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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.
Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation
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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.
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.
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.
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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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SpaceX has completed a single-engine test-firing of its next Starship spacecraft as preparations continue for the megarocket’s first test flight intended to reach orbit. The milestone marks another step toward an orbital demonstration of SpaceX’s fully integrated launch vehicle and spacecraft system.
High activity
SpaceX launched 29 Starlink broadband satellites to low Earth orbit from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The Falcon 9’s first stage completed another recovery by landing on a droneship at sea, extending the company’s high-cadence deployment model.
Japanese propulsion startup Letara has closed a ¥2.6 billion ($16 million) pre-Series A funding round to advance development of its low-cost hybrid rocket engine technology. The financing gives Letara additional capital to mature an alternative propulsion approach for launch-vehicle applications.
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