Q&A with Jeff Bezos, founder of Blue Origin

Boeing and SpaceX are readying for launch abort tests in the coming weeks to validate the crew escape systems for the new human-rated Starliner and Crew Dragon spaceships, now scheduled to begin ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station in the first half of next year.

Rocket Lab’s next launch from New Zealand in August will carry four small spacecraft into orbit for BlackSky’s Earth-imaging constellation, the U.S. Air Force, and a French startup developing a fleet of maritime surveillance satellites, the company announced Monday.

Watch a view of the launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket on Jan. 7 from Cape Canaveral with the U.S. government’s top secret Zuma payload.