Chinese commercial launch firm Orienspace is aiming for a late 2025 debut of its Gravity-2 rocket following a recent first-stage engine hot fire test.

The European Space Agency (ESA) successfully established a transmission-reception optical link with NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment onboard its Psyche mission, located 265 million kilometres away, using two optical grounds stations developed for this purpose in Greece.

Interstellar Technologies raised 8.9 billion yen ($61.8 million) to boost development of its Zero rocket and research and development of satellite systems.

In an unprecedented move, President Donald Trump announced late July 9 that he has named Transportation Sec.

Spaceport advocates won a tax break in the budget reconciliation bill that they hope will spur investment, but the provision has also generated a political backlash.

India’s space regulator has approved services from Starlink, although SpaceX’s low Earth orbit network still needs spectrum and other clearances before it can provide broadband in the world’s most populous nation.

Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Jul 07, 2025
China has formally initiated its Tianwen-3 Mars Sample Return (MSR) mission, targeting a 2028 launch to collect and return Martian soil and rock for detailed study. Among the key contributors is Professor Yiliang LI, an astrobiologist at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), who leads a team focused on selecting a scientifically valuable landing site. As a core member of the Tianwen-3 science