Tag: Reusability
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Starship Flight 14 Targets First Earth Orbit and 26 Starlink V3 Deployments
SpaceX is targeting Tuesday, September 22, 2026, for Starship’s 14th flight test from Starbase in South Texas. The mission would be Starship’s first attempt to enter Earth orbit and is planned to deploy 26 Starlink V3 satellites. A 75-minute launch window opens at 7:15 a.m. Central time, pending regulatory approval. Previous Starship tests followed suborbital…
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SpaceX Recovers First Intact Starship Upper Stage After Month-Long Indian Ocean Ordeal
SpaceX has achieved a major milestone in the development of its fully reusable Starship system, successfully loading the upper stage from Starship Flight 13 onto a semi-submersible transport vessel in the Indian Ocean more than a month after the spacecraft completed its mission and splashed down at sea. The recovery marks the first time a…
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SpaceX Ends Florida Falcon 9 Starlink Era as Dawn Launch Creates Spectacular ‘Jellyfish’ Visible Over New York
A SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying a new batch of Starlink satellites marked the end of an era on Aug. 25, completing what the company says will be its final dedicated Starlink launch from Florida. The early-morning mission also produced a striking “space jellyfish” effect that was visible hundreds of miles from the launch site, including…
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ESA Shelves Ariane 6 Block 3 Upgrade Plans as Europe Prioritizes Launch Cadence and Near-Term Competitiveness
The European Space Agency (ESA) has shelved plans for the Ariane 6 Block 3 upgrade, marking a significant shift in Europe’s launch strategy as officials focus resources on increasing Ariane 6 production and flight rates rather than pursuing a major performance enhancement program. The decision effectively pauses one of the most ambitious future evolutions of…
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SpaceX Pushes First Starship Tower Catch Attempt to Later This Year as Reusability Campaign Advances
SpaceX is now targeting its first attempt to catch a returning Starship upper stage with the launch tower “chopstick” arms within the next few months, a shift from earlier expectations that the milestone could occur on the vehicle’s next flight. The updated timeline came from CEO Elon Musk, who said the company’s first Starship tower-catch…
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Falcon 9 Booster Hits 35 Flights, 12,472 Starlinks Launched
Is a 35-Flight Falcon 9 Booster the New Normal for Launch Economics? A single Falcon 9 first stage flew its 35th mission on July 10, 2026, deploying 29 Starlink satellites to low Earth orbit and landing intact for future reuse. The flight is the highest confirmed reuse count in the Falcon 9 fleet to date,…
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China Readies 6 New Rockets for Launch Including Reusable Tests
Which Chinese Rockets Are Targeting First Flights in 2026? China’s space sector is preparing at least six new launch vehicles for debut flights and reusability demonstrations between June and September 2026, representing the most concentrated wave of Chinese rocket development since the commercial space sector opened in 2014. The lineup includes three state-led Long March…
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SpaceX Falcon 9 Achieves 600th Booster Landing Milestone
How did SpaceX achieve its 600th Falcon 9 booster landing? SpaceX successfully completed its 600th Falcon 9 first-stage booster landing during a West Coast Starlink deployment mission on April 18, 2026, cementing its position as the world’s most experienced launch provider in rocket reusability. The milestone landing occurred on the autonomous spearhead drone ship “Of…
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How ATMOS Space Cargo is shaping Europe’s spaceflight future through reentry capsules
As space-based research and manufacturing ramp up, a market is emerging for returning payloads to Earth affordably and reliably. European startup ATMOS Space Cargo is meeting that need with a new generation of reentry vehicles built around an inflatable heat shield. Already flight-tested, the novel system positions Europe as a serious contender in the field…
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SpaceX is superb at reusing boosters, but how about building upper stages?
On any given day, SpaceX is probably launching a Falcon 9 rocket, rolling one out to the launch pad or bringing one back into port. With three active Falcon 9 launch pads and an increasing cadence at the Starbase facility in Texas, SpaceX’s teams are often doing all three. The company achieved another milestone Friday…