Space Commerce Week

Earlier this month, the Office of Space Commerce’s Gabriel Swiney and Mariel Borowitz joined key U.S space diplomacy efforts in the United Arab Emirates . First, OSC participated in a U.S. space trade mission to UAE, organized by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The delegation visited the Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Center in Dubai, engaging with international partners and the UAE space sector in prepa...

As the volume of orbital debris continues to grow, the need for precise and reliable prediction methods has never been more critical to ensure safety and operational integrity of our space assets. Traditional models often fall short in accounting for the complex dynamics of space environments. However, by integrating the principles of physics directly into neural network architectures, Sierra Spac...

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated entrepreneur Jarad Isaacman to be the next Administrator of NASA. Isaacman has financed and led two private missions into space carrying all-civilian crews. In 2021, Isaacman was commander of the Inspiration4 mission, which was the first orbital spaceflight with an all-private crew. Then earlier this year, Isaacman was commander of the Polaris Dawn missio...

The sixth flight test of the SpaceX Starship launched from Starbase on Tuesday, seeking to expand the envelope on ship and booster capabilities and get closer to bringing reuse of the entire system online. The Super Heavy booster successfully lifted off at the start of the launch window, with all 33 Raptor engines powering it and Starship off the pad from Starbase. Following a nominal ascent and s...

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ended Fiscal Year 2024 with a record 148 licensed commercial space operations , up more than 30 percent over the prior year. The FAA forecasts that number may more than double by FY 2028. To address the expected surge in launches, the agency plans to stand up an Aerospace Rulemaking Committee to update the FAA’s Part 450 launch and reentry licensing rule....

Three of our top stories came literally from the far side of the planet from JSC HQ this week. For starters, Australia's Minister for Industry and Science, Ed Husic MP, and the Australian Space Agency granted the country’s first orbital launch permit to Gilmour Space Technologies for its maiden Eris rocket launch from the Bowen Orbital Spaceport in north Queensland. The upcoming TestFlight1 will b...