NASA Spaceflight
• Chris Bergin, Eleanor Day
SpaceX plans to build a Starship production and launch complex on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast, committing up to $100 billion to factories and 10 launch pads. The proposed site would expand operations beyond southern Texas and support thousands of launches annually, including the company’s AI satellite ambitions.
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The FAA said an antenna was relocated and air-traffic procedures were revised after Marine One, carrying President Donald Trump, came too close to a passenger aircraft departing Reagan Washington National Airport. The changes address coordination and separation risks where presidential helicopter movements intersect with scheduled airport traffic.
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SpaceX plans to build a Starship production and launch complex on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast, committing up to $100 billion to factories and 10 launch pads. The proposed site would expand operations beyond southern Texas and support thousands of launches annually, including the company’s AI satellite ambitions.
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A U.S. Air Force Boeing C-17A Globemaster III flew from the Washington area to Moscow via Riga, Latvia, on Aug. 25, carrying CIA Director John Ratcliffe, according to reports and flight-tracking data. The Kremlin said no meetings were planned, while the purpose of the visit remained undisclosed.
Leaf Space has completed installation of a ground station at Spaceport Nova Scotia, adding communications infrastructure at the Canadian launch site. The company’s announcement underscores the continuing build-out of ground systems needed to support satellite operators and commercial launch activity in the region.
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A ground-handling employee at Montréal–Trudeau International Airport died after being struck by a French Bee Airbus A350 as the aircraft was pushed back from its stand for departure. Initial reports said the worker was critically injured; accounts differed on the employee’s precise role.
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WestJet’s flight attendants have ratified a new three-year collective agreement with CUPE, winning 90.2% support and concluding negotiations on the cabin crew’s second agreement with the union. The deal follows a strike that grounded hundreds of flights in Canada earlier this month and addresses previously uncompensated work time.
Fiji Airways has secured immediate U.S. authority to broaden its scheduled and charter operations while its application for an amended foreign air carrier permit proceeds toward final approval. The interim authorization gives the Fiji-based carrier additional flexibility in serving the U.S. market.
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Israir has cleared a key U.S. regulatory hurdle to launch nonstop flights between Tel Aviv and New York JFK, with service targeted for October 2026. The Israeli leisure carrier plans to add two Airbus A330 widebodies, reportedly retaining their existing American Airlines cabin layouts, for its North American expansion.
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