NASA is finally launching their streaming service, “NASA+,” according to recent announcements.

NASA’s plan to award a single contract to produce an upgraded version of the Space Launch System (SLS) is unlikely to radically reduce the cost of producing the astronomically expensive Moon rocket, according to a new report from the space agency’s Office of Inspector General, which also recommended NASA examine using commercial alternatives.

Nearly 40 years after NASA astronaut Bruce McCandless made the first ever untethered spacewalk using the Manned Maneuvering Unit, a Colorado company called Special Aerospace Services is looking to tap into that expertise to develop a commercial version of the system to assist future astronauts.

Senior NASA officials believe the Space Launch System (SLS) is unaffordable at current cost levels, making the agency’s Artemis program to return astronauts to the Moon unsustainable if nothing changes, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Japan will join the group of nations headed for the Moon next week when it launches a spacecraft designed to make a precision landing on the lunar surface.

Welcome to S-SPACⁱ! In this week’s edition, Redwire won a NASA contract to develop lunar technologies, Intuitive Machines is helping to build a nuclear generator for use on the Moon, Spire Global won an ESA contract and unveiled a weather visualization tool, AST SpaceMobile opened a research and development facility in India, BigBear.ai won a US Army contract, Momentus’ accounting firm resigned, and BlackSky released images of a Chinese naval base in Cambodia.

A Rocket Lab Electron rocket launched a swarm of Starling satellites for NASA, and three spacecraft for Spire Global and Telesat from New Zealand on Monday, July 17 (Tuesday, July 18 local time). Rocket Lab recovered the first stage from the ocean in what the company called a major step toward making the Electron partially reusable.

SpaceX’s first attempt to launch its Starship (the company’s Super Heavy launch vehicle) ended with a spectacular explosion over the Gulf of Mexico last month. While the enormous worldwide attention that the Starship project and its recent test launch garnered might have rendered Starship synonymous with the concept of a Super Heavy in the minds of some, a small startup in the Pacific Northwest named Stoke Space is also pursuing a fully reusable launch vehicle designed for rapid turnaround, but with a different design.

Rocket Lab released an earnings report that showed both higher revenue and a larger net loss for the first quarter on Tuesday compared with the same period last year.

In this week’s Launch Roundup, Rocket Lab launched two satellites for NASA that will provide valuable data on hurricanes and tropical cyclones on Sunday, May 7 (Monday, May 8 in New Zealand).