SpaceX Declines Three Military Launch Offers as Spain's Miura 5 Nears Its Debut

SpaceX has declined three military launch contracts offered by the US Space Force, according to the latest edition of Ars Technica's Rocket Report, published October 23. The company reportedly told the Space Force "thanks, but no thanks" after the offer, in one of two surprises involving the company on Thursday.

The second came from the civil side of spaceflight. A NASA safety panel said SpaceX's Starship could need as many as 22 refuelings to support a lunar landing, a figure that underscores how demanding the mission architecture may prove.

Elsewhere, Spanish launch company PLD Space says its Miura 5 rocket is approaching final integration, Aviation Week reports. The small-lift vehicle is due to make its inaugural flight next year, and the company now targets a first launch before mid-2027.

The rocket in final integration is one of three Miura 5 vehicles the company has built. CEO Raúl Torres said in an October 19 program update that the other two are meant to qualify key system elements.

Building all three has let teams work continuously across production and integration stages, Torres said. "Manufacturing these three vehicles has allowed our teams to work continuously across different stages of production and integration, applying the lessons learned from each qualification campaign directly to the launch vehicle," he said.

One Miura 5 second stage is now fully integrated, which allows system-level testing under representative operating conditions to begin. That stage is at PLD's Teruel test facility for its qualification campaign, which includes a wet dress rehearsal and a static hot-fire test.

In Canada, Reaction Dynamics, one of three prominent launch startups in the country, says it wants to raise $350 million, spaceQ reports. The money would help the company expand its workforce from 68 people to more than 350.

The company is developing a small-lift rocket called Aurora, which it hopes will reach orbit in 2028. It has also announced plans for a medium-lift vehicle named Borealis, targeted to debut by 2031.