Astronomy Prints 🌌: Editor's Choice: A new generation of launchers takes shape

10/22/2025

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By Dan Robitzski

This year is already shaping up to set records for the number of launches throughout the world.

But consider the number of milestones on the books for rocket companies not named SpaceX this month.

The German launch startup HyImpulse announced Oct. 16 that it raised 45 million euros ($53 million), which will support the development of its Small Launcher 1 (SL1), a rocket designed to place up to 600 kilograms into low Earth orbit.
On October 19, the South Korean launch startup Innospace announced that the Korea AeroSpace Administration approved its first orbital launch attempt, which could happen this month.
And the Chinese launch startup Landspace announced Oct. 20 that it is in the final stages of preparation for China's first orbital launch and landing attempt, which will likely take place next month.

For China, reusability is a critical part of the country's already-accelerating launch cadence as it starts to deploy megaconstellations in orbit. For the others, the slate of new orbital launch vehicles comes as countries seek to lessen their reliance on the United States (and SpaceX, given the country's dominance in the U.S. launch sphere) or on any foreign country for access to space as they build up their own sovereign capabilities.

As for SpaceX, progress continues on Starship development following a recent successful test, and on its own megaconstellation with a regular cadence of Starlink deployments.

Then there's the Artemis 3 mission. NASA's acting administrator Sean Duffy announced in multiple news appearances that he would "open up the [Artemis 3] contract" that SpaceX holds to land astronauts on the moon. Duffy said SpaceX is behind, and that the administration would grant the contract to whatever company can get to the moon first — ideally during Trump's presidency.

In response, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk went on the offensive, posting on social media that "Sean Dummy is trying to kill NASA!" referencing an idea that Duffy wants to fold the agency into the Department of Transportation, and posting about the Artemis 3 contract to say that "SpaceX is moving like lightning compared to the rest of the space industry."

Duffy's response? "Love the passion."

SIGNIFICANT DIGIT

€1.2M

The amount ($1.4 million) Belgian startup Nxgsat raised in seed funding to develop a virtual 5G modem, infrastructure designed to be compatible across multiple orbits.

The Orion spacecraft installed on top of the Space Launch System rocket that will launch the Artemis 2 mission. Credit: X @SecDuffyNASA

ARTEMIS 2 PREP CONTINUES DESPITE SHUTDOWN

The federal government has been shut down since Oct. 1, making this the longest full-government shutdown in United States history. But while government programs hang in limbo and layoffs and pay freezes affect millions, NASA continues to work towards its Artemis 2 mission.

On Oct. 20, NASA acting administrator Sean Duffy announced the Orion spacecraft was "fully attached" to the Space Launch System, representing the installation of the "last major hardware component before Artemis 2 launches next year."

Because NASA has not been able to update its website or social media during the shutdown, Duffy's post and his appearance on Fox News that same day were the only official announcements about the progress toward Artemis 2. At the Kennedy Space Center, where Artemis 2 launch preparations are taking place, 989 of the center's 2,075 civil servants are excepted from furloughs, although they are currently not being paid.

Trending This Week

Innovative Rocket Technologies' (iRocket) plans for a fully reusable satellite launcher got a boost from the first flight test of IRX-100, a short-range missile the startup hopes will generate near-term revenue to support its orbital Shockwave vehicle.

Commercial space station developer Axiom Space has replaced CEO Tejpaul Bhatia with Jonathan Cirtain after less than six months on the job.

Atomic-6, a composite materials manufacturer based in Marietta, Georgia, believes it has found a lighter, more resilient alternative to traditional satellite shielding.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Oct. 15 launched 21 satellites to low Earth orbit for the U.S. Space Force's Space Development Agency.

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