NASA Spaceflight
• Ryan Weber
With Starship Flight 14 targeted for launch in the coming weeks, SpaceX is expanding facilities and launch infrastructure in Florida. The work is intended to enable Starship operations from Kennedy Space Center’s LC-39A and, eventually, SLC-37, broadening the program’s launch-site capacity.
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Japan’s ispace reported an 85% year-over-year decline in sales and a deeper operating loss for the three months ended June 30. The lunar infrastructure company said the deterioration was expected and does not change its ability to meet its full-year sales target.
High activity
With Starship Flight 14 targeted for launch in the coming weeks, SpaceX is expanding facilities and launch infrastructure in Florida. The work is intended to enable Starship operations from Kennedy Space Center’s LC-39A and, eventually, SLC-37, broadening the program’s launch-site capacity.
Intuitive Machines has secured a contract to build two IM 300 series platforms for an undisclosed commercial customer. The satellites will be produced at the company’s high-volume Palo Alto facility, using the platform that has also supported Space Development Agency missions.
Howmet Aerospace shares fell after SpaceX said it plans to produce turbine blades internally, raising concerns about the supplier’s exposure to the launch company. Two Wall Street banks characterized the selloff as an opportunity to buy, framing the announcement as a limited impact to Howmet’s broader aerospace business.
Helogen announced two missions of its HEL-IOS platform, designed for in-orbit biomaterials manufacturing, scheduled to launch in October. The back-to-back missions will test the company’s platform in space and advance commercial efforts to produce biomaterials beyond Earth.
Denver-based satellite ground-software startup Quindar will manage ground operations for Quantum Space’s maneuverable spacecraft, linking its mission-control platform with a spacecraft designed for in-orbit movement. The agreement highlights the growing role of commercial software providers in operating increasingly capable satellite systems.
Starcloud cofounders announced Fermi Explorer, a mission targeting Alpha Centauri by 2029 with a stated $15 million budget. The proposal would attempt humanity’s first mission to another star, pairing an exceptionally ambitious interstellar objective with a comparatively modest commercial-space funding envelope.
MaiaSpace has completed another upper-stage validation campaign for its Maia launcher, advancing development ahead of the vehicle’s planned orbital debut in 2027. The milestone marks continued progress toward the launcher’s first flight and commercial introduction.
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