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On July 24, 2026, SpaceX's 13th Starship integrated flight test launched from Starbase, Texas, deploying 20 next-generation Starlink V3 satellites (its first operational payload deploy, vs prior mass simulators), relighting a Raptor engine in space, and achieving what SpaceX called its 'softest splashdown ever' for the upper stage in the Indian Ocean. The Super Heavy booster was lost after several engines failed to reignite during the landing burn. It was the first Starship flight since SpaceX's June 2026 Nasdaq IPO (SPCX) and a material step toward the reusable heavy-lift architecture underpinning future Starlink, NASA Artemis, and Mars plans.

Northrop Grumman's SpaceLogistics Mission Robotic Vehicle launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 into geostationary transfer orbit on 21 July 2026 (21:15 UTC), alongside Mission Extension Pods. MRV is the nation's first multi-mission robotic in-space servicer, carrying the DARPA-provided Robotic Servicing of Geosynchronous Satellites (RSGS) robotic arm assembly for satellite life extension, inspection, repair and upgrades. Northrop is the first and only company to have extended the life of commercial satellites running low on fuel: its two on-orbit Mission Extension Vehicles have docked with three commercial GEO communications satellites and delivered more than ten years of combined mission extension. Ryan Tintner, VP and GM space superiority: 'The MRV is a whole new class of advanced autonomous space robotics... These are not demonstrations.'

Rocket Lab announced full mission success on July 7 for the U.S. Space Force's VICTUS HAZE Tactically Responsive Space mission: its Pioneer spacecraft (Puma) launched on 16h42m notice, autonomously located and characterized a non-cooperative target satellite, and completed rendezvous and proximity operations 25 hours ahead of the Space Force deadline. It is the first time a single commercial prime designed, built, launched and operated a spacecraft end-to-end for a TacRS mission, validating the foundational proof-of-concept for the Space Force's $6.24B Andromeda space-domain-awareness program.

NASA's Space Launch System lifted off from Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center at 6:35 p.m. on 1 April 2026 carrying Orion and its crew on Artemis II, the first crewed mission to orbit the Moon since Apollo. ULA, under a collaborative partnership with Boeing, built the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) that formed the SLS upper stage: ICPS delivered Orion and the astronauts into high-Earth orbit and provided the initial push toward the Moon. ULA's Denver-based Ascent team provided real-time support to NASA through the ICPS portion of the flight.

Two Northrop Grumman five-segment solid rocket boosters successfully launched the first crewed flight of NASA's Space Launch System on the Artemis II mission, lifting off 1 April 2026 from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center. The twin boosters generated 7.2 million pounds of thrust in the first two minutes, powering the vehicle off the pad and through maximum atmospheric force during ascent. Northrop also supplied the two solid rocket motors for the Orion spacecraft's Launch Abort System. Artemis II was the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972; mission duration was 9 days, 1 hour, 32 minutes with a crew of four.