Ars Technica
SpaceX is launching Starship for the 13th time, this time with real Starlink satellites, a grumpy booster, and a heat shield that still can't make up its mind about being reusable.
SpaceNews
Europe boosts space defense spending 12% to €13.5B, but remains locked out of global markets and trails U.S. and China in industrial scale.
Ars Technica
NASA's plan for private space stations in the 2030s relies on SpaceX's Crew Dragon, but SpaceX might retire it soon, leaving everyone scrambling for alternatives like a troubled Boeing, a secretive Blue Origin, or a plucky European startup.
TechCrunch
Sam Altman calls Elon Musk's space data center plans a short-term sell, and experts - plus SpaceX's own IPO docs - agree it's a 2030s thing at best.
SpaceNews
Reditus Space finishes its 200-kg reentry vehicle ENOS, aiming to bring back more than just space junk - and maybe make a buck or two doing it.
Ars Technica
China catches its first reusable rocket in a net over the sea, because apparently landing on legs is so last decade - and also because they want to catch up to SpaceX before the space race gets any more awkward.
ZDNet
SpaceX wants to launch 100,000 more satellites to deliver internet that's still slower than fiber but at least will annoy astronomers more efficiently.
SpaceNews
SpaceX's $2 trillion IPO and government directives are nice, but space capitalism needs actual laws, not just vibes and executive orders.
SpaceNews
A Florida startup launches a tiny nuclear battery into orbit, proving that even in space, you can have your radioactive decay and heat too.
SpaceNews
China catches a rocket booster with a net, joins the reusable rocket club, and probably saves a ton on landing legs.
SpaceNews
Japanese lunar company ispace, whose landers have a perfect record of crashing, will now send payloads on SpaceX's Starship instead - because if you can't land, why not let someone else try?
Ars Technica
Jeff Bezos, apparently tired of bankrolling Blue Origin's space ambitions alone, is raising $10 billion from outside investors - because even billionaires need a little help keeping up with Elon.
SpaceNews
A New Glenn explosion, aging infrastructure, and a looming launch capacity crisis have the government considering whether to open its wallet or just hope for the best.
SpaceNews
Apolink's cubesat finally says hello, proving that space-based data relay is real and that FCC licenses can indeed be 'first-of-its-kind'.
SpaceNews
SpaceX launches 81 satellites on Transporter-17 as industry execs panic over the rideshare program's looming end, with Rocket Lab's CFO warning the 'tip of the iceberg' is just the beginning of launch scarcity.
Ars Technica
A roundup of space news including a Pegasus swan song, India's first private rocket attempt, and SpaceX hitting 1,000 Merlin engines - because apparently that's a thing now.
The Verge
Amazon’s satellite internet competitor finally has enough birds in the sky to start offering service, but early users should brace for a bumpy ride - think Starlink in 2020, not 2025.
SpaceNews
FCC proposes satellite licensing assembly line to replace glacial reviews, plus a spectrum auction that might finally let SpaceX test its mobile ambitions without buying a whole phone company.
TechCrunch
Elon Musk gets the FTC's blessing to buy a startup that makes data go faster, because apparently regular speed wasn't cutting it for the man who wants to colonize Mars.
SpaceNews
Weather Stream's GEMS2-Amethyst satellite starts sniffing the atmosphere with microwaves, because weather affects everything and NOAA needs better data to tell you it's going to rain.
The Good Times
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