Topic: space competition
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Ex-NASA Chief Turned Lobbyist Aims to Curb SpaceX Funding
Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine supports a legislative provision to cap NASA's spending on any single launch provider at 50% of its launch budget, a move seen as targeting SpaceX's market dominance. Bridenstine argues the rule would foster competition, protect smaller manufacturers, and...
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China Recovers First Reusable Rocket, Demonstrates New Recovery Method
China successfully recovered a reusable orbital-class booster for the first time on Friday, launching a Long March 10B rocket from Hainan Island and catching its booster in a sea-based net system in the South China Sea. The recovery method involved the booster navigating into a specialized four-l...
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Russia hides launch timeline as Ukraine targets key spaceport
Russia claims its Plesetsk Cosmodrome has faced repeated drone incursions, with the most serious attempt occurring on March 23, the day of the first operational launch for its Starlink-like Rassvet satellite constellation, which is critical to Ukraine's military communications. During an April 11...
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NASA shifts from lunar station to Moon base plans
NASA has canceled its Lunar Gateway orbital station to focus on establishing a permanent, expansive surface base on the Moon, framing this as critical for international competition, particularly with China. The planned lunar base is a comprehensive hub designed to include permanent habitats, scie...
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Blue Origin Vows to 'Move Heaven and Earth' for NASA's Moon Mission
Blue Origin is committed to accelerating NASA's lunar return, with CEO Dave Limp emphasizing their readiness to support a faster American mission to the Moon through new concepts. The urgency is driven by concerns that China may land humans on the Moon before the U.S., prompting NASA to reopen th...
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China's Falcon 9-Style Rocket Tested as NASA's Moon Rocket Completes Stacking
LandSpace and Blue Origin are advancing reusable rocket technology, with LandSpace preparing its Zhuque-3 for a Falcon 9-style vertical landing and Blue Origin planning its second New Glenn mission, aiming to recover orbital-class boosters like SpaceX. Private companies and defense contractors ar...
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Jeff Bezos Enters the Orbital Data Center Race
Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin has entered the orbital data center race with "Project Sunrise," a proposal for a massive satellite constellation to establish space-based computing hubs for AI. The company argues space-based data centers are necessary to overcome terrestrial limitations like land and en...
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Senate Backs NASA in Full-Scale Lunar Space Race
The U.S. Senate has passed legislation providing NASA with funding and strategic direction for the Artemis program, aiming to outpace China in establishing a sustained lunar presence. The bill formally authorizes NASA to implement sweeping changes to accelerate its mission timeline and secure a l...
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China Unveils New Moon Ship and Reusable Rocket in Historic Test
China successfully tested a next-generation crew capsule and reusable rocket booster, marking a key step toward its goal of landing astronauts on the Moon before 2030. The test validated the crew capsule's launch abort system for astronaut safety and demonstrated the rocket's ability to perform a...
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Amazon Rebrands Starlink Rival as 'Project Kuiper'
Amazon has rebranded its satellite internet venture to Amazon Leo, reflecting its operation in Low-Earth Orbit with an initial constellation of 153 satellites. The company plans to deploy over 3,000 satellites through more than 80 missions, utilizing SpaceX rockets for some launches and positioni...
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Kuiper Challenges Starlink: The New Satellite Internet Race
Amazon's Project Kuiper is aggressively challenging SpaceX's Starlink by securing over 80 rocket launches from multiple providers, including SpaceX, to deploy a large satellite constellation for global broadband. The project uses a diverse set of launch partners to speed up deployment and reduce ...
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SpaceX Launches 10,000th Starlink Satellite in Internet Milestone
SpaceX has deployed its 10,000th Starlink satellite, matching the annual launch record in 2025 with a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 56 new satellites. Approximately 8,608 satellites are currently operational, designed with a five-year lifespan before being safely deorbited to burn up in Earth's atmosp...
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K2 Launches First High-Power Satellite for Space Computing
K2 Space is launching its powerful Gravitas satellite, which can provide 20 kilowatts of power to onboard payloads, a significant leap for a commercial spacecraft. The mission will test a record-setting 20 kW electric thruster and carry confidential payloads, marking the start of K2's iterative d...
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