FCC Grants Landmark SCS License to SpaceX & T-Mobile – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-12-17 00:00
The Federal Communications Commission’s decision on December 16, 2025, to grant a landmark Supplemental Coverage from Space license to SpaceX and T-Mobile represents a fundamental pivot in the architecture of global telecommunications. This regulatory milestone effectively ends the era where satellite-to-device connectivity was viewed merely as a “niche emergency redundant system’
Season’s Greetings from the SatNews Team – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-12-17 00:00
SatNews Publishers will be operating on a modified “orbital path” over the next few weeks. The Weekly Magazine remains on hiatus (unless a sudden surge in holiday ad placements brings it back early!). Daily News will resume regular production on January 5. Both the Weekly Magazine and Daily Newsletters will return to their standard cadence.
U.S. Senate Confirms Jared Isaacman as NASA Administrator – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-12-17 00:00
Jared Isaacman is confirmed as the next Administrator of NASA. Isaacman is the founder of Shift4 and the commander of the historic Inspiration4 and Polaris Dawn missions. His appointment is widely viewed as a mandate to accelerate the integration of private industry into the agency’s core mission sets.
NASA Solidifies Lunar Strategy with Blue Origin VIPER Delivery Task Order – SatNews
Original Publication Date: 2025-12-17 00:00
NASA has officially awarded a delivery task order to Blue Origin for the transport of the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) to the lunar South Pole. Scheduled for late 2027, the mission will utilize Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 (MK1) cargo lander.
Launch Previews: Ariane 6, Falcon 9, Atlas V, and Electron launches highlight busy week
Original Publication Date: 2025-12-16 21:57
13 missions are scheduled to launch from sites around the world over the next week. China's Long March 12A is set to debut with stage recovery. South Korea's first Hanbit-Nano commercial rocket is set to launch. Europe's Ariane 6 will launch a batch of Galileo satellites. SpaceX is set to continue its rapid launch pace with multiple Starlink missions.