Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation News

Reuters

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SpaceX investor sees $50 trillion valuation in a decade as space startups raise record $20.8 billion

Investor Ron Baron says SpaceX could reach a $50 trillion valuation within 10 years, with Starlink alone potentially valued at $14 trillion to $15 trillion and generating $1 trillion in annual revenue. Separately, space startups attracted a record $20.8 billion in third-quarter funding, with capital flowing to launch providers, manufacturing and other infrastructure, according to Seraphim.

Reuters

Space startups secure record $20.8 billion funding as infrastructure bets surge, report shows

NASA Spaceflight

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Falcon 9 dominates a quiet launch week as China’s ZhuQue-2E is also scheduled

A relatively light launch manifest this week is led by SpaceX’s workhorse Falcon 9, with China’s ZhuQue-2E also scheduled to fly. The preview points to a quieter cadence rather than a major shift in launch activity; no mission dates, payload details or other launch providers are specified.

Space.com

Varda has two spacecraft in orbit and plans eight more missions over the next year

Varda Space Industries is currently operating two spacecraft in Earth orbit and plans eight additional missions in the coming year, signaling a rapid expansion of its in-space manufacturing and reentry cadence. The plans put execution, spacecraft availability and recovery operations at the center of the company’s next phase.

Bloomberg

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SpaceX seeks approval to conduct 456 Starship launches and landings a year from Starbase

SpaceX is proposing to scale up Starship operations at its Starbase facility in South Texas to 456 launches and landings annually. The plan is under U.S. government review, including a request for FAA approval, and would mark a major increase in the site’s planned flight activity.

Universe Today

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JAXA’s MMX mission targeting Oct. 20, 2026, launch to collect and return a sample from Phobos

The Martian Moons eXploration mission is scheduled to launch aboard an H3 rocket from Japan’s Tanegashima Space Center at 04:41 JST on Oct. 20, 2026. MMX is designed to collect material from Mars’ moon Phobos and return it to Earth, a first for a mission to a Martian moon.

CNBC

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Analysts weigh SpaceX’s wireless push against AST SpaceMobile’s launch risks and carrier competition

SpaceX’s planned acquisition of up to 14 MHz of paired 800-MHz spectrum from Grain Management has sharpened investor focus on its satellite-to-phone ambitions. Piper Sandler downgraded AST SpaceMobile to Neutral and cut its price target to $54 from $98, citing deployment uncertainty in 2026–27; Bernstein also downgraded AT&T over SpaceX competition.

SpaceNews.com

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SpaceX launches 6,300 pounds of cargo and science to the ISS, deploying two GHGSat methane-monitoring satellites

A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 6:33 a.m. EDT on Oct. 13 for NASA’s 35th commercial resupply mission to the International Space Station, carrying more than 6,300 pounds of supplies and hardware. The mission also deployed GHGSat’s Eleanor and Aidan satellites, expanding its methane-monitoring constellation.