Author: starpathwp-production
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Northrop Grumman’s GEM 63XL Solid Rocket Boosters Propel ULA’s Vulcan Rocket on First Certified Flight
Four Northrop Grumman Corporation 63-inch-diameter extended length Graphite Epoxy Motors (GEM 63XL) delivered nearly two million pounds of thrust to help power the first certified launch of United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan rocket and the U.S. Space Force-106 mission. This launch marks the first time four GEM 63XL boosters have flown together, making it the most…
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Ursa Major Advances APKWS Laser Guidance Kit with Extended Range Motor
Ursa Major, in collaboration with BAE Systems, has completed a series of successful static fires for a new extended range variant of the solid rocket motor used for the APKWS laser-guidance kit. This next-generation rocket motor incorporates Ursa Major’s Highly Loaded Grain propellant technology, delivering enhanced range and performance without increasing the motor’s size. The…
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Redwire Launches Acorn 2.0 to Expand AI Digital Engineering for Aerospace and Defense
Redwire Corporation, a global leader in space and defense technology solutions, announced a major version release of Acorn 2.0, its advanced modeling and simulation software to support the rapid mission concept development and analysis needs of aerospace and defense customers. Built on Modular Open System Architecture (MOSA), Acorn 2.0 harnesses the power of agent-based modeling…
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Intuitive Machines Presents Proposal for NASA’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services Contract
Intuitive Machines, a leading space technology and infrastructure services company, announced it has submitted its proposal for the next phase of NASA’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services (LTVS) contract to build, fly, and operate the Intuitive Machines-led Moon RACER vehicle on the Moon. NASA is expected to announce the LTV delivery and demonstration award by the…
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Oxford Space Deploys VHF Isoflux Helical Antenna for Startical’s Echoes Project
Oxford Space Systems announces the successful in-space deployment of its large Very High Frequency (VHF) isoflux helical antenna on the IOD-2 mission for Startical‘s ECHOES project, marking a significant milestone in the advancement of space-based air traffic management (ATM). The antenna, nearly 4 metres in length and designed to operate within the 117MHz to 138MHz range,…
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US Space Force Launches L3Harris-Built NTS-3 Navigation Satellite
The L3Harris-built advanced Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3) has successfully launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket. NTS-3 is the Department of Defense’s first experimental navigation satellite system in nearly 50 years. It is also the first fully reprogrammable Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) satellite that will provide…
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Launch Roundup: SpaceX, Chinese, and Russian missions make up busy week
Two Chinese rockets, a pair of Russian missions, a trio of Falcon 9 launches, a New Shepard, an Electron, and the long-awaited tenth flight of Starship were scheduled to fly this week. In Russia, a Soyuz rocket launched a modernized version of the Vostok capsule that flew crewed missions in the 1960s from Baikonur, while…
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SpaceX flies 24 Starlink satellites on its 100th Falcon 9 rocket launch of 2025
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base to begin the Starlink 17-5 mission on Aug. 18, 2025. Image: SpaceX Update Aug. 18, 2:36 p.m. EDT: SpaceX confirmed deployment of its 24 Starlink satellites. SpaceX launched its 100th Falcon 9 rocket of the year Monday morning.…
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SpaceX schedules 10th test flight for Starship, details recent setbacks
SpaceX’s Ship 37 performs a static fire test with all six of its Raptor engines as part of prelaunch testing ahead of the Flight 10 mission for the Starship program. Image: SpaceX SpaceX is once again gearing up for a launch of its massive Starship rocket from southern Texas. On Friday, it announced plans for…
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SpaceX reveals why the last two Starships failed as another launch draws near
SpaceX is continuing with final preparations for the 10th full-scale test flight of the company’s enormous Starship rocket after receiving launch approval Friday from the Federal Aviation Administration. Engineers completed a final test of Starship’s propulsion system with a so-called “spin prime” test Wednesday at the launch site in South Texas. Ground crews then rolled…