NASA Spaceflight
• Chris Bergin, Eleanor Day
SpaceX is completing final checkouts of Super Heavy booster 22 and Starship 42 for a no-earlier-than Nov. 13 launch from Starbase. The mission would attempt to catch both stages at Pad 2; its schedule has slipped by one day, with an FAA ship-catch license still the key outstanding approval.
Commercial Space
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The future of Falcon 9 has become a major subject of discussion in the space industry amid a launch capacity crunch. The issue extends beyond SpaceX alone, underscoring broader questions about the supply of launch services.
SpaceX is down sharply as investors weigh concerns about potential Democratic retaliation against Elon Musk, while Deutsche Bank recommends buying the dip. The company’s business is centered largely on the executive branch, but congressional frustration is simmering.
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SpaceX is completing final checkouts of Super Heavy booster 22 and Starship 42 for a no-earlier-than Nov. 13 launch from Starbase. The mission would attempt to catch both stages at Pad 2; its schedule has slipped by one day, with an FAA ship-catch license still the key outstanding approval.
Scottish Mortgage Investment Trust has reduced SpaceX to 11.1% of its assets and sold its remaining Tesla stake. The changes reduce the trust’s exposure to two companies associated with Elon Musk, while SpaceX remains a significant portfolio holding.
NASA has selected three companies to advance to the next phase of an effort to develop a commercial replacement for its aging Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System constellation. The selection marks a step toward shifting a critical space communications service to commercial providers.
Trump officials said Elon Musk’s company donated Starlink satellite internet service. Records show the company also received nearly $1.2 million in Pentagon awards, complicating the characterization of the service as a gift and raising questions about the relationship between the donation and federal payments.
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AST SpaceMobile plans to build its own launch vehicle, described in coverage as a 20-ton rocket and named Blackbird or Blacklift, to deploy its direct-to-device satellite constellation. Firefly Aerospace will supply the engines under a reported $1.3 billion deal, as AST seeks greater control over access to orbit amid a constrained launch market.
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