Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

The FAA’s environmental review approved SpaceX’s proposal for two Starfall reentry demonstrations. It did not specify if these demos would happen on one or two missions. SpaceX intends to recover the vehicle, including parachutes and heat shields, “to the to the maximum extent practicable,” the FAA said. The Starfall vehicle is cylindrical in shape, with a diameter of 10.2 feet (3.1 meters) and a height of 2.5 feet (0.75 meters). Starfall weighs approximately 4,600 pounds (2.1 metric tons) with capacity for about 2,200 pounds (1 metric ton) of payload, for a total weight of 6,800 pounds (3.1 metric tons). Designed…

NASA will begin processing the awards of multiple contracts for the Solutions for Enterprise‑wide Procurement (SEWP) VI Government-wide Acquisition Contract. The contract provides streamlined access to commercial products and services, including hardware, software, cloud services, cybersecurity tools, engineering and consulting services, and data intensive mission support capabilities. This competitive acquisition was conducted within three categories: Category A, IT Solutions; Category B, Enterprise-wide IT Service Solutions; and Category C, IT Mission-Based Services. A full list of SEWP VI awardees and additional program details are available at: https://www.sewp.nasa.gov All awards are indefinite‑delivery/indefinite‑quantity contracts with the ability to issue firm‑fixed‑price, labor‑hour, time‑and‑materials, and…

The TWZ Newsletter Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy. Here’s TWZ’s weekly carrier tracker monitoring America’s flattop fleet, including deployed Carrier Strike Groups (CSG) and Amphibious Ready Groups (ARG), using publicly available open-source information. Check out last week’s report here. The United States lifted its naval blockade of Iranian ports, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Friday, following the execution of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding in Versailles. While the blockade is over, the fate of the blockade forces – and future U.S. force posture in the region – remains unclear.…

India’s only domestic ocean cruise operator starts its IPO process this week, hoping to raise INR 5.85 billion ($62 million) to fund its next phase of growth, particularly the expansion of its fleet. Shares of Waterways Leisure Tourism, the parent of Cordelia Cruises, are tentatively scheduled to list on Indian exchanges July 1. India’s cruise market is tiny but growing quickly: It was INR 8.3 billion ($9 million) in fiscal 2025 declined further to INR 7.3 billion ($77 million) in fiscal 2026 due to geopolitical disruptions. The company expects INR 18.2 billion ($19 million)-INR 22.5 billion ($24 million) by fiscal…

NASA’s infrastructure at Kennedy Space Center, the crown jewel of US spaceports, is aging and approaching its limit due to increased demand from private companies, including SpaceX and Blue Origin, a new report finds. “NASA’s launch infrastructure is vital to providing the agency, other government agencies, and commercial partners access to space for their most complex and expensive missions,” states the report, published by the NASA Office of Inspector General. “Nevertheless, NASA’s launch infrastructure is dated and often does not provide the capacity to meet the growing demands of the agency and its partners.” The report covers NASA’s launch facilities…

An artist’s interpretation of SpaceX’s Starfall reentry capsule. Graphic: SpaceX via FAA SpaceX plans to fly a demonstration of a new uncrewed reentry capsule named ‘Starfall’ on a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station early Tuesday morning. The company has been tight-lipped about the payload and its mission profile, cutting off its public-facing, post-liftoff timeline after the booster landing event. SpaceX also has not disclosed how many spacecraft are onboard this mission. An environmental assessment (EA) published by the Federal Aviation Administration said in May that the company wanted to “perform two Starfall reentries to demonstrate capabilities…

NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia is scheduled to launch a sounding rocket carrying student-developed experiments for the agency’s RockSatX and RockOn programs Wednesday, June 24, between 5:30 and 9:30 a.m. EDT, with a backup day on Thursday, June 25. The RockSat and RockOn programs provide technical training and hands-on experiences that prepare and equip students to enter the United States aerospace industry. For the first time, NASA will combine both the RockSat and RockOn missions into one rocket, which will carry experiments developed by nearly 250 participants from 38 university and community college teams. “The challenge was finding ways…

U.S. Marines in Okinawa this month formally received the installation’s first Navy-Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System and Marine Air Defense Integrated System, the service announced. The delivery is the service’s latest integration of modernized defenses in the increasingly contested Indo-Pacific. The two systems, NMESIS and MADIS, were welcomed by personnel from the 12th Marine Littoral Regiment, 3rd Marine Division, as key pieces in those threat recalibration efforts. The NMESIS is a ground-based ship-killing missile system designed to be deployed in sea denial operations near coastlines. The system features a Naval Strike Missile system — fixed to a Joint Light Tactical…

The Republic of Botswana will sign the Artemis Accords during a ceremony at 9:30 a.m. EDT Thursday, June 25, at NASA Headquarters in Washington. NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson will host Botswana’s Minister of Communications and Innovation David Tshere and U.S. Department of State Senior Advisor for Space Gregory Autry for the event. This event is in person only. Media interested in attending must RSVP no later than 5 p.m. on Wednesday, June 24, to: hq-media@mail.nasa.gov. NASA’s media accreditation policy is online. In 2020, during the first Trump Administration, the United States, led by NASA and the State Department, joined with seven…

Autonomous boats helped escort a U.S. Army vessel during a recent military exercise, the Army said, in a demonstration of how uncrewed assets are changing maritime operations. Soldiers from the 125th Intelligence and Electronic Warfare Battalion, 25th Infantry Division, deployed unmanned surface vessels, or USVs, in Casiguran Sound bay, during an exercise with the Philippine Army. The USVs deployed ahead of a U.S. Army Logistics Support Vessel, or LSV, as it neared Casiguran port, the Army said in a June release, observing the environment and transmitting information to personnel on land.The operation was part of Salaknib 2026, and supported the…