August 22, 2025

Blue Origin, Anduril Win Cargo Transport Study Contracts (Source: TechCrunch)
Blue Origin and Anduril have secured study contracts from the US Air Force under the Rocket Cargo program to explore using rockets for global military cargo transport. Blue Origin has received $1.37 million to analyze point-to-point material transportation, while Anduril has received $1 million to develop a reentry container for five to 10 tons of payloads. The initiative, part of the Rocket Experimentation for Global Agile Logistics program, aims to deliver cargo to remote locations within an hour. (8/21)   

X-37B Launches on Latest Mission (Source: Space.com)
SpaceX has launched the US Space Force's X-37B space plane on its eighth mission, carrying next-generation technologies such as laser communications and a quantum inertial sensor. Launched aboard a Falcon-9 from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, the mission aims to enhance navigation in areas without GPS coverage and improve satellite communications. (8/22)

RGNext Drops Protest Over Amentum Launch Range Contract (Source: Space News)
Government services contractor Amentum has started work at the nation’s space launch ranges after a rival dropped its legal challenge. Amentum won the Space Force Range Contract in May, worth up to $4 billion over 10 years, but incumbent company Range Generation Next (RGNext) protested the award in the U.S. Court of Federal Claims. RGNext dropped its protest last week, allowing Amentum to start work. Beyond providing day-to-day sustainment and launch support, the company is tasked with modernizing the ranges to handle higher launch rates. While Amentum is the newcomer for this Space Force range contract, it has extensive experience working with NASA through Jacobs Technology, which it acquired in 2024. (8/22)

Industry Concerns About UK Space Agency Move (Source: Space News)
Britain’s space industry has some concerns about plans to move the U.K. Space Agency (UKSA) inside another government department. Under the plan announced earlier this week, UKSA will become part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology next April. British companies said the move “seems to have come out of nowhere” and could reduce visibility into spending on space activities. However, the change could also provide more government oversight into the agency’s activities. About three-quarters of UKSA’s budget goes to the European Space Agency, and ESA’s director general, Josef Aschbacher, said he was reassured the change would not hurt British contributions to his agency. (8/22)

New Chinese Rockets Under Development (Source: Space News)
Even more new launch vehicles are under development in China. China Rocket, nominally a commercial spin-off from state-owned space giant China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, said a variant of the Long March 10 called the Long March 10B had been approved for development. With its first stage recovered, it would be capable of carrying 16,000 kilograms to low Earth orbit. New Beijing-based company Arktech announced Thursday that it had secured tens of millions of yuan for development of its Bingchuan-1 (Glacier-1) rocket, capable of placing up to 40,000 kilograms into LEO. Those and other rockets are emerging despite an already competitive field and imminent test flights of vehicles already in development. (8/22)

JAXA and ESA to Collaborate on Asteroid Mission (Source: Reuters)
The Japanese space agency JAXA said it will collaborate with ESA on an asteroid mission. The vice president of JAXA, Masaki Fujimoto, said Friday that JAXA will provide an H3 rocket to launch the Ramses mission being developed by ESA to study the asteroid Apophis, which will make a close approach to Earth in April 2029. JAXA would also offer spacecraft components for Ramses and fly its own asteroid mission, DESTINY+, as a rideshare payload on that launch. Fujimoto said that “JAXA must increasingly support Ramses to study Apophis through Japan-Europe collaboration, on behalf of humanity worldwide” given that a NASA mission to Apophis, OSIRIS-APEX, faces termination in NASA’s 2026 budget request. (8/22)

India's Gaganyaan Spacecraft Set for December Launch (Source: Times of India)
The first launch of India’s Gaganyaan crewed spacecraft is set for December. The G1 mission will place a Gaganyaan spacecraft, with no people on board, into orbit to test spacecraft life support and other systems. While Gaganyaan will be uncrewed, the spacecraft will carry Vyommitra, described as a “half-humanoid robot” to monitor operations. (8/22)

South Korean Cubesats to Use SteamJet Thrusters (Source: Space News)
A novel spacecraft propulsion system will be put to the test on a cubesat mission launching next year. South Korea’s K-RadCube spacecraft is one of four cubesats hitching a ride on the Artemis 2 mission, and will be placed into a highly elliptical orbit with a perigee of effectively zero. That means it must have its own propulsion system to raise its perigee in a matter of hours to avoid reentry. K-RadCube is carrying a thruster from British company SteamJet Space Systems that generates steam from water to produce thrust. The company said at the recent Small Satellite Conference that ground tests gave them confidence that the thruster can produce enough thrust within 14 hours to raise the perigee to more than 180 kilometers, enough to avoid reentry. (8/22)

Avio to Launch Vega C From Kourou (Source: European Spaceflight)
Avio has secured a license to operate Vega launches from French Guiana. The license from the French government, issued this week, will allow Avio to serve as the launch operator for Vega C launches from Kourou for 10 years. Those launches have been handled by Arianespace, but it is transferring that responsibility to Avio, the prime contractor for Vega, as part of a 2023 agreement. (8/22)

Space Machines Finalizes Scintilla Propulsion Engine for Optimus Viper (Source: Space Daily)
Space Machines Company has announced the completion of its in-house Scintilla propulsion engine, designed to power the Optimus Viper platform for rapid orbital maneuvering and space domain awareness. The engine has achieved 65-second sustained burns, more than 1,200 seconds of cumulative testing, and 40 restarts to date.

The metal 3D-printed thruster delivers 50 Newtons of thrust at 92 percent efficiency, surpassing the firm's initial 90 percent target. Engineers expect future versions to approach near-perfect efficiency. The system emphasizes reliability and scalability, allowing thrust output to increase tenfold with only minimal design modifications. (8/21)

Space Force Establishes Systems Delta 85 to Strengthen Space Defense Integration (Source: Space Daily)
Space Systems Command has officially activated Systems Delta 85, a new organization designed to unify acquisition and operational support for space defense missions. The new SYD 85 brings together functions in Space Domain Awareness, missile warning and tracking, missile defense, Command and Control, Battle Management, and Space Intelligence. (8/21)

Blue Origin Targets Sep. 29 for Next New Glenn Launch (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
A Blue Origin New Glenn rocket will launch a pair of identical spacecraft on NASA’s Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (EscaPADE) mission, no earlier than Sep. 29 at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The two satellites, named Blue and Gold, will make a roughly 11-month journey to Mars where they will perform an ~11-month science mission while orbiting the planet. Blue and Gold were manufactured by Rocket Lab over about 3.5 years and carry science experiments from the University of California, Berkeley. This launch of the New Glenn rocket will also feature a landing attempt on its landing barge in the Atlantic Ocean. (8/21)

Why the Next Solar Superstorm Could Hit Satellites Even Harder (Source: SciTech Daily)
As carbon dioxide continues to rise in Earth’s upper atmosphere, the way solar storms interact with it may shift dramatically. New modeling suggests that future geomagnetic storms will occur in a colder, thinner atmosphere, causing a sharper spike in density despite the overall reduction. This change could increase satellite drag and disrupt critical services like GPS and communications. (8/20)

Rogue Planets Floating in Space Appear to Be Forming Their Own Moons (Source: Science Alert)
Free-floating, planetary-mass objects that are just drifting carefree through the galaxy, untethered and starless, appear to be able to generate their own systems of moons, like a planetary system on a miniature scale. An analysis of new JWST observations on a number of rogue planets – each weighing between five and 10 Jupiters – has revealed the presence of disks with a significant proportion of crystalline silicate, just like those surrounding some baby stars right before their planets start to form. (8/20)

FAA Proposal Could Limit Beach Access for Starship Launches (Source: WESH)
The FAA has submitted a draft proposal for Starship launches and landings from Launch Complex 39A at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Part of the proposal would establish restricted zones for launches, limiting public access to nearby beaches. One of the beaches in question is Playalinda Beach. According to the documents, it could be closed for 60 days or more per year to accommodate the launches.

“I can see maybe a couple of days out of the year, but not 60 days,” Patty Velez said. “That’s a lot.” Many other beachgoers expressed mixed feelings. “I’m not happy about the beach being shut down, but I’m happy about more launches,” David Ashcraft said. “I hate it. I absolutely hate it,” Michael Logan said. “There’s nothing that we can do about it besides just say how we feel,” Velez said. Several meetings are scheduled to allow the public to voice concerns and learn more. (8/20)

China’s Guowang Megaconstellation is More Than Another Version of Starlink (Source: Ars Technica)
US defense officials have long worried that China's Guowang satellite network might give the Chinese military access to the kind of ubiquitous connectivity US forces now enjoy with SpaceX's Starlink network. It turns out the Guowang constellation could offer a lot more than a homemade Chinese alternative to Starlink's high-speed consumer-grade broadband service.

The megaconstellation is managed by a secretive company called China SatNet, which was established by the Chinese government in 2021. Unlike Starlink, the Guowang network consists of satellites manufactured by multiple companies, and they launch on several types of rockets. Guowang, or "national network," may also bear similarities to something the US military calls MILNET.

Proposed in the Trump administration's budget request for next year, MILNET will be a partnership between the Space Force and the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). One of the design alternatives under review at the Pentagon is to use SpaceX's Starshield satellites to create a "hybrid mesh network" that the military can rely on for a wide range of applications. US officials believe Guowang is a step toward integrating satellites into China's own kill web. (8/20)

India's AgniKul Develops 3D Printed Rocket Engine (Source: 3D Printing Industry)
Indian space startup AgniKul Cosmos has 3D printed what it claims to be the world’s largest single-piece 3D printed Inconel rocket engine, which has also received a US patent. Measuring about one meter in length, the engine is printed as a single integrated structure that runs from fuel inlet to exhaust without welds, joints, or fasteners. The approach is intended to lower manufacturing complexity, reduce points of failure, and cut production time by more than 60%.

The electric motor-driven engine is intended to power Agnibaan, which can be configured to carry between 30 kg and 300 kg  into low Earth orbits of about 700 km. AgniKul highlighted that the engine could be printed in under four days and at roughly a tenth of the cost of conventional assembly, demonstrating the potential of additive manufacturing in rocketry. (8/21)

SpaceX Starship Has Built New Grid fins for the Version 3 Super Heavy Booster (Source: Next Big Future)
SpaceX has redesigned the grid fin for the next generation Super Heavy booster. The new fins are 50% larger and higher strength, moving from four fins to three for vehicle control while enabling the booster to descend at higher angles of attack. The fins are positioned lower on the booster to align with the tower’s catch as, with the fin shaft, actuators, and fixed structure now placed inside the booster’s main fuel tank. This also includes a new catch point addition for vehicle lift and catch operations. (8/13)

Stronger, 30% Cheaper Next-Gen 3D-Printed Titanium Alloy Developed for Aerospace (Source: Interesting Engineering)
Engineers at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) have developed a new type of 3D-printed titanium alloy that is significantly cheaper and stronger than the current industry standard. “By developing a more cost-effective formula that avoids this columnar microstructure, we have solved two key challenges preventing widespread adoption of 3D printing,” said Ryan Brooke. (8/17)

FAA Chief Aims to Restructure (Source: The Air Current)
Recently confirmed FAA chief Bryan Bedford is planning to restructure the sprawling 46,000-strong agency in a bid to fix what he sees as a siloed organization without a clear goal or mission. He is initially focused on the agency's leadership structure, which is currently split into five "lines of business" and nine staff offices. (8/19)

Picking a Spot for NASA’s Lunar Nuclear Reactor Is Trickier Than It Sounds (Source: Gizmodo)
A source of nuclear energy will be necessary for visiting Mars, because solar energy is weaker there. It could also help establish a lunar base and potentially even a permanent human presence on the Moon, as it delivers consistent power through the cold lunar night.

As humans travel out into the solar system, learning to use the local resources is critical for sustaining life off Earth, starting at the nearby Moon. NASA plans to prioritize the fission reactor as power necessary to extract and refine lunar resources. First, where is the best place to put an initial nuclear reactor on the Moon to set up for future lunar bases? Second, how will NASA protect the reactor from plumes of regolith—or loosely fragmented lunar rocks—kicked up by spacecraft landing near it? These are two key questions the agency will have to answer as it develops this technology.

In order to be useful, the reactor must be close to accessible, extractable, and refinable water ice deposits. The issue is we currently do not have the detailed information needed to define such a location. As for regolith plumes, they will sandblast anything close to the landing site, unless the items are placed behind large boulders or beyond the horizon, which is more than 1.5 miles away on the Moon. (8/18)

Post-Shuttle Recovery Money in Dispute Between County and City Governments (Source: Florida Today)
Titusville is disputing Brevard County's handling of the remaining money still left with the recently disbanded North Brevard Economic Zone. The zone was established in 2011 as a way of helping the Titusville area weather the economic fallout following the end of the space shuttle program. Zone officials used property tax revenue from new commercial and industrial construction in North Brevard County to help provide economic incentives for projects within the zone.

In April, the County Commission voted to end the program. Even though the remaining money was generated by properties in Titusville, the county will collect the interest. City attorneys for Titusville are currently researching whether the city or county have any statutory or other legal obligation to keep the money parked in one entity's account over the other's. Meanwhile, Titusville is exploring options on how they can bring back their own version of NBEDZ to spur growth in the city. (8/21)

The Destruction of NASA Would Be a Blow to Our Collective Imagination (Source: WIRED)
After decades working on projects like the Space Shuttle and ISS, Steve Rader had, since 2021, been leading an office on open innovation, tasked with bringing outside ideas and talent into NASA. But in the early days of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Affairs (DOGE), the atmosphere inside the agency was heavy with sadness and paranoia. Everyone was thinking of leaving, afraid they were going to be fired, or both.

No one was really talking at work about their own plans. “I think leaders especially didn't want to influence other people into leaving,” Rader said. That’s what made what happened next so shocking. There were 10 people at Rader’s apartment. They were, in his description, “the hardcore NASA people”—the kind of ultra-qualified, hyper-driven leaders who could work anywhere, for just about any salary, but still chose the federal government.

Right at the start of the meeting, half of them announced they were leaving. Some of them, like Rader, were near retirement. Others were much younger, members of what should have been the next generation of NASA leadership. “One of them, her and her family are moving to Costa Rica,” Rader says. “That's how scared she is of what's going on.” (8/21)

SpaceX Partners with Astronomers to Protect Radio Astronomy from Satellite Interference (Source: Space.com)
An automated data-sharing system co-developed by SpaceX and American radio astronomers promises to protect radio telescopes around the world from disruptive interference from satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO).

Big constellations such as SpaceX's Starlink bring high-speed internet to people in remote, under-connected areas. But they also stain optical telescope images with streaks and disrupt observations by radio telescopes — highly sensitive antennas designed to detect weak radio waves emitted by distant galactic cores, black holes and neutron stars.

A team of researchers from the U.S. National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) has spent three years working on a solution. Together with SpaceX, the scientists developed a complex data-sharing system that in real time informs the Starlink system about scheduled telescope observations, including the frequencies in which astronomers plan to observe. When the satellites fly over the telescopes, the system orders them to redirect their beams away from the sensitive antennas or to mute their electronics. (8/20)

SpaceX has Built an Impressive Production Site in Texas. Will Starship Success Follow? (Source: Ars Technica)
Over the years, as the company began assembling its Starship rockets on site, SpaceX first erected small tents, then much larger tents, and then towering high bays in which the vehicles were stacked. Starbase grew and evolved to meet the company's needs. All of this was merely a prelude to the end game: Starfactory. SpaceX opened this truly massive facility earlier this year. The sleek rocket factory is emblematic of the new Starbase: modern, gargantuan, spaceship-like.

The ultimate goal of this factory is to build one Starship rocket a day. This sounds utterly mad. For the entire Apollo program in the 1960s and 1970s, NASA built 15 Saturn V rockets. Over the course of more than three decades, NASA built and flew only five different iconic Space Shuttles. SpaceX aims to build 365 vehicles, which are larger, per year.

The interior was super impressive, of course. Yet it could not quell some of the concerns I have about the future of SpaceX's grand plans to send a fleet of Starships into the Solar System. There can be no question that the Starship rocket, with its unprecedentedly large first stage and potentially reusable upper stage, is the most advanced and ambitious rocket humans have ever conceived, built, and flown. The failures this year, however, have led some space industry insiders to ask whether Starship is too ambitious. (8/21)

This Hypersonic Space Plane Will Fly From London to N.Y.C. in an Hour (Source: Robb Report)
After the NASA space shuttle was retired in 2011, it seemed like space planes might become relics. But they are on a comeback. U.S. companies Sierra Space Corp., Dawn Aerospace, and Radian Aerospace have all introduced their own versions of an aircraft that takes off like a plane, but soars like a rocket. Virgin Galactic soon plans to introduce the Delta version of its space plane. Among militaries, the U.S. Air Force operates a robotic orbital space plane called the X-37B, while China has a similar aircraft called Shelong.

The European Space Agency (ESA) recently jumped into the burgeoning space-plane sector, announcing funding for a new research program called Invictus, which will develop a hypersonic space plane capable of Mach 5 (3,386 mph). The aircraft could fly from London to New York in an hour. If plans stay on track, it could be operational by 2031. U.K. consulting firm Frazer-Nash will lead the project, which will use technology developed by Reaction Engines Ltd., a private firm launched in 1989 that previously designed a space plane called Skylon. (8/21)

Meet Wukong, the AI Chatbot China Has Installed on Its Space Station (Source: WIRED)
The latest addition to China’s Tiangong space station is an AI chatbot with expertise in navigation and tactical planning. Named Wukong AI—after the protagonist of the “Monkey King” legend in Chinese mythology, Sun Wukong—the chatbot was introduced on the TSS in mid-July, and has already completed its first mission: supporting three taikonauts during a spacewalk. (8/21)

Space Force Unveils New Dress and Appearance Policy as It Preps for Fresh Uniforms (Source: Air & Space Forces)
Five and a half years in, the Space Force officially has its own dress and appearance policy. But a big revamp is likely coming soon. The new policy, Space Force Instruction 36-2903, officially went into effect Aug. 14 after years of issuing interim guidance while the service largely continued following the Air Force’s rules. The 114-page document largely mirrors the Air Force’s own regulations, with a few key differences.

In years past, the Space Force approved grooming and appearance standards different from the Air Force to allow neck tattoos and slightly wider mustaches. But the Air Force has since updated its policy to allow those things, and the Space Force did not expand them any further. Meanwhile, the Space Force policy matches a recent change to Air Force policy that limits which colors of nail polish female service members can wear and how long eyelash extensions may be.

One of the few significant differences between the new Space Force policy and the Air Force instruction is their approach to patches. Starting Feb. 1, the Air Force cracked down on duty identifier patches, also known as career field identifier patches—such as “SF” for security forces, “MUNS” for munitions or “PA” for public affairs—leaving only a dozen approved arch-shaped tabs signifying a special, unique qualification or training. The Space Force instruction authorizes new “mission tabs” for Guardians to showcase what field they work in—though given the service’s small size, options are few. (8/19)

Appeals court says NLRB structure unconstitutional, in a win for SpaceX (Source: Tech Crunch)
A federal appeals court handed SpaceX a win on Tuesday, in a ruling that prevents the National Labor Relations Board from prosecuting unfair labor practices against the company. The ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which suggests the structure of the NLRB is likely unconstitutional, could have far-reaching effects.

The ruling keeps unfair labor practice cases against SpaceX and two other companies, Energy Transfer and Findhelp, on hold while the companies pursue their claim that the NLRB structure violates the U.S. Constitution. While the court did declare it unlawful, this is far from a settled issue and the NLRB is undoubtedly likely to challenge the ruling. (8/21)

SpaceX Says States Should Dump Fiber Plans, Give All Grant Money to Starlink (Source: Ars Technica)
Starlink operator SpaceX is continuing its fight against state plans to expand fiber broadband availability. After saying the Trump administration should deny a Virginia proposal, SpaceX is taking the same approach in a fight against Louisiana.

SpaceX made its view known to the Louisiana Office of Broadband Development and Connectivity in a filing, which was reported yesterday by PCMag. SpaceX complained that Louisiana proposed awarding 91.5 percent of funds to fiber Internet service providers instead of to the Starlink satellite system. SpaceX alleged that Louisiana was influenced by "a legion of fiber lobbyists and other hangers-on seeking to personally benefit from massive taxpayer spending." (8/19)

Starship Launches Could Delay Florida Flights Up To 2 Hours, FAA Says (Source: Tech Crunch)
As regulators weigh SpaceX’s plans to launch its massive Starship rocket from Florida, federal documents warn those flights could ripple through Florida airspace, forcing ground stops at multiple airports, reroutes, and delays of up to two hours. Even after launch, reentry of Starship’s two stages could require ground stops at some of the busiest airports in the country, according to a draft environmental impact statement (EIS).

Florida airports affected by the launches may include Orlando International, Miami International, Tampa International, and Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International. Average delays could be as long as 40 minutes to 2 hours for launches and Super Heavy booster landings, and 40 minutes to one hour for Starship reentries. Diversions and cancellations are possible, the FAA said in a companion slide deck.

To manage risk, the FAA would establish Aircraft Hazard Areas (AHAs) over potentially impacted zones, as it does for commercial space launches today. Depending on the Starship flight trajectory, those zones could overlay routes above the Atlantic, parts of the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and airspace in several Central American countries. (8/20)

NASA’s Final Piece of Artemis II Rocket Hardware Leaves Marshall (Source: NASA)
The final piece of Artemis II flight hardware for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket departed NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, Aug. 18, and will arrive at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida this week for integration with the rest of the rocket. (8/19)

Extreme Environments Of Latin America: Natural Laboratories For Astrobiology (Source: Astrobiology)
Extreme environments are places where sustaining life is considered challenging by human standarts due to harmful environmental conditions. In the last decades, these kinds of environments have awakened the interest of planetary scientists due to their similar conditions to extraplanetary bodies.

Most of the research done in extreme environments has been conducted in the North American and Eurasian regions, while in Latin America only the most outstanding places have been explored, even though the region hosts numerous and varied extreme environments. The primary aim of this review is to present an extensive catalogue of around 300 extreme environments in Latin America. (8/20)

NASA Pilot Program to Use Citizen Science to Improve Hurricane Response (Source: ABC)
A NASA pilot program will utilize citizen science to help expedite hurricane disaster recovery. The space agency -- along with the Globe Program, a global science and education program -- is spearheading its new Response Mapper program, which will use before-and-after photos submitted by the public to track conditions on the ground.

Through the summer and fall, NASA is inviting the public to participate in the program, especially for those who live in the Southeast, where many tropical cyclones can have an impact. (8/19)

GE Aerospace Expands Defense And Semiconductor Partnerships With Kratos, Axcelis (Source: Benzinga)
GE Aerospace advanced its portfolio this summer with a propulsion partnership with Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, a new labor agreement with IAM-represented workers in Ohio, and a semiconductor collaboration with Axcelis Technologies. In June, GE Aerospace’s Edison Works signed a teaming agreement with Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to develop turbofan propulsion systems for unmanned aircraft. (8/20)

August 21, 2025

Chinese Rocket Launches Mexican Built Satellites in International Collaboration (Source: Space Daily)
CAS Space successfully carried out the eighth flight of its Kinetica 1 rocket on Tuesday afternoon, sending seven satellites into orbit, including two designed and built in Mexico. The liftoff took place from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. The payload package included a synthetic aperture radar satellite, an Earth observation satellite, and five experimental spacecraft. Among them were the mini ThumbSat-1 and ThumbSat-2 satellites, each weighing about 100 grams, developed by private Mexican firm ThumbSat. (8/21)

PREFIRE CubeSats to Operate Through 2026 as Mission Expands Worldwide (Source: Space Daily)
NASA has extended the PREFIRE mission through September 2026 and broadened its scope from the poles to the entire planet. The twin shoebox-size CubeSats measure how water vapor, clouds, and other components of Earths system trap heat, improving forecasts of storm frequency and intensity. Launched in spring 2024, PREFIRE has been quantifying how much heat escapes to space from the Arctic and Antarctic. Earth absorbs most solar energy in the tropics, which winds, weather, and ocean currents move poleward. Polar ice, snow, and clouds then emit much of that energy as far-infrared radiation. (8/20)

Preparing Rock Analysis Methods on Earth for Future Mars Samples (Source: Space Daily)
In 2024, NASA's Mars rover Perseverance retrieved an unusual specimen named Sapphire Canyon, a red mudstone with white, black-edged spots that could reveal potential sources of organic molecules on the planet. To prepare for its eventual return, scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech tested optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy (O-PTIR) on an Earth rock with similar visual traits. The method, described in Review of Scientific Instruments by AIP Publishing, uses one laser to heat a sample and another to measure surface vibrations, producing a precise chemical fingerprint. (8/15)

How Space Changes Our Cells: Insights From the ISS (Source: Earth.com)
When we think about space, we often picture rockets, astronauts, and distant planets. But some of the most important discoveries are happening at the cellular level. Scientists are studying how our cells respond to space – especially to changes in gravity – and what that could mean for future missions and for health here on Earth. Click here. (8/20)

EarthDaily Constellation Completion Expected by 2026 (Source: SpaceQ)
EarthDaily Analytics recently announced $60 million in financing that will allow them to finish building and launching their Earth observation constellation in 2026. EarthDaily focuses on whole-of-Earth change detection through multispectral imagery, and they’re in the process of building the EarthDaily Constellation, a ten-satellite constellation that will “deliver unmatched, high-quality data and insights that push the boundaries of what’s possible in Earth Observation,” according to EarthDaily CEO Don Osborne. (8/19)

Wallops Suborbital Missions to Study Turbulence in Earth's Outer Atmosphere (Source: UPI)
NASA is planning to launch TOMEX+ rocket mission to study the turbulence where Earth's atmosphere ends and outer space begins sometime over the next two weeks. The earliest the agency expects to launch the three sounding rockets is Saturday, with the launch window closing Sept. 3, NASA announced Wednesday. The launch window has been repeatedly pushed back, this time due to high sea states in the rocket recovery area from Hurricane Erin. (8/20)

New Spaceport, Satellite Missions And Start-Up Push (Source: Swarajya)
Union Minister Jitendra Singh, MoS for Science and Technology on Wednesday (20 August) informed the Parliament about India's progress in the space sector. He informed that the ISRO's second spaceport at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu is progressing steadily, with commissioning targeted for the financial year 2026–27.

Land acquisition has been finalized, barring plots required for rerouting the East Coast Road. Site development is complete and construction of technical facilities is under way, alongside fabrication of equipment at multiple centers. Unlike the existing spaceport at Sriharikota, where rockets must undertake maneuvers to avoid spent stages falling over land, Kulasekarapattinam offers direct access to Sun-Synchronous Polar Orbits (SSPOs).

This reduces payload penalties and enables the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) to carry about 300 kg, a capacity deemed inadequate when launched from Sriharikota. (8/21)

Nuclear-Powered Rockets Will Win the New Space Race (Source: Washington Post)
Victory in this new space race — with entrants including the United States, China, Russia and India — will go to the program that first masters nuclear-powered space travel. This capability will determine who leads in space exploration, in space mining and manufacturing, in national security, and in scientific discovery for decades to come. (8/20)

NASA Starts Bolting Together Artemis III Rocket for 2027 Moonshot (Source: The Register)
NASA has begun assembling the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will send humans on a lunar landing mission in 2027. The buildup has begun at Kennedy Space Center with the shift of the SLS engine section and boat tail, which protects the engines during launch, from the Space Systems Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The VAB already contains the almost complete Artemis II SLS, which is set to launch in early 2026 and carry a crew on a ten-day mission around the Moon.

Artemis III, in 2027, is the landing mission, and planners are aiming for the lunar South Pole. There are plenty of ifs and buts around the mission. Artemis III could be the final flight of the SLS, depending on what happens to NASA's budget. In one proposal, the SLS program is canceled after the Artemis III mission. An amendment could, however, keep the program running for a few more missions. (8/19)

GD Space Architecture Contract Reaches $1.1B (Source: Yellowhammer News)
General Dynamics Mission Systems received a $17.5 million contract modification from the Department of Defense, increasing its total Air Force contract for space architecture and related efforts to over $1.14 billion. (8/20)

SpaceX’s Expensive Starship Explosions Are Starting to Add Up (Source: Bloomberg)
So far, Musk’s early projections that it would be safe to carry humans to space by 2023 and land people on the moon as early as this year haven’t panned out. The misfires haven’t deterred investors. The 23-year-old company has continued to raise new capital at rates more befitting a keenly watched startup than a mature, capital-hungry business. Most recently, SpaceX has been planning a sale of stock that would value the company at about $400 billion.

Yet there are also signs that for SpaceX to achieve a substantially greater valuation, investors may need to see more progress on Starship. During its latest fundraising effort, in which new investors don’t participate, the company had discussed a $500 billion valuation, before lowering it after consultation with backers, people familiar with the matter said.

Much will hinge on what happens next. The company is aiming to launch its tenth test flight of Starship as early as Aug. 24.  It's possible that SpaceX will be able to continue to absorb more testing failures, but the perception that the company is moving forward in Starship development will be key to their long-term investment success and fulfilling contractual agreements with NASA. (8/20)

Abolition of Independent UK Space Agency Welcomed by Industry (Source: New Civil Engineer)
News that the UK Space Agency is to be abolished as an independent entity in 2026 has been welcomed by the space industry sector, but the union representing workers at the agency has raised concerns about the government’s ambitions for space exploration. The space sector could present commercial opportunities for civil engineering firms due to the terrestrial infrastructure needed to support launch activities, such as utilities and transport connections, and foundations.

“In a major step to boost support for the UK’s space sector, the change will bring together the people who shape space policy and those who deliver it. This will cut any duplication that exists and ensure decisions are made with clear ministerial oversight." (8/20)

The True Cost of Colonizing Space (Source: Baltimore Sun)
Calculating the costs of colonizing other planets remains elusive. In a report by the NASA Ames Research Center, the estimate was half a trillion dollars for a trip to transport humans to Mars. So imprecise is the process of estimating costs, Elon Musk, a vocal proponent of settling on Mars, ventured that it would cost between 100 billion and 10 trillion — a vast range, even by interplanetary standards.

What it would cost to sustain even the smallest colony on Mars is almost beyond calculation, since it would require not only an immense up-front investment, but vast sums to put in place the redundant systems necessary to avoid a catastrophic failure of a wholly artificial environment. And given the provision of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which explicitly states that no nation can claim sovereignty over any celestial body, investing immense sums to inhabit naturally uninhabitable places such as the moon or Mars seems misplaced. (8/20)

FAA’s Informed Consent Rules leave Space Tourists Flying Blind (Source: Space News)
The FAA current informed consent framework under 14 CFR §460.45 falls dangerously short of adequately warning space flight participants (SFP) about the true risks they face, particularly long-term health consequences that may not manifest until months or years after their journey. (8/20)

Irish CubeSat Proves Wave Based Control for Precise In-Orbit Pointing (Source: Space Daily)
EIRSAT-1, Ireland's first satellite, has validated an onboard Wave-Based Control payload that enables accurate attitude control in orbit. Developed at UCD's School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, the software-led experiment demonstrates advanced maneuvering techniques on a live spacecraft rather than solely in simulation. (8/20)

SwRI Unveils Spacecraft Impact Detection System for Orbital Debris (Source: Space Daily)
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has created and tested a micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) detection system to help satellites and spacecraft identify and characterize debris impacts. The technology ensures operators are aware of collisions even when damage is not immediately visible. (8/20)

SpaceX Applies Lessons Learned to New Starbase Launch Tower (Source: NSF)
SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, continues to evolve as the company pushes the boundaries of rocket development with its Starship program. Following the operational experience gained from Pad 1, significant design advancements have been implemented for Pad 2, aiming to enhance efficiency, reliability, and safety for future Starship launches.

This includes key modifications across various elements of the launch site, from the tower and launch mount to the flame trench and tank farm, highlighting the iterative engineering approach that defines SpaceX’s rapid development philosophy. Click here. Editor's Note: Compare SpaceX's rapid development of multiple Starship heavy-lift launch facilities to NASA's multi-year, billion dollar saga at Kennedy Space Center to develop (arguably) similar SLS tower and pad infrastructure. (8/19)

Astronomers Intrigued by Odd Light Emitted by Interstellar Visitor 3I/ATLAS (Source: BrighterSide)
Some researchers say it’s just an icy traveler from deep space, while others believe it might be something far more unusual—perhaps even technology built by another civilization. Unllike comets, there’s no bright tail trailing behind it, the sort you’d normally expect. Instead, a glow appears focused like a beam of light in front of its path.

This unusual brightness has led Loeb and his colleague Eric Keto to consider a daring possibility: the object might be producing its own light. That would separate it from ordinary comets and asteroids. Loeb calculated that the glow requires about 10 gigawatts of power, comparable to the output of a large power plant on Earth. Sunlight reflection alone cannot explain the observed profile. (8/20)

Guidehouse Could Play Role in Alabama's Space Command Development (Source: AL.com)
A defense and security consulting firm may play a key role in setting up U.S. Space Command and the Golden Dome should either headquarters come to the Rocket City. Guidehouse – which employs about 200 locally – has taken significant costs out of the transition of programs from the FBI’s headquarters in the Washington, D.C., area and helped the agency “bring excellence and mission capability here,”  John Saad said. (8/19)

NASA and IBM Unveil AI That Helps Scientists Forecast Solar Storms (Source: Gizmodo)
Earlier this year, local and national officials gathered for a first-of-its-kind tabletop exercise to test their readiness for a severe solar storm. The simulation exposed major gaps in scientists’ ability to forecast space weather, which threatens critical infrastructure on Earth and in orbit.

On Wednesday, August 20, IBM and NASA unveiled Surya: an open-source AI model that could begin to fill those gaps. Heliophysicists currently rely on complex computer models to monitor and predict the Sun’s activity. Surya improves upon the lead time and accuracy of existing solar forecasting technologies, allowing scientists to not only predict a solar flare two hours out but also visually pinpoint where it should occur on the Sun’s surface. (8/20)

Starlink Snubbed by West Virginia (Source: Space News)
Starlink only a tiny fraction of rural broadband subsidies. SpaceX’s Starlink would get just 1% of the $625 million in rural broadband subsidies proposed by West Virginia. Those plans come after Virginia and Louisiana similarly provided Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper a tiny fraction of funds through the federal government’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. A research firm noted SpaceX is slated for $17.4 million of the $1.7 billion in BEAD funding awarded so far, covering around 6% of the 329,000 subsidized locations, while Amazon has netted $4.5 million for just over 2% of locations. Those BEAD plans have favored terrestrial fiber systems that can offer service at lower costs but take longer to roll out. (8/21)

SpaceX Beefs Up Starship Workforce (Source: Bloomberg)
SpaceX has added employees to work on Starship after the loss of a vehicle in a June test. After a Starship upper stage exploded on a test stand ahead of a static-fire test, about 20% of the Falcon 9 engineering team was reassigned to Starship for six months. The move came after three unsuccessful test flights of Starship this year that raised new doubts about the viability of the heavy-lift reusable launch vehicle. Moving the Falcon 9 engineers to Starship would allow SpaceX to increase testing and reliability of vehicle components and increase production rates, but could result in some Falcon 9 Starlink launches slipping from this year to next. SpaceX is preparing for its next Starship test flight as soon as Sunday. (8/21)

Russia Launches Life Science Research Mission on Soyuz-2.1b (Source: TASS)
Russia launched a life science research mission Wednesday. A Soyuz-2.1b rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 1:13 p.m. Eastern and placed the Bion-M No. 2 spacecraft into orbit. Bion-M carries plant and animal specimens, including 75 mice and 1,500 flies, to study how they respond to space environment conditions such as higher radiation levels from exposure in a polar orbit. The spacecraft will remain in orbit for a month before landing in Russia’s Orenburg region. This is the first launch of a Bion-M mission since 2013. (8/21)

NASA's New Astronaut Class Coming Next Month (Source: NASA)
NASA will announce its new astronaut class next month. The agency said Wednesday it will reveal the new astronaut class members, selected from more than 8,000 applicants, Sept. 22 at the Johnson Space Center. The event will be tied to briefings there about the Artemis 2 mission, scheduled for early next year. (8/21)

Ceres May Have Been Habitable (Source: New Scientists)
The dwarf planet Ceres may have been habitable early in its history. New analysis of data from the Dawn mission of Ceres, the largest object in the main asteroid belt, shows that the world may have maintained a warm interior for up to two billion years after its formation to allow for a liquid water ocean and mixing of carbon compounds that contained the organic ingredients needed for life. That could have allowed the formation of microbes like those seen in hydrothermal ocean vents on Earth. Similar conditions may have existed on other large icy asteroids and moons. (8/21)

Space Force Budget Prioritizes Advanced Technology (Source: Defense News)
The US Air Force and Space Force are prioritizing new weapons and technology in their fiscal year 2026 budgets while planning to cut thousands of civilian jobs and reduce contracting services. The Space Force budget is also set to grow, with an additional 600 troops and enhanced funding for advanced space technologies. (8/19)   

NASA Seeks Supplier for Turbine Air Motors (Source: Military & Aerospace Electronics)
NASA is seeking proposals for four turbine air motors for propulsion-airframe integration testing at the Ames Research Center's 11-by-11-foot Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel. The motors, capable of operating up to 20,000 RPM and 170 hp, will be installed on a body-and-wing model to simulate propfan propulsion and analyze aerodynamic performance under high-speed cruise conditions. The procurement includes two primary and two backup units and proposals are due by Sep. 5. (8/19)

ULA Remains Focused on Vulcan Reusability (Source: SPACErePORT)
In his Aug. 19 "The Burn Sequence" podcast, ULA chief Tory Bruno and ULA engineer Amanda Bacchetti discussed incremental upgrades to the company's new Vulcan rocket. The incremental approach differs from ULA's "static" approach to launch vehicle design/development, requiring a different mindset among the Vulcan team.

For folks wondering if ULA remains committed to achieving reusability, Bruno cryptically mentioned that "engine recovery is not the only reuse thing we have cooking." ULA has said it would recover the Vulcan main engines as part of a detachable pod that parachutes downrange for a helicopter air-snatch. Bruno has also mentioned previously that the Centaur upper stage might be reused while remaining in orbit. It is unclear if he was referring to the Centaur scheme in his Burn Sequence comment. (8/19)

The Commercial Case for Mars (Source: Space Review)
NASA, hoping to build on the success of commercial cargo, crew, and lunar lander programs, has rolled out plans for commercial Mars services. Jeff Foust reports on the industry interest in such missions and the obstacles they face. Click here. (8/19)
 
The LEO Toll Road: How the Constellation Gold Rush is Paving Over the Path to the Planets (Source: Space Review)
A large part of space activity today is devoted to the development and launch of broadband megaconstellations like Starlink, Kuiper, and Guowang. Vaibhav Chhimpa argues that focus is making it difficult for other uses of space, such as research. Click here. (8/19)
 
The Future of Data Storage? Look Up (Source: Space Review)
Data centers have become a big business on Earth. Sebastien Jean discusses how they could become a big business in space as well, addressing some of the drawbacks of terrestrial systems. Click here. (8/19)
 
The New Italian Law on the Space Economy: Regulatory Framework and Incentives for Businesses (Source: Space Review)
Italy enacted a new law overseeing space activities in the country in June. Three lawyers examine the law’s contents and its significant for space companies operating in Italy. Click here. (8/19)
 
In Memoriam: R. Cargill Hall (Source: Space Review)
Space historian R. Cargill Hall died earlier this year. Dwayne Day recalls his life and his work to document space history, particularly of satellite reconnaissance. Click here. (8/19)
 
Frank Strang and SaxaVord: Europe’s First Fully Licensed Vertical Launch Site (Source: Space Review)
Frank Strang, co-founder of SaxaVord Spaceport in the United Kingdom, passed away this month from cancer. Steve Fawkes recalls his effort to establish a spaceport on a remote island that is only now starting to bear fruit. Click here. (8/19)
 
A Museum Exhibition on Japanese Spaceflight (Source: Space Review)
A Tokyo museum is hosting a special exhibition on spaceflight with a focus on Japanese activities. Jeff Foust explores the exhibits and what they say about how spaceflight is viewed there. Click here. (8/19)

August 20, 2025

Lagoon Protection Could Be a Casualty of Abandoned Spaceport Regulatory Controls (Source: SPACErePORT)
Space Florida and other Space Coast organizations have been working hard to improve wastewater treatment capabilities that are impacted by increased launch operations at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The wastewater efforts have been a crucial component of a broader campaign to save the Indian River Lagoon, a natural resource that surrounds the spaceport and has been held up as an example for how launch operations can thrive within an ecologically sensitive wildlife preserve.

But now the regulations that have helped to maintain that ecological balance may be scrapped as federal agencies respond to President Trump's Aug. 13 executive order to "streamline" the regulatory oversight. The order directs the departments of Commerce, Defense, Transportation (with FAA), and NASA, to "evaluate State compliance with the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) and whether States are hindering spaceport infrastructure development under the CZMA, or otherwise placing limitations on spaceport development that are inconsistent with Federal law."

Groups like the Indian River Lagoon Roundtable hope to enlist Florida's new Lt. Governor and the Space Florida board of directors to support the lagoon's protection as the federal agencies move to implement the executive order. With the spaceport already benefiting from sustained launch industry expansion, they fear that unrestrained growth will come at expense of a major national ecological resource that also has been a driver non-aerospace economic development, ecotourism, and quality-of-life. (8/19)

Will Starship At LC-39A Shut Down Playalinda Beach Permanently? (Source: Talk of Titusville)
Best we can tell, SpaceX and NASA are not permanently closing Playalinda Beach, but proposed launch‐related safety protocols could result in lockdowns of the area for 60-85 days yearly, raising resident concerns over tourism and the local economy. That is in the EIS Draft provided by the FAA, but nowhere in that document does it say that beach access will be permanently ended. Still, effectively, the public could be shut out of Playalinda for 20-25% of the year once you figure in the inevitable weather scrubs that come with Florida launches.

That will have some effect on Titusville businesses and also its residents. How much remains to be seen. Playalinda and Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge are a critical component of Titusville’s economy. Playalinda draws approximately 1.16 million of Canaveral National Seashore 2.1 million annual visitors, contributing significantly to businesses and jobs in jobs in Titusville. Visitor spending in the area totaled $62.5 million, supporting over 800 jobs and channeling an $83 million economic benefit to gateway communities like Titusville, according to numbers compiled by the National Park Service.

Local residents have been increasingly vocal about Starship, with their chief complaints being noise, sonic booms and reduced access to MINWR and Playalinda. There are numerous online chats, threads and even groups on social media. A new Change.org Petition started by Robyn Memphis lists their concerns about Playalinda’s future, namely that in Texas, where SpaceX is testing Starship, there is a smaller area of exclusion than the one being planned for LC-39A and Playalinda thereby. (8/19)

Spaceport Evolution: Rapid Changes Need Smart Planning (Source: SPACErePORT)
The Cape Canaveral Spaceport seems poised for accelerated change. The "new normal" features multiple launches per week, several new launch providers, regulatory 'streamlining', ongoing studies of alternative spaceport management approaches (featuring a national spaceport authority with NASA and the Space Force as tenants), a multi-state compact for regulatory management, tax-exempt spaceport bond financing, and relentless commercial launch demand.

Says one concerned local: "I'm reminded of the transformation that occurred when McCoy AFB became Orlando International Airport. That may seem like a stretch, but I think it could happen here, and sooner than anyone expects. Just imagine what that would look like and how it should be managed." (8/19)

Globalstar Seeks Military Business (Source: Space News)
Satellite communications provider Globalstar is pursuing partnerships with defense contractors to establish a foothold in the military market. The company, which operates a constellation of communications satellites in low Earth orbit for voice calls and low-bandwidth data services, is working to demonstrate more advanced military applications through collaborations with defense contractor Parsons and with the U.S. Army. This represents a shift for Globalstar, which has primarily focused on commercial markets while competitor Iridium has dominated military narrowband communications over the past two decades. Globalstar CEO Paul Jacobs said in a recent interview that the defense market was now a priority for the company. (8/20)

UK Space Agency Folded Into Science Department (Source: BBC)
The U.K. Space Agency will no longer be an independent agency in a British government reshuffling. In a plan announced Wednesday, UKSA will be folded into the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology next April. It will retain its name but its budget and activities will be incorporated into the department. The government said the move is intended to save money and streamline operations, but critics say it sends the wrong signal to the country’s space sector. (8/20)

BlackSky Gets Australian Contract for Imagery of Orbiting Satellites (Source: BlackSky)
BlackSky has signed a new contract to provide non-Earth imaging of satellites. The company said Tuesday it signed a “seven-figure” contract with Australian company HEO to provide it with imagery of spacecraft. The companies say they have automated processes where HEO identifies opportunities for BlackSky satellites to take images of spacecraft of interest to HEO. (8/20)

Blue Origin Plans Uncrewed Research Flight for New Shepard (Source: Blue Origin)
The next flight of Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital vehicle will be an uncrewed research flight. The NS-35 mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than Saturday from the company’s West Texas site. The vehicle will carry more than 40 payloads, including 24 from a NASA student competition. It will be the seventh flight of New Shepard this year and the second payload-only mission in 2025. (8/20)

Smallsat Missions Planned to Apophis Asteroid (Source: Space News)
Organizations are proposing smallsat missions to study, and even collide with, a near Earth asteroid. A team from the University of Maryland discussed TERP RAPTOR, a cubesat mission they are developing that would fly by the asteroid Apophis when it makes a close pass of Earth in April 2029. The $10 million cubesat would take closeup images of the asteroid. A separate mission proposed by the Southwest Research Institute and Advanced Space, the Apophis Cratering Experiment, would deliberately collide with the asteroid after the close approach to study cratering science and improve the understanding of “rubble pile” asteroids. (8/20)

Alaska Airlines Adds Starlink Service to Fleet (Source: Alaska Airlines)
Alaska Airlines is the latest to adopt Starlink for in-flight connectivity services. The airline announced Wednesday it will outfit its entire fleet with Starlink terminals by 2027, providing free wi-fi for members of its frequent flyer club. Alaska recently acquired Hawaiian Airlines, which was one of the first to install Starlink. (8/20)

Another Moon Found Orbiting Uranus (Source: Space.com)
Astronomers have discovered a very small moon orbiting Uranus. Astronomers said Tuesday they spotted the moon images in from the James Webb Space Telescope. The moon, provisionally designated S/2025 U1, is about 10 kilometers in diameter, and is the 29th moon known to orbit Uranus. (8/20)

Top Air Force General to Exit in Hegseth’s Latest Shake-Up of Pentagon (Source: Washington Post)
The chief of staff of the Air Force, Gen. David Allvin, will retire two years into a four-year term, officials said Monday, marking the latest early ouster of a senior military officer under President Donald Trump.
(8/9)

Orbital Data Center Launching to ISS to Advance Space Computing (Source: CASIS)
A cutting-edge orbital data center is set to launch to the International Space Station (ISS), marking an important step forward in advancing space-based computing. The project, sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory®, will test the system’s ability to provide increased data storage and real-time data processing in space—crucial capabilities for future commercial space stations.

The investigation, launching on SpaceX’s 33rd commercial resupply services mission for NASA, is a collaboration between ISS National Lab Commercial Service Provider Axiom Space and open-source software leader Red Hat. (8/19)

After Recent Tests, China Appears Likely to Beat the United States Back to the Moon (Source: Ars Technica)
In recent weeks, the secretive Chinese space program has reported some significant milestones in developing its program to land astronauts on the lunar surface by the year 2030. On August 6, the China Manned Space Agency successfully tested a high-fidelity mockup of its 26-ton "Lanyue" lunar lander. The test, conducted outside of Beijing, used giant tethers to simulate lunar gravity as the vehicle fired main engines and fine control thrusters to land on a cratered surface and take off from there.

The space agency reconfirmed that it plans to land its astronauts on the Moon "before" 2030. Then, last Friday, the space agency and its state-operated rocket developer, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology, successfully conducted a 30-second test firing of the Long March 10 rocket's center core with its seven YF-100K engines that burn kerosene and liquid oxygen. The primary variant of the rocket will combine three of these cores to lift about 70 metric tons to low-Earth orbit.

China's space program is making demonstrable progress in all three of the major elements of its lunar program: the large rocket to launch a crew spacecraft, which will carry humans to lunar orbit, plus the lander that will take astronauts down to the surface and back. This work suggests that China is on course to land on the Moon before the end of this decade. "It means the end of American exceptionalism. ... The constant American refrain of 'We've put a man on the Moon, we can do anything' will certainly no longer resonate. (8/18)

August 19, 2025

AstroAgency Expands to North America (Source: AstroAgency)
AstroAgency, a strategic communications and market intelligence firm dedicated to the commercial space industry is accelerating its expansion into North America, formalizing two new transatlantic partnerships. UK-headquartered AstroAgency has signed two agreements with Voyager Technologies and Cislunar International, kicking off a six-month push to grow the firm’s connections and clients across the United States and Canada.

The first MOU will see AstroAgency and Voyager Technologies collaborate across several fronts, including European and U.S. stakeholder engagement, strategic marketing support, and the development of VISTA, a new science park initiative. AstroAgency is anticipated to establish a North American office at VISTA as the development progresses. (8/19)

Voyager Establishes VISTA Science Park (Source: Voyager)
Voyager Institute for Space, Technology and Advancement is the first-of-its-kind U.S. campus dedicated to in-space research, manufacturing and services. Here, the brightest minds in aerospace, robotics, AI and science converge in a dynamic ecosystem built to accelerate discovery, collaboration and commercialization.

With access to the International Space Station and future commercial platforms, VISTA tenants can develop the next generation of space-based technologies and services across civil, commercial and national security markets. As an in-space, platform-agnostic ecosystem, the Science Park will drive advancements across industries and tackle some of the greatest challenges in space-based civil, commercial and national security. (8/19)

Cygnus Named to Honor Columbia Astronaut McCool (Source: Northrop Grumman)
The next Cygnus spacecraft to go to the International Space Station has been named after a Columbia astronaut. Northrop Grumman said Monday that it named NG-23 Cygnus spacecraft the S.S. William “Willie” C. McCool after the pilot on the STS-107 mission. NG-23 is scheduled to launch next month on a Falcon 9. (8/19)

NASA Glenn Offers Hangar for Lease (Source: WEWS)
NASA’s Glenn Research Center is offering an iconic hangar for lease. The center says the large hangar, built in 1941 and easily recognized by people flying through Cleveland’s airport thanks to the large NASA logo on its roof, is available to companies through an enhanced use lease. NASA has not set a price for leasing the hangar, and whoever leases it will have to sign a National Historic Preservation Act agreement to preserve its exterior, but will be free to renovate the interior. (8/19)

Finalists Selected for Artemis Plushie (Source: CollectSpace)
A contest has selected 25 finalists for the design of a “zero-gravity indicator” for the Artemis 2 mission. Crowdsourcing company Freelancer announced the designs that made the cut in the competition to create a unique plushie that will fly on Artemis 2, tethered to a console to float around once the spacecraft in microgravity. Twelve of the designs are from children and 13 from adults, ranging from animals to whimsical creatures. NASA will select one of the finalists to go on Artemis 2. (8/19)

Platinum Equity to Acquire Anuvu (Source: Space News)
Anuvu, which provides in-flight connectivity services using satellites, is being acquired by a private equity firm. Platinum Equity said Monday it expects to complete a deal before the end of the year for Anuvu, which provides wi-fi to airlines and media services across the aviation and maritime markets. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Anuvu, which went through Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization five years ago, is shifting from leasing capacity on conventional GEO satellites to operating its own “micro GEO” satellites with software-defined payloads. The first two of those satellites, built by Astranis, are now in operation over North America. Anuvu has options for up to eight Astranis satellites. (8/19)

SpinLaunch Raises $30 Million for Broadband Constellation (Source: Space News)
SpinLaunch has raised $30 million to continue work on a broadband satellite constellation. On Monday, the company announced the funds, which came from existing investors as well as a $12 million strategic investment by Kongsberg Defence and Aerospace announced in April. The money will allow SpinLaunch to continue development of Meridian Space, a constellation the company claims can provide broadband services with far less capital investment than other systems. SpinLaunch hired Massimiliano Ladovaz, former CTO of OneWeb, as its new CEO last month. (8/19)

Space Wargame Includes US and Allied Nations (Source: Space News)
Allied nations will have a bigger role in a major space wargame run by the U.S. Space Force. Officials said the 2027 version of the Schriever Wargame will include allied nations jointly developing scenarios and objectives rather than following U.S.-led planning. The Schriever Wargame is a tabletop exercise that has brought together military planners since 2001 to explore space security challenges. The shift, Space Force officials said, reflects the increasing emphasis on international cooperation and partnering with allied nations. (8/19)

Revolv Space to Provide Solar Array Tech to Blue Canyon (Source: Space News)
Italian-Dutch company Revolv Space has won its first order from an American customer for satellite components. Revolv Space said that Blue Canyon Technologies ordered six units of its flagship solar array drive assembly, SARA, for use on Blue Canyon spacecraft. Securing its first contract with an American customer is a milestone for the three-year-old Revolv Space, which is run by a team distributed across Europe. The company is readying another financing round later this year to support expansion after raising 2.8 million euros in May 2024. (8/19)

China's CAS Launches Kinetica-1 With Seven Satellites (Source: Space News)
A Chinese commercial rocket launched seven satellites early Tuesday, including two for a Latin American customer. The Kinetica-1, or Lijian-1, solid-fuel rocket lifted off at 3:33 a.m. Eastern from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. CAS Space, which operates the rocket, said it successfully deployed seven satellites into low Earth orbit. The satellites include two satellites, each weighing less than 100 grams, from Mexican company ThumbSat. ThumbSat-1 carries a selfie payload, aiming to capture its own mirror-selfie in orbit, while ThumbSat-2 carries an artistic payload. The other five satellites were from Chinese organizations. (8/19)

Firefly Aerospace Eyes Alpha Launches From Japan (Source: Reuters)
Firefly Aerospace is exploring an option to launch its Alpha rocket from Japan. The plan could make Japan the second offshore launch site - and first in Asia - for Firefly. The company is preparing for an Alpha launch in Sweden. Space Cotan, operator of the Hokkaido Spaceport located about 820 km northeast of Tokyo, said it and Firefly signed a preliminary agreement to study the feasibility of launching the small-lift rocket Alpha from there. (8/18)

A Comet That Exploded Over Earth 12,800 Years Ago May Have Triggered Centuries of Bitter Cold (Source: ZME Science)
In 2024, scientists studying ancient sediments in the eastern United States reported signs of a comet exploding in Earth’s skies 12,800 years ago. That event, they suggested, might have plunged the planet into a thousand-year cold spell known as the Younger Dryas.

Now, a new study has taken the search deep beneath the ocean, and the results strengthen the case. Researchers from the University of South Carolina analyzed seafloor mud from Baffin Bay, near Greenland, and found tiny traces of comet dust and metallic debris consistent with a cosmic airburst. (8/18)

Kazakhstan Aims to Revive Cold War-Era Baikonur Spaceport for the New Rocket Race (Source: Euractiv)
Before every Soviet rocket launch, cosmonauts would kick the launcher before clambering into their ride to space. Today, out in the dusty steppes of Central Asia, Kazakhstan's government is trying to kick-start its own space industry by breaking out of Russia's orbit. Astana is racing to revive the Baikonur Cosmodrome by transforming the sprawling desert hub – with much of it still leased out to Russia – into a cutting-edge spaceport for the world's rocket start-ups. (8/18)

SpaceX Flies 24 Starlink Satellites on its 100th Falcon 9 Launch of 2025 (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX launched its 100th Falcon 9 rocket of the year Monday morning. The flight from Vandenberg Space Force Base carried another batch of Starlink optimized V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit. This was also the 72nd SpaceX launch of Starlink satellites so far in 2025. It brings the total number of Starlink satellites orbited in 2025 to 1,786. (8/18)

Starlink Eyes More Capacity With E-Band Spectrum Request (Source: PC Mag)
SpaceX is trying to expand Starlink's capacity by tapping more radio spectrum across its first-generation satellite fleet. On Friday, the company filed a request with the US FCC to add “E-band” radio frequencies, in the 71.0-76.0 GHz and 81.0-86.0 GHz ranges, to its first-generation Starlink constellation. If granted, the change promises to help first-generation Starlink satellites “deliver more capacity more quickly to more Americans, especially those in rural and other underserved areas,” SpaceX says. (8/18)

August 18, 2025

New ESA Business Incubator in Spain Opens First Call for Proposals (Source: European Spaceflight)
The European Space Agency’s new Business Incubation Center in Spain has opened its first call for proposals, offering up to €60,000 to space startups in the region. Launched in 2003, the initiative is part of the agency’s efforts to commercialize national investments in its space programs. The initiative targets newly formed companies as well as startups that have been in business for no longer than five years, providing both financial support and access to expert ESA personnel. There are currently more than 30 BICs across Europe, which have supported approximately 1,500 startups. (8/18)

NASA Seeks Student Entries for Human Exploration Rover Challenge (Source: Space Daily)
NASA is accepting contest entries from student teams to design, build and test rovers on the moon and Mars.
In the Human Exploration Rover Challenge, students need to make models that are capable of going over a course while completing tasks for future Artemis missions, NASA said in a news release.

In the challenge, teams design projects that sample of soil, water and air over a half-mile course with a simulated field of asteroid debris, boulders, erosion ruts, crevasses and an ancient streambed. There are remote-controlled and human-powered divisions. (8/15)

After Repeated Explosions, New Test for Musk's Megarocket (Source: Space Daily)
SpaceX announced Friday that its Starship megarocket is scheduled to blast off on a new test flight next weekend after recent attempts have ended in fiery explosions. The biggest and most powerful launch vehicle in history is planned to return Americans to the Moon -- and is central to the dreams of colonizing Mars envisioned by Musk, the world's richest person.

But repeated explosions that sent debris raining down over Caribbean islands and disrupted flights have piled pressure onto SpaceX to pull off a smoother trial run. The rocket's 10th test flight is set to launch as soon as August 24 from the company's Starbase facility in Texas. SpaceX has also been sharply criticized over the impact its launches have on people and the environment near where its rockets blast off. In June, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum threatened to sue SpaceX over falling debris and contamination from its launches. (8/15)

First Recorded Human Meteorite Strike Still a Wild Tale 70 Years On (Source: Science Alert)
Ann Hodges never intended to be famous, but in 1954 she found herself thrust into the national spotlight when her afternoon nap was interrupted by a falling meteorite. The Alabama woman has the distinction of being the first documented case of a person being struck by a meteorite. She survived with a bruised hip.

On the afternoon of November 30, 1954, locals in Sylacauga, Alabama, reported a bright streak in the sky. Ann Hodges, who was 34 at the time, had been home with her mother. The meteorite crashed through the roof of Hodges' home at 2:46 p.m. "The meteorite came down through the roof in the living room and it ricocheted off a stand-up console radio that was in the room and landed on her hip." It weighed around 8.5 pounds. (8/18)

Old Space Meets New Space (Source: Space News)
Old Space hasn’t faded; the long stagnant contractor ecosystem has been forced to adapt in an attempt to compete for the market it once dominated. NASA’s Artemis program is a prime example of an emerging synergy. The Artemis program unites traditional players like Boeing (with its SLS rocket and Starliner capsule) and newcomers like SpaceX (providing the Starship Human Landing System for Artemis III, now targeted for late 2026).

While it is unclear whether Old Space or New Space will reach the lunar surface first; it is clear that Old Space has been reinvigorated to some extent by the competition and New Space is only just beginning to unlock the high frontier with large volume spacecraft. In that spirit, SpaceX and Starship are paving the way not only for crewed lunar landings and colonies in the late 2020s but also for the first crewed Martian landings as soon as the 2030s. (8/18)

Hijacked Satellites and Orbiting Space Weapons: In the 21st Century, Space is the New Battlefield (Source: AP)
Disabling a satellite could deal a devastating blow without one bullet, and it can be done by targeting the satellite’s security software or disrupting its ability to send or receive signals from Earth. “If you can impede a satellite’s ability to communicate, you can cause a significant disruption,” said Tom Pace, CEO of NetRise, a cybersecurity firm focused on protecting supply chains.

Hackers typically look for the weakest link in the software or hardware that supports a satellite or controls its communications with Earth. The actual orbiting device may be secure, but if it’s running on outdated software, it can be easily exploited. As Russian forces invaded Ukraine in 2022, someone targeted Viasat, the U.S.-based satellite company used by Ukraine’s government and military. The hack, which Kyiv blamed on Moscow, used malware to infect tens of thousands of modems, creating an outage affecting wide swaths of Europe. (8/18)

SDL to Support Space Force (Source: Space News)
The Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL) has new ties with the U.S. Space Force. SDL announced last week that the Space Force, through the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Space Acquisition and Integration, is the new sponsor of the lab in its role as a University Affiliated Research Center. SDL says the new sponsorship will allow the lab, affiliated with Utah State University, to align its expertise with key Space Force priorities in areas such as dynamic space operations and small satellites. (8/18)

Joint US/India NISAR Satellite Deploys Radar Antenna (Source: NASA)
The NISAR Earth science satellite has successfully deployed its large radar antenna. JPL announced Friday that the spacecraft, launched July 30, had deployed its 12-meter radar antenna at the end of a 9-meter boom. The antenna will be used by the dual-band radars on NISAR for synthetic aperture radar imaging of land and sea surfaces. NISAR was jointly developed by NASA and the Indian space agency ISRO. The radar antenna is one of NASA’s contributions. (8/18)

China Launches Two Rockets on Sunday (Source: Space News)
China conducted a pair of launches Sunday, including another set of Guowang megaconstellation satellites. A Long March 6A rocket lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center carrying the 09 group of satellites for Guowang. The U.S. Space Force cataloged five satellites in roughly 985 by 1,010-km orbits inclined by 86.5 degrees. This was the fifth launch of Guowang satellites within 21 days, with a potential further mission before the end of August.

Separately, a Long March 4C rocket lifted off at 4:55 a.m. Eastern from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center. It placed the Shiyan-28B (02) experimental satellite into an orbit similar to Shiyan-28B (01), launched last month. No details about the mission of the satelite were disclosed. (8/18)

Chinese Astronauts Perform TSS Spacewalk (Source: Xinhua)
Chinese astronauts performed a spacewalk outside the Tiangong station Friday. Astronauts Chen Dong and Wang Jie spent six and a half hours outside the station, installing debris protection devices and other equipment while also performing inspections of the station’s exterior. The spacewalk was the third for the Shenzhou-20 mission since its arrival at the station in April and the sixth overall for Chen, the most experiences Chinese spacewalker. (8/18)

India Picks Pixxel Team to Develop Earth Imaging Constellation (Source: Times of India)
The Indian government has picked a team led by startup Pixxel to develop an Earth imaging satellite constellation. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre announced lats week it picked the bid submitted by Pixxel and its partners for a 12-satellite constellation to be built as a public private partnership. Pixxel’s bid was for 0 rupees, meaning it will fund the entire constellation, estimated to cost 12 billion rupees ($138 million), on its own. The constellation will include radar, hyperspectal and high-resolution optical satellites. Pixxel’s team includes PierSight, SatSure and Dhruva. (8/18)

Agile Thrusters to Propel Nyx (Source: European Spaceflight)
Agile Space will provide thrusters for The Exploration Company’s Nyx spacecraft. The Exploration Company said last week it selected Agile Space’s DS250 hypergolic bipropellant thrusters for Nyx Earth. That is a spacecraft The Exploration Company is developing to transport cargo to low Earth orbit destinations, with a demonstration mission to the International Space Station planned for 2028. (8/18)

Space Force, Gravitics Partner on Orbital Carrier (Source: SlashGear)
The US Space Force has partnered with Seattle-based startup Gravitics to develop the Orbital Carrier, funded by a SpaceWERX Strategic Funding Increase award of up to $60 million. The carrier aims to serve as an orbital launch platform, allowing rapid spacecraft deployment without ground-based delays. The project is intended to enhance the US' ability to respond to threats and satellite network gaps, although it has drawn international concern about potential militarization of space. (8/17)   

Airbus Chooses Teledyne Imaging Sensors for MetOp-SG-A1 (Source: Military & Aerospace Electronics)
Airbus Defense and Space selected Teledyne Space Imaging to supply the imaging sensors for the MetOp-SG-A1 Earth-observation satellites. This partnership highlights Airbus's reliance on specialized sensor technology to deliver advanced imaging capabilities for the next-generation weather satellites, launched from Kourou, French Guiana. The collaboration is part of a broader European effort to maintain leadership in meteorological data acquisition through the MetOp-SG program. (8/18)

August 17, 2025

NASA Budget Cuts Could End U.S. Exploration of the Outer Solar System (Source: Scientific American)
The U.S. planetary science community is sounding the alarm about Trump budgetary plans to discard a nuclear technology that has powered dozens of NASA missions over the past 50 years. The technology in question, known as radioisotope power systems (RPS), is an often overlooked element of NASA’s budget that involves turning nuclear fuel into usable electricity.

More like a battery than a full-scale reactor, RPS devices attach directly to spacecraft to power them into the deepest, darkest reaches of the solar system, where sunlight is too sparse to use. It’s a critical technology that has enabled two dozen NASA missions, from the iconic Voyagers 1 and 2 now traversing interstellar space to the Perseverance and Curiosity rovers presently operating on Mars. (8/14)

Creating ‘Space Beach’ (Source: LA Business Journal)
Despite SpaceX decamping its longtime Southern California headquarters for Texas last year, the region remains an integral part of the national space program. In particular, Long Beach – affectionately known by the local business community as “Space Beach” – has churned out companies that could be the critical government contractor.

Long Beach is a uniquely dynamic hub for neighborhood space startups to expand, given the readily available access to an airport and the Port of Long Beach. In addition, it’s a pipeline of talented engineers and a collaborative local government. The area is also close in proximity to Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, which houses Space Force’s Space Systems Command center.

“We have one of the fastest-growing space ecosystems in the country right now, and we continue to see startups and fast-growing companies, as well as existing companies, grow and expand within the city,” said Bo Martinez, the director of economic development for the City of Long Beach, a role he has held for nearly three years. (8/11)

Intuitive Machines Submits Proposal for NASA’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle Delivery and Operations Contract (Source: Intuitive Machines)
Intuitive Machines announced it has submitted its proposal for the next phase of NASA’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services (LTVS) contract, to build, fly, and operate the Intuitive Machines-led Moon RACER vehicle on the Moon. NASA is expected to announce the LTV delivery and demonstration award by the end of 2025. (8/15)

Russia to Commence Space Mission Design, Plans to Revisit Venus Before 2036 (Source: The Hawk)
Russia plans to launch its Venera-D interplanetary mission to revisit Venus before 2036, and preparations are already underway, state media reported on Sunday.

The mission is now part of the country's new national space program, and the preliminary design work on the mission will begin in January 2026, coinciding with the start of the national space project, Oleg Korablev, head of the Department of Planetary Physics at the Space Research Institute (IKI) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was quoted as saying by TASS news agency. (8/17)

Washington-Made Rockets Taking NASA to the Moon for the First Time in Half a Century (Source: Seattle Refined)
NASA’s Artemis campaign is a bold series of missions to take humans back to the moon... and those astronauts will get there thanks to help from rocket engines made right here in Washington! We are told each of the first three Artemis missions uses 32 rocket engines produced at the L3Harris facility in Redmond. (8/16)

McAlister: NASA New Commercial LEO Development (CLD) Strategy is an Improvement (Source: LinkedIn)
So, let’s take stock…the previous strategy did not have enough money to succeed, did not have enough time to succeed, and was over-constrained technically.  NASA’s response: “Sounds great, let’s go with that plan!  And if anybody changes the plan, we will get mad and accuse them of losing the space race to China.”

The new strategy will be much cheaper because industry does not have to go through the onerous process of producing the significant testing and analysis documentation to prove to NASA that it has met all of NASA’s 700+ requirements.  And NASA will not have to go through the onerous process of reviewing all that testing and analysis documentation and agree that it is satisfactory (or not, in which cast you have to start the testing and documentation process all over again).

The schedule for development will be significantly shorter for the same reason.  Without having to go through NASA’s labor- and bureaucratically-intensive process of certification, the new strategy gives NASA and industry a chance to have an operational CLD by 2030 within the available budget.  And since NASA will be is using Space Act Agreements, the companies will be in charge of the design decisions and there will be a much lower likelihood that NASA will over-design the CLDs. (8/12)

Tiny Devices Propelled by Sunlight Could Explore a Mysterious Region of Earth's Atmosphere (Source: Space.com)
Self-lofting devices propelled by sunlight have been tested for the first time in near-vacuum conditions akin to those in Earth's upper atmosphere, paving the way for a revolution in atmospheric science.

The tiny, lightweight membranes — which are made of aluminum oxide and a layer of chromium — take advantage of a phenomenon known as photophoresis, which occurs when one side of a slice of thin material gets warmer than the other. As gas molecules bounce off the warmer side, they push the membrane upward. However, the effect is very weak and thus can be observed only in very low-pressure environments, such as those near the edge of space. (8/16)

Voyager Acquires ElectroMagnetic Systems (Source: Voyager)
Voyager Technologies has acquired ElectroMagnetic Systems, Inc. (EMSI), a California-based developer of AI and machine learning-based automated target recognition software and intelligence analytics for space-based radar systems. Voyager is scaling AI-native, mission-resilient systems that align directly with U.S. defense and intelligence priorities. By augmenting the human interface, the company is unlocking real-time, multi-domain monitoring across ground, air, and space for defense and high-growth commercial markets. (8/7)

August 16, 2025

Firefly Aerospace: The Space Stock You Should Not Buy (Source: Seeking Alpha)
Despite Firefly Aerospace's successful lunar landing and strong customer base, I rate the stock a sell due to valuation concerns. The company faces significant cash burn but has significant cash to fund operations. Current share price offers little to no upside as preferred stock conversion significantly increased the number of shares outstanding. While Firefly has long-term potential, I see no attractive entry point until the stock trades substantially below $47 per share. (8/15)

The Final Vacation Frontier (Source: Reason)
Looking to get really away from it all? How about 250 miles straight up and traveling at 17,500 mph away from it all? This year, why not take a vacation in low earth orbit—specifically, on the ISS? You can book a trip through SpaceX or Axiom Space, the latter of which offers "private astronaut missions" at a tidy $55 million per seat. That price includes training, transport aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon, and about a week on the ISS with food, Wi-Fi, and astronaut jumpsuits provided. (8/15)

FAA Approves Starship Flight 10 After Mishap Probe, Eyes August 24 Launch (Source: NSF)
SpaceX has received clearance from the FAA to conduct the 10th test flight of its Starship rocket, with a targeted launch date of August 24. The approval for Flight 10 comes after the closure of an investigation into anomalies during the vehicle’s previous mission, marking a key step forward in SpaceX’s test program.

The FAA announced on Friday morning that it had concluded its review of the mishap from Starship’s Flight 9, which occurred earlier this year. That test involved Booster 14, making its second flight as the Super Heavy first stage, paired with Ship 35. SpaceX revealed that the probable root cause was a failure in the diffuser component of the main fuel tank pressurization system. Located at the top of the forward dome in the methane tank, the diffuser supplies pressurization gases to maintain tank integrity as fuel is depleted during flight. (8/15)

Trump Aims to Foster Space Industry by Gutting Environmental Regulation (Source: Defense One)
Specifically, Trump's order will “eliminate or expedite” environmental reviews for launch and re-entry licenses and permits and establish “exclusions” to the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. The order would also “reevaluate, amend, or rescind” regulations under the Federal Aviation Authority’s Part 450 rules, which govern safety requirements for launch and re-entry operations but are widely viewed as too restrictive by commercial launch companies. (8/15)

Air, Space Force Face $2.3B in Cuts Under DOGE (Source: Air & Space Forces)
The US Air Force and Space Force are facing $2.3 billion in budget cuts for 2026, primarily due to the Department of Government Efficiency initiative. The cuts will impact more than 5,700 civilian jobs and various programs, including air operations and research and development. Todd Harrison of the American Enterprise Institute says the cuts could hinder acquisition programs and technical knowledge retention. (8/14)

University of Florida Teams with Swiss Center for Space Research (Source: University of Zurich)
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed this week at Space Florida's Space Life Sciences Lab between the Center for Space and Aviation Switzerland and Liechtenstein (CSA), the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich (IPZ), and the University of Florida. The agreement completes the existing international network of the CSA in an ideal way, welcoming an outstanding academic partner. (8/15)

Charania Joins Zeno Power (Source: LinkedIn)
Zeno Power, the company building nuclear batteries to power missions on the frontier, today announced that A.C. Charania has joined the team as Senior Vice President of Space Business Development. Charania brings over 25 years of experience advancing aerospace innovation across public and private sectors. Most recently as NASA’s Chief Technologist, Charania served as the agency’s top advisor to the NASA Administrator on technology strategy – helping shape investment priorities, guide innovation across six mission directorates, and align programs with long-term mission goals. (8/14)

USAID Criticized Over Lack of Oversight on Starlink Terminals Supplied to Ukraine (Source: United24)
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) could not verify whether Ukraine had improperly used thousands of Starlink terminals supplied after Russia’s 2022 invasion, according to an inspector general’s report. The report stated that the draft transfer agreement prohibited the “military use” of the terminals.

They were intended for hospitals, schools, communications, and other civilian purposes. However, soon after the war began, allegations emerged that Ukrainian forces had weaponized Starlink terminals to operate drones and carry out artillery strikes against Russian military equipment, vehicles, and mobile command centers. (8/15)

Blue Origin Pushes Back New Glenn Flight 2 Launch Window (Source: Aviation Week)
Blue Origin has delayed the opening of the launch window for its second New Glenn rocket launch to no earlier than Sept. 29. The company, which first flew New Glenn in January, had in June set the date for the second flight attempt at no earlier than Aug. 15. (8/15)

Spaceport America Loses Some Lift Following Virgin Galactic Pause (Source: Albuquerque Journal)
After Spaceport America's biggest tenant, Virgin Galactic, ended commercial flights out of the launch facility near Truth or Consequences last year, the Spaceport reported slight hits to its economic output for 2024. The Spaceport added nearly $240 million to New Mexico's economy last year, a decrease from $266 million in 2023, according to the facility's most recent economic impact report compiled by the Arrowhead Center at New Mexico State University and released Tuesday.

Still, the Spaceport has shown tremendous growth over the last six years — economic output at the facility has more than tripled from $72.3 million in 2019, and Scott McLaughlin, the Spaceport's executive director, says the launchpad has other tenants and is working to attract new ones.

The decrease in economic output and the pause in flights sparked talk of selling the Spaceport at a meeting of the New Mexico Legislature's Economic and Rural Development and Policy Committee on Tuesday, where legislators pushed McLaughlin on when taxpayers would begin to see a return on their investment at the Spaceport. (8/14)

Coastal Commission Votes Against Boost in SpaceX Launches, Citing Lack of Data (Source: Noozhawk)
California Coastal Commission members agreed Thursday that they lacked critical  information to determine whether the proposal to double SpaceX rocket launches at Vandenberg Space Force Base is consistent with state rules, but the vote isn’t expect to halt the increase.

On Thursday, the commission considered the Department of the Air Force item related to a SpaceX plan to use a second launch facility at Vandenberg for both Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy rockets. The proposal also would add two first-stage booster landing sites at Space Launch Complex-6. The military had deemed the project consistent with the California Coastal Management Program and sought the state panel’s concurrence. Instead, the California Coastal Commission unanimously objected with its vote. (8/14)

First Portuguese Spaceport Licensed (Source: Portugal News)
The Azores Spaceport has been licensed to operate and is expected to have its first launch in spring 2026, almost five years later than initially planned. The license was granted by the regulatory body, Anacom - National Communications Authority, to the Atlantic Spaceport Consortium, which submitted the application in December.

The license is valid for five years and "refers exclusively to the operation of the launch centre to be located in Malbusca," on the Azorean island of Santa Maria, Anacom and the Portuguese Space Agency said in a joint statement. (8/14)

NASA Dismisses Biden Priorities Like Climate Science (Source: Washington Times)
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy vowed Thursday to emphasize space exploration at NASA instead of “all the other priorities” that were favored by the Biden administration. Duffy, who oversees NASA as its interim administrator, said during a Fox News interview that investing in space exploration, including inhabiting the moon as a means of going to Mars, is essential to national security. (8/15)