Plus: A 'working capital fund' from the Space Force
Welcome to our roundup of top SpaceNews stories, delivered every Friday! This week, a political fight over an old space shuttle, Blue Origin to build infrastructure at Cape Canaveral and more.
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OUR TOP STORY
| | By Jeff Foust A provision in the budget reconciliation bill that funds the move of a space shuttle orbiter from the Smithsonian to a Houston museum continues to stir debate among senators amid concerns about the cost and viability of such a move.
A provision in the budget reconciliation bill, H.R. 1, enacted in July provided $85 million for a "space vehicle transfer." While the language of the bill was not specific, that provision was interpreted by many to seek to move Discovery, currently at the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center in northern Virginia, to Space Center Houston.
NASA said Aug. 5 that it complied with language in the bill requiring the agency to select the vehicle for transfer but did not disclose the vehicle. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, immediately sent out a release announcing that NASA had selected a shuttle and that "Congressional intent of the law makes clear that this is aimed at the movement of Space Shuttle Discovery."
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POLICY & POLITICS
| | New Zealand space minister Judith Collins said the government was making headway on goals laid out a year earlier in a space strategy that calls for doubling the size of the country's space and advanced aviation sectors by 2030. The country's space sector, she noted, grew from 1.75 billion to 2.68 billion New Zealand dollars ($1.01 to $1.54 billion) from 2020 to 2024.
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr vowed Oct. 6 to accelerate satellite regulatory reforms, declaring October as "Space Month" at the FCC in a push to overhaul licensing and spectrum rules amid mounting competition from China.
| MILITARY
| | A group of former senior U.S. defense officials is urging the Pentagon to dramatically expand investment in advanced hypersonic weapons and manufacturing capacity, warning that China and Russia are outpacing the United States in developing high-speed, maneuverable missiles that threaten to erode U.S. military deterrence. The recommendation comes in a new report released Oct. 9 by the Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security.
The Space Systems Command announced Oct. 8 that the Enterprise Space Activity Group was established Oct. 1 under the Air Force Working Capital Fund. This working capital fund with a projected value of more than $1 billion is meant to help military users purchase services such as commercial satellite communications.
The three-year agreement, announced Oct. 7, was secured through a "Commercial Solutions Opening" competition — a procurement method the government uses to attract private-sector innovation and share project costs with commercial partners. Building ground infrastructure at the nation's busiest spaceport is needed to keep up with surging launch demand, officials said. | | |
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COMMERCIAL
| | Momentus announced Oct. 9 two new NASA contracts with a combined value of $7.6 million to carry payloads to test in-space manufacturing and an advanced propulsion system on its Vigoride spacecraft. Both payloads will fly on the same Vigoride spacecraft, along with those from other customers, no earlier than October 2026.
Stoke Space announced Oct. 8 that it raised $510 million in a Series D round led by U.S. Innovative Technology Fund, with participation from several other investors. The company also secured a $100 million debt facility from Silicon Valley Bank. This brings its total fundraise to nearly $1 billion.
Firefly Aerospace announced Oct. 5 it plans to acquire defense contractor SciTec for approximately $855 million through a combination of $300 million in cash and $555 million in Firefly shares issued to SciTec owners at a price of $50 per share. |
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| |  | Latest Press Releases
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Sign up for our other newsletters 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. SpaceNext AI: Exploring the intersection of space and artificial intelligence. Delivered Thursday. Video & Audio: Upcoming live programs, scheduled guests, and recent Space Minds podcast episodes, webinars and other events. Delivered Friday. Marketing Minute: Covering PR, marketing, and advertising trends, upcoming SpaceNews opportunities, and editorial insights for communications and marketing leaders. Delivered monthly. |
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