Launch Vehicles
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Lockheed Martin Guarantees $500 Million Loan to ULA as Vulcan Grounding Drains Space Segment Profit
Lockheed Martin disclosed a $500 million loan guarantee for United Launch Alliance and cut its space division's profit forecast after Vulcan's grounding.
SpaceX's Starship Flight 13 Achieves Its Softest-Ever Splashdown While Deploying Debut Starlink V3 Satellites
SpaceX's 13th Starship test flight deployed 20 operational Starlink V3 satellites and landed Ship intact in the Indian Ocean, though the Super Heavy booster again splashed down hard.
NASA Reassigns SunRISE Solar-Storm Mission From ULA's Vulcan Centaur to SpaceX Falcon Heavy
NASA moved its six-satellite SunRISE heliophysics mission off Vulcan Centaur onto a Falcon Heavy rideshare, months after a Vulcan booster anomaly grounded the rocket's national-security flights.
Skyroot Aerospace's Vikram-1 Reaches Orbit, Making India the Third Country With Private Orbital Launch Capability
Skyroot's Vikram-1 rocket reached a 450 km orbit on its July 18 debut flight, making India the third country with private orbital launch capability.
China Recovers Long March 10B Booster With Net Capture at Sea, Becoming Second Nation to Land an Orbital-Class Rocket
CASC's new Long March 10B caught its own booster in a sea-based net on its maiden flight July 10, joining SpaceX and Blue Origin as the only operators to recover an orbital-class rocket stage.
ULA Flies the Final Atlas V 551, Lofting 29 Amazon Leo Satellites and Leaving Just Six Atlas Vs Reserved for Starliner
United Launch Alliance flew the last Atlas V 551 on July 2, ending the rocket's satellite-launching career; its six remaining vehicles are held for Boeing's Starliner as Amazon Leo pivots to Vulcan.
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.
Blue Origin's New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Static Fire Test, Destroying Its Only Launch Pad and Threatening NASA Moon Timeline
A hotfire engine test at Cape Canaveral on May 28 destroyed New Glenn and LC-36, freezing Amazon's 24-launch satellite manifest and casting doubt on Blue Origin's role in NASA's 2026-2028 lunar program.
FAA Declares Starship Flight 12 a Mishap and Grounds the Rocket Pending Raptor 3 Engine Investigation
The FAA classified the May 22 Starship V3 test as a mishap on May 27, after Super Heavy Booster 19 failed its boostback burn and hard-splashed in the Gulf of America, grounding the program until SpaceX's investigation is approved.
SpaceX Scrubs First Starship V3 Launch After Hydraulic Failure, Sets May 22 Window for Flight 12
A hydraulic pin failure on the launch tower arm forced SpaceX to scrub the first Starship V3 test flight at T-40 seconds, with a second attempt targeting 6:30 p.m. EDT on May 22.
ULA Confirms Successful GEM 63XL Static Fire as Vulcan SRB Investigation Drags On and Space Force Pause Holds
ULA says Northrop Grumman ran a successful GEM 63XL solid rocket booster static fire on April 15, but the Vulcan rocket remains grounded for national security launches three months after a nozzle anomaly on USSF-87, with Amazon expected to anchor a return-to-flight by year-end.