Aviation Week
• Irene Klotz
Blue Origin will not bid in NASA’s competition to support development of commercial space stations, including a crewed low Earth orbit outpost built, owned and operated by a private company. The decision removes the company from consideration in a program aimed at establishing commercial destinations in orbit.
Commercial Space
Latest source-backed stories
Nathan Johnson, Texas’ attorney general-elect, says he will closely examine any potential merger between SpaceX and Tesla, warning of the risks of corporate concentration. The two companies, both among Texas’ most valuable, are weighing a tie-up, though no deal has been announced.
The Office of Space Commerce has selected four companies to participate in a pilot program intended to lead to a mission authorization system. The selection marks a step toward developing the system, though the available reporting does not identify the companies or provide further details about the program’s scope or schedule.
The cluster highlights two launch-vehicle milestones: an upcoming Starship test flight described as historic and a century of Electron. The available report excerpt offers no further details on the planned test or what the Electron milestone counts.
ispace signed agreements with KDDI to advance lunar communications networks and services, linking planned lunar satellites with ground stations and supporting research into surface communications. A separate agreement with Nammo is intended to strengthen ispace’s propulsion supply chain, pairing infrastructure development with a key supply-side effort.
Spaceium is offering its OpenPort satellite-refueling interface to manufacturers for a US$1 license, aiming to widen adoption and build an orbital fuel network. The offer positions the interface as a potential common component for satellites designed to access in-space refueling.
ANA Holdings has invested in Space Quarters, which is developing technologies to build structures in space. The approach could enable designs less constrained by the dimensions of rocket fairings, though the available reports provide no details on the investment size, project milestones or intended applications.
High activity
On Starship’s 15th test flight, SpaceX aims to recover both the Super Heavy booster and the spacecraft intact for the first time, using its launch tower to catch each returning stage. The attempt would advance the company’s reusable-launch system, a core part of its ambitions for space exploration and other ventures.
High activity
Blue Origin will not bid in NASA’s competition to support development of commercial space stations, including a crewed low Earth orbit outpost built, owned and operated by a private company. The decision removes the company from consideration in a program aimed at establishing commercial destinations in orbit.
Create a free account to see more recent Commercial Space stories and keep bookmarks in one place.
