California-based rocket startup Astra Space became the latest private launch company to reach orbit this weekend, after it successfully launched its Rocket 3.3 vehicle from the Pacific Spaceport Complex on Kodiak Island, Alaska. The launch took place shortly after 1 a.m. Eastern U.S. time on Saturday. The mission, dubbed 'LV0007,' was the first launch since…

Rocket Lab deployed two satellites for BlackSky in its latest launch, and recovered the first stage of the Electron rocket afterward.  The mission, dubbed ‘Love At First Insight,’ took off from Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula at 1:38 UTC on Thursday. Electron delivered the two BlackSky satellites to a circular 430 km…

Arianespace launched three French military satellites on Tuesday morning in its 12th launch of the year. A Vega rocket took off from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana on Tuesday at 6:27 am local time, and orbited three CERES satellites.  The CERES satellites were developed for the French armed forces and built by contractor…

Virgin Orbit has signed an MoU with the holding company of Japan’s largest airline that paves the way for 20 LauncherOne flights from Japan.  On Nov. 4, Virgin Orbit announced the MoU with ANA Holdings, the owners of Japan’s largest airline, All Nippon Airways (ANA), which will procure 20 flights of the LauncherOne rocket and…