Space Explored

Monday, Amazon launched its first batch of operational Project Kuiper satellites as it begins the build-out of its satellite internet constellation. However, the start has been delayed, and reports show the company might not meet the FCC deadline that is fast approaching.

SpaceX has been the go-to launcher for both commercial and government satellites for a few years running now. Their Silicon Valley thinking and reusability innovation were supposed to spur an era of low-cost launches, something that has yet to come to NASA missions as of yet.

It what normally doesn’t happen often, former Republican politicians have called out President Trump’s over-the-top NASA budget cuts as “reckless” and would cede space dominance to China. This is only the latest in a small but growing list of former and current party members that are going against their sitting president on this matter.

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will vote on Jared Isaacman‘s confirmation as NASA’s next Administrator on Wednesday. Both the Committee’s Republicans and Democrats released Isaacman’s written questions, so here’s what he thinks about some of the key issues facing NASA right now.

Since Elon Musk‘s endorsement of President Trump last year, the CEO of SpaceX has spent more time in politics than worrying about his companies, including Tesla. With Tesla’s Q1 earnings out this week, Elon announced he would be stepping back from his time at the White House to focus on the company.

MDA Space, a leading Canadian aerospace company with a legacy in robotic systems, introduced its next-generation robotics platform – MDA Skymaker – at the 2024 Space Symposium in Colorado Springs. Built on the company’s flight-proven Canadarm heritage, Skymaker is a modular suite of robotics technologies designed to support a wide array of commercial and governmental space missions.

A new space telescope that is 87% paid for, on schedule, and on budget, could be completely canned if President Trump’s proposed budget makes it law for NASA. That wouldn’t be the only thing of NASA’s that would be going away either.

With NASA‘s DC headquarters’ lease up in 2028, the space agency is looking for a new home and suitors are already lining up. While it sounds crazy that you would take a government agency out of the political center of the US, some states think it’s possible.

Forget laser interlinks, Boeing is working on a new form of in-space communications that may be just as fast and infinitely secure. The company, alongside its partnership with HRL Laboratories, hit a milestone in creating its first satellites for its quantum communications demo in 2026.

After a seven-month stay in space, NASA astronaut Don Pettit returned Saturday on the Soyuz MS-26 spacecraft in Kazakhstan. While in space, Pettit wowed the world with a constant stream of photos taken outside the windows of the ISS. Here are some of our favorites.

SpaceX is a leading bidder for the Pentagon’s Golden Dome missile defense platform, according to Reuters. The project will join SpaceX alongside software company Palantir and drone manufacturer Anduril in a project that could oust traditional defense primes from one of the DoD’s biggest new defense projects.

The multi-administration long battle over the location of the US Space Command’s permanent headquarters may finally come to an end this month. Following the release of the Inspector General’s report on President Biden’s decision not to move the HQ to Huntsville, Alabama, Congressman Mike Rogers states President Trump’s decision could come soon.

This week Blue Origin launched its NS-31 mission carrying a crew of six above the Karman Line for a short 11-minute flight. The flight was historic for being the first all-female spaceflight since 1963 and was marketed as a feminist movement, but some have doubts it did anything. So, are PR stunt suborbital spaceflights getting old? Or is it just Blue Origin’s take on them?

For the last few weeks, SpaceX has been clearing land for its next massive project in Starbase, Texas: GigaBay. In its way was the old Stargate facility and High Bay, both of which are in various stages of demolition. In its place will be Starbase’s largest structure, a processing facility that will be able to process as many as a dozen Starships at a time.

Vast Space is accelerating toward its goal of building a thriving commercial presence in low Earth orbit with the announcement of three new research payload partners for its Haven-1 space station. Japan Manned Space Systems Corporation (JAMSS), Interstellar Lab, and Exobiosphere are all expected to deploy experiments aboard the single-module space station, slated to launch no earlier than May 2026 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. 

NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) team moves quickly to prepare Artemis 2 for launch in early 2026. In March, EGS successfully stacked the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage onto the mobile launcher between the two solid rocket boosters (SRBs). The Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter (LVSA) is now part of the core stage. Alongside core stage integration, NASA has steadily progressed on the Orion spacecraft, preparing it for its first crewed mission around the Moon and back.

Last week, Jared Isaacman sat in front of his first Congressional hearing in what is expected to be his new career as NASA Administrator. On Wednesday, Isaacman sat in front of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee for his confirmation hearing, answering any questions the Senators wished before they voted on giving him the job or not. Here are five things we could expect from potential Administrator Isaacman if he is confirmed.

The Artemis Program political drama continues as Jared Isaacman, nominee for NASA Administrator, shares his support for returning to the Moon to build up the capabilities to get to Mars. This sounds very similar to NASA’s already-established Moon-to-Mars program, which has been the main talking point over the last eight years when asked about going to Mars. However, this goes against what has been publicly stated about the direction of the nation’s space program.

After lobbying the option into existence, Blue Origin has finally been awarded launches under the Space Force‘s National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 2 contract. The New Glenn has only launched once so far, and we’re still awaiting word on when and what the rocket’s second launch will be.

Jared Isaacman has finally received his call to be interviewed by the Senate for his new job as NASA Administrator, much more delayed than we originally thought. This will kick off the intense process before Isaacman can officially begin managing the agency.

SpaceX announced that its Starship Flight 9 mission will see the rocket’s first taste of reusability with the booster from Flight 7. The company also announced that a vast majority of the Raptor engines that flew on the booster will return for flight as well.

Read more: Starship Flight 9: SpaceX shows off Ship 35 heading for testing

Last week NASA announced that it has added SpaceX’s Starship rocket to its NASA Launch Services II contract, giving future access to NASA missions when the agency and rocket are ready. However, Starship’s current status will need to move forward in development much further before it will likely be able to compete for contracts.

Jeff Thornburg, former SpaceX VP that oversaw the development of Starship‘s Raptor engine, announced today that his company, Portal Space Systems, has raised $17.5 million in seed funding. The company plans to finish development and launch its first Supernova satellite system that is powered by an engine that comes with the benefits of nuclear propulsion, without the reactor.

Last week, the US Space Force announced it had certified ULA‘s Vulcan rocket for use on national security space launches, a major win for the company’s bottom line. However, the multi-month delay means Vulcan will not be ULA’s next launch, but the company still has big plans for this year.