July 16, 2026

SDA Resumes Satellite Launches After Months-Long Pause (Source: Aerospace America)
The U.S. Space Development Agency is slated to launch the latest batch of satellites for its proliferated constellation this week. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is to launch Thursday from Vandenberg Space Force Base with 21 York Space Systems-built satellites to be placed in low-Earth orbit, said GP Sandhoo, who also serves as the Space Force’s portfolio acquisition executive for missile tracking and warning. (7/15)

Office of Space Commerce’s New Authorization Framework Should Balance Innovation with Safety, Lawmakers Say (Source: Aerospace America)
The Office of Space Commerce’s proposed method to streamline and expedite approvals for novel in-space operations must take into account national security and public safety, members of the U.S. House Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee said during a hearing on Wednesday. (7/16)

Slingshot Aerospace Wins Space Force Contract to Expand AI Mission Rehearsal (Source: Via Satellite)
Slingshot Aerospace has won a contract worth almost $70 million with the U.S. Space Force, a contract the company is calling the largest in its history. The contract will see Slingshot Aerospace deliver AI-powered mission rehearsal and operational training capabilities to Space Force Guardians. The $69.2 million award, issued as a SBIR Phase III contract, builds on a previous Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) contract, which supported development of a digital space twin of the space operating environment. (7/15)

Florida Startup Developing Orbital Debris Removal System (Source: SPACErePORT, Space News)
Fort Pierce-based Satellite Orbital Access and Removal (SOAR) is developing PODRS, a passive capture concept for the smallest, fastest, and least trackable objects in low Earth orbit. The goal is to intercept debris 10 centimeters and smaller, slow it, and retain it without active propulsion or capture mechanisms. SOAR announced a partnership July 15 with the University of Texas, El Paso to develop PODRS. (7/15)

Florida Startup Developing "SpaceBox" for Sending Items to Space (Source: Blackstar Orbital)
Titusville-based BlackStar Orbital's SpaceBox will allow users to send products, memorabilia, artwork, prototypes, research, and personal items on a real spaceflight, with eligible payloads receiving BlackStar Orbital Space Certification as verified proof of their journey beyond Earth. Whether for a global marketing campaign, advancing research, commemorating a milestone, or making history with your brand, SpaceBox provides a unique opportunity to access space and turn your vision into a certified space-flown legacy. (7/15)

A Most Improbable Astronaut Fust Went to Space (Source: Ars Technica)
Anil Menon, a NASA flight surgeon, felt crushed nine years ago as his hopes and aspirations collapsed around him. For the fourth time, he had diligently applied to become an astronaut at the US space agency, seeking to fulfill a lifelong dream. Although he made it to the final round, NASA had once again rejected his application at the end of the grueling process. Click here. (7/15)

Update on China's New Launchers and Recovery Plans (Source: NSF)
China reached a major milestone less than a week ago with the first successful recovery of an orbital-class booster, using a novel cable-net catch system at sea. Two years ago this week, LandSpace set a different record when its ZhuQue-2 became the first methane-powered launcher to reach orbit. LandSpace is now expected to launch a second ZQ-3 to orbit in August. If this mission successfully lands the first stage on the pad downrange in Gansu Province, it would mark China’s first land-based propulsive landing of an orbital booster.

Commercial launch provider iSpace has been conducting sea trials of its first autonomous droneship that will support the recovery of boosters for its Shuang Quxian-3 (SQX-3, or Hyperbola-3) vehicle. The Qinglan (“Clear Waves”) measures 100 m long and 42 m wide with a deck area measuring approximately 60 x 40 meters. The droneship was first revealed in August 2025 when it left the Runyang Shipyard in Yangzhou and is the first in a fleet the company has named Xingji Guihang (“Interstellar Return/Homecoming”).

After nine months, OrienSpace is preparing for the third sea-launch of its all-solid motor-driven Gravity-1 no earlier than July 22. The rocket last took flight in October 2025 after a 21-month gap following its debut in January 2024. The company does not have exclusive use of the Dongfang Hangtiangang launch vessel, though the delays are more attributable to slow early production methods and some leadership turbulence between the first and second flights. Meanwhile, the company has been transporting engines to the Haiyang spaceport, potentially for testing ahead of the maiden launch of its Gravity-2 later this year. (7/15)

Short Sellers Notch $8.7 Billion Profit as SpaceX Shares Dip to IPO Price (Source: CNA)
Short sellers targeting SpaceX shares are sitting on an estimated $8.7 billion in paper profit since the rockets-to-AI firm's initial public offering last month, as its stock slipped below the IPO price, according to data and analytics firm Ortex Technologies. Short sellers, who borrow shares to sell them and later buy them back at a lower price for a profit, have pressed their bearish bets on SpaceX as the company's shares slipped toward its IPO price of $135 from a post-IPO high of $225.64. (7/16)

Elon Musk's Audacious Gamble Has Already Swallowed Up More Than $800 Billion in One Month (Source: Numerama)
In June 2026, Elon Musk and SpaceX achieved the largest IPO in history. A month later, the company had almost returned to square one, after a meteoric rise that was as spectacular as it was short-lived. After peaking above $2.7 trillion, SpaceX has almost returned to its IPO level and is now worth $1.792 trillion, as of July 15.

In less than a month, this stock market rollercoaster has swallowed up $863 billion in market capitalization. The operation is not a failure for SpaceX, however. The company did recoup the $75 billion it sought, and its stock price remains slightly above its initial public offering price. The situation is considerably less rosy for investors who joined during the initial euphoria, some of whom are now reporting losses close to 40%. (7/15)

Space Startup Funding Near Record Highs as SpaceX IPO Draws New Investors (Source: Reuters)
Global investment in space startups was near ‌record levels in the second quarter, buoyed by investor enthusiasm following SpaceX's nearly $86 billion initial public offering, according to a Seraphim Space report on Thursday. "We are seeing increased inbound from investors with limited or no prior space exposure, who are now looking ​to build positions in the category." Space companies raised about $7.5 billion across 141 venture funding deals ​in the second quarter, ​compared with a record $8 ⁠billion across 159 deals in the previous quarter. (7/16)

Flying blind: NASA’s X-59 Could Bolster the Windowless Cockpit (Source: Aerospace America)
When NASA’s experimental X-59 aircraft broke the sound barrier for the first time on June 5, it marked a big step toward the return of commercial supersonic flight. But the aircraft could help foster innovation in another area as well: the cockpit. (7/15)

New Frontier Aerospace Plans Sales of 3D-Printed Hypersonic Rocket Engine (Source: Aerospace America)
Washington state startup New Frontier Aerospace is moving to install by the end of this year its 3D-printed, hypersonic-capable rocket engine onto a drone to demonstrate and gather data on its performance. The company, headquartered in Kent, plans to offer the relatively compact, liquid natural gas-fueled engine, known as Mjölnir, for sale commercially.

New Frontier says it is designing Mjölnir to power small satellites and rockets that fall under NASA’s Venture Class, which includes Rocket Lab’s Electron, for example. New Frontier has been hot-firing the engines since mid-2024. CEO Bill Bruner, a former assistant administrator for legislative and governmental affairs at NASA, founded New Frontier in 2020 with David Gregory, former development lead for Blue Origin’s BE-3 engine, and Jess Sponable, a former DARPA program manager who led spaceplane development. (7/15)

The Space Force Faces Growing Pains. Here’s How the Next Chief Can Help (Source: Breaking Defense)
On July 16, Lt. Gen. Doug Schiess will appear before the Senate Armed Services Committee for a hearing as part of his path towards being the third Chief of Space Operations. Doubling the service from roughly 10,000 to 20,000 military members by 2030 is not a trivial matter. Gen. Schiess and the Space Force must ensure it has the right people, with the right ranks, doing the right functions, and in the right locations — all while preserving the high standards of qualification that make Guardians unique, and in a way that will create a sustainable force structure.

Due to new Pentagon policies, DOGE cuts, and even a few retirements, the Space Force lost many qualified personnel across its military and civilian workforce. While the numbers of people in these categories are likely in the low hundreds for the Space Force, they could offer ready-made talent that could be easily re-integrated. One area where new interservice transfers might be helpful is to grow the existing apparatus responsible for new accessions — recruitment, basic training, skills training, and assignment matching.

Perhaps the most promising option is for the Space Force to direct commission or direct enlist experts from industry and other fields whose specialties the Space Force needs. This would be like the programs the other services employ for medical and legal professionals. The technical nature of many Space Force functions could be ideal for such an approach. By bringing them in at higher ranks than a traditional new member, the Space Force can create a more uniform growth path for itself. (7/14)

Moon Landings Could Destroy Evidence of Life's Origins (Source: Space.com)
Landing spacecraft on the moon could contaminate ancient clues about how life may have originated on Earth, a new study finds. The exhaust from spacecraft involved with these landings could expel enough methane to contaminate the moon's surface — possibly destroying molecules that could help to explain how life may have originated on Earth. (7/14)

Kratos Wins $100M for Space Domain Awareness System Build (Source: ExecutiveBiz)
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has secured an approximately $100 million sole-source prime contract to deliver a ground-based space domain awareness system for an undisclosed government customer. CEO Eric Demarco says the company is positioned to deliver space systems quickly at competitive costs. (7/14)

Space Force Aims to Double Personnel (Source: Breaking Defense)
Lt. Gen. Doug Schiess, on track to become the third chief of space operations, faces the challenge of doubling US Space Force personnel to 20,000 by 2030. Schiess could consider reinstating members separated for nondisciplinary reasons, increasing interservice transfers, integrating Guard and Reserve forces and direct appointments from industry. Expanding the Space Force's geographic footprint beyond its current states is also recommended to boost awareness and congressional support. (7/14)

Spain’s Pangea Propulsion Opens New Manufacturing Facility (Source: European Spaceflight)
Pangea Propulsion has inaugurated a new 1,000-square-metre manufacturing facility in L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, near Barcelona, investing an initial €1 million in its establishment. According to the company’s CEO, Adrià Argemí Samsó, the opening of the new facility marks the company’s shift to serial production. (7/14)

Space Cargo Costs Could Fall More Than 90% by 2040 (Source: University of Cambridge)
The expense of launching cargo into space will plummet over the next few years, with the cost of reaching orbit forecast to more than halve between now and the end of the decade, and fall around 93% by 2040, according to new Cambridge-led research.

The cost of sending a kilogram of payload into low Earth orbit, an average of $3,868 last year, is set to fall more than 58% to just $1,569 by 2030, and could reach as little as 273 US dollars per kilo by 2040, the study suggests. The analysis shows that the cost of reaching space is falling faster than the expense of steamship freight did during the 19th-century transport revolution, and even faster than solar photovoltaics: a benchmark for rapidly affordable “transformative technologies”. (7/14)

First Diagnostic X-Rays in Space (Source: RSNA)
A team of crew members aboard a commercial spaceflight acquired the first diagnostic X-rays during an orbital flight. For more than four decades, ultrasound has been the only reliable medical imaging modality used in spaceflight. As spaceflight missions increase in duration and distance, increasing the risk of adverse medical events, the limitations of ultrasound have become less acceptable. Ultrasound imaging requires substantial operator training and relies on a sound wave transmitting medium.

The Fram2 mission launched on March 31, 2025, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, entering into a 90-degree orbit at 425 to 450 kilometers above sea level. The mission duration was 3 days and 14 hours, and the spacecraft returned to Earth on April 4, 2025. The X-ray generator sustained superficial structural damage during landing and recovery. However, internal hardware components and X-ray output were unaffected. (7/14)

Guardian Astronaut Brings Operational Medicine Experience to ISS Mission (Source: USSF)
U.S. Space Force Col. Anil Menon launched aboard NASA’s Expedition 75 mission to the International Space Station, bringing with him a career shaped by operational medicine, military service and human spaceflight support. Menon is serving as a flight engineer aboard the ISS during his first mission to space, marking another milestone in the growing relationship between NASA and the Space Force as Guardians continue supporting the nation’s expanding role in the space domain. (7/14)

Researchers Map Moon’s Regolith Thickness (Source: Brown University)
New research by lunar scientists from Brown University provides critical new insights into the thickness of the Moon’s regolith, the layer of loose dust and rock that drapes the entire lunar surface. Using an analysis of more than 300 small and freshly formed impact craters across the lunar surface, along with data collected from lunar missions dating back to the 1970s, the researchers created a map of regolith thickness across the Moon. The team has made the data publicly available in the hope that other researchers will add to it, helping to make it a valuable resource for future lunar exploration. (7/14)

SpaceX Data Center Plan Fuels Push to Oust Texas Mayor (Source: San Antonio Express-News)
The debate over data centers on Earth has landed in a small town outside of Waco that’s crucial to Elon Musk’s vision to move the technology to space. Concerns over the closed-door approval of a new data center project and years of water violations tied to SpaceX rocket engine testing have some in McGregor calling for changes at City Hall. More than 60 people have signed a petition to change or remove Mayor Jim Lilley, according to Dennis Fehler, a fourth-generation native of the town who’s leading the recall effort.

Gov. Greg Abbott recently called for blocking new data centers in rural parts of the state. He also has directed the Public Utility Commission and Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the statewide grid, to take steps to reduce the impact of data centers. The fight in McGregor is happening in the town that’s home to SpaceX’s busiest test site, where every one of the company’s rocket engines is test-fired before flight.

Wall Street on SpaceX: ‘Everything Depends on Starship’ (Source: AEI)
What do the banks think about (a) the viability of Starship, and (b) assuming Starship will be a reliable, reusable, high-cadence vehicle, what does that mean for launch costs? Bankers' analyses tend to focus on a single number: dollars per kilogram to orbit. It’s the number that will determine the economic viability of humanity living and working in low-Earth orbit, colonizing the Moon and Mars (and beyond), and whether we can build space-based energy and AI infrastructure.

Given that these reports are from banks that underwrote the SpaceX IPO, you would expect them to be upbeat. But they’re hardly the most optimistic. Goldman Sachs: “We expect Starship to become fully operational and prove out commercial viability in the coming quarters as the vehicle begins deploying internal (and in 2027, external) payloads into orbit.” ... The “total number of Starship launches [is] expected to reach ~2,750 in 2030” and that means SpaceX “will have to manufacture 600 Starships through 2029 to support launches.”

JP Morgan: "Everything Depends on Starship. We view Starship’s path to rapid and complete reusability as the critical enabler underpinning SpaceX’s many long-term growth drivers. Accordingly, any delays, technical setbacks, or regulatory hurdles that constrain the launch trajectory will impede planned growth across multiple business lines. ... While SpaceX has an incredibly strong track record of innovation, with many key “firsts” across Space, Connectivity, and AI, Starship’s scale & complexity will require superior execution." (7/7)

Utah Helicopter Flights Test NASA’s DAVINCI Mission to Venus (Source: NASA)
Before NASA sends its DAVINCI (Deep Atmosphere Venus Investigation of Noble gases, Chemistry, and Imaging) descent probe down through Venus’s thick atmosphere, scientists need to confirm that its cameras and instruments can do the job. During its 60-minute descent at Venus, the probe will capture images, measure the atmospheric chemistry, and explore the environment of a world no one has seen up close in this way.

To prepare, a team of DAVINCI scientists and engineers traveled to Crater Island, Utah, in late June. There, they simulated the descent imaging part of their Venus mission through slow, near-vertical helicopter descents from altitudes as high as 18,000 feet to make sure they would be able to measure the landscapes using only optical and infrared images taken on the way down. (7/14)