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Rocket Report: New launch rule may limit environmental regulations, Falcon 9 to hit Moon
America won the first Space Race, and we can do it again.
TL;DR
- Rocket Lab received a $266 million contract for 12 suborbital launches with the US Space Force, primarily from a new Alaskan site, starting in late 2026.
- Rocket Factory Augsburg delayed its RFA One rocket's debut launch due to an issue discovered during testing.
- MaiaSpace will skip a suborbital test flight and proceed directly to an orbital launch attempt for its Maia rocket in late 2027.
- ArianeGroup completed a wet dress rehearsal for its Themis reusable booster demonstrator in Sweden.
- SpaceX was awarded two task orders totaling $1.6 billion from the US Space Force for 18 Falcon 9 launches.
- The Department of Transportation is proposing a rule to exempt commercial space launches from many environmental regulations, including NEPA.
- Boeing's CEO suggested the Starliner spacecraft could launch this year, pending NASA scheduling and space station port availability.
- Stoke Space has built three flight engines for its Nova rocket, with a potential debut launch in late 2026 or 2027.
- A Falcon 9 upper stage is predicted to impact the Moon on August 5, with the debris plume potentially visible through telescopes.
- AST SpaceMobile will use a Falcon 9 rocket for its next satellite launch in August 2026.
- SpaceX's 13th Starship test flight concluded with a successful splashdown in the Indian Ocean, and the company plans to retrieve the vehicle.
- Experts question if Starship's current heat shield can support rapid reuse for ambitious future missions, though SpaceX believes it can.
- Upcoming launches include multiple Falcon 9 Starlink missions and a Long March 8A.