Technicians installed all four RS-25 engines on the Artemis III core stage work stand on September 1, 2026, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Meanwhile, Isar Aerospace prepares for its next Spectrum rocket launch attempt from Andøya Spaceport in Norway, with a weeklong window opening Friday. Founder Daniel Metzler hopes to launch before King Harald V's funeral on September 9, though the government permits normal operations during the mourning period.

Isar recently won a 200 million euro ($230 million) ESA contract for launch vehicle development. European launch startups secured significant funding. PLD Space raised an additional 108 million euros ($126 million), led by Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, days after winning a 159 million euro ($185 million) ESA European Launcher Challenge contract alongside Isar and Rocket Factory Augsburg.

Hy Impulse extended its Series A by over 50 million euros ($58 million), totaling 125 million euros ($145 million), as it prepares for its SR75 suborbital and SL1 orbital debuts. NASA is consolidating launch programs into a new Commercial Access to Space office, considering block buys of launches. Blue Origin broke ground on a new Payload Processing Facility in Florida but remains quiet on New Glenn's return-to-flight timeline after its May on-pad explosion at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.