August 16, 2025

Firefly Aerospace: The Space Stock You Should Not Buy (Source: Seeking Alpha)
Despite Firefly Aerospace's successful lunar landing and strong customer base, I rate the stock a sell due to valuation concerns. The company faces significant cash burn but has significant cash to fund operations. Current share price offers little to no upside as preferred stock conversion significantly increased the number of shares outstanding. While Firefly has long-term potential, I see no attractive entry point until the stock trades substantially below $47 per share. (8/15)

The Final Vacation Frontier (Source: Reason)
Looking to get really away from it all? How about 250 miles straight up and traveling at 17,500 mph away from it all? This year, why not take a vacation in low earth orbit—specifically, on the ISS? You can book a trip through SpaceX or Axiom Space, the latter of which offers "private astronaut missions" at a tidy $55 million per seat. That price includes training, transport aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon, and about a week on the ISS with food, Wi-Fi, and astronaut jumpsuits provided. (8/15)

FAA Approves Starship Flight 10 After Mishap Probe, Eyes August 24 Launch (Source: NSF)
SpaceX has received clearance from the FAA to conduct the 10th test flight of its Starship rocket, with a targeted launch date of August 24. The approval for Flight 10 comes after the closure of an investigation into anomalies during the vehicle’s previous mission, marking a key step forward in SpaceX’s test program.

The FAA announced on Friday morning that it had concluded its review of the mishap from Starship’s Flight 9, which occurred earlier this year. That test involved Booster 14, making its second flight as the Super Heavy first stage, paired with Ship 35. SpaceX revealed that the probable root cause was a failure in the diffuser component of the main fuel tank pressurization system. Located at the top of the forward dome in the methane tank, the diffuser supplies pressurization gases to maintain tank integrity as fuel is depleted during flight. (8/15)

Trump Aims to Foster Space Industry by Gutting Environmental Regulation (Source: Defense One)
Specifically, Trump's order will “eliminate or expedite” environmental reviews for launch and re-entry licenses and permits and establish “exclusions” to the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. The order would also “reevaluate, amend, or rescind” regulations under the Federal Aviation Authority’s Part 450 rules, which govern safety requirements for launch and re-entry operations but are widely viewed as too restrictive by commercial launch companies. (8/15)

Air, Space Force Face $2.3B in Cuts Under DOGE (Source: Air & Space Forces)
The US Air Force and Space Force are facing $2.3 billion in budget cuts for 2026, primarily due to the Department of Government Efficiency initiative. The cuts will impact more than 5,700 civilian jobs and various programs, including air operations and research and development. Todd Harrison of the American Enterprise Institute says the cuts could hinder acquisition programs and technical knowledge retention. (8/14)

University of Florida Teams with Swiss Center for Space Research (Source: University of Zurich)
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed this week at Space Florida's Space Life Sciences Lab between the Center for Space and Aviation Switzerland and Liechtenstein (CSA), the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich (IPZ), and the University of Florida. The agreement completes the existing international network of the CSA in an ideal way, welcoming an outstanding academic partner. (8/15)

Charania Joins Zeno Power (Source: LinkedIn)
Zeno Power, the company building nuclear batteries to power missions on the frontier, today announced that A.C. Charania has joined the team as Senior Vice President of Space Business Development. Charania brings over 25 years of experience advancing aerospace innovation across public and private sectors. Most recently as NASA’s Chief Technologist, Charania served as the agency’s top advisor to the NASA Administrator on technology strategy – helping shape investment priorities, guide innovation across six mission directorates, and align programs with long-term mission goals. (8/14)

USAID Criticized Over Lack of Oversight on Starlink Terminals Supplied to Ukraine (Source: United24)
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) could not verify whether Ukraine had improperly used thousands of Starlink terminals supplied after Russia’s 2022 invasion, according to an inspector general’s report. The report stated that the draft transfer agreement prohibited the “military use” of the terminals.

They were intended for hospitals, schools, communications, and other civilian purposes. However, soon after the war began, allegations emerged that Ukrainian forces had weaponized Starlink terminals to operate drones and carry out artillery strikes against Russian military equipment, vehicles, and mobile command centers. (8/15)

Blue Origin Pushes Back New Glenn Flight 2 Launch Window (Source: Aviation Week)
Blue Origin has delayed the opening of the launch window for its second New Glenn rocket launch to no earlier than Sept. 29. The company, which first flew New Glenn in January, had in June set the date for the second flight attempt at no earlier than Aug. 15. (8/15)

Spaceport America Loses Some Lift Following Virgin Galactic Pause (Source: Albuquerque Journal)
After Spaceport America's biggest tenant, Virgin Galactic, ended commercial flights out of the launch facility near Truth or Consequences last year, the Spaceport reported slight hits to its economic output for 2024. The Spaceport added nearly $240 million to New Mexico's economy last year, a decrease from $266 million in 2023, according to the facility's most recent economic impact report compiled by the Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University and released Tuesday.

Still, the Spaceport has shown tremendous growth over the last six years — economic output at the facility has more than tripled from $72.3 million in 2019, and Scott McLaughlin, the Spaceport's executive director, says the launchpad has other tenants and is working to attract new ones.

The decrease in economic output and the pause in flights sparked talk of selling the Spaceport at a meeting of the New Mexico Legislature's Economic and Rural Development and Policy Committee on Tuesday, where legislators pushed McLaughlin on when taxpayers would begin to see a return on their investment at the Spaceport. (8/14)

Coastal Commission Votes Against Boost in SpaceX Launches, Citing Lack of Data (Source: Noozhawk)
California Coastal Commission members agreed Thursday that they lacked critical  information to determine whether the proposal to double SpaceX rocket launches at Vandenberg Space Force Base is consistent with state rules, but the vote isn’t expect to halt the increase.

On Thursday, the commission considered the Department of the Air Force item related to a SpaceX plan to use a second launch facility at Vandenberg for both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. The proposal also would add two first-stage booster landing sites at Space Launch Complex-6. The military had deemed the project consistent with the California Coastal Management Program and sought the state panel’s concurrence. Instead, the California Coastal Commission unanimously objected with its vote. (8/14)

First Portuguese Spaceport Licensed (Source: Portugal News)
The Azores Spaceport has been licensed to operate and is expected to have its first launch in spring 2026, almost five years later than initially planned. The license was granted by the regulatory body, Anacom - National Communications Authority, to the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium, which submitted the application in December.

The license is valid for five years and "refers exclusively to the operation of the launch centre to be located in Malbusca," on the Azorean island of Santa Maria, Anacom and the Portuguese Space Agency said in a joint statement. (8/14)

NASA Dismisses Biden Priorities Like Climate Science (Source: Washington Times)
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy vowed Thursday to emphasize space exploration at NASA instead of “all the other priorities” that were favored by the Biden administration. Duffy, who oversees NASA as its interim administrator, said during a Fox News interview that investing in space exploration, including inhabiting the moon as a means of going to Mars, is essential to national security. (8/15)