SpaceX opened its 2026 launch campaign with a mission for the Italian government. The company is also preparing to ramp up the pace of Starship flights.
A Chinese Long March 7 rocket carrying a cargo ship for China's Tiangong space station soars into orbit from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on July 15, 2025. This marked the first launch in 2025 and set a new record for the number of orbital launch attempts worldwide last year.
The global launch tally has been on an upward trend since 2019 but may plateau this year. SpaceX expects to launch about the same number of Falcon 9 rockets this year as it did last year.
Airspace and maritime warning notices around the Spectrum rocket's launch site in northern Norway suggest that Isar Aerospace is targeting launch no earlier than January 17. The company has raised over $640 million from venture capital investors and government-backed funds.
A faulty payload fairing may have doomed Japan’s latest H3 rocket mission, with the Japanese space agency now investigating if the shield separated abnormally and crippled the vehicle in flight after lifting off on December 21.
SpaceX opened its 2026 launch campaign with a Falcon 9 rocket launch on January 2 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The payload was Italy's Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation Flight Model 3 (CSG-FM3) satellite, a radar surveillance satellite for dual civilian and military use.
A new orbital launch site is up for grabs at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The Department of the Air Force published a request for information from launch providers to determine the level of interest in what would become the southernmost launch complex on the Western Range.
The first Falcon 9 rocket flight in 16 days, the longest stretch without a SpaceX orbital launch in four years, marked the return to orbit for the Cosmo-SkyMed mission. The second-generation satellite is part of Italy's radar surveillance program and will be used for dual civilian and military use.
The company behind the Blue Bird satellite has announced that it plans to launch between 45 and 60 satellites by the end of this year, competing with SpaceX's Starlink network in the direct-to-cell market.
A Chinese Long March 7 rocket carrying a cargo ship for China's Tiangong space station soars into orbit from the Wenchang Space Launch Site on July 15, 2025. This marked the first launch in 2025 and set a new record for the number of orbital launch attempts worldwide last year.
The global launch tally has been on an upward trend since 2019 but may plateau this year. SpaceX expects to launch about the same number of Falcon 9 rockets this year as it did last year.
Airspace and maritime warning notices around the Spectrum rocket's launch site in northern Norway suggest that Isar Aerospace is targeting launch no earlier than January 17. The company has raised over $640 million from venture capital investors and government-backed funds.
A faulty payload fairing may have doomed Japan’s latest H3 rocket mission, with the Japanese space agency now investigating if the shield separated abnormally and crippled the vehicle in flight after lifting off on December 21.
SpaceX opened its 2026 launch campaign with a Falcon 9 rocket launch on January 2 from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The payload was Italy's Cosmo-SkyMed Second Generation Flight Model 3 (CSG-FM3) satellite, a radar surveillance satellite for dual civilian and military use.
A new orbital launch site is up for grabs at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The Department of the Air Force published a request for information from launch providers to determine the level of interest in what would become the southernmost launch complex on the Western Range.
The first Falcon 9 rocket flight in 16 days, the longest stretch without a SpaceX orbital launch in four years, marked the return to orbit for the Cosmo-SkyMed mission. The second-generation satellite is part of Italy's radar surveillance program and will be used for dual civilian and military use.
The company behind the Blue Bird satellite has announced that it plans to launch between 45 and 60 satellites by the end of this year, competing with SpaceX's Starlink network in the direct-to-cell market.
! but have you seen those prices they're charging for satellite launches? crazy expensive 
! can't we just make our own satellites or something? 
and btw what's up with all these new launch sites popping up everywhere? vandenberg space force base is getting a new one soon 
? that's gonna be lit 
... but i gotta wonder, are we overcompensating on this whole space racing thing? like, can't we just chill and work together for the greater good of space exploration? 
and now they're raising all this cash from investors 
. what's next? a satellite launch every hour or something? 
i'm not saying it can't happen, but the pace of launches is insane 
.
. And what's with all these new companies popping up? Isar Aerospace, Blue Bird satellite... it's like a space Wild West 
. And don't even get me started on China's Long March 7 rocket 
. It's just crazy, man 
.
like spacex is killin it w/ these launches & now they're talkin bout rampin up starship flights?! 
what's good w/ the space agencies tho? 
anyway, another company called isar aerospace is gettin ready 2 launch a spectrum rocket in norway 
& spacex just landed a major contract w/ the italian gov 
gotta stay tuned for more updates cuz this space game is gettin intense 
.
. Can't we just have a few less options for our rockets to choose from?! 
I'm skeptical about this whole "direct-to-cell" market thing... sounds like just another way for corporations to make money off us. And don't even get me started on the environmental impact 
. We need to think about the bigger picture here, not just how many satellites we can launch in a row.
gotta say, it's kinda mind-blowing thinking about how many objects are out there right now...
. Like, who needs that many orbiting objects cluttering up our skies? Can't we just have a nice quiet universe for once? 
And can you imagine having more launch sites in California? It'll be amazing to see how this will boost innovation and progress! 
Isar Aerospace is raising a ton of cash like $640 million 
how SpaceX is still ramping up Starship flights, maybe we'll see some new developments soon?
so we got spacex launching italian satelite into orbit and japanese rocket failing what about that new orbital launch site at vandenberg space force base tho? 
With China's Long March 7 rocket and Isar Aerospace's Spectrum rocket making headlines, it's clear that the competition is intensifying. 
The introduction of new orbital launch sites like Vandenberg Space Force Base in California promises to further accelerate the growth of the space industry. 
However, it remains to be seen whether this surge in launches will plateau or continue unabated, as suggested by SpaceX's expectations for a similar number of Falcon 9 rockets this year compared to last. 
The fact that Italy got its own satellite launch with SpaceX on their first mission of 2026 is pretty cool too 
. Anyway, gotta keep an eye on what's going down in space 
. The fact that they were able to get back on track with such a big launch just two days later is really impressive.