Fleet Operations

El Segundo – November 05, 2026 -- Varda Space Industries recovered its W-8 capsule at the Koonibba Test Range at 5:58am Pacific after 35 days in orbit. At the time, the company was operating three vehicles on orbit at once, which Varda describes as a first for the orbital reentry industry.

Varda's El Segundo team runs three missions at once

W-8 launched on Oct. 1, 2026, together with W-9, the first time two commercial reentry vehicles were launched together. W-7 followed on Oct. 20. Varda's Mission Operations team in El Segundo managed all three missions at the same time, bringing one capsule home and keeping the other two on orbit.

Steve Layne, Chief Revenue Officer, described the effort as what high-cadence operations look like in practice.

Charlotte – October 19, 2026 -- FlowBelow Aero, Inc. has launched a redesigned Trailer AeroSlider System that saves 3.0 gallons of fuel per 1,000 miles, with a payback period the company says can fall below 12 months at current diesel prices. The company unveiled the product at the American Trucking Associations' Management Conference & Exhibition, held Oct. 17-20, 2026, in Charlotte.

Record diesel prices drive the savings case

The U.S. Energy Information Administration put the national average on-highway diesel price at $6.179 a gallon on Oct. 12, after a record $6.529 on Sept. 21. At $6.18 a gallon, the AeroSlider delivers about $18.54 in fuel savings for every 1,000 miles a trailer travels.