Video: Falcon 9 rocket fires engines in pre-launch test (members only)

Eutelsat is the first commercial company to commit to launching on Europe’s new Ariane 6 rocket, under a five-launch agreement announced Monday in conjunction with fresh contracts for Arianespace to haul a French spy satellite and a pair of Indian communications satellites into orbit.

The privately-funded Israeli Beresheet lunar lander is ready for its historic mission to the moon, aiming to become the first space probe to land on another planetary body without government funding.

Curt Blake, president of Spaceflight Industries, spoke with Spaceflight Now’s Stephen Clark on Sept. 29 about the Seattle-based company’s purchase of a dedicated rideshare mission on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, and various trends and strategies in play in the small satellite launch market.