Finding additional launch facilities … The policy document supports more efficient range scheduling criteria at federally owned spaceports, balancing the needs of commercial users and US government missions. It also directs the military and NASA to “regularly publish range schedules to ensure transparent allocation of resources and optimize launch capacity.” Today, the schedules for most rocket launches are not public until a few days or weeks in advance. The government will also identify potential locations for additional launch facilities in the United States, improve integration of space launch and reentry operations into airspace and air traffic control modernization efforts, and designate “priority airspace for critical space launch corridors.”

Ariane 6 set for first geostationary launch. On Thursday, Arianespace is scheduled to launch the MTG-I2 meteorological satellite with the Ariane 62 configuration from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana. According to Arianespace, the MTG-I2 mission will mark the fourth Ariane 6 launch of the year and the rocket’s first to a geostationary orbit.

Flying high, for now … In addition to these milestones, this will be the ninth overall launch by the Ariane 6 program, which was developed by the European Space Agency and is now operated by Arianespace. From a technical standpoint, Europe’s workhorse rocket continues to perform well, but there are questions about its long-term viability.

SpaceX plans massive Starship launch site in Louisiana. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said Tuesday that SpaceX will commit $100 billion to develop Starship factories and launch pads in the state’s coastal areas. In doing so, the company seeks to replicate the Starbase facility it has built over the last decade in southern Texas on a larger scale, Ars reports. Gwynne Shotwell, the president and chief operating officer of SpaceX, said the “Starbase Louisiana” facility would become a self-sustaining spaceport with propellant production, power generation, deep-water shipping capabilities, vehicle processing facilities, and an airport on site.

It will be much larger in scale … The Starbase Texas site encompasses only about 350 acres, and SpaceX also must maintain public access to Boca Chica Beach as much as possible along a single roadway. By contrast, SpaceX is expected to have unfettered access to about 125,000 acres in southern Louisiana, in an area generally referred to as Pecan Island. SpaceX plans to begin construction of the first launch facilities in 2027 and is targeting an initial launch from Louisiana by 2029. Eventually, the company may build as many as a dozen Starship launch towers at the location.