NASA has awarded a CLPS contract valued at $176.7 million to Firefly Aerospace to deliver five NASA-sponsored payloads to the Moon’s south pole in 2029. The mission will utilize Firefly’s Elytra orbital vehicle and Blue Ghost lunar lander to enable payload operations that include evaluating the Moon’s south pole resources, such as hydrogen, water, and other minerals, and studying the radiation and thermal environment that could affect future astronauts and lunar infrastructure.

During Blue Ghost Mission 4 operations, Firefly’s Elytra Dark transfer vehicle will first deploy the Blue Ghost lander into lunar orbit, and remain on orbit to provide a long-haul communications relay for the mission. Blue Ghost will then land on the Moon in the south pole region, deploy the rovers, and enable payload operations with data, power, and communications services for more than 12 days on the lunar surface.

The NASA-sponsored payloads carried by Blue Ghost include two rovers – the MoonRanger rover and a Canadian Space Agency rover – as well as a Laser Ablation Ionization Mass Spectrometer (LIMS), a Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA), and the Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS), which also flew on Blue Ghost Mission 1. These payloads will help uncover the composition and resources available at the Moon’s south pole, advance lunar navigation, evaluate the chemical composition of lunar regolith, and further study the effects of a lander’s plume on the Moon’s surface during landings.

Following Blue Ghost Mission 4 operations, Elytra Dark will remain operational in lunar orbit for more than five years in support of Firefly’s Ocula lunar imaging service.

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The Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) Satellite Market is projected to reach $1.5 billion by 2034, rising from $10.4 million this year. That translates to a CAGR of almost 74 percent through the period, according to a new report from BIS Research.

The VLEO satellite market is in an accelerated growth phase, propelled by increasing investments in satellite constellations and emerging use cases demanding ultra-low latency and high-resolution data. The market is projected to sustain steady expansion over the next decade, supported by the growing demand for high-capacity, low-latency satellite services globally.

The VLEO satellite market exhibits a competitive landscape driven by established aerospace corporations and innovative satellite technology providers. Leading global players such as Sierra Space Corporation, Redwire Corporation, Earth Observant Inc., and CASIC are instrumental in advancing VLEO satellite technologies.

Competition within the global very low earth orbit (VLEO) satellite market is shaped by strategic partnerships, continuous technology innovation, and increasing investments from government space agencies and commercial players. However, there could also be some challenges to growth in the market, including technical difficulties in overcoming atmospheric drag and orbital decay, and regulatory complexities regarding frequency management and orbital traffic coordination.

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The 69th Electron mission conducted by launch company Rocket Lab has deployed the latest satellite to orbit for Institute for Q-shu Pioneers of Space, Inc. (iQPS). This was Rocket Lab’s fifth dedicated mission in a multi-launch contract to build the iQPS constellation in low Earth orbit.

‘The Harvest Goddess Thrives’ mission lifted off from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand on August 5th. Electron deployed a single SAR imaging satellite named QPS-SAR-12 to a 357 mile circular Earth orbit.

‘The Harvest Goddess Thrives’ marks Rocket Lab’s 11th Electron mission of 2025 and its 69th launch overall.

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Coming up, a conversation with Michael Potter with the Institute of Space Commerce. But right now, why not take a minute to become a paid subscriber to The Journal of Space Commerce. Whether you’re a space professional, investor or an enthusiast, paid subscribers have first access to premium articles and podcasts focused on the new space economy. Just visit www.exterrajsc.com on Substack, and help keep The Journal of Space Commerce independent as we chronicle, cajole and, when necessary, critique the commercial space industry.

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A new entity focused on growing seed crystals in orbit that will be used on Earth to create new and reformulated pharmaceuticals has been established by Redwire. SpaceMD will take advantage of the unique microgravity environment in space through the use of Redwire’s Pharmaceutical In-Space Laboratory (PIL-BOX) technology to grow the seed crystals.

More than two dozen PIL-BOX systems have already flown in space, and have successfully crystalized 17 compounds on the International Space Station, including insulin and other critical molecules. SpaceMD will sell or license these seed crystals to companies that can use them to create reformulated versions of existing drugs or entirely new therapeutics.

As part of this launch, SpaceMD announced an initial licensing agreement with ExesaLibero (EX-eh-sah-LEE-bear-o) Pharma, a pharmaceutical company developing new small molecule drugs to treat bone disease. Under the terms of the agreement, the company will work with SpaceMD to advance and enhance its small-molecule drug ELP-004 and other relevant compounds via the PIL-BOX system. This drug could hold the key to controlling the insidious bone erosion that numerous debilitating diseases cause, such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple myeloma, diabetes, periodontal disease, and tuberculosis.

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The Space Carbon Fiber Composites market was estimated at $451.2 million in 2024 and is projected to reach $571.9 million by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 4.0% through the period, according to a new report from Global Industry Analysts.

The growth in the market is being driven by several factors including increased satellite launches, the commercialization of low-Earth orbit, and demand for reusable launch systems. As launch economics shift toward cost-per-kilogram metrics, carbon composites offer compelling performance advantages that translate into reduced fuel consumption, enhanced payload capacity, and faster vehicle turnaround. The NewSpace movement, characterized by private-sector-led innovation, is also accelerating composite adoption through prototyping flexibility, agile manufacturing, and performance-driven design optimization.

Carbon fiber composites have become indispensable in space applications due to their unique combination of high strength-to-weight ratio, dimensional stability, and resistance to extreme temperatures and radiation. Importantly, carbon fiber composites offer enhanced radiation shielding and reduced outgassing, which are crucial for protecting sensitive electronic equipment and ensuring thermal control in spacecraft.

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The Institute of Space Commerce is a nonprofit think tank headquartered in Austin, TX focused on expanding and enhancing the economic and commercial dimensions of the space industry … what many call Space 2.0. It operates as an intellectual hub for policy, research, and global dialogue.

This week on The Journal of Space Commerce Podcast, I talked with Michael Potter, one of the co-founders of the Institute of Space Commerce. He said that the institute is at least in part an outgrowth of the transition from a government-centric space industry, to one that is more commercially focused. As an example, he cited satellite communications, which in its early days was completely monopolized by governments. Then, the industry started to get pressure from real commercial players.

“One of the early pioneers was PanAmSat. And basically it was illegal, it was illegal for people to try to break that monopoly. And so we had to go through a process, and members of the Institute of Space Commerce, many of the key members have decades and decades of experience in commercialization, law, policy, regulation. And we had to break the back of the Intelsat monopoly, which was 100 percent monopoly. Eutelsat was a monopoly, Inmarsat was a monopoly. And then you see the emergence, and now we have those very vital ecosystems. Everything from Starlink to remote sensing to other aspects of satellite communications. So that is a normal process. It starts (as a) kind of government monopoly entity, and then it gets spun off where it becomes a powerful ecosystem.” Michael Potter, The Institute of Space Commerce

The Institute offers Fellowships & Scholarships to nurture the next generation of space economic leaders, Space Cafe Events, global educational gatherings on cutting-edge industry topics, Research Publications including essays, white papers, and books, Media Contributions and Outreach Campaigns, including advocacy such as S.O.S. (Save Our Station) for the ISS.

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In Depth this week, we explored the question of whether commercial space companies can replace the traditional aerospace/defense company paradigm.

Commercial space companies have fundamentally disrupted launch economics, satellite manufacturing, and space services—challenging the decades-old dominance of traditional aerospace and defense contractors. With SpaceX now valued at $180 billion, and commercial launch services projected to grow from $4.28 billion in 2023 to $10.98 billion by 2032, the question is no longer whether commercial players can compete, but whether they can fully replace the established paradigm dominated by companies like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman.

The global launch services market and the satellite manufacturing market have both seen dramatic growth, but it hasn’t always been smooth sailing.

SpaceX has demonstrated the transformative power of reusability, reducing launch costs from tens of thousands of dollars per kilogram to under $3,000 per kilogram for Falcon Heavy missions. This cost reduction stems from recovering and refurbishing first-stage boosters, eliminating the traditional model of expendable rockets that made each launch prohibitively expensive. Traditional aerospace companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin, through their United Launch Alliance joint venture, have historically operated with cost-plus contracts that provided little incentive for dramatic cost reduction. Rocket Lab has completed 69 orbital launches to date, demonstrating a rapid launch cadence impossible under traditional aerospace development timelines. Their boosters are still expendable, though they are working on a recovery system that would allow boosters to be used for multiple launches. Commercial companies typically achieve first launch within 3-5 years of founding, compared to 10-15 year development cycles common among traditional contractors.

However, scale and technical complexity represent fundamental challenges for commercial space companies seeking to replace traditional aerospace contractors. Achieving the scale necessary to fully replace traditional contractors requires commercial companies to expand beyond their current niches into broader aerospace and defense markets.

Overall, commercial space companies have fundamentally disrupted the traditional aerospace paradigm, achieving dramatic cost reductions and operational efficiencies that seemed impossible a decade ago. The emerging paradigm will likely feature commercial companies dominating launch services, satellite manufacturing, and emerging space applications, while traditional contractors maintain market share in complex defense systems and mission-critical applications. Success will favor companies … whether commercial startups or traditional contractors … that can combine commercial efficiency with traditional aerospace reliability and scale. You can read the full report on The Journal of Space Commerce at www.exterrajsc.com.

And those are some of the top stories we covered for you on The Journal of Space Commerce this week. Space Commerce Week is a production of Ex Terra Media. You can get daily updates on space commerce by subscribing to The Journal of Space Commerce on Substack at www.exterrajsc.com. And please consider becoming a paid subscriber. Whether you’re a space professional, investor or an enthusiast, paid subscribers have first access to premium articles and podcasts focused on the new space economy. Just visit www.exterrajsc.com and help keep The Journal of Space Commerce independent as we chronicle, cajole and, when necessary, critique the commercial space industry.

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