Independent news and analysis covering the commercial space industry. An editorially independent publication — not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to SpaceX, xAI, or any other company mentioned.
China's Long March 9 Super Heavy Rocket Takes Shape
China reveals progress on its largest rocket ever, designed for lunar crewed missions and deep space exploration.
Axiom Space Station Module Passes Critical Design Review
The first commercial space station module clears a major milestone on its path to independent operation.
Astroscale Completes First Commercial Debris Removal
Japanese company successfully deorbits a defunct satellite, proving commercial space debris removal is viable.
Astra Closes Down, Assets Acquired by Firefly
Struggling launch startup Astra ceases operations as Firefly Aerospace acquires key assets and talent.
ESA's Ariane 6 Enters Regular Service
Europe’s new heavy launcher begins routine operations after a successful qualification campaign.
Amazon Kuiper Begins Commercial Broadband Service
Amazon’s satellite internet service goes live for initial customers after deploying its first operational satellites.
Beyond the Booster: The Harder Problem of Catching Starship's Upper Stage
SpaceX has mastered catching Super Heavy boosters with Mechazilla, but returning the Ship—Starship’s upper stage—is a fundamentally harder engineering challenge, and Flight 12 showed both the progress made and the distance still to travel.
Welcome to The Launch Pad
Introducing The Launch Pad — a new independent source for commercial space news and analysis.