ELA-4 – Spaceflight Now

August 14, 2026

Breaking News

[ August 12, 2026 ] Mike Fincke, a 30-year astronaut with experience across four spacecraft, retires from NASA News
[ August 11, 2026 ] Firefly Aerospace pushes debut of Alpha Block 2 rocket to the fourth quarter of 2026 Alpha
[ August 11, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB Falcon 9
[ August 10, 2026 ] Window for 2026 launch debut of Rocket Lab’s Neutron rocket ‘is narrowing’ as development continues Neutron
[ August 10, 2026 ] SpaceX launches Tuesday noontime Starlink mission following Monday scrub Falcon 9

Launcher contracts signify shift in Europe’s rocket industry

August 18, 2015 Stephen Clark

Europe’s next-generation launcher family has moved a step closer to reality with the signature of nearly $3.8 billion in contracts for development of the Ariane 6 rocket and an upgraded version of the lightweight Vega booster.

Ariane 6 rockets likely to be assembled horizontally

June 24, 2015 Stephen Clark

Construction of a new launch pad for Europe’s Ariane 6 rocket, which will be put together horizontally instead of vertically, is due to begin next week at an abandoned quarry site in French Guiana.