The FCC approved part of SpaceX’s application for the second generation of the Starlink constellation, which will allow SpaceX to deploy up to 7,500 satellites. The order was a partial approval, because SpaceX had requested approval for 29,988 satellites, and the order also put additional constraints on the system.  The FCC’s partial approval released Dec.…

Rocket Lab has created a U.S. subsidiary to serve the U.S. defense and intelligence community, Rocket Lab National Security LLC (RLNS), the company announced Dec. 1.  Rocket Lab was founded in New Zealand and operates launch activities out of New Zealand, but is registered in the United States with the full name Rocket Lab USA,…

Commercial space is becoming key for the U.S. Department of Defense to detect, analyze and respond to threats, a top official said on Nov. 29. “As of today, we’ve got about 120 commercial mission partners working with us,” Army Gen. James Dickinson, the head of U.S. Space Command (SPACECOM), told a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace…

France’s President Emmanuel Macron visited NASA’s headquarters in Washington on Nov. 30 while in the U.S. for a state visit, and met with Vice President Kamala Harris and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson to discuss joint projects and issues related to space.  Harris and Macron celebrated a number of recent collaborations and achievements shared between the…