Space & Aerospace
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Last-Ever Pegasus XL Set to Launch June 27 to Save NASA's Falling Swift Telescope
Rocket and aircraft integration is complete for the June 27 air-launch of Katalyst's LINK servicer, riding the final flight of Northrop Grumman's Pegasus XL to reboost the sinking Swift Observatory.
China's Shenlong Space Plane Releases a Mystery Object in Orbit on Its Fourth Mission, Commercial Radar Firm LeoLabs Reports
LeoLabs says it detected and cataloged an object released by China's secretive Shenlong space plane, repeating a pattern from earlier missions.
Japan's Hayabusa2 Sets July 5 for a 5 km/s Flyby of Asteroid Torifune, a Dress Rehearsal for Its 2031 Visit to 1998 KY26
JAXA's extended Hayabusa2 mission will pass roughly 1 km from asteroid Torifune at 5 km/s on July 5, testing guidance for planetary defense.
China's Tianwen-2 Reaches the Quasi-Moon Kamo'oalewa, Opening a Months-Long Survey Before a First-of-Its-Kind Sampling Attempt
After a year in transit, Tianwen-2 has rendezvoused with the tiny near-Earth asteroid and will map it before attempting to collect a sample for return to Earth.
NASA Taps Relativity Space to Privately Build and Fly a 2028 Mars Orbiter Carrying the Aeolus Atmospheric Suite
NASA will supply the four-instrument Aeolus suite while Relativity Space builds and launches the orbiter under the agency's first six-year reimbursable Space Act Agreement.
Archer Says It Is First eVTOL Maker to Close Phase 3 of the FAA's Type Certification, Targeting US Air-Taxi Operations in 2026
Archer says its Midnight air taxi has closed Phase 3 of the FAA's four-phase type certification, moving into formal compliance testing as it eyes US operations in 2026.
AST SpaceMobile Deploys BlueBird 8, 9, and 10 on a SpaceX Falcon 9, Pivoting Launchers After Losing BlueBird 7
AST SpaceMobile's first three Block 2 BlueBird satellites reached orbit on a Falcon 9, two months after the company lost BlueBird 7 on Blue Origin's New Glenn.
NASA Sets August 30 Launch for the Roman Space Telescope, Eight Months Ahead of Schedule, as the Observatory Heads to Kennedy
NASA has set a firm August 30 launch date for the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, eight months ahead of schedule, as the observatory is packed for its barge trip to Kennedy Space Center.
NASA Names the Artemis III Crew, a Four-Astronaut Team Set to Rehearse Lunar-Lander Docking in Earth Orbit in 2027
NASA assigned Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Andre Douglas, and Frank Rubio to Artemis III, a 2027 Earth-orbit test flight to practice docking with SpaceX and Blue Origin landers.
NASA Declares MAVEN Mars Orbiter Dead After 11 Years, Ending the Mission That Charted How Mars Lost Its Atmosphere
NASA declared MAVEN unrecoverable on June 3, 2026, six months after the orbiter went silent and was found spinning at 2.7 rpm.
China Debuts Reusable Long March 12B in a Surprise Launch, Delivering Qianfan Satellites Without Advance Airspace Notice
China flew its new reusable Long March 12B for the first time on June 1, delivering operational Qianfan megaconstellation satellites with no public airspace warning.
NASA Moves to Decouple Blue Origin's Moon Landers From New Glenn After Pad Explosion, Eyeing a New Launcher for Blue Moon
After the May 28 New Glenn pad loss, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman says the agency is decoupling the Blue Moon landers from the rocket and would like them flown on a different launcher to protect Artemis deadlines.