In a departure from historical precedent, SpaceX and the FAA find themselves in agreement as both parties file motions to have the lawsuit against Starship dismissed. This development comes as SpaceX prepares for additional rounds of pre-launch testing in Boca Chica.

Four volunteers have embarked on a one-year mock mission to Mars at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. This is the first of three-year-long missions, which are part of NASA’s Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog, or CHAPEA. Mission 1 commenced on June 25.

Yesterday marked the end of an era for European space launches with the final flight of the Ariane 5 rocket. With the mission completed, Europe now finds itself in a precarious position without an available launcher in the short term.

Did you know that operators spent a little over two months without communication with the helicopter on the surface of Mars? Its 50th flight, back in April of this year, was a record-breaking flight for the rotorcraft, called Ingenuity.

This week we have a few launches out of the Americas, one that is bittersweet, then two that will feel normal to all of us. The bittersweet one will of course be the Ariane 5’s final flight before retirement.

In a momentous event in the field of astrophysics, SpaceX successfully launched the Euclid mission in collaboration with the European Space Agency. 

On Thursday morning, Virgin Galactic successfully completed its inaugural commercial flight with a crew consisting of four passengers and two pilots. This flight distinguished itself from previous ventures by both Blue Origin and Virgin, as it focused solely on business rather than leisure.

Perseverance rover is back at it with an image of a rock formation that’s getting the Internet talking. On Friday (June 23), the NASA rover captured a photo of a dark rocky object that, oddly enough, resembles a doughnut…

NASA announced last Thursday that its all-electric aircraft project will be shutting down later this year after years of research and development. The program will conclude without any flights of the X-57 Maxwell aircraft; however, the agency still considers the program a success with plenty of lessons learned.

This is a significant week for Virgin Galactic as it completes its first commercial flight for its VSS Unity spaceplane. However, that is not the only launch taking place this week. As expected, SpaceX will also make an appearance.

SpaceX has completed its rocket launches for the first half of 2023, prompting a review of their accomplishments thus far. Additionally, it begs the question of whether they are on track to achieve their goal of 100 missions this year.

Today is a somber day for all explorers, serving as a stark reminder that exploration, regardless of its form, carries inherent risks. Whether utilizing cutting-edge technology to traverse the heavens, conquering Earth’s highest peaks, or delving into the depths of the sea, every explorer willingly accepts these risks. We must never forget the sacrifices they make.

Early Thursday morning, ULA launched its first mission of the year, which also happened to be the company’s largest offering, the Delta IV Heavy. The launch was a bittersweet moment, as this now means only one more of this original “big orange rocket” is left to fly.

Last week NASA announced several partnerships with commercial companies that will provide NASA personnel and expertise to them as they work to develop new technologies. Most of them have to do with commercial space stations, but one stood out: Blue Origin’s crewed spacecraft.

Just hours ago, the teams operating BepiColombo, Europe and Japan’s mission to travel to and orbit Mercury, released images from the spacecraft’s third flyby of the closest planet to our sun. With each pass, the spacecraft gets closer, takes more images, and reveals never-before-seen views of the elusive rocky surface.

We have an exciting week ahead with a rocket launch we don’t get to see often (and I will miss it). This week, ULA plans to launch its second to last Delta IV Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral for the National Reconnaissance Office. Not to be forgotten about, SpaceX will be on deck with two launches of Starlink satellites this week.

Relativity has now filed a permit to upgrade Launch Complex 16 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station as the company moves full steam ahead with their reusable launch vehicle, Terran R. This comes after the company announced it was discontinuing the Terran 1 program so teams could solely focus on the upcoming launch vehicle. With the first launch of Terran R expected no earlier than 2026, the company is getting to work in Florida so the launch complex is prepared.

In Rocket Lab’s most secretive launch yet, they went sub-orbital. Utilizing its new Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE), the company performed its first test of this new launch vehicle.

The end of an era is just around the corner with the final launch of Ariane 5, a heavy-lift launch that has delivered the most revered of payloads to a range of orbits. Famously, Ariane 5 launched the James Webb Space Telescope on Christmas Day in 2021. The 117th flight has been delayed, extending the rocket’s final moments on Earth.

Astra shareholders voted to perform a reverse stock split in the company’s annual shareholder meeting. As the company’s stock remains below the NASDAQ limit, this quick fix could give Astra more time to get its Launch System 2 online.

Here we are again looking at another crazy timeline from SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk on when Starship could fly again. However, a lot of work is going on down at Starbase, so maybe it’s not so far out this time?