Plus: Firefly's IPO soars
| Welcome to our roundup of top SpaceNews stories, delivered every Friday! This week, NASA pivoted on its commercial space station strategy, China completes a takeoff and landing test for its crewed moon lander, Firefly soars during its IPO and more.
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| | | | | OUR TOP STORY
| | By Jeff Foust
NASA is changing course in its plans to support development of commercial space stations, a move that could also mean an end of a permanent human presence in low Earth orbit by the agency.
A memo signed by NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy July 31 directs the agency to revise its plans for the second phase of its Commercial Low Earth Orbit Destination, or CLD, program to spur development of commercial stations that will succeed the International Space Station. The memo, reviewed by SpaceNews, has not been publicly released.
| | | | | | | CIVIL
| | The first integrated landing and ascent test of the Lanyue ("embracing the moon") crewed lunar lander took place in China Aug. 6, simulating a landing on the moon and a subsequent takeoff. The test validated the Lanyue's landing and takeoff systems, control systems, lunar contact shutdown procedures and the compatibility of interfaces between subsystems, including guidance, navigation and control and propulsion.
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center is courting the Pentagon's attention with a number of space technologies it says could support Golden Dome for America, the Defense Department's ambitious plan for a satellite-enabled global missile shield.
| | MILITARY
| | The Trump administration's fiscal year 2026 defense budget request marks a turning point for U.S. space policy, with the newly unveiled Golden Dome missile defense program reshaping Pentagon spending priorities and expanding the role of the Space Force, says a new report by the Aerospace Corporation's Center for Space Policy and Strategy.
The U.S. Army will begin recruiting soldiers for its first dedicated enlisted specialty in space operations. This is part of a broader push by the service to build organic expertise as satellites become increasingly critical to modern ground warfare. Army officials at the Space & Missile Defense Symposium this week said full operations for the 40 Delta (40D) Space Operations Specialist military occupational specialty are expected by October 2026.
The head of U.S. Space Command is pushing for a fundamental shift in how America thinks about its satellites, arguing that the military's orbital assets need the same robust logistics support that keeps jets flying and ships sailing — a call that comes as China is seeking to demonstrate its own in-space refueling capabilities. | | | | | | | COMMERCIAL
| | Shares in Firefly Aerospace rose 34% in the company's first day of trading on the Nasdaq exchange even after the company increased both the price and number of shares in its initial public offering.
EchoStar has placed a $1.3 billion order with MDA Space for the first 100 satellites of a $5 billion direct-to-device connectivity constellation, even as regulatory scrutiny of the company's spectrum licenses threatens to push it into bankruptcy. | | | | | OPINION
| | By Bhavya Lal Every few months, another headline warns that China might "beat" the United States to the moon. Lately, the concern has widened to include Mars Sample Return. The worry is understandable. But the framing is misleading. It assumes that every "first" matters equally. That is simply not true.
Some milestones do confer long-term advantages. Being the first to access lunar ice, deploy a fission reactor on the moon, or establish deep-space navigation capabilities can help a country shape the operational and regulatory environment for decades to come. These actions influence who gets to operate in space, on what terms and under what norms. Other firsts do not offer the same payoff. A rushed crewed landing on some easy-to-get to terrain on the moon may win headlines but little else. Worse, it can drain resources from projects that could deliver lasting capability.
| | By Louis D. Friedman
By Peter Cannito
By Charles "Chuck" Cynamon
NASA's moment is now: breaking decades of strategic whiplash
By Kurt "Spuds" Vogel
Unlocking the full potential of Earth observation: overcoming barriers to data access and adoption
By Scott Steffan
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First Up: The latest civil, commercial and military space news, curated by veteran journalist Jeff Foust. Delivered Monday to Friday mornings. -
Military Space: Veteran defense journalist Sandra Erwin delivers news and insights for the military space professional. Delivered Tuesday. -
China Report: Analysis of China's space activities and what it means as one of the United States' top competitors from correspondent Andrew Jones. Delivered every other Wednesday. -
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