Space Industry News: SpaceX Launch Rejection, NASA Lunar Power, and Exoplanet Discoveries

SpaceX Launch Expansion Rejected

• ⚠️ The California Coastal Commission has voted against SpaceX's plan to nearly double Falcon 9 rocket launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base.
• 🎯 The commission cited a lack of data on potential impacts to local wildlife and neighboring towns.
• ⚖️ The US government may override the commission's objections, as it did previously, asserting that the launch expansion is a federal activity exempt from state oversight.

US Space Force and NASA Initiatives

• 💰 The 2026 fiscal year budget includes proposed spending cuts of nearly $2.3 billion, impacting both the Air Force and Space Force, stemming from executive orders on workforce reshaping and spending reduction.
• 💡 NASA is seeking industry input for developing a safe, reliable, and efficient fission surface power system for the lunar surface, aiming for at least 100 kW of electrical power by the mid-2030s.

Space Traffic Report Highlights

• 🚀 SpaceX's Crew-10 mission successfully returned to Earth, splashing down off the coast of California, marking the first NASA crew splashdown in that location.
• 🛰️ Amazon's Kuiper constellation received 24 new satellites via a Falcon 9 launch, utilizing a repurposed Falcon Heavy center core.
• 🌍 The European Space Agency's MTP SG1 weather observation satellite was launched on the third flight of the Ariane 6 rocket.
• 🇺🇸 ULA's Vulcan rocket successfully launched the USSF 106 mission for the US Space Force, marking its first DoD launch and its most powerful flight with four solid rocket motors.
• 🇨🇳 China's Tiangong space station crew is preparing for a spacewalk using new space suits delivered by a cargo mission.

Exoplanet Research Update

• 🔭 Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope, scientists have determined that exoplanet TRAPPIST-1d likely does not possess an Earth-like atmosphere.
• 🔬 Potential reasons for the lack of detectable atmosphere include an extremely thin atmosphere, high-altitude clouds, or a completely barren surface.
• 🌱 Despite the findings for TRAPPIST-1d, there remains potential for the outer planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system to harbor water and other atmospheric components.