Tag: commercial-space
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Successful Rocket Recovery Is Only the Beginning. Three Priorities Come Next
China has successfully recovered two orbital-class rocket boosters—one at sea and one on land—but recovery itself is only the starting point. Turning reusable rockets into a commercially viable capability will depend on three priorities: Rapidly returning recovered boosters to flight and developing a first stage optimized for frequent reuse; Continuously increasing the payload fraction to…
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Shanghai Spacecom Secures $1.94 Billion Funding Round, Reaching $6.96 Billion Valuation as China Accelerates Starlink Rival
Chinese satellite internet operator Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology (SSST), also known as SpaceSail, has completed a 7 billion yuan ($1.94 billion) Series B financing round, valuing the company at approximately 50.1 billion yuan ($6.96 billion). The funding marks one of the largest capital raises in China’s commercial satellite sector and underscores the country’s determination to…
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NASA’s Astronaut Training Hub Prepares for the Post-ISS Era as Commercial Space Stations Near Reality
NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston has long served as the nerve center of American human spaceflight, training astronauts for programs ranging from Gemini and Apollo to the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station (ISS). Now, as NASA and its industry partners prepare for the eventual retirement of the ISS around 2030, the…
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INNOSPACE’s SEBIT Veers Off Course During First Suborbital Test Flight in Brazil
INNOSPACE’s multipurpose suborbital rocket SEBIT veered away from its planned trajectory during its debut test flight from Brazil on Aug. 19, prompting the Brazilian Air Force to activate the vehicle’s flight termination system and end the mission prematurely. SEBIT lifted off from its launch platform at the Alcântara Space Center at 16:30 BRT on Aug.…
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SpaceX IPO Shares Face Fresh Selling Pressure as Another Lockup Expiration Hits the Market
SpaceX shares came under renewed pressure on Aug. 20 as another major tranche of previously restricted stock became eligible for trading, adding billions of dollars’ worth of potential supply to a market already grappling with post-IPO volatility. The latest lockup expiration released approximately 319 million additional shares for potential sale by eligible insiders and early…
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SpaceX Poised to Build New Coastal Spaceport in Louisiana’s Vermilion Parish
SpaceX is set to build a new spaceport along roughly 18 miles of coastal land in southern Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, creating another launch location for the company as it expands its rocket operations, according to information emerging from Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry’s office. The proposed facility would be built on a roughly 130,000-acre tract in…
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Muon Space Raises $250 Million to Scale Satellite Constellation Production
Muon Space has raised $250 million in a Series C financing round as the California satellite developer moves to expand spacecraft production, broaden its dual-use satellite platforms and support a growing pipeline of commercial, government and international sovereign customers. The oversubscribed financing, announced Aug. 20, brings Muon Space’s total equity funding to more than $386…
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Letara Raises ¥2.6 Billion to Advance Low-Cost Hybrid Rocket Engines for Space and Defense Markets
Japanese propulsion startup Letara has secured approximately ¥2.6 billion ($16 million) in a Pre-Series A funding round as it seeks to commercialize a new generation of low-cost hybrid rocket engines designed for satellite propulsion, launch vehicles, and defense applications. The Sapporo-based company announced the financing on Aug. 20, saying the round was co-led by Headline…
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Starcloud Secures $250 Million to Expand Orbital Data Center Ambitions Amid Growing Launch Capacity Crunch
Starcloud has raised a $250 million extension to its Series A financing round, giving the orbital computing startup fresh capital as it races to deploy space-based AI infrastructure in an increasingly competitive launch market. The new funding values the company at approximately $2.3 billion and comes just months after Starcloud achieved unicorn status with a…
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Trump Sets 1,000-Plus Annual Launch Target as White House Rewrites U.S. Space Transportation Policy
The White House is targeting more than 1,000 space launches and reentries from U.S. soil every year by 2030 under a new national space transportation policy signed by President Donald Trump on Aug. 20, 2026. The National Security Presidential Memorandum replaces the previous National Space Transportation Policy issued in 2013 and establishes a commercial-first framework…