VORAGO

JUST IN: Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin is targeting a return to New Glenn launch-pad operations in November, following a catastrophic rocket explosion that damaged its Cape Canaveral launch complex in May. According to Aviation Week, Blue Origin has completed reconstruction of its 430-foot Vehicle Access Tower at Launch Complex 36, a major milestone toward resuming launches. The May 28 explosion occurred during a preflight engine test, destroying the rocket and damaging critical ground infrastructure. Blue Origin subsequently traced the failure to an oxygen-valve issue in one of its BE-4 engines. Rather than rebuilding the original launch configuration, the company is introducing a new system that integrates rocket stages horizontally before lifting the vehicle onto the launch pad. Blue Origin is still targeting a return to flight before the end of 2026, although no launch date has been confirmed. The recovery is critical to New Glenn's growing commercial and government launch commitments, including NASA's Artemis lunar program.

JUST IN: Firefly Aerospace $FLY has completed a major design milestone for a NASA mission that will deploy robotic drones above the Moon's south pole to identify potential landing sites for future astronauts. The mission, called MoonFall, will use Firefly's Elytra spacecraft to transport drones developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory into lunar orbit. Once deployed, the drones will use high-definition cameras and scientific instruments to survey terrain, map potential landing areas and investigate resources needed for future lunar operations. Firefly announced today that Elytra has passed its preliminary design review, clearing the way for detailed design work ahead of spacecraft production and assembly. The mission is targeting launch readiness by late 2028 and forms part of NASA's broader effort to establish a sustained human presence near the lunar south pole.