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• Jeff Foust
The FAA is seeking industry input as it implements elements of a new space transportation policy, focusing on the development of new spaceports and access to airspace for launch operations. The effort could shape future launch infrastructure planning and coordination between commercial space operators and aviation authorities.
Commercial Space
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The FAA is seeking industry input as it implements elements of a new space transportation policy, focusing on the development of new spaceports and access to airspace for launch operations. The effort could shape future launch infrastructure planning and coordination between commercial space operators and aviation authorities.
A tour of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston highlights how the agency and private industry are already shaping the future of human spaceflight. The astronaut-training hub will need to evolve as commercial space stations expand the range of destinations and operational models beyond the ISS.
SpaceX launched 27 Starlink satellites from California on Aug. 22, marking the 100th mission of the year for its Falcon rocket family. The milestone highlights the continued operational tempo of SpaceX’s launch program and the ongoing expansion of its low-Earth-orbit broadband constellation.
SpaceX’s next Starship flight is now unlikely to attempt a launch-site catch of the vehicle’s upper stage, signaling a narrower test objective for the upcoming mission. The change reduces the scope of the next demonstration as SpaceX continues developing Starship’s recovery architecture.
StarRF, a Chinese startup developing a satellite constellation to detect and geolocate radio-frequency emissions from orbit, has secured new funding. The financing comes as China’s commercial space sector expands and as orbital RF intelligence capabilities attract growing interest.
SpaceX is seeking a trader to build and lead a natural-gas trading team, linking the launch company’s expanding spaceflight operations to energy-market procurement. The role indicates that fuel and power requirements have become significant enough to warrant dedicated trading expertise within the company.
Orbital data center startup Starcloud has expanded its Series A by $250 million, just five months after its initial raise. Manhattan West led the financing, which more than doubled the company’s valuation to $2.3 billion, underscoring investor momentum behind space-based data infrastructure.
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A new National Space Transportation Policy directs the Defense Department, NASA and other agencies to identify regulatory, operational, programmatic and technological barriers to faster, more resilient access to space. The policy also calls for expanded launch infrastructure, including evaluating a new federally supported spaceport for heavy-lift vehicles.
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