Articles

SpaceX reached its 50th mission of 2026 on April 26 while Falcon Heavy's ViaSat-3 attempt was scrubbed by weather at Kennedy Space Center.

ULA's Atlas V deployed 29 Amazon Kuiper LEO satellites on April 27. Falcon Heavy returns this week with ViaSat-3 F3. Six orbital launches scheduled across three continents.

On April 22, 2026, the FAA published a final rule implementing per-launch user fees for commercial space transportation — the first time the U.S. government has charged payload-based fees for rocket launches. Starting at 25 cents per pound with a $30,000 cap, the fees are modest today. By 2033, they won't be.

For nearly two decades, the U.S. Air Force and Space Force have been the world's unofficial civilian space traffic control system. The Department of Commerce's Traffic Coordination System for Space (TraCSS) is now taking over that job for commercial satellite operators - in stages, against persistent congressional pressure to kill the program, and with Department of Defense advocates pushing to make it happen before it is too late.

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy lifts off for the 12th time after 18 months grounded, delivering the final ViaSat-3 satellite from LC-39A at 10:21 a.m. EDT.

Falcon Heavy completed its 12th flight launching ViaSat-3 F3 from Kennedy Space Center on April 27, marking the first simultaneous use of Landing Zones 2 and 40 for booster recovery.