#rockets

All articles tagged with "rockets"

Thales upgrades its laser guided rocket with new LiDAR sensor to target drones - Breaking Defense

Military

Thales adds LiDAR sensor to anti-drone guided rocket

Key Takeaways

Thales launched a new LGR275 Proxy rocket with a LiDAR proximity sensor.
The upgrade is intended specifically for counter-drone missions.
Thales Belgium expects guided rocket production to reach 20,000 units annually by 2028.

DT Editorial Team·Jun 15, 2026·via breakingdefense.com

SpaceX’s Starship V3 Reaches Key Milestones Despite Engine Problems

Key Takeaways

The redesigned Starship V3 completed a partial-success test flight.
Major milestones included stage separation and payload deployment.
Engine and booster issues remain central technical challenges.

DT Editorial Team·May 24, 2026·via universetoday.com

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DAF study finds new space launch site 'probably' required - Breaking Defense

Military

Space Force Study Points to Need for a New U.S. Heavy-Launch Range

Key Takeaways

Air Force Secretary Troy Meink said a new study shows the U.S. probably needs another heavy-launch-capable site.
The Space Force alone is planning roughly 1,000 launches between fiscal 2027 and 2031.
Current launch infrastructure at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg is emerging as a national bottleneck.

DT Editorial Team·May 21, 2026·via breakingdefense.com

Zenk Space Raises $26 Million Ahead of Planned June Orbital Debut

Key Takeaways

Zenk Space raised 180 million yuan, or about $26 million.
The funding is intended to support the June debut launch of the Zhihang-1 rocket.
Zhihang-1 is designed to carry up to 4,000 kilograms to sun-synchronous orbit.
The company is pursuing partial recovery of the engine bay rather than full first-stage reuse.

DT Editorial Team·May 18, 2026·via spacenews.com

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Once again, SpaceX has set a new record for the tallest rocket ever built

News

SpaceX Readies Taller, More Powerful Starship V3 for First Flight

Key Takeaways

SpaceX has fully stacked the first Starship Version 3 at Starbase, Texas.
The new vehicle is 408 feet tall and includes upgraded Raptor engines and revised booster hardware.
Version 3 is expected to support in-orbit refueling tests needed for future lunar missions.

DT Editorial Team·May 12, 2026·via arstechnica.com

India’s Skyroot has become a space unicorn just before its first orbital test

Key Takeaways

Skyroot raised $60 million, bringing total funding to $160 million and valuation to $1.1 billion.
The company says Vikram-1 could launch in the weeks following the announcement.
A successful flight would mark India’s first privately developed orbital rocket launch.

DT Editorial Team·May 9, 2026·via spacenews.com

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Space

Space Force sharply raises demand for heavy-lift launches, tightening pressure on a thin national security market

Key Takeaways

The Space Force plans to add 25 high-energy missions between 2027 and 2029.
The original Phase 3 Lane 2 plan covered 54 missions over five years.
Only SpaceX and ULA are currently certified for these missions, and only SpaceX is flying them now.
The Pentagon’s fiscal 2027 budget request includes about $5 billion for 31 national security launches.

DT Editorial Team·Apr 25, 2026·via spacenews.com

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Space

Astrobotic puts rotating-detonation rocket engine through extended tests

Key Takeaways

Astrobotic tested two Chakram engine prototypes for a combined 470 seconds.
The company says a 300-second burn was the longest yet for an RDRE.
Astrobotic wants to use the technology in future lunar landers and suborbital vehicles.

DT Editorial Team·Apr 25, 2026·via spacenews.com

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Blue Origin's rocket reuse achievement marred by upper stage failure

News

Blue Origin Reuses a New Glenn Booster for the First Time, but Upper Stage Failure Clouds the Milestone

Key Takeaways

Blue Origin reflown and recovered a New Glenn booster for the first time.
The landing marked the second flight of booster Never Tell Me The Odds.
An upper stage problem prevented the mission from ending as a full success.
The result advances Blue Origin’s reuse goals but leaves reliability questions unresolved.

DT Editorial Team·Apr 20, 2026·via arstechnica.com

Blue Origin tests refurbished New Glenn booster ahead of possible Sunday launch

Key Takeaways

Blue Origin fired the seven BE-4 engines on its first previously flown New Glenn booster for about 20 seconds on April 16, 2026.
The rocket could launch AST SpaceMobile’s BlueBird-7 satellite as soon as Sunday, April 19, 2026, pending data review.
Blue Origin replaced the booster’s engines for this flight, showing it is still refining how New Glenn reuse will work in practice.

DT Editorial Team·Apr 18, 2026·via spaceflightnow.com

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