Latest news with #Novaspace
Broadcast Pro
13-05-2025
- Business
- Broadcast Pro
NASA 2026 budget proposal: The impact on prospects for space exploration
These historic budget cuts mark a turning point for US space ambitions, targeting Artemis programmes plagued by unsustainable cost overruns. By Shaw, Senior Consultant at Novaspace, specialising in space policy and exploration. The White Houses proposed discretionary budget for fiscal year 2026 includes some of the steepest cuts to NASA in recent memory targeting the backbone of its Moon-bound ambitions under the Artemis programme; a downside scenario that was predicted by Novaspaces most recent edition of the Prospects for Space Exploration report, released in May. This article highlights the implications of the proposed budget cuts on international partners and the future of the Artemis programme. The End of SLS, Orion, and Gateway At the heart of the budget proposal is the phased cancellation of three key components of the Artemis Programme: the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the Orion crew capsule, and the Lunar Gateway, a planned space station orbiting the Moon. All three would be phased out as early as 2026 after three flights. The administration argues that these legacy systems, specifically SLS and Orion, could be replaced by more cost-efficient commercial alternatives. But experts warn that the transition wont happen overnight. As no commercial alternatives are expected to be operational and certified [in time for the fourth flight], significant delays to the Artemis program timeline are unavoidable, cautions the Novaspace report. Delays to said timeline would likely hand China a critical first-mover advantage in lunar science, resources, and geopolitical symbolism, directly contradicting the Administrations urgent goal of returning to the Moon before China. The Lunar Gateway Terminated Meanwhile, the proposed cancellation of the Lunar Gateway could shake the foundations of international collaboration in space. While the stations technical utility has long been debatedwith the Novaspace report foreseeing the Gateway as the most probable element to be cancelledits diplomatic role is far from questionable. Agencies from Europe, Japan, the UAE, and Canada have already invested heavily, with agreements tied to hardware contributions like the European Service Module, cargo spacecraft, airlocks, and robotic arms. Should Gateway be scrapped, those partners may be left stranded mid-development, forced to freeze or abandon billions in investments. It could also erode trust in U.S.-led space initiatives, pushing countries to look elsewhere perhaps opening new doors. If confidence in Artemis continues to falter, international space agencies may seize this moment to take on greater leadership rolesinitiating missions and partnerships once thought unfeasible without U.S. backing. Greater collaboration with other countries could also be a result India, for example, has plans for its own lunar station by 2040. As Novaspace notes, such a shift could reshape the dynamics of international space cooperation in space exploration. A Future Still in Flux Of course, its important to remember this proposal isnt set in stone. Congress will have the final word. But the sheer scale of the suggested cuts makes one thing clear: a substantial boost to NASAs space exploration budget in FY2026 is unlikely. In fact, the forecasted NASA space exploration budget for 2026 under previous conditions stood at over $17bn these proposed cuts would slash that budget to approximately $15bn according to Novaspaces estimations. This uncertainty alone casts a long shadow over Artemisand over NASAs broader ambitions for space exploration. Conclusion: A Historic Retrenchment with Global Consequences These historic budget cuts mark a turning point for US space ambitions, targeting Artemis programmes plagued by unsustainable cost overruns. As Novaspace foresaw, SLS, Orion, and Gateway are now primary casualtiesdisrupting the Artemis timeline and undermining the Administrations goal of beating China to the Moon. The repercussions extend beyond technical delays, potentially fracturing international trust and reshaping the global landscape of space exploration. Artemis now faces its most uncertain future yet.
Broadcast Pro
06-05-2025
- Business
- Broadcast Pro
Starlink surpasses space transport in revenue as SpaceX bits $11.8bn: Novaspace
Starlinks growth signals a strategic shift as SpaceX evolves from a launch provider to a diversified operator reshaping the commercial space landscape. SpaceX generated an estimated $11.8bn in revenue in 2024, marking a significant turning point as its Starlink division surpassed the companys space transportation segment for the first time, according to a new analysis from Novaspace. This milestone underscores a broader shift in SpaceXs business model, fueled by the steady expansion of its satellite internet services and the efficiencies gained through reusable launch technology. While not unexpected, the milestone confirms a structural shift in the companys revenue base. After years of vertical integration, SpaceX is now entering its horizontal integration phaseleveraging its industrial scale and launch dominance to move rapidly into adjacent markets, said Lucas Pleney, Senior Consultant at Novaspace and lead author of the SpaceX Business Outlook. This shift, from space transportation builder to multi-market operator, is unlocking new revenue streams and reshaping the competitive dynamics in the entire space industry. Starlinks rise has been consistent rather than explosive, built on incremental expansion across markets such as consumer broadband, government services, maritime and aviation. Its financial growth has been accelerated by a distribution model that pairs direct sales with strategic partnerships, and a constellation deployment cadence enabled by low-cost access to orbit. At the same time, SpaceXs transportation businessanchored by Falcon 9has shifted into a fleet management model. In 2024, only 6% of Falcon 9 flights used new boosters, with some individual rockets flying as many as 24 times in a single year. These reusability gains have helped lower Starlinks marginal cost of capacity, reinforcing the commercial viability of the satellite business. This realignment from a capital-intensive infrastructure company to an operator with scalable, recurring revenue streams represents a natural next step in SpaceXs trajectory. The company is still investing heavily, particularly in Starship and Starlinks D2D architecture, but is now doing so from a position of financial strength.
