Rocket Report: SpaceX completes launch triple-header; Rocket Lab nets big contract

SpaceX recently completed three rocket launches in under 13 hours. The company launched a four-person crew on a Falcon 9 rocket toward the International Space Station, flew a Falcon Heavy mission carrying a classified National Reconnaissance Office payload, and achieved the first orbital flight of its Starship rocket during its 14th test flight.

The Starship flight deployed 26 new-generation Starlink V3 satellites. Meanwhile, Rocket Lab signed a 20-mission agreement with Synspective, marking its largest Electron launch contract to date and bringing Synspective's total bookings to 47 launches. In other industry news, a Portuguese space technology business acquired the assets of the collapsed Scottish rocket maker Orbex, while the Canada Rocket Company announced plans to pursue a medium-lift rocket rather than a small launch vehicle.

Additionally, NASA announced it will purchase two more flights on Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft and support efforts to find a new rocket for the vehicle after the Atlas V retires. Finally, Blue Origin asked the Federal Aviation Administration for approval to increase its New Glenn launch rate from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to 50 launches and 50 booster landings per year.