Posted: Sat, Aug 30 10:33 AM ET (1433 GMT)
Rocket Lab took a step closer to the first launch of its Neutron rocket by opening the vehicle’s launch site. A ceremony Thursday formally inaugurated Launch Complex 3, the pad the company built at Wallops Island, Virginia, to host Neutron. The pad features a launch stand, in place of a tower or strongback, a design the company said is intended to minimize refurbishment between launches. The completion of the pad is a step towards the first Neutron launch, with Rocket Lab executives holding to a “green-light schedule” that would allow that launch to take place before the end of the year, provided everything goes as planned.

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  Defense News article
•  Aviation Week article
•  Rocket Lab press release

Posted: Sat, Aug 30 10:28 AM ET (1428 GMT)
Two European companies won contracts to launch technology demonstration missions. ESA announced Wednesday it selected Avio and Isar Aerospace for the first awards in the Flight Ticket Initiative it runs in collaboration with the European Commission. Avio will launch three tech demo payloads as rideshares on a future Vega C launch, while Isar will carry two payloads on a Spectrum launch. ESA and the EU created the Flight Ticket Initiative to provide ways for European companies and organizations to test technologies in orbit. It also provides new competitive opportunities for European launch companies.

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  European Spaceflight article
•  ESA press release

SpaceX flies Falcon 9 booster for 30th time
Posted: Sat, Aug 30 10:27 AM ET (1427 GMT)
SpaceX reached a new milestone in booster reuse with a Starlink launch early Thursday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at...

Starship flies successful 10th test flight
Posted: Sat, Aug 30 10:26 AM ET (1426 GMT)
SpaceX’s Starship vehicle performed a largely successful test flight Tuesday after a string of failures. The Starship/Super Heavy vehicle lifted off from Starbase,...

EchoStar sells spectrum to fund satellite constellation
Posted: Sat, Aug 30 10:21 AM ET (1421 GMT)
EchoStar is selling spectrum to AT&T in a deal that should boost its efforts to deploy a direct-to-device satellite constellation. EchoStar will...