Click for source.

In a follow-up to a 2025 proposal, the Thailand government is now putting together a plan to build a commercial spaceport for use by international rocket companies.

The Thai government is preparing to anchor itself in the global space race with a blueprint to develop a domestic spaceport. By deploying a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) framework, the state aims to attract international investment and ease the burden on the national budget.

The article claims Thailand’s location gives it a natural launch advantage, but the map to the right says otherwise. It has no easy clear launch path to the east (for equatorial launches) or south (for polar launches). Unless the rocket 1st stages are reusable, launches from Thailand will risk dropping stages on Indonesia, the Philippines, Laos, or Vietnam.

8 comments

NASA switches launch provider from ULA to SpaceX for its SunRise solar mission

8:39 am

NASA yesterday announced that it has switched the rocket it will use to launch its SunRise six-cubesat mission to study the Sun’s corona, from ULA’s Vulcan rocket to SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy, becoming a secondary payload on a Space Force launch.

NASA’s SunRISE (Sun Radio Interferometer Space Experiment) mission will launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, shifting from its original ride into space aboard a United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur vehicle. NASA will share updated launch timing in the near future. The heliophysics mission will fly as a rideshare sponsored by the United States Space Force’s Space Systems Command.

The launch was originally supposed to take place now, in the summer of 2026, but at present the Vulcan rocket is grounded due to problems with its solid-fueled strap-on boosters. NASA apparently decided it would be better to switch to the Falcon Heavy launch, even though as a secondary payload it loses control over exactly when it can launch, and at present the Space Force’s next Falcon Heavy launch is scheduled for 2027.

The switch means a loss of more income for ULA due to its inability to get Vulcan launching regularly and reliably. It also suggests Vulcan repairs remains stalled, and that it will not resume regular launches until next year.

7 comments

Three launches, two by SpaceX and one by Russia

8:24 am

The global rocket industry completed three launches since last night.

First, SpaceX placed 27 Starlink satellites into orbit, its Falcon 9 lifting off last night from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The first stage (B1093) completed its 15th flight (29 days after its previous mission), landing on a drone ship in the Pacific.

SpaceX then followed up with a morning launch, placing 29 more Starlink satellites in orbit, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The first stage (B1080) completed its 28th flight (32 days after its previous mission), landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic. This launch tied this booster for ninth place with the space shuttle Columbia in the rankings for the most reused launch vehicles.

Finally, Russia successfully placed one American and two Russian astronauts into orbit, its Soyuz-2 rocket lifting off from Russia’s Baikonur spaceport in Kazakhstan. Their Soyuz capsule docked with the Prichal module on the Russian half of ISS several hours later, beginning an eight month mission for this crew.

The leaders in the 2026 launch race:

85 SpaceX
45 China
10 Rocket Lab (plus two suborbital HASTE launches)
9 Russia

For the third straight year SpaceX leads the entire world combined in total launches, 85 to 78.

4 comments

FAA seeking comments on SpaceX’s request to expand Starship’s landing zones

4:43 pm

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today released its draft environmental reassessment [pdf] that would allow SpaceX to both expand add landing zones for bringing its Starship spacecraft back from orbit.

From the introduction:

Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) is seeking to obtain a modification of its existing vehicle operator license from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to account for Starship reentry contingency operations in the Pacific Ocean as well as an additional Starship reentry trajectory for landing at the Boca Chica Launch Site in Starbase, Texas (TX). SpaceX must obtain a license modification from FAA to land the Starship vehicle in the Northern Pacific Basin (south of the Aleutian Islands), as well as information for airspace closures for an additional trajectory which includes landing at the Boca Chica Launch Site in Starbase, TX. SpaceX also intends to expand the previously evaluated landing areas in the Hawaii and Central Pacific Basin (southwest of the Hawaiian Islands) and the Southeast (SE) Pacific (off the coast of Chile) as additional contingency landing locations for Starship.

Starship flight path over the Pacific for landing at Boca Chica
Starship flight path over the Pacific for landing at Boca Chica

The map to the right shows Starship’s proposed flight path for returning to Boca Chica.

The key quote however is in the FAA’s conclusion, after reviewing all the typical potential issues:

FAA has concluded that no significant impacts would occur as a result of SpaceX’s Proposed Action.

At this stage of the reassessment the FAA is seeking public comment through July 26, 2026. Expect the typical protests from the left, hostile to anything new (especially if Elon Musk is involved). Based on past rulings in these matters by the FAA (even when Biden was president), expect this expansion of landing sites to be approved. Under Trump expect the decision to be made more quickly, especially because this landing site expansion is crucial for allowing the company to begin routine orbital flights of Starship in preparation for NASA’s Artemis lunar landing.

1 comment

FAA clears SpaceX to launch Starshp/Superheavy; 13th test flight set for July 16th

9:44 am

Starship/Superheavy on the launchpad prior to 12th test flight in May
Starship/Superheavy on the launchpad prior to 12th test flight in May

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today closed out its investigation of the 12th orbital test flight of Starship/Superheavy and cleared SpaceX to go ahead with the 13th test flight.

In truth what the FAA did was rubberstamp SpaceX’s own investigation into that flight, almost immediately after the company announced on July 11, 2026 that it was targeting July 16, 2026 for launch. The company has now posted a complete description of that investigation and the flight plan for the 13th flight.

First the cause of the failure of Superheavy to successfully return as planned:

At stage separation on Flight 12, slight differences in engine startup on the ship [Starship] caused the directional flip of the booster to be off by approximately 90 degrees. The startup sequence has been modified to be more robust to timing variability and more reliably flip in the desired direction, which is done to increase overall performance.

After stage separation and the flip, the Super Heavy booster attempted its boostback burn. Five of its 33 engines experienced issues when attempting to re-light causing the boostback burn to end early. The Super Heavy on this upcoming flight has hardware modifications to improve re-light reliability along with updates to engine alarms and aborts to match the conditions seen in the multi-engine flight environment.

In addition, hardware changes were made to the engines on Starship, addressing the failure of several to light during flight 12.

The 13th test flight will once again follow the low orbital path used in the past few flights that will bring it down in the Indian Ocean. A relight of a Raptor-3 engine in orbit will once again be on the schedule. Starship will also deploy for the first time 20 actual Starlink satellites, rather than dummy prototypes. Six will be outfitted with cameras to observe Starship’s heat shield as it and the satellites de-orbit.

Finally, the ship will do more tests of its heat shield and tiles during re-entry.

If all goes well, this will lay the groundwork for the first full orbital flight on the next launch, likely to occur about a month or so later.

8 comments

ISRO completes more ground tests of its Gaganyaan capsule, confirming launch delay

8:47 am

Artist rendering of India's Gaganyaan capsule
Artist rendering of India’s Gaganyaan capsule

India’s space agency ISRO yesterday announced it has successfully completed three qualification tests of engineering required by its manned Gaganyaan capsule during re-entry and splashdown.

First, it successfully tested the system that will disconnect the electrical and fuel lines between the crew module and its service module just before re-entry. Next it tested the structural integrity of the capsule during the release of its parachute cover and deployment of the parachutes during descent. Finally, it tested the balloon system that will inflate upon splashdown to make sure the capsule stays upright.

That ISRO is only testing these items now confirms what was rumored in December 2025 and in February 2026. Though government officials in January 2026 claimed the first unmanned test flight of Gaganyaan would take place in March 2026, apparently the agency’s management had already decided further testing and redesign was necessary after drop tests in late 2025, and that such unmanned test flights would be delayed at least a year, with the manned flight probably pushed back to 2028.

Once again, the problem here is not the required redesign and new testing. It is good they are doing the right due diligence to make sure everything works. The problem is the lack of transparency and the refusal to say honestly the present state of the schedule. All we get are contradictory hints that only serve to cause distrust, which in turn serve to discredit the agency.

1 comment

Update on Starship/Superheavy flight 13 schedule

11:26 am

Link here. The article has a nice video of the longest static full engine static fire test — 24 seconds — of Superheavy prototype #20, as it is being prepared for the thirteenth orbital test flight.

The key quote in the article however is this:

Ship 40 is still in Mega Bay 2, getting some final touches before getting its payload and rolling out to the launch site. Assuming Ship 40 does not need any further engine testing, it just needs to get its payload and roll out to the launch site. Once there, it will get stacked on Booster 20, where SpaceX will likely perform either a tanking test or a full Wet Dress Rehearsal due to changes to the tank farm.

Once all preflight testing and checkouts are complete, the stack will be ready for launch, which, based on notices from the Federal Aviation Administration, marine safety notices, navigational hazard warnings, and airspace closures, is currently targeted between July 15 and July 21.

The article adds that FAA approvals are still needed, though based on its behavior since Trump took office this should cause no delays.

9 comments

SpaceX officials attend Louisiana government event outlining its effort to reduce red tape

10:53 am

Pecan Island SpaceX facility?

Though everyone continues to say “No comment” when asked about the rumors that SpaceX is about to buy a 200+square-mile parcel of land on the Louisiana coast near the unincorporated village of Pecan Island (see map to the right), two SpaceX officials attended in late June a Louisiana government event outlining its effort to reduce red tape in coastal areas.

The meeting on June 26 was primarily aimed at discussing ways to speed permitting and other regulatory steps for projects, which often require [Army Corps of Engineers] involvement and approval. The meeting included a broad range of attendees from government agencies, ports, contractors, industry associations and relevant nonprofits.

Two SpaceX representatives involved in governmental and regulatory matters participated, including one, Owen McDonough, who specialized in water and wetlands issues for the Environmental Protection Agency during President Donald Trump’s first term.

Michael Hare, executive director of the state’s Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority, said he invited McDonough because he knew him from previous work and believed he could provide valuable insight into regulations surrounding water and wetlands issues. The other SpaceX representative, Brandon Conroy, was involved in required environmental mitigation efforts related to the company’s “Starbase” industrial and launch facility near Brownsville, Texas.

It sure appears as if the Louisianan government knows something about SpaceX’s intentions and is working hard to get it to sign on the dotted line. In May the Louisiana state legislature passed laws expressly designed to encourage SpaceX to come to the state, limiting the ability of activists to file frivolous lawsuits while providing tax breaks for “aerospace flight entities”.

At the same time, nothing concrete has come from SpaceX. It has submitted no permit applications with the Corp of Engineers, and its only comment about the rumors was vague and non-committal, saying merely that it is continuously exploring potential new launch sites for Starship.

Regardless of whether SpaceX actually buys this land, the effort by the Republican Louisianan government to encourage new industry in its state contrasts quite sharply with that of Democrats nationwide, who are routinely opposed to any new or old industry, seeing it as evil that must be shut down as quickly as possible.

16 comments

Democrat running for Texas attorney general wants to investigate Musk if elected

10:32 am

The Democratic Party in proper perspective
The Democratic Party, in proper perspective

They’re coming for you next: A Texas Democrat, Nathan Johnson, running for that state’s attorney general position, yesterday announced in an interview that he intends to investigate Elon Musk and SpaceX if elected, claiming the almost $110 million grant given to the company for its Starlink rural service was favoritism and corruption.

Not surprisingly, the Democrat sprinkled his accusations with a lie.

Johnson, who won the Democratic primary runoff for attorney general in May, said the award by Texas Republicans of 99% of the available grant funds to a company led by billionaire Musk, a Donald Trump ally, was lopsided. [emphasis mine]

The problem with Johnson’s claim is that it is utterly false. Texas awarded $1 billion in total grants to 17 different internet providers, with SpaceX getting a grant in the middle of the pack and only 11% of the total awarded. Other companies got far more, for doing far less.

Not surprising, both sources in the propaganda press, The Guardian and The Dallas Morning News, accepted this lie blindly, proving that neither has the slightest interest in reporting the news or any real facts, and are in fact more interested in acting as PR firms for the Democrats. Neither outlet spent even one nanosecond checking up on the Texas grant program. Its press release outlining the awards was remarkably transparent about the awards.

This story nicely exemplifies the modern ugly nature of both the Democratic Party and its supporters. They lie, are filled with envy, and are quite eager to use the power of government to destroy anyone who opposes them. No wonder the party has had no problem nominating and electing rapists, Nazis, and perverts as its candidates and officials.

10 comments

Japan’s space agency JAXA test flies and vertically lands a prototype first stage

9:27 am

Japan’s space agency JAXA today successfully completed a 40-second vertical take-off and landing of a small scale prototype Grasshopper first stage.

At its Noshiro testing center in Akita Prefecture, northeastern Japan, the RV-X test rocket slowly landed after rising about 11 meters and moving horizontally while maintaining a vertical position during its 40-second flight. JAXA found no major issues with the test rocket after the landing.

…The 7.3-meter-long, 1.8-meter-diameter test rocket, which uses liquid hydrogen fuel, is a prototype of the reusable first stage of future large rockets. [emphasis mine]

This is a typical government test program, like many at NASA. Private companies in general have moved away from the use of hydrogen as a fuel because of the difficulty of obtaining and managing it, moving instead to methane. Thus, this project is not tied to any specific financial goals, and will likely dies stillborn once it is complete.

It also illustrates how far behind Japan has fallen when compared to China. China is building multiple reusable rockets, has tested three with one landing successfully. Japan at present is struggling to get any of its three government and one private rockets off the ground.

3 comments

SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites; reuses first stage for 35th time

9:18 am

The beat goes on! SpaceX today successfully launched another 24 Starlink satellites, its Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

The first stage (B1071) completed its 35th flight (30 days after its previous mission), landing on a drone ship in the Pacific. With this flight this booster maintained its third place position, behind the space shuttle Discovery and Falcon 9 booster B1067, in the rankings for the most reused launch vehicle:

39 Discovery space shuttle
36 Falcon 9 booster B1067
35 Falcon 9 booster B1071
33 Atlantis space shuttle
33 Falcon 9 booster B1063
31 Falcon 9 booster B1069
29 Falcon 9 booster B1077
29 Falcon 9 booster B1078

Sources here and here.

The leaders in the 2026 launch race:

83 SpaceX
45 China
10 Rocket Lab (plus two suborbital HASTE launches)
8 Russia

For the third straight year SpaceX leads the entire world combined in total launches, 83 to 77.

0 comments

SpaceX posts 2nd documentary in its series describing its Starship program

3:30 pm

SpaceX today posted the second documentary it is proposed program of documentaries describing in detail and visuals the state of its Starship program.

It is entitled “Critical Path”, and provides incredible information about the events and technological challenges leading up to Starship/Superheavy test flight #12 on May 22, 2026, which was the first use of its new launchpad.

The number of people interviewed across a wide range of jobs and skills is amazing. Remember this when you hear some insane Marxist Democrat call Musk evil. He is doing more for more people than anyone in America in decades. Note also that one of the engineers interviewed, Bobby Peden, also happens to be the mayor of Starbase.

Key quote near the end by Musk: “This is the hardest thing humans have ever done.” Peden’s response: “It feels like it.”

13 comments

BepiColumbo’s team prepares for arrival at Mercury in the fall

12:36 pm

The arrival plan for BepiColombo
Click for original graphic.

After eight years of travel through the inner solar system to get to Mercury, the European/Japanese dual orbiter mission BepiColombo is finally getting close to arrival at Mercury in the fall, and the science team has been doing rehearsals to prepare for that orbital insertion.

Teams must align timelines, verify readiness criteria and maintain a common understanding of what constitutes a ‘go’ or ‘no-go’ decision. During one recent simulation, controllers were confronted with an anomaly that forced them to abort and re-schedule a planned separation scenario. “It generates continuous discussions and iterations between the different teams,” Nacho adds.

The exercise highlighted an essential aspect of Mercury arrival: success depends not only on operating the spacecraft, but on ESA and JAXA working together as one team.

That arrival is made more complicated in that BepiColombo is not a single orbiter. It is made up of the following parts:

  • The Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), which provided the service module and ion engines for the journey, including six fly-bys of Earth, two ofVenus, and six of Mercury
  • The Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) from the European Space Agency (ESA)
  • The Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio) from Japan’s space agency JAXA
  • The Mio Sunshield and Interface Structure (MOSIF), which protected everything during its journey in the inner solar system close to the Sun

The graphic to the right outlines the arrival plan. First the MTM must separate. Then the two orbiters enter Mercury orbit. Next Japan’s Mio separates and is deployed in its own orbit. Then the sunshield is ejected from Europe’s orbiter and it moves into its planned orbit.

As the spacecraft uses ion engines, with low but continuous thrust, these maneuvers can take weeks.

Both orbiters have complementary orbits to study different aspects of the planet. Europe’s orbiter will orbit closer to get a better look at the planet, while Japan’s Mio’s orbit is highly elliptical, to study the planet’s magnetic field.

During the journey to Mercury BepiColombo overcome several problems. First, the Covid panic threatened operations by limiting staffing and preventing normal behavior. Next the solar panels failed to produce the expected power, a problem that appears to still exist but which has not prevented operations. Finally, its thrusters produced less thrust than expected during a mid-course correction in 2024, causing an eleven month delay in arrival.

It is now however about to arrive. Let us hope that arrival proceeds as planned.

1 comment

Interior Dept requests advice from offshore launch platform companies

11:11 am

Because it appears the space industry might soon wish to launch rockets from offshore platforms within the 200 mile ocean economic zone the Interior Department administers and issues leases for oil rigs, its Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) issued on July 7, 2026 a request for information (RFI), asking public input before it creates its regulatory framework for such platforms.

BOEM is considering whether these concepts may encompass the repurposing of existing offshore infrastructure (e.g., mobile offshore drilling units or other fixed platforms previously used for oil and gas operations), as well as the potential development of new, purpose-built offshore facilities dedicated to commercial space launches, space re-entry, and related activities on the OCS. The siting, construction, and operation of such platforms or facilities—whether repurposed or newly constructed—would likely implicate multiple Federal authorities and legal frameworks. BOEM is issuing this RFI to improve its understanding of these considerations and to inform potential future interagency coordination, policy development, or guidance before any policy positions or decisions are finalized.

Artist's rendering of Seagate platform
Artist’s rendering of Seagate platform. Click for original.

The only previous American offshore launch platform, SeaLaunch, always launched outside the economic zone, far out to sea, but that company has been defunct for more than a decade. A new offshore launch company, Seagate, is partnering with Lockheed Martin and Firefly to develop a new platform, and it appears it might launch Firefly’s Alpha rocket closer to home.

In its RFI, BOEM references President Trump’s Executive Order 14369 (“Ensuring American Space Superiority”), which requires government agencies to establish policies that encourage the space sector. Thus, it appears the RFI is not to burden the private sector with more red tape, but to facilitate the legal framework for it to operate within the 200-mile economic zone.

As always, however, we must recognize that Trump will not be in office forever, and that future presidents might act more like Joe Biden, and use such regulation to squelch the industry.

6 comments

French startup The Exploration Company opens U.S. subsidiary

10:51 am

Nyx drop test
June 2026 successful drop test of Nyx prototype

The French startup The Exploration Company (TEC), which is building the Nyx reusable cargo capsule for supplying future space stations, has now established a U.S. office in Houston, with the clear intention of competing for NASA and Space Force contracts.

Located in Houston near NASA Johnson Space Center, the TEC Rapid Innovation Lab brings together engineers, designers, and operators in a space built for efficient, rapid innovation. At its center is a full-scale mockup of the future Nyx crew capsule, enabling teams to prototype, test, and refine crew interfaces in close collaboration with partners, astronauts, and NASA personnel.

…The company also established TEC Federal, a dedicated U.S. entity designed to serve government customers. Operating as a U.S.-controlled organization, TEC Federal enables participation in U.S. government programs and contracts, while ensuring compliance with applicable regulatory requirements.

Since its inception in 2021 the company has styled itself as a European company providing cargo and manned-space-related services for the European Space Agency (ESA). The problem is that ESA is not building any space stations. It is thus a very limited market. This new action tells us the company has recognized that the customers for Nyx — the five American space stations presently under development — are really in America, and so it is now beginning to shift operations here.

2 comments

SpaceX’s files FCC application for 100,000 satellites in third generation Starlink constellation

10:02 am

On July 7, 2026 SpaceX filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for permission to expand its Starlink constellation to 100,000 satellites, an a third generation upgrade that will include data and AI capabilities.

According to the technical attachment, these satellites would operate lower than the current Starlink satellites, in two bands of thin shells with nominal altitudes between 323 and 327.5 kilometers and 473 and 477.5 kilometers. The Gen3 satellites described in the filing will be equipped with advanced phased array beam-forming and digital processing technologies, as well as optical inter-satellite links.

SpaceX has authorization to deploy up to 15,000 Gen2 Starlink satellites after receiving approval from the FCC in January of this year. SpaceX has said this authorization will allow the Gen2 system to deliver “gigabit-speed service.”

The application does not actually name this new upgrade “Starlink”, even though it describes in connection with the first two Starlink generations. This filing is also separate from SpaceX’s earlier FCC filing for its proposed million satellite data center “Starmind” constellation.

It is clear that the company is looking to put Starship to use aggressively, once it becomes operational.

0 comments

Space Force adds two startups to its list of space companies that can bid on its contracts

8:01 am

The Space Force on July 8, 2026 added the rocket startup Relativity and the rocket engine company Impulse Space to its list of approved space contractors, awarding both a $5 million task order to “conduct an initial capabilities assessment.”

The U.S. Space Force’s (USSF) acting Portfolio Acquisition Executive for Space Access awarded two additional Firm Fixed-Price (FFP), Indefinite-Delivery Indefinite-Quantity (IDIQ) National Security Space Launch (NSSL) Phase 3 Lane 1 contracts to Impulse Space and Relativity Federal Inc., a subsidiary of Relativity Space. The two providers join Blue Origin, SpaceX and ULA who were on-ramped in FY24, and Rocket Lab and Stoke Space who were on-ramped in FY25.

…Phase 3 Lane 1 contract provides commercial-like launch services for Space Systems Command’s (SSC) more risk-tolerant missions. The Lane 1 contract focuses on rapid contract award, streamlined integration phases and reduced timelines from award to launch.

What this means is that these two companies will be able to bid on certain projects that are tailored for smaller newer companies in which the Space Force can accept a higher risk of failure.

Back in 2014 the Air Force (which then ran the military’s space operations) was so hidebound it would only entertain bids from one launch company, ULA. SpaceX had to sue to end that monopoly. Even so, for years the Air Force was reluctant to expand this list beyond these companies, which is one reason the Space Force was created. The Air Force wasn’t really interested in space; the War Department needed an agency focused on these assets exclusively.

Since then the Space Force has aggressively expanded this list of approved companies, almost faster than the companies become operational. This has resulted in more launches at lower cost, benefiting both the military and private sector.

5 comments

China successfully launches and recovers first stage of its new Long March 10B rocket

10:14 pm

The first stage of Long March 10B after recovery
The first stage of Long March 10B after recovery

China’s state run press has now confirmed that today (July 10, 2026 in China) it successfully launched and recovered the first stage of its new Long March 10B rocket on that rocket’s very first launch.

The second link above shows the launch, cued to just before lift-off. The two images to the right come from the third link, a tweet showing the first stage captured on its recovery vessel, using a net catch system. The location of this recovery was in the middle of the South China Sea, about 300 nautical miles west of the Philippines.

Video of the first stage landing is here.

It is not clear if the launch was placing any payloads in orbit, but I will assume so, and add it to my launch count. If this changes I will update.

Either way, China has now joined a very small select group (SpaceX and Blue Origin) capable of landing and recovering a first stage. What is even more impressive about this achievement is that China did it with a completely different recovery technique — a net — that does not require legs (saving weight) that no one else has tried or proposed. Moreover, it demonstrated the ability to bring that stage down precisely and in a controlled manner.

The leaders in the 2026 launch race:

82 SpaceX
45 China
10 Rocket Lab (plus two suborbital HASTE launches)
8 Russia

For the third straight year SpaceX leads the entire world combined in total launches, 82 to 77.

Hat tip to BtB’s stringer Jay for the live stream and landing images and video.

17 comments
1 2 3 … 805