Universe Today
• Andy Tomaswick
A new contract will fund nuclear-tested reactor hardware and the engineering needed for autonomous, actively controlled reactor operation on the Moon. The capability is aimed at supporting lunar missions, though the available reporting does not specify the contractor, contract value or schedule.
Commercial Space
Latest source-backed stories
A new contract will fund nuclear-tested reactor hardware and the engineering needed for autonomous, actively controlled reactor operation on the Moon. The capability is aimed at supporting lunar missions, though the available reporting does not specify the contractor, contract value or schedule.
High activity
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Firefly Aerospace have completed a preliminary design review for Elytra, a spacecraft architecture intended to carry autonomous survey drones to the lunar south pole. The milestone validates the design approach for delivering robotic assets to the region.
Trump administration officials have linked the slowdown of Starlink and Starshield services in Ukraine to Elon Musk, while Vice President JD Vance said decisions on access rest with the US government. Twenty-three House members urged President Donald Trump to let Ukraine use Starlink for strikes inside Russia; alternatives remain limited.
High activity
Elon Musk has publicly endorsed combining SpaceX and Tesla in a deal reportedly valued at $3.5 trillion, unsettling some people involved in discussions who fear added shareholder scrutiny could delay talks. The proposal also raises questions about Tesla’s China operations, national-security review and the political implications of joining the companies.
People familiar with the matter say there is a push to announce a deal between Musk’s Tesla and SpaceX by the first half of 2027, with a potential closing during President Donald Trump’s administration. The reported timetable comes as market volatility threatens the exuberance supporting Musk’s business empire.
The U.S. Air Force is testing whether military supplies can withstand the rigors of spaceflight aboard SpaceX’s new Starfall reentry capsule. The effort is part of a Pentagon initiative to assess commercial space vehicles as a means of delivering critical equipment to forces around the world.
Bengaluru-based OXG Space raised ₹17 crore in a round led by Aum Ventures’ India Innovation Fund II to build a satellite connectivity network in orbit. Separately, U.S. startup Atombeam raised $18.3 million to accelerate adoption of networking software for satellite, defense and commercial links, taking its total funding to $55 million.
Create a free account to see more recent Commercial Space stories and keep bookmarks in one place.
