The Ariane 5 launch was Arianespace’s 273rd mission in the Ariane rocket family.

An anomaly resolution team continues to pursue the source of a worrisome water blob that formed in the helmet of the NASA spacesuit worn by U.S. astronaut Tim Kopra during a Jan. 15 spacewalk outside the International Space Station.

As part of SpaceX’s plan to develop a human-rated version of the Dragon crew capsule capable of precision powered landings on the ground, the company has revealed first images of propulsive hover tests undertaken in late November at its McGregor, Texas facility.

Sixty days after Blue Origin achieved its first milestone vertical landing with the New Shepard sub-orbital launch vehicle, the company has repeated the feat with the same rocket.

The second member of China’s new space launch family, Long March 7, is due to fly in June, with the third, Long March 5, following in late September or early October.

SpaceX successfully launched the Jason-3 ocean altimetry mission to low Earth orbit atop a Falcon 9 rocket Jan. 17, though an attempt to land the vehicle's core stage on a barge in the Pacific Ocean was unsuccessful.

Orbital ATK plans to start ground tests next year of first elements for an all-new, next-generation launch vehicle to compete for the U.S. Air Force’s Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle program.

The European Space Agency is expected to ask member states next December for a three-year portion of financing valued at several hundred million euros to fund the agency’s continued participation in the NASA-led International Space Station.