VA261 – Spaceflight Now

August 22, 2026

Breaking News

[ August 21, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 100th orbital mission of 2026 Falcon 9
[ August 20, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 29 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral following last-minute scrub Falcon 9
[ August 19, 2026 ] LandSpace becomes first commercial Chinese company to land an orbital-class booster Mission Reports
[ August 18, 2026 ] Astronauts remove failed antenna; run out of time to install a spare News
[ August 18, 2026 ] SpaceX exceeds 11,000 satellites in low Earth orbit Falcon 9

Ending an era, Europe launches its final Ariane 5 rocket

July 6, 2023 William Harwood

Europe’s venerable Ariane 5 rocket blasted off on its 117th and final flight Wednesday, successfully boosting two communications satellites into orbit but leaving the European space program without a large satellite launcher of its own until a delayed successor comes on line.

Final Ariane 5 launch scheduled for July 4 after fixes to booster separation system

June 26, 2023 Spaceflight Now

Europe’s last Ariane 5 rocket is now scheduled to lift off July 4 after being grounded for more than two weeks due to a problem with the pyrotechnic systems required to jettison the launcher’s strap-on solid rocket boosters. Europe’s workhorse rocket is being retired after 27 years of service.