Author
Seth Kurkowski
SethKurkManaging Editor at Space Explored
Seth Kurkowski covers launches and general space news for Space Explored. He has been following launches from Florida since 2018.
Seth’s first launch was SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy Demo in February of 2018 and has been hooked on them ever since.
He also helped startSpace Coast Launch Ambassadors, an outreach group advocating for space exploration while helping the general public enjoy rocket launches from the Space Coast.
Seth co-hosts the Space Explored weekly podcast as well as theRapid Unscheduled Discussions podcast both of which you can listen to here on SpaceExplored.com
Email tips, pitches, typos, and feedback tokurk@spaceexplored.com.
Follow: Twitter@SethKurk + Instagram@sethkurk.
Connect with Seth Kurkowski
Blue Origin pauses New Shepard flights for work on lunar projects

In astatement today,Blue Origin announced it was pausing all New Shepard launches for at least two years in order to shift its priorities to its lunar programs in support of national initiatives. This comes as the company has made multiple moves to bolster itself as a new player in national defense and civil space.
ExpandExpandingCloseBlue Origin is working on its own thousand satellite constellation

Blue Origin announced yet another project it had undertaken for its missions for space domination across all sectors. Called Terrawave, it will be a constellation of over 5,000 satellites designed to bring symmetrical, high-speed internet connections worldwide.
ExpandExpandingCloseArtemis 2’s ride to space is at the pad to begin prelaunch tests

After a four-mile ride,Artemis 2‘s Space Launch System arrived at its launch site ahead of a pre-launch test that will determine when NASA’s return to human flights to the Moon can begin.
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SpaceX Crew-11 successfully returns home after crew medical evacuation

Early Thursday morning, the crew ofSpaceX Crew-11 safely splashed down off the coast of California. The crew completed their long-duration mission on the International Space Station but had it cut short by a handful of weeks due to a crew medical concern, warranting an early return.
ExpandExpandingCloseWhen can Artemis 2 launch this spring?

NASA shared the launch data available for itsArtemis 2 mission to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time in over 50 years. There are a lot of stipulations regarding when Artemis 2’s SLS rocket can launch, which also means there are far fewer days than you may think.
ExpandExpandingCloseSpaceX Crew-11 to return early after astronaut health concern on ISS

NASA announced on January 8 that it will return its SpaceX Crew-11 mission to evacuate a crew member from theISS after he suffered a medical concern on January 7.
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Artemis 2’s rocket will roll to the pad in less than two weeks

We’re getting closer and closer to the beginning of launch operations for NASA’s Artemis 2 mission around the Moon; the first crewed mission to the Moon since the 1970s. The rocket, NASA’sSpace Launch System, will begin its launch readiness with its rollout to Launch Complex 39B in just a few weeks.
ExpandExpandingCloseNASA’s Artemis 2 rocket will sport decals to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary

NASA’s Artemis 2 mission is getting closer and closer, being just over a month away, and that means the rocket is getting ready for launch. TheSpace Launch System received some special decal work for its launch in February; “America 250” can be seen in a recent NASA picture on both the rocket’s boosters.
ExpandExpandingCloseOut with the new and in with the old, NASA cans EV Artemis crew transport

In what was supposed to be a charge into the new future of lunar exploration and electric vehicles, NASA’s Artemis program has once again taken a step into the past.TechCrunch reports that the agency, alongside other government agencies, will no longer use Canoo’s EV vans for crew transport of Artemis astronauts.
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ULA CEO, Tory Bruno, leaves for new position at Blue Origin

In what could be the most shocking news of 2025,Tory Bruno, long-time CEO of United Launch Alliance, resigned and joined competitor Blue Origin last month. Bruno will now head up Blue Origin’s National Security Group, a specialty of ULA that Bruno helped hone during his leadership.
ExpandExpandingCloseJared Isaacman will donate his NASA Administrator salary to Space Camp

In what was very much a not-normal confirmation process, today marks day one ofJared Isaacman‘s tenure as NASA Administrator. The billionaire and commercial astronaut will now be able to take over the reins and begin managing the largest space agency in the world.
ExpandExpandingCloseWhat is a Type II civilization?

Saturday,Elon Musk made a long post to his social media site, X, discussing a future where AI computation is moved to satellites for quicker relays. In it, he mentioned the upgrade to a “Kardashev II civilization.” What is a type II civilization?
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SpaceX’s Starship mishap could give Blue Origin the edge in stealing Artemis 3’s landing contract

SpaceX is once again facing a setback in getting itsStarship rocket closer to being operational. Meanwhile, Blue Origin is taking slow but steady steps toward having a capable Mark 1 lunar lander. Would NASA be silly not to switch providers for Artemis 3’s lander?
ExpandExpandingCloseThere are now only two customers left for ULA’s Atlas V rocket

I’m not sure if ULA’sAtlas V ever got this nickname officially, but I’m going to coin it anyway, the “Queen of Space,” which recently hit another milestone towards its retirement: it is down to just two customers for its remaining 11 flights.
ExpandExpandingCloseWhat are Blue Origin’s New Glenn goals for 2026?

The new year is right around the corner, and with that come new goals, records, and the arrival of new players in the space realm. The most promising to shake things up, Blue Origin, is just now making its new-space prime entrance. What does 2026 have in store for its big rocket, theNew Glenn?
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Russia launches new crew to ISS

A new crew of three launched and arrived at theInternational Space Station after lifting off from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan early this morning. The crew will replace the existing Soyuz crew on the ISS; both crews consist of two Russian cosmonauts and one NASA astronaut.
ExpandExpandingCloseBlue Origin just entered a new, very exclusive club

Yesterday, Blue Origin successfully launched its secondNew Glenn rocket from LC-36 in Florida. While a second successful mission is enough to celebrate, what happened at the end of the mission is bigger news for the company and the industry.
ExpandExpandingClose
Watch Blue Origin launch its second New Glenn rocket for NASA
Blue Origin is attempting to launch its secondNew Glenn rocket from LC-36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The mission will carry NASA’s ESCAPADE payload to Mars for a tech demonstration of low-cost interplanetary exploration.
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Rocket Lab officially delays its bigger rocket debut to next year

Rocket Lab is no longer planning on getting itsNeutron rocket to the launch pad for its first flight by the end of this year. Not a surprise to many, but the debut flight of what could be a real Falcon 9 competitor is now scheduled for Q1 of 2026.
ExpandExpandingCloseLast night’s awesome Northern Lights are scrubbing rocket launches

For most of the nation last night, the Northern Lights, or officially named theAurora Borealis, were visible in an awesome display. This is due to a powerful solar storm coming from our Sun; however, that same storm that’s causing the beautiful nighttime display is also causing issues for the space industry who are trying to get rockets launched.
ExpandExpandingCloseWhen will Astra return to launching rockets?

A company that has been out of the limelight for a while,Astra is quietly getting itself ready to re-emerge as a hopeful commercial launch contender. But should we even expect to see Astra rockets fly again?
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Why did Blue Origin’s New Glenn launch scrub?

After an hour and a half attempt, Blue Origin scrubbed itsNew Glenn NG-2 mission due to weather concerns. It wasn’t the only issue the company ran into during the countdown, but why did weather specifically cause the delay? And when will it launch again?
ExpandExpandingCloseBlue Origin sets its eyes on Mars with second New Glenn launch

Blue Origin’s secondNew Glenn mission, NG-2, is finally on the launch pad and ready for its next flight. This could be a pivotal moment for the company as it is full of multiple firsts and features a NASA mission to Mars.
ExpandExpandingCloseActing NASA Administrator’s post gets embarrassingly fact checked

Last week,NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy shared a major accomplishment for President Trump’s space program. The issue is that the accomplishment he was talking about has nothing to do with President Trump’s space plans and began even before President Trump’s first term.
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