Tag: United States
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SpaceX’s Nasdaq-100 Weighting Set to More Than Double in September Rebalance
SpaceX is expected to more than double its weighting in the Nasdaq-100 Index when the benchmark completes its quarterly rebalance later in September, potentially generating billions of dollars in mandatory purchases by index funds and exchange-traded funds. Preliminary Nasdaq data indicate the company’s weighting could rise from approximately 1.28% to 2.82%, with the final allocation…
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NOAA Selects 14 Commercial Satellite Data Providers for Expanded Weather Contract
NOAA has selected 14 commercial satellite companies to compete for orders across seven environmental-observation categories under a new Space-Based Environmental Monitoring contract. Announced on September 10, 2026, the procurement expands NOAA’s use of privately operated constellations to support weather forecasting, climate monitoring, space-weather services and satellite orbit prediction. The indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contract began its five-year…
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Both Bound for the Moon: Why Are NASA’s SLS and SpaceX’s Starship So Different?
On one side is the orange-and-white SLS. On the other is Starship, resembling a stainless-steel tower. Both are part of the United States’ architecture for returning humans to the Moon, yet they have almost nothing in common—from their appearance and engines to how they are intended to operate. Their respective roles: SLS Block 1 and…
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Space Force Prepares New GPS Ground Control Program Less Than Six Months After OCX Cancellation
The U.S. Space Force is preparing a new effort to modernize the ground command-and-control system for the Global Positioning System, less than six months after the Pentagon canceled the troubled Next Generation Operational Control System, or OCX. A September 2 notice from the Space Enterprise Consortium marked “Coming” provides the clearest indication that the service…
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U.S. Space Force Selects Lake Kickapoo, Texas, for Final DARC Radar Site
The U.S. Space Force selected a remote location near Lake Kickapoo in northern Texas on September 9 as the preferred site for the third Deep-space Advanced Radar Capability installation, completing the planned geographic footprint of a three-nation radar network designed to provide persistent surveillance of objects in geosynchronous orbit. DARC is a next-generation ground-based space…
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DOT Forms SPACE Task Force, but Authority to Cut Launch Approval Times Remains Unclear
The US Department of Transportation established the Space Policy Administration, Coordination, and Execution Task Force on September 9 to accelerate commercial launch approvals, expand spaceport capacity and improve launch integration with the national airspace system. However, DOT did not announce approval-time targets, implementation deadlines or new licensing authority, leaving unresolved whether the group can remove…
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NASA Opens State Competition for U.S. Space Academy as Congressional Questions Loom
NASA has invited U.S. governors to compete to host and sponsor the proposed United States Space Academy, issuing a Request for Information on September 10 that seeks details on potential locations, infrastructure and supporting aerospace ecosystems. States may submit one response each by 6 p.m. EDT on October 26, even as the institution’s legal authority,…
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SpaceX Launches Classified USSF-153 Mission for U.S. Space Force
SpaceX launched the classified USSF-153 mission for the U.S. Space Force aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, at 8:42 a.m. Pacific time on September 10. The mission carried an undisclosed number of national-security spacecraft toward an unannounced orbit. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 4 East and…
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SpaceX Pairs Booster 22 and Ship 42 for Flight 15 Cryogenic Testing
SpaceX has moved Super Heavy Booster 22 from Mega Bay 1 to the Massey’s test site at Starbase, where Ship 42 has joined it for cryogenic proof testing ahead of their planned pairing on Starship Flight 15. The mission could launch roughly one month after Flight 14 if the preceding flight meets its objectives and…
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NASA Adds Relativity Space’s Terran R to Launch Services Roster
NASA added Relativity Space’s Terran R rocket to its NASA Launch Services II contract on September 9, making the still-unflown vehicle eligible to compete for future agency launch orders. The award expands NASA’s pool of launch providers as Relativity prepares Terran R for its first flight from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in late 2026.…