Jacqueline Feldscher

The fireworks start at 10am ET, when the two-time SpaceX astronaut and billionaire nominee to lead the space agency appears before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee. That will be his second appearance this year, after his first nomination for the job was pulled in May. 

The program was known by the Project Kuiper “code name” (a nod to Kuiper Belt objects, like asteroids and comets), but is now a program with 150+ sats in orbit. Many more sats are planned to bring internet to the masses, with the initial constellation expected to number 3,200 spacecraft.

“The journey is never easy, but it is time to inspire the world once again to achieve the near-impossible—to undertake and accomplish big, bold endeavors in space...and when we do, we will make life better here at home and challenge the next generation to go even further,” Isaacman wrote on X on Tuesday evening following the nomination announcement.

The accords celebrated their fifth anniversary last month. As such, here’s a roundup of where they stand.

As part of the contract, Slingshot will build 13 optical sensor systems at five sites around the globe, allowing the UK government to precisely track everything from satellites to debris to asteroids, according to a press release.

The nominee to lead the Pentagon’s space policy wants to streamline collaboration between the Space Force and NRO.

“I love SpaceX; it’s an amazing company. The problem is, they’re behind…and we’re in a race against China,” Duffy said on CNBC’s Squawk Box. “So I’m going to open up the contract. I’m going to let other space companies compete with SpaceX.”

“The reality is we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do to secure this country,” he said. “We can’t just pretend like we don’t need to know what’s happening out there, from a national security perspective.”

NASA is in the final stages of the competition to build the next Lunar Terrain Vehicle, which will spend a decade operating on the Moon.

To anyone worried about “militarizing” the Moon, Jim Bridenstine has some sage advice: get over it. 

“Everyone is using space data,” she told Payload. “This data is getting integrated into more industries, and used across the government. That’s the trend we see driving demand.”

The round, which brings Stoke’s total fundraising to $990M, will enable the launcher to boost production of Nova, complete its work at Launch Complex 14 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and prepare for its expected high launch cadence.

Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy wants to make Artemis a household name. 

China’s message to the US space agency urged the American spacecraft to stay put while Beijing maneuvered its own assets, NASA space sustainability director Drew Alvin said during a panel at the International Astronautical Congress, noting that it’s “the first time that has ever happened.”

Whistleblowers told Congress that they’re already worried about the cuts affecting the safety of the agency’s programs, with one telling lawmakers that they are “very concerned that we’re going to see an astronaut death within a few years,” according to the report. 

The space agency awarded the space communications firm a $150,000 SBIR Phase 1 contract to design a lunar WiFi access point to support CLPS and Artemis missions.

Firefly received $10 million for its extra Blue Ghost data, including stunning visuals and crucial performance data from the Moon.

Uncover the plans of the Axiom Space University Alliance to tackle research challenges and support the transition to commercial space stations.

Find out how Maxar and Ecopia AI vector mapping addresses challenges in geospatial data accuracy and map maintenance.

Discover the implications of China's threat to the US in space through its extensive Space Silk Road network and projects.