| By Jeff Foust
In today's edition: Golden Dome's impact on the Space Force and industry, Crew-10 gets an extra day in space, Firefly goes public today and more.
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| | | | | | Top Stories
The Golden Dome missile defense program marks a turning point for U.S. space policy and spending priorities, a new report argues. The study by the Aerospace Corporation's Center for Space Policy and Strategy concluded that Golden Dome is the most important development in military space spending since the creation of the Space Force. Golden Dome received $24.4 billion in the budget reconciliation bill passed last month, and the program represents a significant expansion of resources and responsibilities for the Space Force. Golden Dome could also allow the Space Force to secure funding for other priorities, such as missile warning satellites that were already in development before the program was announced. [SpaceNews]
Telesat is among the companies eyeing opportunities to participate in Golden Dome. The Canadian satellite operator said Wednesday that while Pentagon officials are still defining Golden Dome, the company is looking at how its Lightspeed broadband constellation could make "valuable contributions" to the program. Telesat is emphasizing Lightspeed as demand for its existing GEO satellites declines. The company said it has a backlog of $1 billion Canadian for Lightspeed, $100 million more than for its GEO satellites. Telesat reported a 30% year-over-year revenue drop to $106 million Canadian in the quarter ending June 30 because of declining satellite TV business. [SpaceNews]
Voyager Technologies is looking at near-term opportunities in missile defense as it works on long-term plans for a commercial space station. The company, which went public in June, held its first earnings call this week, reporting $46 million in revenue and an adjusted EBITDA loss of $9.1 million. Most of the revenue came from its defense and national security business unit, which reported strong demand for propulsion technologies for use on the Next Generation Interceptor and potentially other missile defense programs. Voyager is also leading work on the Starlab commercial space station, which the company believes will be a major revenue source for the long term. [SpaceNews]
Defense Department officials don't want to talk about the Golden Dome missile defense system — at a missile defense conference. Government officials were instructed not to mention the program by name during the Space & Missile Defense Symposium this week, instead referring to concepts like "advanced capabilities." The carefully choreographed language reflects sensitivity around the program. The Defense Department said in a statement that it would be "imprudent" to discuss details about it while in its earliest stages of development. [SpaceNews]
The U.S. Army will begin recruiting soldiers for its first dedicated enlisted specialty in space operations. The Army said this week the 40 Delta (40D) Space Operations Specialist military occupational specialty is moving from planning to implementation, with full operations by next October. Lt. Gen. Sean Gainey, head of the Army's Space and Missile Defense Command, said the specialty will create long-term institutional knowledge about space operations in the service. The Army is also developing what it calls a "space branch," a professional category similar to existing branches such as Infantry, Armor and Artillery with about 1,000 enlisted soldiers and officers. It would allow space professionals to advocate for programs and resources. [SpaceNews]
Hubble Network is the anchor customer for a new large satellite platform developed by Muon Space. Seattle-based Hubble ordered two MuSat XL satellites that are slated to launch in 2027 as part of an initial contract with the California manufacturer, the companies announced Thursday. The satellites, weighing 500 kilograms, will enable Hubble to expand its network providing direct-to-device Bluetooth connections. Muon has previously developed 200-kilogram satellites for customers such as FireSat, Hydrosat and Sierra Nevada Corporation, and the company said the larger platform will accommodate more powerful payloads. [SpaceNews]
| | | | | | Other News
Weather will delay the return of a crew from the International Space Station. The Crew Dragon spacecraft for the Crew-10 mission was scheduled to undock from the station around noon Eastern today, splashing down off the California coast nearly 24 hours later. However, NASA said overnight it was calling off the undocking, citing high winds forecast at the splashdown locations. The next undocking opportunity is around 6 p.m. Eastern Friday, setting up a splashdown at 11:30 a.m. Eastern Saturday. [X @Space_Station]
NASA's budget proposal includes new investments in Mars exploration, but with few details. The fiscal year 2026 budget request specifies $1.13 billion to be used on various programs supporting human missions to Mars, mostly in exploration but also including commercial Mars payload deliveries and space technology development. The request, though, gives few details about how those funds would be spent. NASA officials, in limited comments since the budget's release, have said the focus is on how to accelerate timelines for human missions to Mars. It's also unclear if the budget will address some "long poles" in Mars exploration, such as propulsion and human factors. [SpaceNews]
Firefly Aerospace is going public today, raising even more money than previously planned. The company announced Wednesday that trading in Firefly will begin Thursday on the Nasdaq exchange under the ticker symbol "FLY". The company further raised the share price for the IPO, to $45 per share; the company originally planned to sell shares between $35 and $39 and earlier this week increased it to $41 to $43. The company is also selling more shares, with nearly 19.3 million shares in the IPO and an option to sell almost 2.9 million more. [CNBC]
Virgin Galactic is pushing back slightly its schedule for commercial suborbital spaceflights using its new Delta-class spaceplane. The company said Wednesday that flights with research payloads, previously set to begin next summer, will start in the fall, with private astronaut missions starting later in the year. Virgin said the change was because of problems producing part of the spaceplane's fuselage. Virgin also said it is continuing design work on a new aircraft called LV-X that will carry the spaceship. The plane will be similar in design to its existing VMS Eve plane but the company is working on a study with Lawrence Livermore National Lab to examine potential other uses of the aircraft. [SpaceNews]
Impulse Space has completed an upgraded version of its Mira orbital transfer vehicle designed to allow it to operate in higher orbits. The upgrades to Mira include increased power and propulsion as well as components designed to operate in the higher radiation environments of medium Earth orbit and GEO. The first upgraded Mira is complete and will launch later this year on the LEO Express 3 mission, and will also be used on upcoming Space Force Tactically Responsive Space missions. [SpaceNews]
NASA astronaut Butch Wilmore has retired. Wilmore, selected as an astronaut in 2000, is best known as flying to the ISS last June with Suni Williams on the Starliner Crew Flight Test mission. That mission, originally planned to spend as little as eight days at the station, was extended because of problems with the spacecraft, and he and Williams returned to Earth in March on a SpaceX Crew Dragon. Williams previously spent six months on the ISS in 2014-2015 on a Soyuz mission and also flew on the STS-129 shuttle mission. [NASA]
| | | | | | They Grow Up So Fast
| "We were more like cautious parents earlier in the mission. It's as if our teenage rover is maturing, and we're trusting it to take on more responsibility."
| | – Reidar Larsen, a flight systems engineer at JPL, discussing upgrades to the 13-year-old Curiosity Mars rover to enable more autonomous operations. [Space.com]
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