Plus: The FAA ends its commercial launch curfew
By Jeff Foust
In today's edition: Blue Origin works to scale up New Glenn launches, SES signs another satellite life extension contract, FAA ends commercial launch schedule restrictions and more.
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Top Stories
With a second successful New Glenn launch in the books, Blue Origin expects to next launch the vehicle early next year. In an interview Friday, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said the NG-2 launch last week was "very nominal," successfully deploying NASA's ESCAPADE mission and landing the booster on a ship in the Atlantic. That booster may be used for the next New Glenn launch, he said, depending on how long it takes to refurbish the booster as well as the timing of the completion of the next booster. That launch is planned for "very early" in 2026, he said, with the company's Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander currently expected to be the payload. He did not disclose how many New Glenn launches the company plans for 2026, but emphasized the desire to accelerate launch activities. Limp said Blue Origin is still working with the Space Force to certify the rocket for national security missions and expects to complete at least one more launch before being certified. [SpaceNews]
The head of German aerospace company OHB says he is concerned about the effects of a planned joint venture by three of his competitors. In an earnings call last week, OHB CEO Marco Fuchs said the joint venture involving the space businesses of Airbus Defence and Space, Leonardo and Thales Alenia Space could be a challenge to OHB, including affecting teaming arrangements OHB has with Thales on some programs. The companies involved in the "Project Bromo" joint venture argue it is needed to give them the scale to compete with U.S. counterparts, but Fuchs noted that most European space business involves institutional customers within Europe, and that European space spending is now increasing. He said OHB would share its concerns with governments and regulators as Project Bromo works through antitrust approval processes. [SpaceNews]
SES announced an agreement with French startup Infinite Orbits for a satellite life-extension mission. SES said last week it signed a contract to use Endurance, a 750-kilogram servicer that Infinite Orbits plans to launch in late 2027. Endurance will first demonstrate its capabilities on an SES satellite in a graveyard orbit above GEO and, if successful, then move to an in-service SES satellite to add around five years to an operational life. SES is currently working with Northrop Grumman subsidiary SpaceLogistics to use its Mission Extension Vehicles and has a contract with Starfish Space to use that firm's Otter servicing vehicle expected to launch in 2026. [SpaceNews]
Sierra Space has achieved milestones in the testing of its first Dream Chaser spaceplane. The company said last week that Dream Chaser completed electromagnetic interference and compatibility testing at the Kennedy Space Center, as well as performed high-speed tow tests on the runway there. Sierra Space developed Dream Chaser to transport cargo to and from the International Space Station, but the company said in September it modified its NASA contract to cover only a single flight in late 2026 that will not go to the ISS. Sierra Space is exploring national security applications for Dream Chaser but has not ruled out using it for missions to the ISS or future commercial space stations. [SpaceNews]
The FAA has ended temporary restrictions on the hours commercial launches can take place. The FAA said Sunday it was canceling an emergency order issued Nov. 6 intended to reduce strain on the National Airspace System during the government shutdown. The order included a provision limiting commercial launches to between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. local time. SpaceX and ULA shifted the times of several launches to comply, while one SpaceX launch from Vandenberg was postponed from last week to this Wednesday. Blue Origin got an FAA waiver of the order for its New Glenn launch last week. [SpaceNews]
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Other News
SpaceX launched a joint U.S.-European satellite to monitor sea levels overnight. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 12:21 a.m. Eastern Monday and deployed the Sentinel-6B satellite into orbit nearly an hour later. The satellite is part of a program involving NASA, ESA and other agencies to track sea levels, ensuring a continuation of satellite records going back to the early 1990s. [SpaceNews]
SpaceX launched a pair of Falcon 9 rockets from Florida hours apart Friday night. One Falcon 9 lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 10:08 p.m. Eastern, followed at 1:44 a.m. Eastern Saturday by another from neighboring Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Each launch carried 29 Starlink satellites. The three hours and 35 minutes between the launches was the second shortest turnaround for SpaceX from Florida. [Spaceflight Now]
The government of Thailand is denying permission to SpaceX to provide Starlink services in the country. A government ministry said it rejected an application from SpaceX because the service would be provided through a company with 100% percent foreign ownership. That conflicts with national law that prohibits full foreign ownership of telecommunications companies on the basis of national security. A Thai government minister said he has met with SpaceX on the issue and was told the White House would not allow SpaceX to operate in Thailand unless it was through a company with full foreign ownership. [Bangkok Post]
A group of space organizations is backing the renomination of Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator. In a statement last week, the "Save NASA Science" coalition said it supported Isaacman, citing his interest in accelerating the pace of science missions. The coalition is led by The Planetary Society and includes the National Space Society and The Mars Society, among other groups. [The Planetary Society]
If you're an astronomer wanting to use the James Webb Space Telescope, you're not alone. The Space Telescope Science Institute, which handles science operations of JWST, said last week it received a record number of proposals for the telescope's next observing cycle that begins in July 2026. The institute said astronomers submitted more than 2,900 applications that will be reviewed over the next several months. Only about 8% of the proposals will be accepted. [Space Telescope Science Institute]
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The Week Ahead
Monday-Tuesday: Tuesday: Cape Canaveral, Fla.: Scheduled launch of a Falcon 9 carrying Starlink satellites at 6:29 p.m. Eastern. Jiuquan, China: Anticipated launch of a Long March 2C with an undisclosed payload at about 11 p.m. Eastern. Tuesday-Wednesday: Tuesday-Thursday: Bremen, Germany: Space Tech Expo Europe includes conference tracks on space business and policy issues and a large exhibition hall. Irvine, Calif./Online: The National Academies' Space Studies Board and Board on Physics and Astronomy hold a joint fall meeting. Tuesday-Friday: Wednesday: Wenchang, China: Anticipated launch of a Long March 8A with an undisclosed payload at 8 a.m. Eastern. Online: The Beyond Earth Institute holds a webinar on "In Dialog with The Space Evangelists" at 12 p.m. Eastern. Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif.: Scheduled launch of a Falcon 9 on the Transporter-15 rideshare mission at 1:18 p.m. Eastern. Wednesday-Thursday: Thursday: Saturday: Alcântara, Brazil: Scheduled inaugural launch of Innospace's Hanbit-Nano rocket at 1 p.m. Eastern. Cape Canaveral, Fla.: Scheduled launch of a Falcon 9 carrying Starlink satellites at 6:41 p.m. Eastern. Sunday:
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