Space Explored

It’s been nine months into President Trump’s second term, and the government’s most popular and beloved agency is still without proper leadership. Some rumbles have made it sound like that could change soon, but we’re still awaiting official word.

Blue Origin may just have a shot at taking away SpaceX’s prized Artemis 3 crewed lunar landing, as the company has fallen behind its goals to get an HLS Starship variant ready for a 2027 attempt. Now NASA is looking at new options that may be able to get a lander ready faster.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket has been the company’s workhorse since its debut in 2010. It has delivered cargo to the ISS, helped build out a new GPS constellation, redefined the cost of launch, and delivered thousands of Starlink satellites into orbit. It has done so by repeatedly breaking yearly launch records and hitting triple-digit launch years twice. However, with Starship’s soon debut as an operational rocket, the company plans to sunset the Falcon 9, ending its dominance during its peak.

They have come from a fragile blue sphere, wrapped in oceans and clouds. They walk in sealed suits, carrying their air like infants carry blankets. They are aliens – strangers who bend local dust into shelter and harvest light into food. They call themselves human.

SpaceX launched its 11th Starship rocket Monday afternoon on what could be its final mission of 2025. The launch was another overall success for the Starship program, with it actually being rather boring—a good thing for launches.

Astronomers using the ATLAS telescope in Chile detected a faint, fast-moving object on July 1 that was later confirmed to be traveling on a hyperbolic path through the solar system. The object, now designated 3I/ATLAS, is the third known interstellar body ever discovered, following ‘Oumuamua in 2017 and Borisov in 2019.

The Dreamchaser spaceplane has long been under development by Sierra Space and its parent company, Sierra Nevada Corporation. While intended to serve as the third option of NASA’s Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract, a change in its development timeline has removed that as an obligation.

It feels like this year Starship has been moving at a snail’s pace with minimal achievements and multiple failures in flight and on the ground. However, this minor hiccup could be over as SpaceX is barreling down the road with its eyes on Starship Flight 11, happening as soon as early October.

A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 6:11 p.m. EDT September 14 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station carrying the first mission of Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft. Designated NG-23, it is the most capable version of Cygnus to date, loaded with over 11,000 pounds of research and supplies bound for the International Space Station. 

The race to return humans to the Moon is not just about planting a flag. At stake is something less visible but far more consequential: who sets the rules, builds the infrastructure, and defines the operating playbook for the next era of space exploration. And the answer could ripple far beyond the Moon, shaping how – and how soon – humans reach Mars. 

With New Shepard back in service, New Glenn preparing for another flight, and lunar systems advancing, Blue Origin heads into late 2025 with progress on multiple fronts. The company is simultaneously running programs in suborbital tourism, orbital launch, propulsion, and lunar vehicle development, together outlining a transportation architecture that spans Earth orbit to cislunar space.