SpaceX is once again facing a setback in getting its Starship rocket closer to being operational. Meanwhile, Blue Origin is taking slow but steady steps toward having a capable Mark 1 lunar lander. Would NASA be silly not to switch providers for Artemis 3’s lander?
Expand Expanding Close
I’m not sure if ULA’s Atlas V ever got this nickname officially, but I’m going to coin it anyway, the “Queen of Space,” which recently hit another milestone towards its retirement: it is down to just two customers for its remaining 11 flights.
Expand Expanding Close
The new year is right around the corner, and with that come new goals, records, and the arrival of new players in the space realm. The most promising to shake things up, Blue Origin, is just now making its new-space prime entrance. What does 2026 have in store for its big rocket, the New Glenn?
Expand Expanding Close
A new crew of three launched and arrived at the International Space Station after lifting off from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan early this morning. The crew will replace the existing Soyuz crew on the ISS; both crews consist of two Russian cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut.
Expand Expanding Close
Yesterday, Blue Origin successfully launched its second New Glenn rocket from LC-36 in Florida. While a second successful mission is enough to celebrate, what happened at the end of the mission is bigger news for the company and the industry.
Expand Expanding Close
Blue Origin is attempting to launch its second New Glenn rocket from LC-36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The mission will carry NASA’s ESCAPADE payload to Mars for a tech demonstration of low-cost interplanetary exploration.
Expand Expanding Close
Rocket Lab is no longer planning on getting its Neutron rocket to the launch pad for its first flight by the end of this year. Not a surprise to many, but the debut flight of what could be a real Falcon 9 competitor is now scheduled for Q1 of 2026.
Expand Expanding Close
For most of the nation last night, the Northern Lights, or officially named the Aurora Borealis, were visible in an awesome display. This is due to a powerful solar storm coming from our Sun; however, that same storm that’s causing the beautiful nighttime display is also causing issues for the space industry who are trying to get rockets launched.
Expand Expanding Close
A company that has been out of the limelight for a while, Astra is quietly getting itself ready to re-emerge as a hopeful commercial launch contender. But should we even expect to see Astra rockets fly again?
Expand Expanding Close
After an hour and a half attempt, Blue Origin scrubbed its New Glenn NG-2 mission due to weather concerns. It wasn’t the only issue the company ran into during the countdown, but why did weather specifically cause the delay? And when will it launch again?
Expand Expanding Close
Blue Origin’s second New Glenn mission, NG-2, is finally on the launch pad and ready for its next flight. This could be a pivotal moment for the company as it is full of multiple firsts and features a NASA mission to Mars.
Expand Expanding Close
Last week, NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy shared a major accomplishment for President Trump’s space program. The issue is that the accomplishment he was talking about has nothing to do with President Trump’s space plans and began even before President Trump’s first term.
Expand Expanding Close
President Trump has renominated private astronaut and tech billionaire Jared Isaacman as NASA Administrator. This comes as both a surprise and is not at all, beating out Acting Administrator Sean Duffy for the job.
Expand Expanding Close
While the majority of federal employees are furloughed, awaiting a funding bill to be passed by Congress, NASA teams and contractors are still working towards getting Artemis 2 ready to launch next year. However, that can’t last forever, and an industry official just shared that some parts may begin to grind to a halt.
Expand Expanding Close
A new company emerged from space last week that plans to take the manufacturing of one of the most important components of computer chips and put it in space. Why? Not for the weightlessness, but for the vacuum.
Expand Expanding Close
SpaceX and the popular card game Cards Against Humanity have settled their lawsuit over the use and destruction of CAH’s private land. The game is hoping to use the proceeds to pay back the fans that helped purchase the land.
Expand Expanding Close
The three largest aerospace firms from Europe, Airbus, Leonardo, and Thales, announced they will be combining their space divisions into one yet-to-be-named company, all in hopes of better competing with the US commercial space market.
Expand Expanding Close
It’s been nine months into President Trump’s second term, and the government’s most popular and beloved agency is still without proper leadership. Some rumbles have made it sound like that could change soon, but we’re still awaiting official word.
Expand Expanding Close
Blue Origin may just have a shot at taking away SpaceX’s prized Artemis 3 crewed lunar landing, as the company has fallen behind its goals to get an HLS Starship variant ready for a 2027 attempt. Now NASA is looking at new options that may be able to get a lander ready faster.
Expand Expanding Close
The Space Force approved SpaceX’s request to increase its launch rate at Vandenberg Air Force Base and add a second launch site, SLC-6. This new pad will feature the ability to launch both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets, the latter being a first for California.
Expand Expanding Close
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has been the company’s workhorse since its debut in 2010. It has delivered cargo to the ISS, helped build out a new GPS constellation, redefined the cost of launch, and delivered thousands of Starlink satellites into orbit. It has done so by repeatedly breaking yearly launch records and hitting triple-digit launch years twice. However, with Starship’s soon debut as an operational rocket, the company plans to sunset the Falcon 9, ending its dominance during its peak.
Expand Expanding Close
Tom Mueller, SpaceX Employee Number 1 and founder/CEO of Impulse Space, laid out his plan to bring reliable and multi-ton landing capabilities to the Moon. This would differ from his former employer’s mission of focusing on Mars and viewing the Moon only as a distraction.
Expand Expanding Close
SpaceX launched its 11th Starship rocket Monday afternoon on what could be its final mission of 2025. The launch was another overall success for the Starship program, with it actually being rather boring—a good thing for launches.
Expand Expanding Close
SpaceX is launching its final Starship rocket in potentially less than an hour. The company just shared it has begun fueling its massive booster; here’s how to watch tonight’s Starship launch.
Expand Expanding Close