Rocket Report: Keeping up with Kuiper; New Glenn’s second flight slips

Ars Technica’s Rocket Report covers a busy period for satellite launches, including another Kuiper deployment from Amazon and a continued cadence of production satellites from ULA. The Atlas V mission carried 27 Project Kuiper satellites, bringing Amazon to 129 in orbit, with a further 24 Kuiper satellites slated for launch on 30 September.

Blue Origin’s New Glenn remains delayed, with Space News reporting that the rocket’s second flight, carrying NASA’s ESCAPADE mission, is now expected in late October or early November; Tim Dunn, NASA’s senior launch director at Kennedy Space Center, provided the updated timing after a NASA-sponsored Falcon 9 launch and noted that the official schedule had previously shown no earlier than 29 September.

Artemis II remains on track for early 2026, with the mission targeting a launch window opening on 5 February 2026 and the crew set to fly aboard the Orion spacecraft named Integrity, according to Ars reports. The edition also notes VIPER's Moon delivery by Blue Origin and reflections on Europe’s Ariane 6 programme, as part of a wider look at evolving spaceflight capabilities.