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SpaceX Launches 29 Starlink Satellites on Falcon 9 in Early-Morning Florida Liftoff
SpaceX has launched its first Starlink mission of 2026, sending 29 satellites into low Earth orbit aboard a new Falcon 9 rocket. The booster completed a successful landing at sea, while the mission further expanded the company’s global broadband network, which now serves remote regions with limited internet access.
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Space Rocket Crashes in 2025: Why This Year Saw an Unusually High Number of Orbital Launch Failures
A wave of launch failures marked the global space race in 2025, with rockets from the US, China, Japan, India, South Korea and Europe suffering fiery mishaps. From Starship test explosions to failed orbital insertions and crashed lunar landers, setbacks underscored the risks of rapid innovation.
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Celestis to Send Human Ashes Beyond the Moon on Deep-Space Memorial Flight in 2026
Celestis, a Texas-based pioneer of space memorial services, is preparing its next deep-space mission, Infinite Flight, scheduled for late 2026. Launched aboard Stoke Space’s fully reusable Nova rocket from Cape Canaveral, the mission will carry cremated remains and DNA samples beyond the Moon into a permanent solar orbit. Part of Celestis’s Voy...
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Russia Patents Rotating Space Station Concept to Generate Artificial Gravity in Orbit
Russia’s Energia rocket company has patented a rotating space station concept designed to generate artificial gravity for astronauts. The system would use spinning habitable modules to simulate half of Earth’s gravity, potentially reducing health risks linked to long missions as the International Space Station nears retirement.
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ISRO’s LVM3 Rocket Successfully Launches US BlueBird Block-2 Satellite
ISRO successfully launched the US-built BlueBird Block-2 communications satellite aboard its heavy-lift LVM3 rocket from Sriharikota. Weighing 6.1 tonnes, the satellite was placed into a 520-kilometre low Earth orbit to support space-based cellular broadband for smartphones. The fully commercial mission, conducted for AST SpaceMobile, highlights In...
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South Korean Startup Innospace Fails on First Orbital Launch Attempt of Hanbit-Nano Rocket
South Korean startup Innospace failed during its first orbital launch attempt as the Hanbit-Nano rocket crashed about a minute after liftoff from Brazil. The mission marked the country’s first private orbital launch effort and carried satellites from Brazil and India. The cause of the failure remains unclear, and the company is expected to invest...
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Japan’s H3 Rocket Suffers Setback as Michibiki 5 Navigation Satellite Launch Fails
The Japanese H3 rocket failed to place the Michibiki 5 satellite in orbit, marking the second launch failure in seven missions.
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Chinese Spacecraft Nearly Slammed Into Starlink Satellite, SpaceX Reveals
A Starlink satellite narrowly avoided a collision after a spacecraft launched by a Chinese rocket passed within 200 meters in orbit. SpaceX warned that the incident highlights growing safety risks caused by poor coordination as Earth’s orbital environment becomes increasingly crowded with satellites.
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China Launches Three Long March Rockets in Under 19 Hours, Setting New National Record
China made spaceflight history by launching three Long March rockets within just 19 hours, setting a national record. The missions expanded broadband satellite networks and deployed new military and communications spacecraft, highlighting the country’s rapidly growing launch capabilities and ambitious space expansion efforts.
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SpaceX Expands Starlink Network With 29-Satellite Falcon 9 Launch
SpaceX has launched 29 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit from California, expanding its broadband constellation to more than 9,100 active spacecraft. The reusable Falcon 9 booster completed its 12th mission with a successful ocean landing, highlighting SpaceX’s push toward rapid, low-cost, global internet coverage.
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China's Zhuque-3 Reaches Orbit but Booster Explodes in Failed Landing Attempt
China’s private launch company, LandSpace, successfully sent its Zhuque-3 rocket to low Earth orbit on its maiden flight, delivering its payload with an expendable upper stage. But the mission took a dramatic turn during recovery when one of the booster’s engines stalled in the landing burn, causing the stage to erupt in flames just meters from...
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SpaceX Adds 29 New Starlink Satellites in Successful Falcon 9 Launch
SpaceX successfully launched 29 new Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on December 2, 2025. The satellites were deployed about 65 minutes after liftoff, pushing the operational constellation past 9,100 units. The Falcon 9’s first-stage booster also completed its 25th landing on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas....
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NASA Launches Rescue Mission to Save the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Observatory
NASA is preparing an unprecedented mission to save the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a key gamma-ray burst monitor launched in 2004 but now rapidly losing altitude. Partnering with Katalyst Space Technologies, NASA will send a robotic servicer on a Pegasus XL rocket to rendezvous with Swift, inspect it, and raise it to a stable orbit. The effort ...
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Blue Origin Joins SpaceX in Orbital Booster Reuse Era With New Glenn’s Successful Launch and Landing
Blue Origin’s New Glenn successfully launched NASA’s ESCAPADE mission to Mars on November 13, 2025, marking its second flight and its first ocean booster landing on the ship Jacklyn. The mission deploys twin satellites built by Rocket Lab to study how the solar wind strips Mars’ atmosphere during a 22-month journey to the Red Planet.
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Galactic Energy Ceres-1 Mission Fails to Reach Orbit in Rare Setback
In November 2025, China’s Galactic Energy suffered a setback when its Ceres-1 rocket failed to reach orbit, losing three satellites launched from Jiuquan. The premature engine cutoff ended the mission early. Despite the failure, the company has pledged improvements to enhance the reliability and performance of future commercial launches.
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SpaceX Launches 29 Starlink Satellites on Falcon 9 in Early-Morning Florida Liftoff
SpaceX has launched its first Starlink mission of 2026, sending 29 satellites into low Earth orbit aboard a new Falcon 9 rocket. The booster completed a successful landing at sea, while the mission further expanded the company’s global broadband network, which now serves remote regions with limited internet access.
-
Space Rocket Crashes in 2025: Why This Year Saw an Unusually High Number of Orbital Launch Failures
A wave of launch failures marked the global space race in 2025, with rockets from the US, China, Japan, India, South Korea and Europe suffering fiery mishaps. From Starship test explosions to failed orbital insertions and crashed lunar landers, setbacks underscored the risks of rapid innovation.
-
Celestis to Send Human Ashes Beyond the Moon on Deep-Space Memorial Flight in 2026
Celestis, a Texas-based pioneer of space memorial services, is preparing its next deep-space mission, Infinite Flight, scheduled for late 2026. Launched aboard Stoke Space’s fully reusable Nova rocket from Cape Canaveral, the mission will carry cremated remains and DNA samples beyond the Moon into a permanent solar orbit. Part of Celestis’s Voy...
-
Russia Patents Rotating Space Station Concept to Generate Artificial Gravity in Orbit
Russia’s Energia rocket company has patented a rotating space station concept designed to generate artificial gravity for astronauts. The system would use spinning habitable modules to simulate half of Earth’s gravity, potentially reducing health risks linked to long missions as the International Space Station nears retirement.
-
ISRO’s LVM3 Rocket Successfully Launches US BlueBird Block-2 Satellite
ISRO successfully launched the US-built BlueBird Block-2 communications satellite aboard its heavy-lift LVM3 rocket from Sriharikota. Weighing 6.1 tonnes, the satellite was placed into a 520-kilometre low Earth orbit to support space-based cellular broadband for smartphones. The fully commercial mission, conducted for AST SpaceMobile, highlights In...
-
South Korean Startup Innospace Fails on First Orbital Launch Attempt of Hanbit-Nano Rocket
South Korean startup Innospace failed during its first orbital launch attempt as the Hanbit-Nano rocket crashed about a minute after liftoff from Brazil. The mission marked the country’s first private orbital launch effort and carried satellites from Brazil and India. The cause of the failure remains unclear, and the company is expected to invest...
-
Japan’s H3 Rocket Suffers Setback as Michibiki 5 Navigation Satellite Launch Fails
The Japanese H3 rocket failed to place the Michibiki 5 satellite in orbit, marking the second launch failure in seven missions.
-
Chinese Spacecraft Nearly Slammed Into Starlink Satellite, SpaceX Reveals
A Starlink satellite narrowly avoided a collision after a spacecraft launched by a Chinese rocket passed within 200 meters in orbit. SpaceX warned that the incident highlights growing safety risks caused by poor coordination as Earth’s orbital environment becomes increasingly crowded with satellites.
-
China Launches Three Long March Rockets in Under 19 Hours, Setting New National Record
China made spaceflight history by launching three Long March rockets within just 19 hours, setting a national record. The missions expanded broadband satellite networks and deployed new military and communications spacecraft, highlighting the country’s rapidly growing launch capabilities and ambitious space expansion efforts.
-
SpaceX Expands Starlink Network With 29-Satellite Falcon 9 Launch
SpaceX has launched 29 Starlink satellites into low Earth orbit from California, expanding its broadband constellation to more than 9,100 active spacecraft. The reusable Falcon 9 booster completed its 12th mission with a successful ocean landing, highlighting SpaceX’s push toward rapid, low-cost, global internet coverage.
-
China's Zhuque-3 Reaches Orbit but Booster Explodes in Failed Landing Attempt
China’s private launch company, LandSpace, successfully sent its Zhuque-3 rocket to low Earth orbit on its maiden flight, delivering its payload with an expendable upper stage. But the mission took a dramatic turn during recovery when one of the booster’s engines stalled in the landing burn, causing the stage to erupt in flames just meters from...
-
SpaceX Adds 29 New Starlink Satellites in Successful Falcon 9 Launch
SpaceX successfully launched 29 new Starlink satellites aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on December 2, 2025. The satellites were deployed about 65 minutes after liftoff, pushing the operational constellation past 9,100 units. The Falcon 9’s first-stage booster also completed its 25th landing on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas....
-
NASA Launches Rescue Mission to Save the Swift Gamma-Ray Burst Observatory
NASA is preparing an unprecedented mission to save the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, a key gamma-ray burst monitor launched in 2004 but now rapidly losing altitude. Partnering with Katalyst Space Technologies, NASA will send a robotic servicer on a Pegasus XL rocket to rendezvous with Swift, inspect it, and raise it to a stable orbit. The effort ...
-
Blue Origin Joins SpaceX in Orbital Booster Reuse Era With New Glenn’s Successful Launch and Landing
Blue Origin’s New Glenn successfully launched NASA’s ESCAPADE mission to Mars on November 13, 2025, marking its second flight and its first ocean booster landing on the ship Jacklyn. The mission deploys twin satellites built by Rocket Lab to study how the solar wind strips Mars’ atmosphere during a 22-month journey to the Red Planet.
-
Galactic Energy Ceres-1 Mission Fails to Reach Orbit in Rare Setback
In November 2025, China’s Galactic Energy suffered a setback when its Ceres-1 rocket failed to reach orbit, losing three satellites launched from Jiuquan. The premature engine cutoff ended the mission early. Despite the failure, the company has pledged improvements to enhance the reliability and performance of future commercial launches.
