Space Infrastructure Booms; Investors Must Spot Real Value
Space Infrastructure Is Scaling Fast. But Investors Still Need to Separate Durable Platforms From Speculative Stories Fortune Business Insights estimates the global space infrastructure market at $160.97B in 2025, rising to $373.67B by 2034. Research and Markets also expects the market to grow from $142.91B in 2025 to $157.41B in 2026. Satellite communications is another major layer, with Grand View Research estimating growth from $98.28B in 2025 to $223.06B by 2033.
Inside the Next‑Gen Spacecraft Parachute System
Our exclusive longread on the design, operation and evolution of the parachute system of the new-generation spacecraft (subscription): https://t.co/DJXLghOrrU https://t.co/FkcsGP8Wsf
China Consolidates Lunar Programs Amid US Moon Race
China merges space programmes as race to the moon with US heats up The country releases further details about how it is ‘combining experiences and expertise’ from its crewed and uncrewed lunar missions https://t.co/aUIx8oO5sj via @scmpnews
Full‑price Launches Would’ve Added $8B to SpaceX
Launching rockets would have been much more lucrative for SpaceX than Starlink, if they had paid full price for the launches: it would have been ~$8B of additional revenue for the space division last year (and over $5B of extra...
First Version‑3 Starship Launches with Raptor 3 Engines
Starship 12 recap: flight 12, with Super Heavy booster 19 and Ship 39, was launched on May 22 at 2230:20 UTC. It was the first version 3 Starship, with Raptor 3 engines. [1/n]
Starlink Launches Are Capitalized, Revenue Hinges on Subscribers
And just to be clear, launching Starlink satellites won't produce revenues directly, because internal launches are capitalized, those revenues will only accrue if Starlink attracts more subscribers
Six-Engine Ship Loses Engine, Super Heavy Boostback Cut Early
Looks like one of the six ship engines shut down shortly after ignition. Also premature shutdown of the Super Heavy boostback burn, although SpaceX did not plan a booster catch on this mission.
NASA to Open Competition for JPL Management Contract
NASA also will compete the contract to manage JPL, a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) managed by Caltech since its founding by Caltech rocketeers. (https://t.co/zyxbijHkd1) NASA press release: https://t.co/WBd9Ta3OMq Current contract ends Sept 30, 2028.
SpaceX Reschedules Starship IFT‑12 Launch for Tonight
SpaceX's website says they are "preparing to launch" Starship IFT-12 today, Friday, May 22, after yesterday's scrub. Same launch window (6:30-8:00 pm ET). https://t.co/WmDymzCeJd
Hydraulic Pin Issue May Delay Launch Until Tomorrow
The hydraulic pin holding the tower arm in place did not retract. If that can be fixed tonight, there will be another launch attempt tomorrow at 5:30 CT.
Bloomberg TV to Air Most of Starship's 12th Test Flight
Bloomberg TV will carry as much of Starship's 12th test flight as possible, if it goes tonight. Hoping to chat with @chadsonofchad too.
AI Consensus: SpaceX S‑1 Filing Signals
15 things you should know before investing in SpaceX. AI analysis of @SpaceX's S1 filing. From my AI agent (built by me and @blevlabs using his cognitive architecture). Here's the prompt I used. I'll post Grok's and several other AI responses...
SpaceX Filing Kicks Off Countdown to Massive IPO
Oy “Our mission is to build the systems and technologies necessary to make life multiplanetary, to understand the true nature of the universe, and to extend the light of consciousness to the stars,” Musk wrote SpaceX Filing Starts Countdown to Massive IPO https://t.co/jPx4yGifOS
SpaceX Targets AI, Lunar Economy, and Human Augmentation
SpaceX "Growth Strategies:" Develop orbital AI Compute at scale, manufacture AI chips at scale, establish a lunar economy, transport humans and cargo to the Moon and Mars, and develop human augmentation systems..."
48 Hours Until Starship Flight 12 Results Reveal
The countdown is on! In 48 hours, we will hopefully know the full result of the epic Starship Flight 12. Love this @InfographicTony masterpiece.
Ukraine's Starlink Lite Needs EU Funding to Launch
Ukraine's UASat 'Starlink lite' constellation will need @eucommission support before moving forward. #StetmanLLC of Ukraine, @GomSpaceGroup of Denmark selected as contractors, demo sat to launch this summer. Further steps needed for EU funding. #DGENEST. https://t.co/exDuECkMIk https://t.co/YkCMPMsioW
SpaceX Has Spent $15 Billion on Starship Development
As SpaceX gears up for its Starship V3 launch, reupping this story we had earlier this month - $15 billion spent so far on developing Starship, plus some other new details.
Starship V3 Slated for First Launch Thursday Evening
JUST IN: SpaceX Starship V3 megarocket targeting its first launch this Thursday at 6:30PM ET
GomSpace Q1 Revenue Jumps 43% Amid New Contracts
.@GomSpaceGroup: Q1 rev up 43%, EBITDA up 22%, scaling for future constellations; unnamed delinquent customer still hasn't paid; Sat SigInt startup #VirtuaLabs joins @Unseenlabs as GomSpace customer; JV on Ukraine constellation expected by June. @defis_eu.https://t.co/TWDtSK3unT https://t.co/hxgH9uBaKi
ESA, CNES Pour $1.16B Into Guiana, Sparking European Port Concerns
.@ESA & @CNES sign off on 3-yr, $1.16-billion investment in Europe's Guiana Space Center @EuropeSpacePort. @SaxaVord_Space @AndoyaSpace @SSCspace and other new spaceports in Europe ask: What about us? @defis_eu. https://t.co/AgSS1mPRDs https://t.co/fCWJ3mffl0
AIAA Releases Third Edition of Orbital Safety Guide
AIAA and partners are out with a third edition of "Orbital Safety Best Practices for Satellite Operators."
NASA Artemis Video Sparks In-Depth Physics Breakdown
When @nasa posts a cool #artemis video, I have to do a #physics analysis (extra homework included) https://rjallain.medium.com/the-physics-of-artemis-ii-video-analysis-of-the-orion-esm-separation-3307efb06139?sk=80caf4cceae9940c0f835d2cb3da1e04
Chang Zheng 8 Launches 18 Qianfan Internet Satellites
LAUNCH at 1443 UTC May 17 of a Chang Zheng 8 from Hainan with eighteen Qianfan commercial internet satellites.
Space Infrastructure: The Next Trillion‑Dollar Frontier
The next trillion-dollar opportunity may be space infrastructure. From rockets to lunar infrastructure, companies like $RKLB $LUNR are building the picks and shovels of the space economy. Read the substack ⬇️ https://open.substack.com/pub/bdinvesting/p/building-wealth-from-the-239000-mile?r=1fden7&utm_medium=ios
SpaceX Launches Actual Cloud Computing Above Earth
Introducing the SpaceX Literal Cloud Finally, cloud computing that is actually taking place miles above your head https://t.co/Djft4IFsk1
Future AI Will Travel on Photons, Not Cables
Undersea fiber built the internet. Tomorrow’s AI will run on photons moving through space: across satellites, laser links, and ground stations powered by world-class optics. https://t.co/WOtV4i9ZKG
BlackRock Eyes up to $10B in SpaceX IPO
Just in from @theinformation by @coryweinberg BlackRock is in discussions to invest $5- $10 bn in SpaceX’s initial public offering That is enormous, remember the size of the IPO is rumored to be $75 bn overall. Major vote of confidence from...
ClearSpace Deploys Robot to Clear Space Debris
ClearSpace Builds #Robotic Spacecraft to Remove Dead Satellites from Orbit by @spaceandtech_ #Robotics #EmergingTech #Technology #Innovation https://t.co/mC7Cw7BArv
Lijian‑1 Launch From Jiuquan Carries Multiple
LAUNCH of a Lijian-1 at 0433 UTC May 15 from Jiuquan with the Youxi, Dianjian-1, JL1GF03D55, Taijing-3 05A/05B satellites
Avio Urges ESA to Fund Existing Rockets, Not New Ones
.@Avio_Group: @esa should invest more to boost Vega, Ariane rockets' flight rates to meet surging demand rather than in seeding years-long development of new rockets. Co reports 19% increase in rev in Q1, 30% increase in EBITDA. @defis_eu @ArianeGroup.https://t.co/UJzPW5vesN https://t.co/JDGQ9PwOLR
Zhuque-2E's SECO-1 Orbit Reveals
Two objects cataloged from the Zhuque-2E launch in 209 x 872 km x 89.0 deg orbit. The parameters are consistent with the theory that this is the SECO-1 orbit, the second stage failed to restart, and the payload then separated.
SpaceX Set to Publicly Release Prospectus Next Week
Buckle up! Story w/ @MorganLBrennan below on SpaceX's plans to flip its prospectus public as soon as next week, according to people familiar with the matter. https://t.co/llAP1FfncK
SpaceX and Blue Origin Commit to 2027 Rendezvous Test
Let's go to the tape: "I've received responses from both vendors, both SpaceX and Blue Origin, to meet our needs for a late 2027 rendezvous, docking, and test the interoperability out of both landers in advance of a landing attempt in...
Perfect Spacewalk Glove Fit Requires Custom Modeling, Trimmed Nails
Testing the fit of spacewalking gloves. My hands are in a low-pressure chamber, to see if the gloves will bulge too much during a spacewalk. I was lucky - when @nasa was making the new gloves, my hands were used...
Landspace's Zhuque-2E Stretched Rocket Successfully Orbits 2.8‑ton Payload
On May 14 at 0300 UTC, Landspace launched Zhuque-2E flight Y5, introducing a new stretched version of this methalox launch vehicle. It placed a 2800 kg dummy payload in orbit.
SpaceX CRS-34 Launch Faces only 10% Favorable Weather
Weather is only 10% favorable for launch of SpaceX CRS-34 cargo mission to ISS in about half an hour at 6:50 pm ET.
NASA Details Artemis III Plan: Spacer, Longer Orion Stay, HLS Docking
NASA Outlines Preliminary Artemis III Mission Plans. https://t.co/qhj0gZvuhe Will use a "spacer" in place of ICPS, circular low Earth orbit, crew will spend more time in Orion than Artemis II, dock with both HLS "pathfinders," maybe enter one. Maybe cubesats.
Delaying Artemis III May Enable More Moon‑Ready Vehicle
NASA wants to fly Artemis III next year. But the longer NASA waits to fly Artemis III, the better chance it will have to fly with a higher-fidelity vehicle—that is, one closer to landing on the Moon than being a...
Laser Links Carry Data, Radio Secures Safety for Artemis2
Laser data links handled all the HD video and science data during NASA's recent #Artemis2 mission. This freed radio to be devoted to safety-critical telemetry connections. The two systems' division of labor is the blueprint for future deep-space missions. https://spectrum.ieee.org/free-space-optical-communication-artemis?share_id=9491502
Secure $150M Funding for Habitable Worlds Observatory
A few tweaks to the NASA language in the report here, including ensuring the Habitable Worlds Observatory is funded at no less than FY26 levels ($150M).
SpaceX Targets May 19 for First Starship V3 Launch
"SpaceX announced May 12 that it is planning a launch of the first Starship version 3 vehicle as soon as May 19 from its Starbase facility in South Texas. Liftoff is planned for 6:30 p.m. Eastern." https://t.co/ms7b4TA9iP via @SpaceNews_Inc
Google, SpaceX Eye Orbital AI Data Centers for Cooling
Google and SpaceX are reportedly talking about putting AI data centers into orbit; the pitch is solar power, space cooling, and maybe a way to keep the AI boom from eating every substation in Iowa https://t.co/CBBcuI5ngH #ArtificialIntelligence #Innovation #Technology #Tech...
Real‑time 3D Map Reveals Crowded, Fragile Earth Orbit
Explore an interactive 3D map of the vast network of satellites and debris currently orbiting Earth, providing a real-time perspective on space traffic and the importance of orbital sustainability. https://t.co/57vAIVXwEW https://t.co/zMJLSZchkq
SES Cancels Two Satellites, Trims OPEX, Insurance Woes Persist
.@SES_Satellites cancels 2 @Thales_Alenia_S software-defined sats in post-Intelsat-purchase synergy move, reduces opex by 9% in Q1 2026, still struggles with insurers on 2-yr-old O3b mPower insurance claim. https://t.co/77aSRgX07W https://t.co/qd6Iy2tz3O
Delta's Starlink Deal Collapsed; United Gains Superior Wi‑Fi
Early SpaceX Investor Reveals Why Delta’s Starlink Deal Fell Apart — Now United Will Have Better Wifi For Years - View from the Wing https://t.co/LvQsxYdXql
Starlink's FCC Filings Reveal Realistic Per-Beam Spectral Efficiency
Starlink commitments to FCC on D2D spectral efficiency give a realistic view of what to expect when reusing spectrum across multiple beams: initial per beam efficiency is 0.3bps/Hz DL and 0.1bps/Hz UL, final efficiency is 0.6bps/Hz DL and 0.2bps/Hz UL...
CRS‑34 Launch Faces Only 20% Weather Go
SpX says the weather forecast for this evening's (May 12) CRS-34 cargo launch to the ISS is just 20% "go." Launch is at 7:16 pm ET. SpX webcast begins 20 min pre-launch. NASA coverage begins 7:00 pm ET. https://t.co/nCHB1NY6nc Backup...
SpaceX Schedules Starship V3 Launch for May 19
"A fresh set of maritime warnings issued late Monday indicated SpaceX is now targeting a [Starship V3] launch attempt on Tuesday, May 19." https://t.co/6iDAiJDgpn
AST SpaceMobile Aims for November Milestone, 45‑60 Birds Launching
"AST SpaceMobile ... expects to reach this milestone by November, according to a slide in its earnings presentation. It previously projected 45 to 60 of its next generation birds will launch this year." https://t.co/u3hzhbRey8 via @mobileworldlive
SpaceX Installs Starship Flight Termination System for May Launch
After Monday's WDR, SpaceX is destacking Starship to install its Flight Termination System ahead of a launch attempt next week, perhaps as soon as next Tuesday, May 19. https://t.co/7d8AbWKE4M