Artemis III core stage engines installed; European launch startups secure major ESA contracts and funding
NASA advanced Artemis hardware while multiple European commercial launch providers announced significant funding rounds and government contracts.
What happened
NASA technicians completed installation of all four RS-25 engines on the Artemis III core stage work stand on September 1, 2026, at Kennedy Space Center. In Europe, Spanish launch provider PLD Space secured 108 million euros in additional funding led by Mitsubishi Electric and won a 159 million euro contract from the European Space Agency's European Launcher Challenge program. German provider HyImpulse announced Wednesday that it extended its Series A round by more than 50 million euros. Isar Aerospace won a 200 million euro ESA development contract and also secured a contract through the European Launcher Challenge program alongside PLD Space and Rocket Factory Augsburg. German launch company Isar Aerospace opened a launch window for its Spectrum rocket at Andøya Spaceport in Norway on Friday. Additionally, Chinese commercial launch company Galactic Energy successfully launched its first Pallas-1 rocket, described as a medium-class vehicle with reusable booster aspirations.
Context
NASA is consolidating launch procurement into a new Commercial Access to Space office that will employ block-buy strategies similar to Pentagon practices with the Space Force, enabling bulk purchases of rockets to reduce costs and provide market assurance to launch providers. The reported European funding activity reflects accelerated commercial spaceflight development in support of the ESA's industrial base strategy. Chinese commercial launch activity continues at pace, with Pallas-1 representing the sixth new Chinese rocket to debut this year and the fifth with reusable booster capability.