It was a record year for spaceflight in California at the Vandenberg Space Force Base, and even more rocket launches should be ahead in 2026.

The number of orbital launch attempts worldwide last year surpassed the record 2024 flight rate by 25 percent, with SpaceX and China accounting for the bulk of the launch activity, Aviation Week & Space Technology reports.

SpaceX's powerful Falcon Heavy rocket successfully launched on Friday morning, carrying a NASA mission bound for a distant asteroid. Targeting the asteroid Psyche, the eponymous NASA mission is flying a spacecraft — about the width of a tennis court ...