Tag: commercial-space
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Blue Origin to Expand Florida Rocket Campus With $600 Million Investment
Blue Origin will invest $600 million to expand its Rocket Park campus at Cape Canaveral Spaceport, a project expected to create 500 aerospace jobs on Florida’s Space Coast, according to an announcement by Ron DeSantis. The expansion includes plans for an approximately 830,000-square-foot upper-stage manufacturing facility intended to increase the company’s rocket production and orbital…
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NRO Nominee Says Commercial Space Needs Clear Demand Signals
How is the NRO adapting to commercial space dominance? Roger Mason, nominated to lead the National Reconnaissance Office, told senators that clear government demand signals are essential as private investment fundamentally transforms the space intelligence market. During his confirmation hearing, Mason emphasized that the NRO must better communicate its requirements to commercial providers while adapting…
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China Readies 6 New Rockets for Launch Including Reusable Tests
Which Chinese Rockets Are Targeting First Flights in 2026? China’s space sector is preparing at least six new launch vehicles for debut flights and reusability demonstrations between June and September 2026, representing the most concentrated wave of Chinese rocket development since the commercial space sector opened in 2014. The lineup includes three state-led Long March…
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SpaceX’s Starship V3—still a work in progress—mostly successful on first flight
SpaceX launched the first test flight of its upgraded Starship rocket and Super Heavy booster Friday, with mostly positive results. The powerful rocket, propelled by 33 methane-fueled main engines, climbed away from SpaceX’s Starbase launch facility in South Texas at 5:30 pm CDT (6:30 pm EDT; 22:30 UTC) Friday. Within a few seconds, the 408-foot-tall…
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SpaceX Launches Starship V3 in Major Test Flight Ahead of Planned IPO
SpaceX has launched its new Starship V3 rocket in a high-profile test flight from Texas after an earlier launch attempt was postponed because of a launch-tower malfunction. The uncrewed rocket lifted off shortly after 17:30 local time on Friday, marking the first flight of the latest Starship configuration, which stands approximately 124 meters tall. According…
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Astrolab to Send Scientific Payloads to Lunar South Pole on FLIP Rover Mission
Astrolab is preparing to send a series of scientific payloads to the Moon later this year aboard its FLIP rover mission aimed at supporting future lunar exploration near the Moon’s south pole. The company said its FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform rover, known as FLIP, will carry multiple research instruments designed to study lunar surface conditions,…
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Star Catcher Raises $65 Million to Advance Space-Based Power Beaming Technology
Star Catcher has raised $65 million in Series A funding to support development of its orbital power-beaming technology and finance its first in-space demonstration mission later this year. The funding round was led by B Capital and co-led by Shield Capital and Cerberus Ventures. Additional investors included GreatPoint Ventures, Helena, Oceans Ventures and MVP Ventures.…
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Potomac Database Systems Targets Lunar Data Market With New Moon Missions
Potomac Database Systems has unveiled plans to develop a series of lunar missions aimed at collecting and selling scientific and operational data from the Moon. The Washington-based company said it intends to focus on supplying commercial and government customers with lunar surface data through three different mission concepts designed to support future exploration and development…
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NRO Director Scolese Exits After Expanding Commercial Intel Partnerships
What did Chris Scolese accomplish as NRO director? Chris Scolese’s departure as National Reconnaissance Office director marks the end of a transformative four-year tenure that fundamentally reshaped America’s intelligence satellite strategy. Under his leadership, the NRO expanded commercial partnerships to counter growing threats from China and Russia while opening unprecedented public engagement channels for the…
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NASA EAGLE and FALCON Missions Target Commercial Earth Science
How Will NASA’s New Earth Science Missions Use Commercial Partners? NASA announced two Earth science mission concepts—EAGLE and FALCON—that will rely on commercial satellite platforms and Artemis Program exploration infrastructure to advance climate research while reducing development costs. The missions, unveiled during NASA’s March 24 “Ignition” event, represent a strategic shift toward leveraging existing commercial…