Founded in 1988, dedicated to opening the #space frontier to sustainable human settlement through the power of free enterprise | @NewSpaceCon @NewSpaceEurope
Daylight reveals the extent of damage caused to Launch Complex 36 (LC-36) and the surrounding area of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, following last night’s massive explosion of Blue Origin’s New Glenn during a Static Fire Test. Significant fire damage to the launch pad, tower, and other infrastructure can be seen - which will undoubtably require months of repairs - while debris from New Glenn lay scattered around LC-36.
Photo credit: @asherbphotos@tweetsiphotos@LaunchHeavenX
.@NASA is moving at a pace we have not seen since Apollo, with contracts already awarded to American companies for a permanent moon base just two months after Artemis II.
The lunar economy, the gateway to Mars, and the next century of human exploration are all being built right now by American hands.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman: "@SpaceX is probably our greatest commercial space company, hands down. We rely on SpaceX heavily to put our astronauts to and from the international space station."
NOW - NASA reveals a phased timeline for colonizing the Moon with settler outposts and awards Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin lunar lander contracts to establish the lunar base.
We need heat shields to protect us, since we use the air to slow us down as we return to Earth.
From orbital speed, it gets to 1650°C / 3000°F. From the Moon: 2750°C / 5000°F.
For yesterday's Starship suborbital test flight, peak was 1450°C / 2600°F. Great to see the @SpaceX progress over the last 3 flights. Making them truly reusable is complex and necessary for permanent, cheap space access.
image compilation: @niccruzpatane
JEFF BEZOS: “I'm very admiring of what SpaceX has done and I want the world to have at least two SpaceX's — maybe even more. Great industries are made up of many companies.”
NASA spent $23 billion developing the Space Launch System. SpaceX built Falcon Heavy for $500 million. Same payload capacity to orbit.
You watch bureaucrats optimize for Congressional districts, not rockets. Every SLS component gets manufactured in a different state (pure political math). SpaceX optimizes for physics and cost per kilogram. When politicians control capital allocation, the result is jobs programs disguised as space exploration.
Private capital forces brutal efficiency. Lose money on rockets? You're done. NASA loses money? Congress writes another check. Musk had three chances to get Falcon 1 working before bankruptcy. Government contractors get cost-plus deals that reward failure.
💥NEWS FLASH: The current FY’27 report handcuffs @NASA, locking commercial space companies out of the @NASAArtemis Program for years.
Americans deserve more than SLS!
Dr. Faulkender’s economic analysis on how & why Congress needs to modernize funding —>
https://t.co/9XgqXG6tGm
Former U.S. Treasury Deputy Secretary Michael Faulkender says Congress has to modernize @NASA funding to beat China, @CharlotteHazar5 writes for @TND.
Read the article —> https://t.co/JsDd5lXX8O
SpaceX is about to launch their first V3 Starship and it’s by far the biggest and most radical change to the program to date.
Here's a super quick overview of what all is new and different including the incredible new Raptor 3 engines, the new launch pad, and everything else that’s debuting on Flight 12.
00:00 - Intro
01:07 - Pad 2
03:15 - Raptor 3
04:59 - SuperHeavy V3
07:56 - Starship V3
10:52 - Flight 12 Profile
We're building a Moon Base!
@NASAMoonBase will serve as a habitat where astronauts live and work during long-term science missions.
Join us at 2pm ET on Tuesday, May 26, for a live news event where we’ll share updates on our lunar exploration plans: https://t.co/IJXA7xYwju
T-1 day until Yuri’s Night 🚀🎶
Tomorrow we’ll gather in a secret historic venue in the heart of Washington, DC to celebrate the music that has inspired humanity’s journey to the stars.
If you’re attending @ascendspace, add us to your agenda!
Book your boarding pass via donation and you'll also support the Space Frontier Foundation and our mission to make space sustainable and accessible for all humanity. But you need to RSVP prior to the event, tickets will not be available at the door!
🎟️ https://t.co/a3uwxDzBOb
#yurisnight #spacefrontier #ascendspace @aiaa@YurisNight
Senate Confirms Matthew Anderson as NASA Deputy Administrator
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The United States Senate today voted to confirm Matthew Anderson, Col, USAF, Ret., as the Deputy Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Anderson was nominated by President Donald J. Trump and will serve as the 16th Deputy Administrator of the agency.
As Deputy Administrator, Anderson will help oversee NASA’s operations and strategic initiatives as the agency works to deliver on President Trump’s National Space Policy and strengthen America’s leadership in space.
Working alongside Administrator Jared Isaacman, he will support NASA’s efforts to return American astronauts to the Moon and build a sustained presence on the lunar surface, prepare for future missions to Mars, continue to deliver world-class science and developments in aeronautics, and ensure the agency remains focused on disciplined execution and mission success across low-Earth orbit and beyond.
Makes sense as to why he said it... With thanks to Congress with how they're choosing to appropriate funds for FY'27 -- funding a longtime jobs program as opposed to funding developmental change working in tandem with proven commercial partners. SAD!
An interesting comment by NASA Administrator Isaacman at the ASCEND conference this morning: "The next time the world tunes in to watch astronauts fly around the Moon, which will be likely in sometime in 2027, they will be taikonauts, and America will no longer be the exclusive power to send humans into the lunar environment."
T-3 days until Yuri’s Night 🚀🎶
This is your final boarding call.
In just three days, we’ll gather in a secret historic venue in the heart of Washington, DC to celebrate the music that has inspired humanity’s journey to the stars.
And if you are attending @ascendspace, add us to your agenda!
Book your boarding pass and you also support the Space Frontier Foundation and our mission to make space sustainable and accessible for all humanity.
🎟️ https://t.co/a3uwxDzBOb
#yurisnight #spacefrontier #ascendspace @aiaa@YurisNight
🚨ICYMI: Survey Showed Strong Support for Reusable Rockets and Commercial Launch
Take a look at our full survey results from December👇
https://t.co/YxfgfVSJx2
@NASAWatch@SpaceX@blueorigin@NASAAdmin An insightful point.
And one that deserves greater depth.
Underneath the headlines there is a concern about that in between realm where "compromise" dwells and becomes "capture".
Thanks for pointing out the apparent disconnect. More thoughtful response forthcoming...
🚨 NASA is on the verge of making one of the biggest mistakes in modern space policy.
After decades of progress toward commercial space stations, the agency is considering cuts to the very program designed to replace the ISS and proposing what amounts to an “ISS 2.0” government-owned station.
Our response?
WTH?!
The Space Frontier Foundation has spent 40 years fighting to open low Earth orbit to private enterprise, innovation, and human settlement.
We’re not going backwards now.
We submitted a forceful response to NASA’s Commercial LEO Destinations RFI, outlining exactly what must happen to ensure American companies (not government bureaucracy) build the next generation of space stations.
This is a pivotal moment.
The decisions made this year will determine whether the United States leads the next era of human spaceflight… or creates another unnecessary gap in orbit.
Read more of our response here 👉 https://t.co/ujTq8CmIEy
#CommercialSpace #SpacePolicy #ISS #NASA #SpaceStations #NewSpace #LowEarthOrbit #SpaceEconomy #SpaceFrontierFoundation