CAPTION 1922 FRANCE
Commercial Space Programs Advance Amid Shakeups
Bob Zimmerman reports SpaceX is preparing Starship Super Heavy for an orbital test carrying commercial Starlinksatellites, while Amazon booked extra Ariane 6 launches to deploy its constellation. Meanwhile, NASA awarded Blue Origin a $700 million Mars communication satellite contract based on its Blue Ring orbital tug, prompting an unusual formal protest from Rocket Lab. Internationally, China is conducting an unannounced major organizational overhaul of its lunar program following recent mission failures. Additionally, American authorities arrested a Chinese tourist for flying drones over restricted Kennedy Space Center launchpads, and Djibouti joined the Artemis Accords as the newest member nation in global space.(9)