Jeff Foust

WASHINGTON — A second successful test of a redesigned rocket motor clears the way for Europe's Vega C rocket to return to flight nearly two years after a launch failure.

WASHINGTON — United Launch Alliance's second Vulcan Centaur lifted off Oct. 4 on a test flight needed to certify the vehicle for carrying national security payloads, but may have suffered a problem with one of its solid rocket boosters.

WASHINGTON — The first satellites of a Chinese broadband constellation are significantly brighter than those of Western systems, posing a new challenge for astronomers.

COCOA BEACH, Fla. — The Federal Aviation Administration has granted approval for the Falcon 9 launch of the European Space Agency's Hera asteroid mission, but is keeping the vehicle grounded for now for other missions.

A Falcon 9 successfully launched a European asteroid mission Oct. 7 in a partial return to flight for the rocket.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Spanish startup PLD Space, currently developing a small launch vehicle, has outlined plans to work on progressively larger, reusable rockets as well as a crewed spacecraft.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Dominican Republic has signed the Artemis Accords, the 44 nation to do so, NASA announced Oct. 7.

WASHINGTON — NASA has awarded a contract to Rocket Lab to study alternative concepts for Mars Sample Return (MSR), joining several other efforts to improve the cost and schedule of the program.

WASHINGTON — A startup led by a founder of a financial services company is taking a new approach to space-based solar power intended to be more scalable and affordable than previous concepts.

WASHINGTON — As SpaceX prepares for the test flight of its Starship vehicle, NASA is closely watching as it waits for the company to achieve the next milestones on development of the lunar lander version of the vehicle.