The Regulatory Review

SpaceX is reportedly targeting an unusually rapid launch cadence for its Starship program, with three flights within roughly five weeks. The pace would mark a significant step up from previous testing, reflecting the company's push to iterate quickly on the vehicle and demonstrate reusability. Space enthusiasts are debating whether the schedule is realistic given past delays and regulatory review requirements.

Paramount and several state regulators are pushing back against demands for a more extensive review of its pending merger deal. Both the company and the states involved have rejected calls to widen the examination of the transaction, signalling they want the approval process to proceed without further delays or added scrutiny.

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has completed its environmental review of the planned restart of the Crane Clean Energy Center in Pennsylvania, a key step toward restarting the former Three Mile Island Unit 1 reactor. The review clears a major regulatory hurdle for the project, which Microsoft has agreed to support through a power purchase deal to supply its data centres with nuclear energy.

The US Food and Drug Administration has released draft guidance covering cardiovascular surgical robots, outlining its current thinking for developers and manufacturers of these devices. The document, reported by Cardiovascular Business, is expected to shape how robotic systems for heart procedures are designed, tested and cleared. Stakeholders in medical robotics will likely review the draft and submit comments before final guidance is issued.

The FDA's single institutional review board rule for multisite clinical trials will take effect in December 2026. Under the policy, one IRB will review studies conducted at multiple US sites, replacing the current patchwork of separate local reviews. Industry observers are weighing how the change will affect trial timelines, oversight responsibilities and costs for sponsors and research institutions.

Federal regulators have finalized the environmental impact study for the proposed expansion of the Sabine Pass liquefied natural gas export facility on the Louisiana-Texas coast. The completion of the environmental review is a key step toward a final decision on the expansion, which would boost US LNG export capacity. The project is significant for global energy markets amid ongoing demand for American natural gas.