Virgin Galactic began crewed commercial suborbital flights after nearly two decades of development, Rocket Lab launched a suborbital version of its Electron rocket, and several other suborbital boosters made their maiden flights during the first nine months of 2023.

Well space fans, we are now three-quarters through 2023, and it has been a barnburner so far. Space launch records are falling as the world is well on its way to launching more than 200 times this year. There have also been major accomplishments in robotic space exploration. Let’s take a look at the stats, the major highlights, and the low points as we head into the fourth quarter.

Welcome to Biz Briefs! In this edition, Sierra Space closed a big Series B round, Blue Origin is replacing its CEO as the FAA closes the New Shepard investigation, SpaceX won a Pentagon contract for Starshield, the Eutelsat-OneWeb merger closed, investors are urging Virgin Galactic to cut spending, and much more.

Welcome to S-SPACⁱ! In this edition, Uraguay-based Satellogic decided to relocate to the United States, Rocket Lab revised its guidance after its Electron rocket failed, Terran Orbital completed a big raise as its stock hit an all-time low, Redwire’s technology played a key role in OSIRIS-REx’s successful return of an asteroid sample to Earth, and Intuitive Machine has launched a line of apparel.

Welcome to the Launch Roundup! Last week was a bad one for small satellite launchers with multiple failures, NASA is gearing up to launch another asteroid mission, and Virgin Galactic is preparing to send three more people on a suborbital joy ride.

Nearly 40 years after NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless made the first ever untethered spacewalk using the Manned Maneuvering Unit, a Colorado company called Special Aerospace Services is looking to tap into that expertise to develop a commercial version of the system to assist future astronauts.

Welcome to Biz Briefs! In today’s edition, Maxar Technologies is splitting into two companies, Ceres-1 became the second small-satellite launcher to fail this week, Ariane 6 suffered a setback during testing, Astroscale won a satellite servicing contract, Varda Space lacks a license to bring its capsule back to Earth, and much more.

Welcome to S-SPACⁱ!  In this edition, Terran Orbital shares sank after the company sold shares and replaced its CFO, Rocket Lab’s booster and stock both fell to Earth, AST SpaceMobile made a cosmic phone call, Spire Global won two contracts, customers for Virgin Galactic next flight revealed themselves, Satellogic and Skyloom announced a laser communications partnership, Momentus signed a contract to deliver a payload in orbit, and Planet Labs’ CEO acquired a big chunk of shares as a joint satellite project with NASA advanced.

Welcome to the Launch Roundup! The failure of a Rocket Lab Electron rocket temporarily sent the company’s stock plunging, Firefly Aerospace launched a satellite on 24-hours’ notice, a new crew arrived at the International Space Station (ISS), and Stoke Space conducted its first hop.

Senior NASA officials believe the Space Launch System (SLS) is unaffordable at current cost levels, making the agency’s Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon unsustainable if nothing changes, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Dawn Aerospace is a New Zealand company developing a rocket-powered spaceplane designed to launch satellites during its twice-daily flights. The company also produces spacecraft thrusters used by satellite manufacturers around the world. Parabolic Arc sat down with CEO Stefan Powell during last month’s Small Satellite Conference in Utah to discuss the company’s progress and future plans. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.

Welcome to Biz Briefs! In this edition, Open Cosmos and GHGSat completed big raises, SpaceX and Rocket Lab signed launch contracts, Northrop Grumman and Space Forge announced a strategic partnership on space manufacturing, SES partnered to bring communications to cruise ships and rural Alaska, Nova Scotia invested in Maritime Launch Services, and much more as the World Satellite Business Week conference generated a late summer blizzard of space news.