Rocket report: Falcon Heavy returns and Russia’s Soyuz-5 makes its debut

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy returned to flight this week, marking its first mission of 2026 by launching a heavy-lift payload for the US Space Force.

Meanwhile, Russia’s long-delayed Soyuz-5 rocket finally made its inaugural flight from the Baikonur Cosmodrome, a critical milestone for the Russian space program as it seeks to replace aging Soviet-era technology with more modern, environmentally friendly engines, News.Az reports, citing Ars Technica.

The week was also defined by a rapid expansion of Amazon’s Kuiper LEO broadband network. Two separate launches successfully delivered 61 satellites to orbit, as Amazon accelerates its deployment schedule to meet regulatory deadlines and compete with SpaceX’s Starlink. These launches highlight the ongoing surge in commercial space activity, even as geopolitical tensions continue to reshape international space cooperation.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova