Latest news with #Starship
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Business Standard
40 minutes ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Trump seeks $1 billion for private-sector-led human missions to Mars
The White House's 2026 budget proposal, calls for allocating more than $1 billion for Mars exploration, including a new Nasa initiative called the Commercial Mars Payload Services programme Bloomberg US President Donald Trump wants to tap the private sector to pave the way for human missions to Mars in a proposal that closely aligns with the goals of Elon Musk. The White House's 2026 budget proposal, released late on Friday, calls for allocating more than $1 billion for Mars exploration, including a new Nasa initiative called the Commercial Mars Payload Services Programme (CMPS). Under the proposal, Nasa would award contracts to companies developing spacesuits, communications systems and a human-rated landing vehicle to foster exploration of the Red Planet. Trump's proposed $18.8 billion Nasa budget would cut the agency's funding by about 25 per cent from the year before, with big hits to its science portfolio. The fleshed-out request on Friday builds upon a condensed budget proposal released earlier this month. 'We must continue to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars,' Nasa Acting Administrator Janet Petro wrote in a letter included in the request. 'That means making strategic decisions — including scaling back or discontinuing ineffective efforts.' According to the budget, the contract to land on Mars would build upon existing lander contracts. Musk's SpaceX is already developing a version of its Starship rocket to take Americans back to the moon's surface under the agency's Artemis program. Musk laid out a grandiose vision for a sprawling settlement on Mars during a talk earlier this week with SpaceX employees. Trump's pick to run Nasa, tech billionaire Jared Isaacman, told lawmakers the agency could pursue the moon and Mars in parallel. The administration's proposed cuts, particularly changes to Nasa's science portfolio, have generated criticism from people in the space industry and lawmakers, including from former Republican Congressmen like Newt Gingrich and Bob Walker. Isaacman himself said the science cuts wouldn't be an 'optimal outcome.' The administration earlier revealed plans to phase out the Boeing Co.-built Space Launch System rocket and the Lockheed Martin Corp. Orion crew capsule, parts of which have been in development for years, after three flights. Instead, the budget details a strategy for new, private sector-led trips back to the moon, which the White House said would minimize costs and reduce schedule risks. It would be modeled on a Nasa program that helped to fuel development of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Northrop Grumman Corp.'s cargo-hauling Cygnus. The budget proposal is likely to run into resistance from veteran members of Congress, like Texas Republicans Senator Ted Cruz and Representative Brian Babin, who have fiercely defended the current plans for going back to the moon.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Florida shrimpers say they are catching space junk in their nets, and it could get worse
The Brief Florida shrimpers claim they're catching rocket debris in their nets more often. Space experts say space companies do use the ocean to discard space debris, but they can't fully verify what they're catching is from rockets. Some experts are worried people will see more space debris when Starship starts to launch in Florida. BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - Florida shrimpers say their nets are pulling up space debris more often. Experts say it's possible, and the problem could get worse. What we know Florida shrimpers on the Space Coast shared some recent photos from a shrimping trip with FOX 35 News. A local captain who's been on the water for decades thinks what his crew is catching could be coming from rockets. He says his team has been catching more over the last few years as launches increase. The captain says it's frustrating, because it costs crews time and money when their nets pick up trash. Estimates of loss are around $4,000-$5,000. Space sources saw the photos and say it's possible it could be from rockets, but could also be cargo or cruise debris. Without proper testing and verification, they can't say for sure. Experts say the ocean is a dumping ground for space waste still, and they're worried the issue could get worse when Starship launches from Florida. What we don't know Without proper testing and verification, no one FOX 35's Esther Bower spoke with can be fully sure what the shrimpers are catching is from space companies. Also, it's hard to regulate the ocean, so there's not much that can be done to get backpay for the damages. That would be challenging for anyone to prove. What they're saying "I think they should do something to help us, because not only are we tearing up the nets, we (are) losing time, and it's smashing up the shrimp so we have to throw them away," said shrimp captain Woody Moore. "In those early days, lots of rocket parts landed in the ocean, so it's more likely that it's something that happened a while ago," said Don Platt, who's an Associate Professor of Space Systems at Florida Tech. "When starship launches from here, there could be a lot of debris, so that's something they should be mindful of," said Ken Kremer, who's a space journalist for "Space UpClose." STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV The Source This story was written based on information collected by FOX 35 News Reporter Esther Bower, who spoke with local shrimpers after sending photos of the debris in their nets. She also reached out to several space experts trying to confirm what the debris is. She interviewed two via zoom and shared the photos with them on May 30. She also emailed with a marine law lawyer who's tracking the increase in launches and how it could be affecting the oceans.
Irish Independent
3 hours ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Elon Musk to build huge Texas ‘gigabay' to store 1,000 Starship rockets
©Telegraph Media Group Holdings Ltd Today at 21:30 SpaceX will build the 'biggest structure in the world' to house up to 1,000 of its 400ft-tall Starship rockets per year, Elon Musk has claimed. The Tesla billionaire and world's richest man laid out his vision for 'making life multiplanetary' in an update at SpaceX's Starbase in Texas.
Business Insider
3 hours ago
- Business
- Business Insider
Residents of Musk's SpaceX Town Receive a Warning about Their Rights
Some residents of Starbase, Texas, the town built around Elon Musk's SpaceX, were told that they may lose the right to use their property the same way they do now. This comes as the town considers a new zoning plan that would allow homes, offices, stores, and small service businesses in a proposed 'Mixed Use District.' As a result, a public hearing is scheduled for June 23 to discuss the changes. Interestingly, Starbase became an official town earlier this month after a local vote that was supported by SpaceX. Confident Investing Starts Here: It is now run by officials who either currently or previously worked for the company, and most of the town's 500 residents either work for SpaceX or are related to employees. The town also includes a 1.6-square-mile launch site where SpaceX tests its huge Starship rockets. By becoming its own city, Starbase gives SpaceX more freedom to build, test, and launch rockets without much outside interference. SpaceX is also pushing to close roads and beaches during launches without needing special approval. It is worth noting that Musk's goal for Starship is to send people and equipment to the Moon and, one day, to Mars. Since 2008, SpaceX has received more than $20 billion in government contracts and is expected to keep getting billions more each year. In addition, after the ninth Starship test ended in an explosion this week, Elon Musk said the focus would be on learning from the failure. What Is the Prediction for Tesla Stock? When it comes to Elon Musk's companies, most of them are privately held. However, retail investors can invest in his most popular company, Tesla (TSLA). Turning to Wall Street, analysts have a Hold consensus rating on TSLA stock based on 16 Buys, 10 Holds, and 11 Sells assigned in the past three months, as indicated by the graphic below. Furthermore, the average TSLA price target of $282.70 per share implies 18.9% downside risk.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
Memo to Musk
You got plenty to worry about Musk has left the DOGE building. It's hard to say who's happier – Musk himself, or his baiters – but odds are, Vivek Ramaswamy marked the day with a platter of cheese enchiladas. Like taxes and death, Musk's exit was a given. US law allowed him a maximum of 130 days, and he left with one remaining. As an EV maker, he knows the importance of reserve charge. And range anxiety is a terrible thing. You aim to drive $2tn out of the federal budget but stall at $160bn. That's 8% mission accomplished. Poor, but better than a hat-trick of SpaceX's Starship failures in five months. So, Musk should pull over and take stock. On the net worth front, allying with Trump has been good for him. Yes, some Teslas were burnt, and Tesla stock nosedived, but it's much higher than at this time last year, and Musk is about $175bn richer than he was at the same time. And while he's leaving after describing Trump's Big Beautiful Bill as disappointing, Trump's not nursing a grudge – 'He will, always, be with us…Elon is terrific.' That means, govt contracts for SpaceX won't dry up, and Lil X can pick his nose in the Oval Office. What Musk should worry about is BYD's fast-charging tech, Tesla's falling sales, bursting Starships, and Neuralink's competition. Nobody will remember Musk as Trump's beancounter, but as 'Rocket Man' – who once went shopping for Russian ICBMs to launch satellites – he has better odds. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.
