| By Jeff Foust
In today's edition: SpaceX prepares for an IPO, plans for a virtual spacepower institute, two companies test autonomous rendezvous technologies and more.
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| | | | | | Top Stories
A SpaceX executive confirmed that the company is preparing for an initial public offering as soon as next year. In a message to employees late Friday, Bret Johnsen, SpaceX's CFO, said that company was laying the groundwork for an IPO next year, although the specific timing and valuation of such an offering remains "highly uncertain." An IPO could raise tens of billions of dollars for SpaceX that Johnsen said could enable an "insane flight rate" for Starship launches as well as work on orbital data centers and lunar and Martian missions. The company has long resisted going public, saying at one point it would not do so until it reaches Mars. The announcement came in a message to employees about the latest tender offer for stock, allowing employees to sell their shares on the secondary market. That offer values the stock at about $421 per share, giving the company a valuation approaching $800 billion. [SpaceNews]
China is working towards a 2026 launch of a new rocket central to its lunar exploration ambitions. The Long March 10 and Long March 10A are being developed as part of China's next-generation human spaceflight plans, with the Long March 10 focused on lunar missions. China's human spaceflight agency, CMSEO, hinted in October at a planned first flight of the Long March 10 and the Mengzhou crewed spacecraft in 2026. The Chinese lunar landing mission plan requires two separate Long March 10 launches, one each for the crew spacecraft and lunar lander stack, requiring two separate assembly buildings at the Wenchang spaceport that appear to have been recently completed. [SpaceNews]
The Space Force Association (SFA) plans to create a virtual education and analysis hub focused on improving knowledge about space as a military domain. The nonprofit group said the National Spacepower Center is intended to use immersive and simulation technologies to explain the nature of space warfare, the role of space systems in national security and the policies and strategies that underpin U.S. space power. SFA said the center will operate as a virtual hub, with the goal of attracting private-sector support to expand its capabilities and reach. Sedaro, a software and simulation technology company, is providing visualization tools and technical support for the project. [SpaceNews]
Starfish Space and Impulse Space have demonstrated autonomous spacecraft proximity operations. Two companies collaborated on a demonstration of rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) technologies. Starfish Space and Impulse Space announced Monday the completion of the Remora mission, where one Mira spacecraft developed by Impulse Space approached to within 1,250 meters of another Mira in low Earth orbit. The test used a single camera on the approaching Mira spacecraft with software provided by Starfish to autonomously guide the spacecraft. Starfish said the test demonstrates that RPO can be carried out without large sensor suites. The company plans to use the technology on its Otter line of satellite servicing spacecraft. [SpaceNews]
Intuitive Machines and Telespazio will collaborate on their lunar satellite networks. The companies announced last week a strategic cooperation agreement to ensure that the satellite systems they are developing are interoperable. Intuitive Machines is creating a five-satellite data relay network around the moon for NASA's Near Space Network and other customers, while Telespazio is developing a communications and navigation satellite network for ESA's Moonlight program. Steve Altemus, Intuitive Machines CEO, said the deal has the support of both ESA and NASA. [SpaceNews]
| | | | | | Other News
Rocket Lab launched a tech demo satellite for the Japanese space agency JAXA Saturday night. An Electron rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 10:09 p.m. Eastern and deployed the RAISE-4 spacecraft into a sun-synchronous orbit nearly an hour later. RAISE-4 carries eight payloads to test advanced technologies ranging from propulsion and communications to a drag sail designed to aid deorbiting. The satellite was originally planned to launch on a Japanese rocket, the Epsilon-S, but that rocket has been grounded since a launch failure three years ago, leading JAXA in October to sign a contract with Rocket Lab for RAISE-4 as well as a separate Electron launch of eight cubesats, scheduled for early next year. [SpaceNews]
SpaceX performed two Starlink launches over the weekend. One Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 12:49 a.m. Eastern Sunday, putting 27 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch featured the 550th landing of a Falcon booster. Another Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 12:25 a.m. Eastern Monday, putting 29 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch was the 120th so far this year devoted to Starlink. [Space.com | Spaceflight Now]
A Chinese Kuaizhou-11 rocket launched two spacecraft late Friday. The rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 8:08 p.m. Eastern, placing into orbit the DEAR-5 spacecraft for Chinese company Azspace. The spacecraft carries 34 experiments from companies and organizations in topics ranging from microgravity science to space manufacturing. Also on the launch was Xiwang-5 phase-2, a satellite by the China Academy of Space Technology. [Xinhua]
Three launches that were scheduled for early Monday were all delayed, from a day to weeks. United Launch Alliance said it pushed back the Atlas 5 launch of a set of Amazon Leo spacecraft from Cape Canaveral given unfavorable weather. That launch is now scheduled for 3:28 a.m. Eastern Tuesday. The launch of AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird-6 satellite on India's LVM3 rocket, also scheduled for Monday, has been delayed to no earlier than Dec. 20. The slip is due to "prolonged pre-launch activities," according to a report. A Proton launch of the Elektro-L No. 5 has also slipped because of a software problem with the rocket. That will require taking the rocket back to the assembly building and partially disassembling it to replace avionics, which may delay the launch by several weeks. [ULA | The Times of India | RussianSpaceWeb.com]
Japanese satellite operator Sky Perfect JSAT has awarded SpaceX contracts to launch two spacecraft. Sky Perfect JSAT announced last week it selected SpaceX for the launch of the JSAT-31 and JSAT-32 GEO communications satellites. The operator previously picked SpaceX to launch its Superbird-9 satellite, and it said that the three satellites are scheduled for "sequential launches" starting in 2027. [Sky Perfect JSAT]
Commercial space station developer Vast has opened a Japanese office. The company announced last week the creation of a Japanese subsidiary, Vast Japan GK, based in Tokyo. Vast Japan GK will be led by former JAXA astronaut Naoko Yamazaki. Vast said the Japanese business unit shows its commitment to working with American allies in ensuring a continuous human presence in space. [Vast]
| | | | | FROM SPACENEWS |  | | Meet the 2025 Icon Award Winners: This year's recipients range from a company that successfully landed on the moon to an agency leader who transformed NASA's relationship with industry, making room for commercial lunar landers in the first place. On Tuesday, Dec. 2 in Washington D.C., we awarded this year's Icon Awards during a program at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center. Learn more about what made this year's class stand out. | | | | | | The Week Ahead
Monday: Monday-Friday: Tuesday: -
Cape Canaveral, Fla.: Rescheduled launch of an Atlas 5 carrying a set of Amazon Leo satellites at 3:28 a.m. Eastern. -
Kennedy Space Center, Fla.: Scheduled launch of a Falcon 9 carrying Starlink satellites at 7:45 a.m. Eastern. -
Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif.: Scheduled launch of a Falcon 9 carrying Starlink satellites at 10:24 a.m. Eastern. -
Washington: Taylor Jordan, assistant secretary of commerce for environmental observation and prediction and new director of the Office of Space Commerce, speaks at a Washington Space Business Roundtable luncheon. -
Online: Reuters holds a webinar titled "The Collision Course: Is 'Space Traffic Management' Dead, and Will Europe Kill the Commercial Dream?" at noon Eastern. -
Tanegashima, Japan: Scheduled launch of an H3 rocket carrying the Michibiki 5 navigation satellite at 9 p.m. Eastern. -
Jiuquan, China: No-earlier-than launch of the first Long March 12A rocket at 9 p.m. Eastern. Tuesday-Thursday: Wednesday: -
Kourou, French Guiana: Scheduled launch of an Ariane 6 carrying two Galileo navigation satellites at 12:01 a.m. Eastern. -
Alcântara, Brazil: Scheduled launch of the first Hanbit-Nano rocket by Innospace at 1:45 p.m. Eastern. -
Online: CSIS hosts a webinar titled "Assessing the Implications of China's Rise as a Space Power" at 3:30 p.m. Eastern. Thursday: -
Wallops Island, Va.: Anticipated launch of an Electron rocket on the STP-S30 mission at 12 midnight Eastern. -
Launch Site One, West Texas: Scheduled launch of Blue Origin's New Shepard on the NS-37 suborbital human spaceflight mission at 9:30 a.m. Eastern. -
Online: CSIS hosts a webinar titled "Space 'Year in Review': A 2025 Recap and 2026 Outlook" at 10 a.m. Eastern. Friday: Saturday: -
Cape Canaveral, Fla.: Scheduled launch of a Falcon 9 carrying Starlink satellites at 12 midnight Eastern. -
Wenchang, China: Projected launch of a Long March 5 with an undisclosed payload at 6 a.m. Eastern. -
Sriharikota, India: Rescheduled launch of an LVM3 rocket carrying AST SpaceMobile's BlueBird-6 satellite at 11 p.m. Eastern.
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