Commercial Space Industry (New Space) News

Ars Technica • Stephen Clark

Competitors Challenge SpaceX’s Starship Florida Plans — Who’s Interfering With Whom?

Competitors and local stakeholders are contesting SpaceX's plans to base Starship operations in Florida, urging regulators to treat liquid‑oxygen/methane vehicles as carrying “100 percent TNT blast equivalency” — a designation that could force stricter safety regimes and slow launch activity.

2025-11-24T15:04:56.907886-08:00

Space.com

Senators Propose National Institute for Space Research to Safeguard U.S. Microgravity Programs as ISS Retirement Nears

2025-11-24T13:26:29.524361-08:00

Reuters

NASA trims Boeing Starliner commercial crew contract to four missions; next flight reconfigured as cargo-only

2025-11-24T10:27:44.947231-08:00

Ars Technica

Rocket Lab CEO on Neutron delays, New Glenn's ascent and NASA's need to 'capture the public's imagination'

2025-11-24T07:02:58.047180-08:00

Commercial Space Industry (New Space) News Timeline

Ars Technica

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Competitors Challenge SpaceX’s Starship Florida Plans — Who’s Interfering With Whom? Competitors and local stakeholders are contesting SpaceX's plans to base Starship operations in Florida, urging regulators to treat liquid‑oxygen/methane vehicles as carrying “100 percent TNT blast equivalency” — a designation that could force stricter safety regimes and slow launch activity.

2025-11-24T15:04:56.907886-08:00

Competitors Challenge SpaceX’s Starship Florida Plans — Who’s Interfering With Whom?

Via Satellite

Slingshot Aerospace names Adrian Thompson chief of AI and Data Science Slingshot Aerospace has named Adrian Thompson as chief of AI and Data Science. Thompson is an engineering leader with prior roles at Waymo, Uber ATG and L3 Technologies and will lead the company’s AI and data‑science work across its aerospace and defense products and services.

2025-11-24T13:31:10.615126-08:00

Slingshot Aerospace names Adrian Thompson chief of AI and Data Science

Via Satellite

Kyivstar launches Starlink-powered direct-to-cell SMS service across Ukraine Kyivstar, Ukraine’s largest mobile operator, has rolled out Starlink Direct-to-Cell nationwide, allowing customers to send and receive SMS where terrestrial mobile coverage is absent. The move makes Ukraine one of the early national adopters of SpaceX’s satellite-to-phone capability and strengthens civilian connectivity resilience.

2025-11-24T13:31:10.403896-08:00

Kyivstar launches Starlink-powered direct-to-cell SMS service across Ukraine

Space.com

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Senators Propose National Institute for Space Research to Safeguard U.S. Microgravity Programs as ISS Retirement Nears A bipartisan group of U.S. senators has proposed creating a National Institute for Space Research to preserve and coordinate American microgravity science as the International Space Station approaches retirement, aiming to protect research continuity and domestic capabilities currently hosted on the ISS.

2025-11-24T13:26:29.524361-08:00

Senators Propose National Institute for Space Research to Safeguard U.S. Microgravity Programs as ISS Retirement Nears

Reuters

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NASA trims Boeing Starliner contract to four missions, converts next launch to cargo as ISS winds down NASA has cut Boeing's Starliner commercial crew contract from six missions to four and reassigned the next launch in April as an uncrewed, cargo-only flight. The move follows last year's crew-stranding incident and aligns with agency transition planning as the ISS nears retirement.

2025-11-24T10:27:44.947231-08:00

NASA trims Boeing Starliner contract to four missions, converts next launch to cargo as ISS winds down

European Spaceflight

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The Exploration Company opens French facility to build Europe’s cargo‑return capability The Exploration Company has opened a new facility in France, calling it “a new permanent home for building Europe’s cargo return capability.” The site will centralize work on its cargo‑return spacecraft, advancing an indigenous European capability to return payloads from orbit.

2025-11-24T09:03:06.082158-08:00

The Exploration Company opens French facility to build Europe’s cargo‑return capability

Reuters

Amazon's satellite internet licence faces legal challenge in France A French union on Monday filed a legal challenge against the country’s telecoms regulator for granting radio spectrum to Amazon’s satellite internet service, marking the highest-profile test yet of the U.S. company’s LEO broadband push as it moves toward commercial rollouts in Europe.

2025-11-24T08:29:38.214857-08:00

Amazon's satellite internet licence faces legal challenge in France

SpaceNews.com

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Amazon Leo begins business beta, ships gigabit-capable terminals to select customers ahead of 2026 rollout Amazon Leo — the rebranded Project Kuiper — has begun business beta testing, shipping its top-tier satellite terminals to select enterprise customers for trials. The service touts gigabit-capable performance and AWS integration as it positions itself to challenge Starlink ahead of a planned 2026 commercial launch.

2025-11-24T07:13:50.989730-08:00

Amazon Leo begins business beta, ships gigabit-capable terminals to select customers ahead of 2026 rollout

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