MaiaSpace Pushes Inaugural Launch of Maia Rocket to 2027By Andrew Parsonson -March 2, 2026Credit: MaiaSpaceDuring an event at the Guiana Space Centre on 24 February, ArianeGroup subsidiary MaiaSpace announced that the inaugural flight of its two-stage Maia rocket will take place in 2027, slipping from a previously expected late-2026 launch.Founded in 2022, MaiaSpace is developing a two-stage partially reusable rocket that will be capable of delivering up to 1,500 kilograms into low Earth orbit when launched in a fully expendable configuration. The company is also developing a kick stage that is expected to add as much as 1,000 kilograms to the rocket’s performance.In January, MaiaSpace confirmed that it was targeting an initial suborbital demonstration flight of its Maia rocket in late 2026. While the launch will use a full two-stage configuration of the rocket, it will carry a reduced propellant load to reach a minimum altitude of 100 kilometres, the generally accepted boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and space known as the Kármán line. The company told European Spaceflight at the time that the vehicle represented “a minimum viable product designed to test critical phases.”On 24 February, representatives from MaiaSpace, local authorities in Kourou, and the French space agency CNES gathered at the site of the former Soyuz launch facility at the Guiana Space Centre to sign a Temporary Public Domain Occupancy Agreement. This allows MaiaSpace to begin dismantling Soyuz-specific infrastructure that will no longer be required before starting construction of the modifications needed to launch Maia rockets from the site.During the event, Maia officials revealed that they expected to host the inaugural flight of Maia from the facility in 2027. When asked for comment by European Spaceflight, a representative explained that the company remained committed to launching its first rocket less than five years after the company’s creation.“We remain committed to our goal of achieving a first launch less than five years after the company’s creation i.e., April 2027. Our internal objective is even more ambitious: to have a launcher vertically mounted on the launch pad before the end of 2026 in order to conduct combined tests prior to our first flight. Maintaining this roadmap will not be without challenges and difficulties, but it is inherent to our iterative learning method, which places ground and flight testing at the heart of the development process to go faster.”...
SES: FY 2025 Results [Mar 2]QuoteSatelliteLaunch DateO3b mPOWER (11-13) H2 2026ASTRA 1Q 2027SES-262027EAGLE-12027IS-422027IS-432027IS-452027IS-412027IS-442027GOVSAT-220290207-EX-CN-2026 [Mar 3]QuoteSpace AI Inc. is pioneering the world’s first distributed, edge-supercomputing network in space. This experimental mission seeks to validate the core infrastructure of a Software Defined Computing Constellation designed to provide secure, high-performance AI and data services for the burgeoning space economy.[...]The constellation consists of 8 CubeSats with standard form factors: 3 × 2U (approximately 2 kg each), 2 × 3U (approximately 4 kg each), and 3 × 6U (approximately 8–12 kg each)[...]The 8 CubeSats will be deployed in separate launch opportunities over the course of the experimental term (e.g., in phases across multiple rideshare missions).[...]550 km (circular); inclination: approximately 90° (polar); expected operational lifetime: 1/3 years, with total on-orbit lifetime less than 5 years via passive atmospheric reentry. See attached Orbital Debris Assessment Report (ODAR) for detailed mitigation compliance.[...]A 24-month term is requested to accommodate phased deployments across multiple launch opportunities, post-launch testing, data collection, performance evaluation, and iterative experimentation of the advanced communications and computing architectures.
SatelliteLaunch DateO3b mPOWER (11-13) H2 2026ASTRA 1Q 2027SES-262027EAGLE-12027IS-422027IS-432027IS-452027IS-412027IS-442027GOVSAT-22029
Space AI Inc. is pioneering the world’s first distributed, edge-supercomputing network in space. This experimental mission seeks to validate the core infrastructure of a Software Defined Computing Constellation designed to provide secure, high-performance AI and data services for the burgeoning space economy.[...]The constellation consists of 8 CubeSats with standard form factors: 3 × 2U (approximately 2 kg each), 2 × 3U (approximately 4 kg each), and 3 × 6U (approximately 8–12 kg each)[...]The 8 CubeSats will be deployed in separate launch opportunities over the course of the experimental term (e.g., in phases across multiple rideshare missions).[...]550 km (circular); inclination: approximately 90° (polar); expected operational lifetime: 1/3 years, with total on-orbit lifetime less than 5 years via passive atmospheric reentry. See attached Orbital Debris Assessment Report (ODAR) for detailed mitigation compliance.[...]A 24-month term is requested to accommodate phased deployments across multiple launch opportunities, post-launch testing, data collection, performance evaluation, and iterative experimentation of the advanced communications and computing architectures.
Amazon Leo @AmazonleoOur next launch campaign with @Arianespace is underway.32 Amazon Leo satellites for Leo Europe 2 (LE-02) have arrived in French Guiana, where teams will begin preparing them for launch on Ariane 64. Built in Kirkland and launching from Kourou, they'll fly to low Earth orbit on our second heavy-lift mission of 2026, helping extend fast, reliable internet to those beyond the reach of existing networks.
Elche/Barcelona (Spain), February 17, 2026. PLD Space, an international space transportation company, and Sateliot, a leading 5G satellite telecommunications operator, have signed a commercial contract to launch their first two high-capacity 5G D2D (Direct-to-Device) satellites. The agreement includes the launch of two Tritó satellites, each weighing approximately 160 kilograms, and their subsequent deployment into Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The flight will be carried out on a dedicated MIURA 5 mission and is scheduled for 2027.
PLD/Demo FlightLiftoff TimeNo Earlier Than 2026
Arianespace/KOMPSAT-6 & PLATiNO-1Liftoff TimeNo Earlier Than November, 2026RocketVega C rocket by European Space Agency
Tokyo-headquartered Astroscale Holdings has selected Isar Aerospace to launch its ELSA-M orbital debris removal demonstration mission no earlier than 2028.Isar Aerospace is preparing for the second flight of its two-stage rocket, Spectrum, after the first flight failed shortly after liftoff in early 2025. The launch is currently scheduled for no earlier than 19 March from the Andøya Spaceport in Norway.
Avio @Avio_GroupOn April 9th at 03.29 AM local time (06.29 UTC; 08.29 CEST), Avio will launch the @esa and @CAS__Science Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (Smile) scientific #satellite. Read the press release for full details: https://tinyurl.com/b68skyxj
AVIO TO LAUNCH SMILE SATELLITE ON APRIL 9th 2026 ON VEGA-C20.03.26Colleferro (Rome) March 20th 2026 - On April 9th at 03.29 AM local time (06.29 UTC; 08.29 AM CEST), Avio will launch the European Space Agency’s (ESA) and Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (Smile) scientific satellite. The mission, designated “VV29”, will be carried out by a Vega-C launcher, the first operated by Avio, lifting off from the European Spaceport in French Guiana. Smile will be released into a circular orbit at an altitude of 700 km for a mission to a high inclination highly elliptical orbit with an apogee of 121.000 km and a perigee of 5000 km. The planned Smile separation time is about 57 minutes.The satellite will measure the solar wind and its dynamic interactions with the Earth’s magnetosphere, enhancing our understanding of the connection between the Sun and the Earth. Smile weighs 2,250 kilograms.With this launch, Avio reaffirms its key role in supporting ESA’s scientific missions.VV29 launch at a glance• First Vega-C flight operated by Avio;• First Vega-C launch in 2026;• Second ESA scientific mission placed into orbit by Vega-C;• Seventh Vega-C flight overall.
Katalyst Space Technologies has selected Arianespace to launch its robotic space vehicle to geostationary orbit (GEO). The mission is scheduled for the second half of 2027 aboard an Ariane 6 rocket from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana.The spacecraft, NEXUS-1, introduces a new model for dynamic space operations in GEO. The vehicle docks with other satellites to install hardware, reposition spacecraft, and extend mission life, offering a faster, lower-cost alternative to replacement.
NEXUS-1 will begin delivering these services through initial government missions before supporting commercial operators. Initial operations include installing a sensor on a Space Force satellite to detect and identify nearby spacecraft and conducting additional rendezvous and proximity operations to support space domain awareness.Following these missions, NEXUS-1 will transition to commercial servicing operations for communications satellite operators seeking to maintain and upgrade spacecraft already in orbit.Katalyst is also working with additional satellite operators interested in inspection, upgrade, and life-extension missions in GEO.
Arianespace @ArianespaceA launch date set for the next Amazon Leo flight aboard Ariane 6On April 28, 2026, Arianespace will launch another 32 new satellites for @Amazonleo aboard Ariane 64, the most powerful configuration of Ariane 6.Designated VA268 and LE-02 for Amazon Leo, this mission will mark the second Ariane 6 launch dedicated to the deployment of the Amazon Leo constellation, within a series of 18.Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite network will deliver fast, reliable internet to customers beyond the reach of existing networks.Through this mission, Arianespace continues to contribute to the expansion of connectivity services worldwide and will showcase again the full-power capability of Ariane 6 and its ability to meet the requirements of large-scale constellation deployments.🔗 Read the full press release here: https://arianespace.pulse.ly/sbznyoagwo
Avio @Avio_GroupUpdate on #VV29 mission: launch of the #Smile satellite has been postponed, due to a technical issue occurred on a subsystem component production line after VV29 launcher integration. The new launch date will be announced. Read the press release: https://tinyurl.com/yjheap5w
Kourou (French Guiana) 5 April 2026 - The launch of the Smile satellite has been postponed, due to a technical issue occurred on a subsystem component production line after VV29 launcher integration.Additional investigations are needed to exclude any relation between such issue and the VV29 launcher in order to safeguard flightworthiness.The new launch date will be announced following the completion of these activities, as agreed with the supplier.Vega C and its passenger, the Smile satellite, are in stable and safe conditions.
