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Human Spaceflight & Space Stations   Commercial Space  
Bloomberg • Loren Grush, Sana Pashankar

Virgin Galactic delays Delta-class spaceplane debut to February 2027, shifts to higher-priced flight tranches

Virgin Galactic has pushed the first expected full-power flight of its upgraded Delta-class spaceplane to February 2027, delaying the start of its next commercial service. The company is also planning higher-priced spaceflight tranches as it seeks to improve cash flow, sending shares lower.

Also: Seeking Alpha and Seeking Alpha
2026-08-12T13:51:01.776355-07:00
China   Satellite   AI   Moon   Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation   Space Exploration & Science Missions  
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NASA Spaceflight • Martin Smith

Amid failure, Wenchang celebrates milestone as China launches AI satellites and prepares for lunar south pole mission

By NASA Spaceflight: China’s Wenchang Space Launch Site reached its milestone 50th launch at the end of July, but this week also experienced a third launch failure; while China’s other launch sites have all been active as the nation increasingly deploys more AI-powered and in-space computing technology into orbit.

2026-08-12T12:36:29.909064-07:00
Moon   Space Exploration & Science Missions   Human Spaceflight & Space Stations   NASA  
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Associated Press • Marcia Dunn

Radiation vest tested on NASA moonshot can cut astronauts’ exposure in solar storms, study suggests

By Associated Press: A new study suggests a protective vest tested on a manikin during NASA's first Artemis moonshot could slash the radiation exposure of lunar astronauts during severe solar storms.

Also: Space.com, ScienceNews and orlandosentinel.com
2026-08-12T11:05:54.848324-07:00
Satellite   LEO   Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation   Commercial Space  
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Space Intel Report • Peter B. de Selding

AST SpaceMobile: Beta D2D commercial service in US should start this year for half-day coverage, continuous service in 2027

By Space Intel Report: LA PLATA, Maryland— Satellite direct-to-device (D2D) startup AST SpaceMobile, which has 13 satellites in low Earth orbit, said it expects to reach its goal of 45 satellites by early next year and has booked 10 missions on two launch-service providers to reach that goal.

2026-08-12T10:35:15.466447-07:00
Airports   Airport Infrastructure & Air Traffic Management   Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation   Commercial Space   Policy & Regulation  
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Skift • Tasmin Lockwood

These 13 Environmental Laws Could be Waived to Speed Up Airport-to-Spaceport Conversions

By Skift: Dozens of airports sit on land, runways, and remote buffer zones that could be turned into spaceports — and the FAA just proposed waiving 13 environmental laws to help them do so.

2026-08-12T09:36:30.250355-07:00