Commercial Space Industry (New Space) News

Space Policy Online • Marcia Smith

Musk Eyes Uncrewed Starship Mission to Mars by End of 2026 Despite Failures

Elon Musk told SpaceX staff on May 29 he still plans to fly an uncrewed Starship to Mars by late 2026, underlining his long-term vision for a multi-planetary species, even after back-to-back test-flight failures IFT-7, IFT-8 and IFT-9 just two days earlier.

2025-05-29T18:52:01.367346-07:00

Aviation Week

Boeing CEO Ortberg Outlines 737 MAX Ramp, 787 Delivery Hurdles and F-47 Investment

2025-05-28T23:02:15.056594-07:00

Breaking Defense

Northrop Grumman Backs Firefly’s Eclipse Medium-Lift Rocket with $50 Million Injection

2025-05-29T09:42:41.849432-07:00

Space.com

SpaceX plans 170 orbital launches in 2025 to top its 134-mission record

2025-05-29T12:06:24.465293-07:00

Commercial Space Industry (New Space) News Timeline

Space Policy Online

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Musk Eyes Uncrewed Starship Mission to Mars by End of 2026 Despite Failures Elon Musk told SpaceX staff on May 29 he still plans to fly an uncrewed Starship to Mars by late 2026, underlining his long-term vision for a multi-planetary species, even after back-to-back test-flight failures IFT-7, IFT-8 and IFT-9 just two days earlier.

2025-05-29T18:52:01.367346-07:00

Musk Eyes Uncrewed Starship Mission to Mars by End of 2026 Despite Failures

Wall Street Journal

Elon Musk Exits Government Role to Refocus on SpaceX and Tesla Elon Musk has resigned as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to devote full attention to his sprawling business empire. The move comes as SpaceX’s Starship continues to grapple with developmental setbacks, Tesla edges closer to its production targets, and xAI and Neuralink ramp up operations.

2025-05-29T18:31:15.908052-07:00

Elon Musk Exits Government Role to Refocus on SpaceX and Tesla

Space.com

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SpaceX plans 170 orbital launches in 2025 to top its 134-mission record SpaceX aims to fly 170 orbital missions in 2025, eclipsing last year’s high of 134. The aggressive target spans Falcon 9 and Starship flights, underscoring the company’s drive to meet growing demand from Starlink deployments, government payloads and commercial customers.

2025-05-29T12:06:24.465293-07:00

SpaceX plans 170 orbital launches in 2025 to top its 134-mission record

Bloomberg Law

SpaceX fights to keep court filings under seal amid Chinese investor probe SpaceX is battling ProPublica's effort to unseal court documents revealing secretive offshore investment deals between the rocket maker and Chinese backers. The legal fight highlights growing scrutiny over corporate transparency and national security risks as SpaceX seeks to shield its filings from public disclosure.

2025-05-29T11:02:23.989901-07:00

SpaceX fights to keep court filings under seal amid Chinese investor probe

Breaking Defense

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Northrop Grumman Backs Firefly’s Eclipse Medium-Lift Rocket with $50 Million Injection Northrop Grumman has invested $50 million in Firefly Aerospace to accelerate Eclipse™, a medium-lift launcher co-developed with Antares and Alpha heritage that delivers up to 16 metric tons to orbit. Built in Texas and Arizona using scaled-up Alpha propulsion and composite structures, Eclipse aims to boost payload capacity and production cadence.

2025-05-29T09:42:41.849432-07:00

Northrop Grumman Backs Firefly’s Eclipse Medium-Lift Rocket with $50 Million Injection

Aviation Week

Blue Origin Targets Record-Breaking MK1 Lunar Lander Touchdown This Year Blue Origin plans to attempt the first landing of its MK1 lunar lander on the Moon this year, aiming to place the largest vehicle yet on the lunar surface and advance private lunar delivery capabilities. Success would mark a milestone in private lunar missions and intensify competition with SpaceX's Starship program.

2025-05-29T08:49:35.372454-07:00

Blue Origin Targets Record-Breaking MK1 Lunar Lander Touchdown This Year

biz.chosun.com

Unastella completes South Korea’s first private rocket launch Unastella, a private manned space launch startup, successfully fired its inaugural test rocket from a domestic site, marking Korea's first privately operated launch. The achievement ushers in a new era for Korean aerospace, boosting momentum for commercial space ventures and advancing domestic launch capabilities.

2025-05-29T07:59:26.027039-07:00

Unastella completes South Korea’s first private rocket launch

Space.com

Blue Origin Readies NS-32 New Shepard Suborbital Flight with First Ohio Space Tourist Blue Origin will launch its NS-32 mission aboard New Shepard on Saturday, carrying six paying passengers—including Put-In-Bay native Paul Jeris—on a suborbital hop above the Kármán line. This marks the 32nd New Shepard launch and underscores the company’s expanding space tourism operations.

2025-05-29T07:02:20.569837-07:00

Blue Origin Readies NS-32 New Shepard Suborbital Flight with First Ohio Space Tourist

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