Space News and Discussions

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https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/0 ... -centauri/

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Private German rocket makes history, reaches orbit from European soil

Last updated 11 hours ago

No rocket had ever reached orbit from Western European soil — until today.

The German company Isar Aerospace launched its Spectrum rocket from Andøya Space Center in northern Norway today (Sept. 5) at 4:12 p.m. EDT (2012 GMT; 10:12 p.m. local time in Norway). A little over seven minutes later, it etched its name into the record books, settling into an elliptical path around our planet.

"This is right now making history — making history for Spectrum, making history for Isar, making history for Europe,” Nikolaos Perakis, Spectrum chief engineer at Isar, said during today's launch webcast, which the company produced in collaboration with NASASpaceflight. "I'm incredibly proud of this massive achievement."

https://www.space.com/space-exploration ... rum-rocket

[wjfox]

https://www.technologyreview.com/2026/0 ... -centauri/

I suspect this will go the same way as Breakthrough Starshot, i.e. lots of hype, several years without any updates, and then it's quietly cancelled.

[wjfox]

Shetland spaceport project secures £30m of UK government investment

8 September 2026

The UK government has announced investment of £30m in SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland as part of a new national space strategy.

A spaceport spokesperson said the funding was a "hugely significant" vote of confidence and would unlock a further £30m of private investment.

Several companies hope to use SaxaVord in Unst, the northernmost point in the UK, as a launch site for small commercial rockets.

A government spokesperson said space was "an increasingly important domain" for keeping the country safe.

SaxaVord is the UK's first fully-licensed spaceport and has regulatory approval for up to 30 rocket launches a year.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyze8ed774o



Credit: SaxaVord Spaceport

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UK to launch military squadron to protect satellites in space

Wed 23 Sep 2026 08.57 BST

A new military unit dedicated to defending satellites, protecting services people need on Earth and potentially supporting offensive operations is being launched by the UK.

The No III Space Effects Squadron will be announced on Wednesday, with the defence secretary, Wes Streeting, warning that Britain needs to “keep pace in the new space race”.

“Control of the waves was the essential ingredient in 19th-century deterrence,” he will tell the Space Power conference.

“That is why Britain built the finest naval power in history. In the 20th century it was control of the skies, and so we built a world class air force to protect us. This century will depend on control of space.”

The new Royal Air Force (RAF) squadron will protect satellites used to warn of incoming missile attacks, provide communications and help guide ships, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... s-in-space

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Largest rocket ever built successfully enters orbit
By David Szondy
September 28, 2026

SpaceX has raised the bar for spaceflight again as its Starship, history's largest rocket, reaches Earth orbit. Despite the failure of an upper stage engine, an abort was avoided, allowing the spacecraft to reach orbit and deploy 26 Starlink satellites.

On September 28, 2026, at 7:48 CDT, the Super Heavy Booster carrying the Starship upper stage lifted off from Starbase, Texas, after a 30-minute hold due to propellant loading and system checks. This followed a dramatic beat-the-clock moment when the FAA only gave approval for the Mission 14 flight two days before the scheduled launch.

The ascent phase of the launch was marked by the failure of one of the 33 Raptor engines that power the first stage. However, the Super Heavy was designed for redundancy, as the remaining engines compensated for the loss.

https://newatlas.com/space-systems/star ... ark-event/

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