FAA requires mishap investigation into latest Starship launch

FAA requires mishap investigation into latest Starship launch

SpaceX’s Starship lifted off on May 22 for Flight 12, and the FAA has now said the launch resulted in a mishap after assessing what happened with the Super Heavy booster. The agency will require SpaceX to complete a mishap investigation before Starship can fly again, and the final report and corrective actions need FAA approval. The booster’s boostback burn ended early, it dropped back into the Gulf of America at nearly 1,500 kilometers per hour, and the FAA said several aircraft saw departure delays or airborne holding events.

Gobble's Take: Spaceflight is thrilling right up until the regulator turns the rocket into paperwork. Source: SpaceNews

Firefly wins MoonFall drone contract

Firefly Aerospace has been awarded a $75 million subcontract from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to deliver four drones to the Moon's south pole in support of NASA's MoonFall mission, targeted to launch no earlier than 2028. MoonFall is part of the first phase of NASA's Moon Base, a long-term lunar exploration and infrastructure initiative designed to enable sustained human presence and expanded scientific and commercial activity at the lunar south pole. JPL is building the drones and managing the mission. Firefly's Elytra spacecraft will carry the drones on a 45-day transit, enter lunar orbit, and deploy them approximately 50 km above the south pole. The drones will survey terrain, map resources such as water ice, and support future human missions under NASA's Artemis program.

Gobble's Take: Four drones, one subcontract, and the first phase of something much larger. Source: Perplexity Search (community news)

NASA selects Astrolab and Lunar Outpost for crewed lunar terrain vehicles

NASA has selected Venturi Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to supply crewed lunar terrain vehicles for the Artemis program. Each company will receive approximately $220 million, with Astrolab's contract specifically valued at approximately $219 million. A pair of Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 1 landers will deliver the vehicles to the lunar surface, with Blue Origin receiving $234 million for each delivery mission. Astrolab's CLV-1 is designed to transport astronauts and supplies across the lunar surface, can be operated remotely, and is being developed with Axiom Space, Interlune, and Odyssey Space Research. Astrolab expects its LTV to be deployed on the Moon by 2028. Lunar Outpost's Pegasus LTV is designed for site exploration, science operations, resource prospecting, and surface site preparation, and is being developed with General Motors, Goodyear, and Leidos.

Gobble's Take: Two rovers, two delivery missions, and a lot of dollars headed to the Moon. Source: Perplexity Search (community news)

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