Live coverage: New Horizons flyby target comes into focus

Rocket Lab launched an Electron rocket from New Zealand at 9:20 p.m. EST Thursday (0220 GMT Friday) carrying 30 small payloads into low Earth orbit. The company said the first stage of the Electron rocket splashed down in the Pacific Ocean under a parachute, a major step in Rocket Lab’s rocket reuse program.

The launch of a Japanese X-ray telescope and robotic lunar lander has been delayed to no earlier than August, and the launch schedule for another Japanese mission to return samples from a moon of Mars is in doubt as engineers investigate the failure of Japan’s first H3 rocket last month.

This bill, H.R. 1, is separate from the Fiscal Year 2026 appropriations bills. Those include the FY26 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies (CJS) bill, which will be marked up by the House Appropriations Committee at a later time.