Reflection AI Eyes $25 Billion Valuation in Massive $2.5 Billion Funding Round 
UK Consumer Confidence Weakens Amid Middle East Conflict and Rising Living Costs 
Super Micro Computer Shares Plunge After Co-Founder Charged in AI Chip Smuggling Case 
SpaceX IPO Filing Expected This Week as Valuation Could Surpass $75 Billion 
Nintendo Switch 2 Production Cut as Holiday Sales Miss Targets 
Japan's Private Sector Growth Slows in March Amid Rising Costs and Middle East Uncertainty 
Oil Prices Rebound as Iran Denies U.S. Talks Amid Gulf War Supply Fears 
Apple Defies China's Smartphone Slump with Strong Early 2026 Sales 
Alibaba Bets on AI Agents to Unify Its Vast Digital Ecosystem 
Bank of Japan Unveils New Inflation Gauge to Support Case for Future Rate Hikes 
Australia's Inflation Eases in February but Core Pressures Persist 
ECB Eyes Rate Hike Amid Iran Conflict-Driven Energy Price Surge 
Oil Prices Plunge Over 6% as Middle East Ceasefire Hopes Ease Supply Fears 
Federal Reserve Balance Sheet Reduction: Brookings Research Outlines Possible Path Forward 
Asian Currencies Stay Muted as Dollar Holds Firm Amid Iran Uncertainty 
OpenAI Pulls the Plug on Sora, Ending $1 Billion Disney Partnership 
Asian Currencies Weaken as Dollar Rebounds Amid Middle East Uncertainty and Japan Inflation Data 
The FAA has approved Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, allowing Jeff Bezos’ space company to compete in critical national security satellite launches.
FAA Grants Blue Origin License for New Glenn Rocket Launch
On Friday, the FAA announced that Blue Origin, Jeff Bezos' rocket company, has received a commercial space launch license for the New Glenn launch, Investing.com reports.
The United States Department of Defense selected Blue Origin, SpaceX (Elon Musk's company), and the United Launch Alliance (a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed) to compete for national security space missions. This is a highly competitive arena that Blue Origin has long aspired to join.
Initial picks were made in June under a $5.6 billion initiative by the Pentagon.
New Glenn Gets Five-Year FAA Approval for Orbital Launches
According to a statement from the FAA, Blue Origin will be permitted to launch orbital flights from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for the next five years. The initial stage of the mission, the reusable New Glenn, will land on an Atlantic Ocean barge.
Prior to the launch of any national security satellites, the United States Space Force must first certify the New Glenn.
Delays Force NASA to Shift Mars Mission
The original plan for the debut mission was to send two NASA spacecraft to Mars by the end of October. However, because of development delays, NASA had to remove New Glenn off the rocket.
On the contrary, New Glenn will be launching Blue Ring-related technologies, a business line that will provide the Pentagon with maneuverable spacecraft.
SpaceX Stays Ahead with Starship Testing
SpaceX is now testing its next-generation rocket, Starship, which is supposed to be totally reusable. The company has already dominated the launch sector with its partially reusable Falcon 9 rocket.
During a flight test in October, the towering first-stage booster of Starship successfully returned to its launch pad in Texas from the edge of space for the first time.
In contrast, Blue Origin's massive New Glenn rocket has been difficult to commercialize. It hired Dave Limp, a veteran at Amazon, in December of last year to speed up construction of the New Glenn rocket.
