Top stories of the week from SpaceNews
05/09/2025 | Welcome to our roundup of top SpaceNews stories, delivered every Friday! This week, the FAA clears SpaceX to launch 25 Starships per year, officials criticize Trump's NASA cuts, India introduces tighter satellite connectivity regulations, and more. | Our Top Story | | |
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| |  | By Jeff Foust, May 6, 2025
| The Federal Aviation Administration will allow SpaceX to perform as many as 25 Starship launches a year from its Texas site, five times the previous limit.
The FAA issued a record of decision May 6 on an environmental assessment regarding an increase in launches from SpaceX's Starbase facility at Boca Chica, Texas. The assessment evaluated a request by SpaceX to conduct up to 25 Starship/Super Heavy launches annually from Starbase, along with up to 25 landings each of the Super Heavy booster and Starship upper stage.
That assessment resulted in what is formally known as a mitigated finding of no significant impact (FONSI), which means the proposed increase in launches would not result in significant environmental effects requiring a more thorough environment impact statement. Read More |  | Other News From the Week | CIVIL | NASA backtracks on VIPER commercial partnership In a May 7 statement, NASA said it is canceling a solicitation it released in February seeking proposals from industry on ways they could work with NASA to launch the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) spacecraft. NASA envisioned having a company send VIPER to the south polar regions of the moon and handing operations of the rover there to look for water ice. Read More
Leshin to step down as JPL director JPL announced May 7 that Laurie Leshin would depart as director of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) after three years, effective June 1. The announcement cited only "personal reasons" for the decision, as did a memo to JPL staff from Thomas Rosenbaum, president of the California Institute of Technology, which runs JPL on the behalf of NASA. Read More
China to launch new modules to Tiangong space station China is preparing to launch new modules to its Tiangong space station to meet growing demands for science and potentially boost international cooperation. The Long March 5B, currently China's most powerful rocket, is slated to launch the new Tiangong modules, according to an official with China's state-owned main space contractor. Read More | | | Loving SpaceNews This Week? Check out SpaceNext: AI, where we look at how artificial intelligence is becoming integral to the space industry, and how companies and agencies are using it for their missions. | | | POLICY & POLITICS | Space agencies grapple with potential changes to Artemis
Space agencies working on the NASA-led Artemis lunar exploration campaign said they plan to continue work on their contributions despite NASA's current budget uncertainty, even as some consider alternative cooperation. Read More
NASA budget proposal draws strong criticism
The top-level or "skinny" budget released by the White House's Office of Management and Budget May 2 proposed $18.8 billion for NASA in fiscal year 2026, a $6 billion cut from the $24.9 billion the agency received in 2025. The nearly 25% cut, which would cancel several major programs has drawn criticism from industry and members of Congress, while raising concerns among international partners. Read More
Retired Air Force officer nominated to be NASA deputy administrator
The White House formally transmitted the nomination of Matthew Anderson to be NASA deputy administrator to the Senate May 6. The White House did not otherwise announce the nomination, which was not widely publicized until a social media post May 7 by the Space Force Association, where he serves as chief growth officer. Read More | | | COMMERCIAL | Rocket Lab's Neutron tapped for U.S. military cargo test
Rocket Lab's next-generation Neutron rocket has been selected for an experimental U.S. Air Force mission to test rapid global cargo delivery capabilities, a milestone for the company as it pushes further into the national security launch market. Read More
IonQ to acquire Capella Space in bid to build ultra-secure quantum network
IonQ, a Maryland-based quantum computing company, announced May 7 it has reached an agreement to acquire Capella Space, the first U.S. firm to launch a commercial radar imaging satellite. The acquisition advances IonQ's ambitious plan to create the world's first space-based quantum key distribution network — a technology that promises unhackable communications for government and commercial users. Read More
India's satellite crackdown brings fresh challenges for Starlink and OneWeb
India is tightening security and data compliance rules for satellite connectivity, creating new hurdles for SpaceX's Starlink and other broadband constellations aiming to enter the world's most populous country. Read More | | |
|  | OPINION |
|  | By Craig Hardgrove, May 7, 2025
| NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) are bringing us closer than we've been in decades to regular lunar exploration and scientific discovery. As a scientist, I admire what these companies have achieved and support their continued efforts.
Yet, beyond landing safely, it's crucial to remember that these missions exist to deliver critical scientific payloads that will enable groundbreaking research. CLPS has notably ushered in a new era by embracing higher risks in exchange for lower costs. But before we rush into discussions about expanding the CLPS model for commercial lander companies, we should consider something equally important: applying the same iterative, multiple-attempt mindset to low-cost scientific instruments and missions themselves. After all, scientific discovery is one of the key reasons to go to the moon in the first place. Read More
Trump assaults American space science
By Robert Zubrin
Securing the skies: tackling the growing threat of GPS interference By Tim Solms
The U.S. is risking its economic and defense leadership in low Earth orbit By Mark Gittleman
Space: the new frontier for transatlantic cooperation
By Günther Lackner
Beyond Golden Dome: why effective missile defense begins far left of launch
By Eric Jensen
The best way to prepare humans for Mars? The moon.
By Erik Antonsen, Jennifer Rochlis, Bruce Jakosky and Scott Hubbard
Startups need a clear path to working with the European Defence Agency
By Robert Brüll
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