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Tech News
NASA has accelerated its DAVINCI atmospheric probe mission to Venus, now set for a December 2030 launch, a year earlier than previously scheduled. Its sister mission, the VERITAS orbiter, is slated to launch in November 2032, while ESA's EnVision orbiter is also planned for 2032, and Rocket Lab hopes to send a privately funded cloud-sampling probe as early as next year.
United Launch Alliance is targeting no earlier than October 29 for its next Vulcan rocket launch, carrying an Amazon Leo mission, according to the Rocket Report. A second Amazon Leo flight on Vulcan is also planned before the end of the year, contingent on the rocket's solid rocket boosters performing as expected.
SpaceX's stock price has increased throughout October, approaching the peak levels seen in June when the company first listed on Nasdaq. The rally appears to be driven by multiple factors, though specific reasons are not detailed.
Rocket Lab announced a new agreement with Japanese radar-imaging company Synspective covering 20 additional Electron launches, its largest single launch services agreement to date. This extends Synspective's total bookings with Rocket Lab to 47 missions, including 13 already flown since 2020 carrying the company's StriX radar satellites. The deal follows Rocket Lab's most recent Synspective launch on September 25.
Canada Rocket Company, one of three firms awarded government funding under the Launch the North program, says it will bypass building a small rocket and move directly to developing a medium-lift launch vehicle. CEO Hugh Kolias said the decision followed consultations with about 150 engineers, including senior Starship staff, who argued a small rocket wouldn't meaningfully reduce development risk. The initial government awards to NordSpace, Reaction Dynamics, and Canada Rocket Company totaled CAD 8.33 million, with larger funding signaled for the future.
SpaceX's Starship rocket completed a test flight reaching orbital velocity, marking the first time the vehicle has achieved this milestone after multiple prior attempts ended in failure. The flight demonstrated key systems needed for the spacecraft's eventual role in deep-space missions, though the company still faces significant engineering hurdles before Starship can be used commercially.
Florida startup Star Catcher is launching a prototype system on a SpaceX rocket to beam concentrated solar energy via laser to a separate orbiting satellite. CEO Andrew Rush says the system, called power nodes, gathers and refines sunlight into concentrated wavelengths that can then be directed as a laser beam toward satellites needing power.
SpaceX is preparing to launch the fourteenth test flight of its Starship rocket on Monday, marking a new attempt after 13 previous missions. The flight is described as attempting a milestone the vehicle has not achieved in any prior test.
Satellite operators are finding it harder to book rides to orbit as SpaceX scales back its workhorse rocket in favor of newer vehicles, while competing launch companies have yet to ramp up capacity to match demand. The resulting supply crunch is forcing smaller satellite makers and researchers to compete more aggressively for limited slots.
Italian launch provider Avio says it is fielding a wave of new customer inquiries after SpaceX told several prospective clients it would not accept new commercial Falcon 9 orders. Avio CEO Giulio Ranzo said some of these spurned customers lobbied European institutions at the International Space Summit in Paris for subsidies to offset the higher cost of flying on Europe's Vega C, which reportedly runs about $60 million per launch.
NASA plans to announce as soon as next week that it will order two additional crewed missions from Boeing's Starliner, help fund fixes to its thruster problems, and support certifying the capsule for launch on a new rocket. The move comes after SpaceX told NASA officials it intends to retire Crew Dragon by 2030 or sooner as it shifts focus toward Starship and Starlink-related business.
Employees of Build A Rocket Boy have posted on LinkedIn that their jobs are ending, and Kotaku reports the studio is shutting down entirely. The closure follows the disastrous June 2025 launch of MindsEye, which prompted PlayStation refunds, multiple layoff rounds, and founder Leslie Benzies' claims of internal and external sabotage.