The Exploration Upper Stage is intended for use on the Block 1B version of SLS starting with Artemis 4. Credit: NASA LAS VEGAS — House appropriators want NASA to examine alternatives to a new upper stage for the Space Launch System despite an uncertain long-term future for the vehicle. To continue reading this article: Register now and get3 free articles every month. You’ll also receive our weekly SpaceNews This Week newsletter every Friday. Opt-out at any time. Sign in to an existing accoun...

NASA’s twin ESCAPADE spacecraft being prepares for shipment to Florida for a second launch attempt on Blue Origin’s New Glenn. Credit: Rocket Lab WASHINGTON — Blue Origin has confirmed that a NASA Mars smallsat mission, bumped from the inaugural launch of the New Glenn rocket, will be on the vehicle’s second flight later this year. To continue reading this article: Register now and get3 free articles every month. You’ll also receive our weekly SpaceNews This Week newsletter every Frida...

Portal Space System’s Supernova uses sunlight to power a thermal propulsion system that can allow spacecraft to move rapidly between orbits. Credit: Portal Space Systems PARIS — Portal Space Systems will create a second factory to scale up production of high-performance in-space vehicles as it gears up for initial test flights in 2026. The company announced at the Paris Air Show June 17 that it will establish a second factory, five kilometers from its current facilities in Bothell, Washi...

Dawn Aerospace’s Mark 2 Aurora vehicle during an test flight. Credit: Dawn Aerospace WASHINGTON — Dawn Aerospace has announced the first order for its Aurora suborbital spaceplane, signing a deal to fly the vehicle from Oklahoma. The New Zealand company said June 12 it signed a binding partnership with the Oklahoma Space Industry Development Authority (OSIDA) to operate the Aurora Mark 2 vehicle from the Oklahoma Air and Space Port. Flights of the vehicle from Oklahoma are scheduled to b...

Boeing’s Starliner undocks from the International Space Station at the conclusion of the Crew Flight Test mission. Credit: NASA WASHINGTON — A year after the launch of a flawed crewed test flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner, NASA has yet to determine the next mission for the spacecraft with mixed signals about the vehicle’s future. In a statement June 6, NASA said it was still studying options for the next flight of Starliner, expected no earlier than early 2026. That includes whet...