SpaceX Gets Launch License Modification, and More Bandwidth for Broadband

(Editor’s Note: After the production deadline for the audio version of our weekly review, the FAA approved Starship for its Return to Flight)

The FAA has approved license modifications for the SpaceX Starship Flight 9 mission. The approval includes final action allowing SpaceX to increase Starship operations from five up to 25 per year at Boca Chica, Texas.

However, SpaceX may not launch until the FAA either closes the Starship Flight 8 mishap investigation or makes a return to flight determination. The FAA is reviewing the mishap report SpaceX submitted on May 13.

As a result of the Starship Flight 8 mishap, the FAA is expanding the size of aircraft and maritime hazard areas both in the U.S. and other countries for the Starship Flight 9 mission. There are two reasons for the change: the FAA’s requirement for SpaceX to revise the Flight Safety Analysis following the prior launch mishap, and because SpaceX intends to reuse a previously launched Super Heavy booster rocket for the first time.

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On the other side of the planet, another space company is struggling to get its FIRST rocket off the ground. The first test flight of the Gilmour Space Eris rocket has been postponed for at least several weeks due to a pre-launch anomaly during final preparations.

The test flight had been scheduled for May 15th in Australia. However, during a pre-flight test, it appears that an electrical fault inadvertently triggered the deployment mechanism of the rocket’s payload fairing — the carbon-fiber nose cone designed to protect the payload during ascent. The incident occurred prior to fueling, and importantly, there were no injuries. Initial assessments suggest there is no damage to the launch vehicle or ground systems.

As a result, the current test campaign is on hold and the launch will be delayed by at least a few weeks.

The rocket has since been safely returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building, and the team has begun analyzing the data to fully understand the cause of the electrical fault. A replacement payload fairing from Gilmour’s Gold Coast manufacturing facility will be transported to the Bowen launch site in the coming days. A new target launch window will be announced once confirmed.

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After a year of building hardware, focused engineering, testing, and human-centered design, the Intuitive Machines-led Moon RACER team has successfully held the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) for its Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services (LTVS) feasibility contract. This milestone is intended to assess whether the Moon RACER's system-level design meets NASA's requirements for supporting astronauts on the Moon's surface as part of the Artemis campaign.

Intuitive Machines is one of three companies competitively selected for NASA’s LTVS feasibility assessment contract. NASA has indicated it plans to award the next phase, the delivery and demonstration mission, by the end of 2025.

Moon RACER—an acronym for Reusable Autonomous Crewed Exploration Rover—is a solar powered lunar terrain vehicle designed to carry two astronauts and nearly 4,000 pounds of total payload, including a towed trailer for science equipment or infrastructure materials.

Moon RACER is designed for more than crewed exploration. In April of this year, the team demonstrated the autonomous driving capabilities of the terrestrial moving mock-up at NASA Johnson Space Center using scanning LiDAR and terrain-navigation software developed by teammate, CSIRO (SIGH-ro), Australia’s national science agency.

The vehicle navigated complicated terrain without a driver, validating its potential to perform tasks like scouting, surveying, and logistics during uncrewed p