Rocket Report: Falcon 9 leaps forward; a gator and a Dragon

Enlarge / Falcon 9 lifts off on its most important mission to date: carrying NASA Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley into orbit. (credit: Trevor Mahlmann)

Welcome to Edition 3.03 of the Rocket Report! We just passed a week of the highest of highs, with Saturday's Crew Dragon launch, and the lowest of lows, as this country's racial prejudice was laid bare. Jeff Manber, the CEO of Nanoracks, said it well: "The space community can, and must, do better to become part of the solution to the horrific challenges America faces today." We agree.

As always, we welcome reader submissions, and if you don't want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the box below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium-, and heavy-lift rockets as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.

Vega set for return-to-flight mission. After an in-flight accident in July 2019 and the COVID-19 pandemic, Arianespace has resumed preparations for the Vega rocket's return to service mission. This launch will also demonstrate the rocket's utility as a platform for rideshare missions. Launch is targeted for June 18, local time, NASASpaceflight.com reports.

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