Former Crime Editor, London Evening Standard. Views are my own.
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Articles by Justin Davenport
Isar Aerospace attempts launch of Spectrum rocket after months of delays
280 The European private space launch provider Isar Aerospace, headquartered in Ottobrunn, Germany, is set to fly its Spectrum small-satellite launcher on its second mission after months of delays and aborted launch attempts. About a year and an half after Spectrum’s first flight failed, the company is to fly the “Onward and Upward” mission from the Orbital Launch Pad at the Andoya Spaceport in Norway. Liftoff is scheduled for 20:00 UTC on Saturday, Sept. 5.
Launch Preview: Array of international launches planned this week
2 Six missions are scheduled to launch from launch sites across the globe this week. After SpaceX flew its last planned Falcon 9 Starlink mission from Florida, the veteran medium-lift rocket is expected to lower its launch cadence from the triple-digit pace achieved in the middle of this decade. All future Falcon 9 Starlink launches are planned to fly from California, including this week’s missions.
Launch Preview: Chang’e 7 headlines week of Chinese and Starlink launches
3 After last week’s Chang Zheng 7A launch failure, China returns to action with the high-profile Chang’e 7 robotic lunar mission and the second test flight of the ZhuQue-3 partially reusable launcher. Three Falcon 9 Starlink flights, two from California and the other from Florida, and four Chinese flights are scheduled for the week.
Launch Preview: Falcon 9, Starship, and Chinese rockets scheduled to launch
2 After last week’s aborted Starship Flight 13 launch, SpaceX is scheduling a new attempt as early as Thursday, July 23, from Starbase in Texas. Besides Flight 13, the company has two Starlink launches from California scheduled, along with a rare expendable Falcon 9 launch from Florida. China is planning for four launches this week, including Orienspace’s Gravity-1 from a floating launch platform in the Yellow Sea and CAS Space’s Kinetica 1 from Jiuquan.
Soyuz MS-29 set to launch new crew to ISS from Russia
2 The next crew launch to the International Space Station is scheduled for Tuesday, July 14, at 14:47 UTC from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The Soyuz MS-29 spacecraft, carrying a crew of three, will launch atop a Soyuz 2.1a rocket and follow a northeastern trajectory into a low-Earth orbit. Soyuz MS-29 is scheduled to dock with the ISS at 17:56 UTC after spending just three hours in orbit, compared with other profiles that require six or even 48 hours to reach the Station.
Launch Preview: Swift rescue mission, final Atlas satellite launch
4 Several orbital launches are scheduled worldwide this week. A mission to rescue the Swift observatory spacecraft is planned along with the first full flight of a South Korean military launcher. This week could also see the final satellite launch by an Atlas family rocket. There is also an Electron launch from New Zealand. The Swift rescue mission is flying out of Kwajalein Atoll in the Pacific, mounted inside the final air-launched Pegasus launch vehicle built.
Canadarm2 repairs planned as CRS-34 departs ISS
2 The Expedition 74 crew aboard the International Space Station have seen yet another busy month of spacewalks, science experiments, and maintenance tasks. The CRS-34 mission undocked from ISS on Tuesday, June 16, at 16:25 UTC prior to its successful splashdown off of southern California the following day.
Isar Aerospace set for second launch of Spectrum rocket after weeks of delays
214 The European private space launch provider Isar Aerospace, headquartered in Ottobrunn, Germany, is set to fly its Spectrum small-satellite launcher on its second mission after weeks of delays and aborted launch attempts. Over a year after Spectrum’s first flight failed, the company is to fly the “Onward and Upward” mission from the Orbital Launch Pad at the Andoya Spaceport in Norway. Liftoff is scheduled for 20:00 UTC on Monday, June 15.
Launch Preview: Chinese, Rocket Lab, and Starlink flights scheduled
3 The upcoming week features flights from China, California, Virginia, and Florida. Three Starlink launches, two from Vandenberg and one from Cape Canaveral, are set for this week along with a HASTE suborbital flight from Wallops. Internationally, flights are scheduled from Jiuquan and Wenchang in China. ZhuQue-2E is set to make its first operational flight with a payload since the failed SatNet launch on Aug. 15, 2025, while a Chang Zheng 5 (CZ-5) is expected to fly out of Hainan Island.
Artemis III’s remaining solid rocket booster segments shipped from Utah to Florida
3 While there is some uncertainty regarding timelines and landers, the Artemis III mission — currently scheduled for the summer of 2027 — is being prepared for launch at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Northrop Grumman began shipping all eight remaining solid rocket booster segments for the mission’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket from Utah on Tuesday, June 2.
Shenzhou 23 set to launch new crew to Tiangong space station
3 The Chinese space station Tiangong, permanently occupied since June 5, 2022, is set to receive a new set of crew members. Shenzhou 23 is scheduled to launch atop a Chang Zheng 2F (CZ-2F) from Site 91 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Inner Mongolia province of northwest China. Launch is scheduled for Sunday, May 24, at 15:08 UTC. The rocket will fly southeast to take Shenzhou 23 and its three crew members to a low-Earth orbit inclined 41.47 degrees to the equator.
Launch Preview: Falcon 9, Electron, and Vega C launch missions alongside Starship Flight 12
1 Six launches are scheduled worldwide during the next week, with the 12th flight of SpaceX’s Starship serving as the headline. Outside of Starship, SpaceX is scheduled to launch three Starlink missions on Falcon 9 from the company’s launch facilities in California and Florida. Internationally, Avio launched the joint European and Chinese SMILE mission atop a Vega C early Tuesday morning.
SpaceX CRS-34 resupply mission to ISS delayed 24 hours
2 Just over two weeks after Progress MS-34 docked to the Station, the ISS is set to receive a new visiting vehicle loaded with cargo. A SpaceX Falcon 9 was scheduled to launch the CRS-34 cargo mission to ISS on Tuesday, May 12, at 7:16 PM EDT (23:16 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in Florida. However, it was scrubbed due to poor weather.
Artemis III core stage assembly arrives at the Kennedy Space Center
1 Nearly one month after Artemis II’s historic launch with four astronauts flying by the Moon, processing for the next Artemis flight is making progress in advance of its scheduled 2027 flight. The core stage assembly – not including the engine section – for Artemis III arrived at the turn basin at the Kennedy Space Center on Monday, April 27.
Progress MS-34 to launch from Baikonur for ISS cargo delivery
2 Two weeks after the CRS NG-24 mission launched cargo to the International Space Station (ISS), another cargo ship is ready to fly to ISS. The Progress MS-34 spacecraft is scheduled to launch atop a Soyuz 2.1a rocket from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome, during an instantaneous window on Saturday, April 25, at 22:21 UTC.
Falcon 9 launches CRS NG-24 cargo ship to ISS
2 Weeks after Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus S.S. William McCool ended its CRS NG-23 mission with a destructive reentry, another Cygnus is now flying. A Falcon 9 successfully launched the Cygnus XL S.S. Steven R. Nagel to the International Space Station, the fourth time SpaceX has launched a Cygnus spacecraft. The launch took place on Saturday, April 11 at 7:41 AM EDT (11:41 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in Florida.
Launch Preview: SLS, Falcon 9, Atlas V, and Soyuz launches comprise busy launch manifest
2 Nine launches are scheduled this week, with rockets expected to liftoff from Florida, California, Russia, Kazakhstan, and China. Most notably, NASA’s long-awaited Artemis II mission is scheduled to launch the first humans to the Moon in over 50 years on Wednesday. SpaceX has four Starlink missions scheduled for the week, with Falcon 9 launching two from Florida and two from California.
Isar Aerospace set for second launch of Spectrum rocket
3 The European private space launch provider Isar Aerospace, headquartered in Ottobrunn, Germany, is planning to fly its Spectrum small satellite launcher on its second flight. About a year after Spectrum’s first flight failed, the company has scheduled the “Onward and Upward” mission for launch on Wednesday, March 25, at 20:00 UTC from the Orbital Launch Pad at the Andøya Spaceport in Norway. The launch window lasts until 20:50 UTC. Spectrum had been scheduled to fly on Jan.
Progress MS-33 set to resume Russian flights to ISS from repaired pad
3 Just under four months after Soyuz MS-28 launched from Site 31/6 at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, an eventful flight that resulted in severe damage to critical launch pad structure, the next Russian mission to the International Space Station is set for launch.
Launch Preview: Falcon 9 to dominate another busy week of missions
6 Eight launches are scheduled worldwide this week, with Falcon 9 again dominating the launch schedule. SpaceX is set to launch a communications satellite and Starlink satellites this week from its Florida and California launch facilities. Meanwhile, Firefly Aerospace was set to launch its Alpha rocket from California on Monday, but scrubbed due to a sensor issue. Internationally, China is scheduled to launch three rockets from three different Chinese launch sites toward the end of the week.
Firefly Alpha FLTA007 “Stairway to Seven” ready for another launch attempt
80 Firefly Aerospace is returning its Alpha launch vehicle to flight after a nearly 10-month stand down following the failed FLTA006 “Message In A Booster” mission in April 2025. FLTA007 “Stairway to Seven” is now scheduled to launch from the California coast no earlier than 5:50 PM PDT on Monday, March 9 (00:50 UTC on March 10). The launch window lasts until 7:50 PM PDT on March 9 (02:50 UTC on March 10). The launch had been scheduled for Friday, Feb. 27, then Saturday, Feb.
Firefly Alpha FLTA007 “Stairway to Seven” set for launch from California coast
2 Firefly Aerospace is returning its Alpha launch vehicle to flight after a nearly 10-month stand down following the failed FLTA006 “Message In A Booster” mission in April 2025. FLTA007 “Stairway to Seven” is scheduled to launch from the California coast no earlier than 4:50 PM PST on Saturday, Feb. 28 (00:50 UTC on March 1). The launch window lasts until 8:58 PM PST on Feb. 28 (04:58 UTC on March 1). The launch had been scheduled for Friday, Feb.
Launch Preview: Firefly to launch Alpha, SpaceX to launch three Starlink missions
2 After a brief grounding earlier this month following the Starlink Group 17-32 second stage deorbit anomaly, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 returns to a regular cadence of flights with three Starlink missions this week. However, SpaceX is not the only U.S. launch provider flying this week, as Firefly Space is returning its Alpha to flight following the failed “Message In A Booster” mission in April 2025.
ULA to launch first mission of 2026 with USSF-87 aboard Vulcan
2 United Launch Alliance is preparing to fly its first mission of 2026 with the USSF-87 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Vulcan Centaur V-005, with four solid rocket boosters in the VC4S configuration, is set to launch on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 3:30 AM EST (08:30 UTC) from Space Launch Complex 41. USSF-87’s launch window lasts two hours, ending at 5:30 AM EST (10:30 UTC). The launch forecast for Thursday is favorable, with a 90% chance of acceptable weather for the flight.
Northrop Grumman tests second solid motor developed under 2025 SMART program
1 Northrop Grumman has successfully tested the Bombardment Attack Missile Motor 29! 2.0, also known as BAMM29! 2.0, solid rocket motor from a test stand at its facility in Promontory, Utah. The BAMM29! 2.0 motor was developed in eight months on an accelerated timeline, as opposed to 18 to 24 months for traditional development programs. During the SMART program’s four years, it has demonstrated the ability to progress from trades to manufacturing readiness review in as few as six months.
Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal, critical milestone to launch
2 Humanity’s first deep space crewed mission since 1972 is scheduled for no earlier than Sunday, Feb. 8, at 11:20 PM EST (04:20 UTC Monday, Feb. 9) from Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center. However, NASA has not yet chosen an official launch date, and will not do so until the Artemis II stack passes its Wet Dress Rehearsal, with a simulated T0 that had been set for Saturday, Jan. 31 at 9:00 PM EST (02:00 UTC) but is now delayed until Monday, Feb. 2 at 9:00 PM EST (02:00 UTC Tuesday Feb. 3).
Launch Roundup: GPS, Starlink, Electron launches scheduled for last week of January
2 The last week of January has a busy slate of orbital launches, with flights from Florida, California, New Zealand, and possibly China on the schedule. SpaceX plans to close out the month with the GPS III SV09 mission, along with up to three Starlink launches, while Rocket Lab’s “Bridging the Swarm” mission is being prepared for liftoff on Electron. SpaceX is also planning to start February with a Starlink launch before the week ends.
Artemis II set to roll out to LC-39B for first crewed lunar mission since 1972
2 The first human spaceflight to the vicinity of the Moon since December 1972 is set to roll out to Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center. The Orion spacecraft and its associated Space Launch System rocket, mounted on its mobile launch platform, is scheduled to roll out early on Saturday, Jan. 17. This flight is only the second mission for SLS, and its first flight with crew.
SpaceX’s Twilight rideshare mission set to fly from Vandenberg
1 Fresh off a record-shattering launch cadence in 2025, SpaceX is planning to fly its first rideshare mission of 2026 from Space Launch Complex-4E at Vandenberg Space Force Base on the central California coast. This rideshare will be the first of its kind for SpaceX, and not part of the Transporter or Bandwagon series. The Twilight rideshare mission, including NASA’s Pandora exoplanet characterization mission, is scheduled to fly on Sunday, Jan.
Northrop Grumman tests fast-developed SMART motor, looks ahead to future applications
1 Northrop Grumman Corporation (NGC), one of the largest space and defense contractors in the United States, is best known for its Space Shuttle and SLS solid rocket motors. However, it also manufactures a wide range of other solid rocket motors for space and defense applications. The company maintains and operates a program, the Solid Motor Annual Technology Demonstrator (SMART), to test new technologies and processes for building solid motors.
Launch Roundup: China, Russia, Rocket Lab, ULA join SpaceX in flying this week
2 The upcoming launch week, starting on Monday, Dec. 8, is a very busy one as 2025 enters its final stretch. At least six Chinese launches are planned from four different space centers across the country, while Russia expects to launch twice, once from Plesetsk and another from Baikonur. The United Launch Alliance is planning to fly an Atlas V mission from Florida, and Rocket Lab will fly from New Zealand.
Blue Origin unveils new spacecraft and New Glenn upgrades
3 Fresh off its highly successful NG-2 flight, which launched the ESCAPADE Mars probes and featured a successful booster landing, Blue Origin unveiled the Blue Moon Mk1 robotic lander due to fly in 2026, possibly on New Glenn’s next flight. In addition, the company announced its future New Glenn 9×4 rocket while giving the current New Glenn the 7×2 designation.
Shenzhou 22 set to launch uncrewed to Chinese Tiangong space station
5 The Shenzhou 22 mission, originally scheduled to fly next year, is now scheduled to launch on Tuesday, Nov. 25, at 04:11 UTC from Site 901 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in China’s Inner Mongolia province. Shenzhou 22, mounted atop a Chang Zheng-2F rocket, will launch without crew and dock autonomously with the Tiangong space station.
Launch Roundup: New Glenn, Viasat, & Sentinel-6B highlight busy week of launches
3 This week’s launch schedule features two high-profile launches that were pushed back after scrubs from last week, as well as the Sentinel-6B mission and two Starlink missions for SpaceX. A suborbital Electron HASTE mission from Wallops is also scheduled. New Glenn’s second launch, featuring the Mars-bound ESCAPADE payload, is now scheduled to launch no earlier than Wednesday, Nov. 12.
New Glenn’s successful static fire test clears way for launch of ESCAPADE mission
2 On Thursday, Oct. 30, Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket successfully fired its seven BE-4 engines on the first stage for 38 seconds. With this test, Blue Origin cleared the way for its upcoming launch of the Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) mission to Mars. The company currently plans to launch the second flight of its heavy-lift, partially reusable rocket on Sunday, Nov. 9, at 2:45 PM EDT (19:45 UTC).
Ariane 6 poised to launch the Sentinel-1D Earth observation satellite
1 Arianespace, Europe’s long-standing primary launch provider, is preparing to fly the Sentinel-1D Earth observation satellite aboard the third Ariane 6 launch of 2025. The flight, only the fourth ever flown by the Ariane 6, is scheduled to launch on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at 21:02 UTC from ELA-4 at the Centre Spatial Guyanais in Kourou, French Guiana. All Ariane 6 flights to date have been the Ariane 62 variant with two Avio P120C solid rocket boosters, and Flight VA265 is no exception.
Artemis spacesuits tested as existing ISS suits are showing their age
1 As the Artemis program works toward its first lunar landing on the Artemis III mission later this decade, new lunar spacesuits are finally being tested by Axiom Space. Meanwhile, the existing spacesuits aboard the International Space Station (ISS) are showing their age. A new inspector general detailed risks to the Station’s extra vehicular activity (EVA) capability caused by contractor and suit issues.
Relativity completes Terran R thrust section, continues testing ahead of first launch
1 While SpaceX’s Falcon family continues to demonstrate reliable reuse of its first stages and fairings, other launch providers are actively developing competitors. One such rocket in work is Relativity Space’s Terran R, and the company recently showed good progress in working toward the vehicle’s first flight, which is now scheduled for late next year. The first Terran R is under construction, with several components completed in recent weeks.
Japan prepares new ISS cargo vehicle as trio of cargo spacecraft deliver new experiments and hardware
2 The International Space Station (ISS) recently welcomed three spacecraft that delivered much-needed cargo to support Expedition 73’s seven-member astronaut crew, ensuring the crew and Station are supplied with food, water, clothing, and equipment. Meanwhile, the crew continued with its usual collection of experiments and maintenance tasks.
SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke, and others make major progress on Cape launch facilities
2 The two spaceport launch facilities in the Cape Canaveral area — NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and the U.S. Space Force’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) — are on the verge of even bigger changes than have been seen in the last few years. In a recent flyover of the Cape, NSF obtained new imagery that shows just how dramatically things are set to develop in the near future.
Launch Roundup: Kuiper, Starlink, IMAP headline launch manifest
1 A busy slate of launches is planned for the last full week of September, including flights for two major low-Earth orbit broadband constellations, as well as a NASA science mission. China and Rocket Lab are also planning flights, with Electron set to fly two suborbital hypersonic research missions from Wallops Island, Virginia.
SpaceX set to launch Cygnus XL to ISS on CRS NG-23 mission
1 Just days after the Progress MS-32 cargo ship launched to the International Space Station from Kazakhstan, SpaceX is preparing to launch the first flight of a stretched Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL cargo ship to the Station for an additional delivery of supplies. The Cygnus XL cargo ship, named S.S. William C. “Willie” McCool after the pilot of Columbia on STS-107, is scheduled to launch atop a Falcon 9 on the NG-23 mission on Sunday, Sept. 14, at 6:11 PM EDT (22:11 UTC).
Progress MS-32 set for launch to ISS from Baikonur
1 Just over two weeks after the CRS-33 cargo delivery to the International Space Station, another cargo ship is scheduled to fly to humanity’s orbital outpost, this time from the other side of the world. Progress MS-32, which rolled out to its launch pad on Monday, Sept. 8, is set to fly atop a Soyuz 2.1a rocket from Site 31/6 at Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan. The launch is scheduled for 17:54 UTC on Thursday, Sept.
X-37B launches USSF-36 mission aboard Falcon 9
54 The U.S. Department of Defense’s reusable X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV) has embarked on its eighth overall flight into orbit. Vehicle 1, the first X-37B to fly, launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 from the Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A on Thursday, Aug. 21, at 11:50 PM EDT (03:50 UTC on Friday, Aug. 22). The launch window was just under four hours long and lasted until 3:40 AM EDT (07:40 UTC) on Friday morning.
Launch Roundup: SpaceX, Chinese, and Russian missions make up busy week
3 A Chinese rocket, a pair of Russian missions, a trio of Falcon 9 launches, and the long-awaited tenth flight of Starship are scheduled to fly this week. In Russia, a Soyuz rocket is to fly a modernized version of the Vostok capsule that flew crewed missions in the 1960s from Baikonur, while an Angara rocket is flying from the Russian military launch site in Plesetsk.
Launch Roundup: Falcon 9, Starship, and Russia flying this week
1 A pair of Russian space missions, a trio of Falcon 9 launches, and the long-awaited Starship Flight 10 are scheduled to fly this week. A Soyuz rocket is to fly a modernized version of the Vostok capsule that flew crewed missions in the 1960s from Baikonur while an Angara rocket is flying from the Russian military launch site in Plesetsk.
East Coast sees major progress for future operations at the Cape
2 Amid recent Falcon 9 and Vulcan launches, a considerable amount of important construction work in the Cape Canaveral area has made major progress in the last few weeks. The structures under construction at the Cape will feature prominently in future spaceflight operations.
International Space Station undergoes crew handover, change of command
2 Expedition 73 aboard the International Space Station (ISS) continues to perform its scheduled science and maintenance activities on humanity’s premier orbiting outpost, now more than a quarter-century old. The Station has a new commander and a new set of crew members on the U.S. side of the complex, as four astronauts departed this week to conclude their tour of duty on board ISS. The Crew-11 mission successfully launched on Friday, Aug.
Crew-10 poised for return to Earth after months at ISS
1 Crew Dragon C210 Endurance and the Crew-10 astronauts are preparing to return to Earth following over 140 days in orbit aboard the International Space Station. The mission, commanded by NASA astronaut Anne McClain, is scheduled to undock from the Station on Wednesday, Aug. 6, at 18:05 UTC before splashing down off the west coast of the United States about six hours later.
Joint NASA-ISRO NISAR satellite ready to launch from India
3 The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing to launch the NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite aboard a Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) Mk. II rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre launch site in southeast India. The mission comes just over two months after its EOS-09 mission failed aboard a different rocket type.
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