December 19, 2024

China’s AI-Driven Military Space Expansion (Source: Space News)
China’s military modernization is accelerating, with AI-integrated space technologies playing a central role, according to the Pentagon’s newly released China Military Power Report. The report reveals that China’s military now operates over 1,000 satellites, including 360 dedicated to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR)—a massive leap from just 36 satellites in 2010. China’s military doctrine now centers on “multi-domain precision warfare”, combining satellite data with AI-powered systems to track, target, and strike U.S. and allied forces. This strategy integrates data from land, sea, air, space, and cyberspace for highly coordinated operations. (12/19)

Space42 Secures $5.1B UAE Contract Through 2043 (Source: Space News)
The UAE’s AI-powered SpaceTech company Space42 secured a $5.1 billion, 17-year contract with the UAE Government for satellite capacity and managed services, extending through 2043. The agreement follows the merger of satellite operator Yahsat and geospatial analytics firm Bayanat, forming Space42 earlier this year. (12/19)

Oligarchy: Musk Leads Republicans to Scrap Spending Bill, Christmas Shutdown Looms (Source: Washington Post)
Republicans scrapped House Speaker Mike Johnson’s bipartisan plan to avert a government shutdown, as President-elect Donald Trump and Elon Musk joined a broad swath of the House GOP on Wednesday to condemn a compromise bill full of Democratic policy priorities. “Your elected representatives have heard you and now the terrible bill is dead,” Musk boasted on X after he spent the day blasting the legislation. “The voice of the people has triumphed!”

Johnson has not outlined a backup plan, and multiple people familiar with the real-time conversations said the next step remains unclear, as leaders would need significant support from both parties — and Trump — to pass a funding extension. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (Louisiana) said Wednesday night that there was “no new agreement” and Republicans were “just looking at a number of options.”

If Congress doesn’t extend the deadline, most federal operations would shut down at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, though the effects of a shutdown wouldn’t fully kick in until Monday. (12/18)

Mystery of Moon's Age Solved? (Source: NPR)
Researchers have struggled to understand exactly when the moon formed, because tiny crystals in the moon rocks brought home by astronauts suggested two different ages. Now, a study in the journal Nature argues for the earlier age, saying that the ancient Moon also went through a period when it got hot and partially remelted, producing new rocks about 4.35 billion years ago. The result would be a Moon that seemed younger than its true age. (12/18)

Interstellar "Tunnel" Found That Connects Our Solar System to Other Stars (Source: Earth.com)
Space can surprise even those who spend their lives studying it. People often think of our solar system as just a few planets and a bunch of empty space. Yet new observations suggest we have been living inside a hot, less dense region, and that there may even be a strange cosmic channel connecting us to distant stars. After years of careful mapping, a new analysis reveals what appears to be a channel of hot, low-density plasma stretching out from our solar system toward distant constellations. (12/18)

Vast Plans Two ISS Astronaut Missions with SpaceX (Source: Space News)
Vast Space has signed a deal with SpaceX for up to two private astronaut missions to the International Space Station. Vast announced Thursday the agreement for the Crew Dragon missions to the station, which would require NASA approval. NASA has so far approved four such private astronaut missions, or PAMs, all by Axiom Space and also using Crew Dragon spacecraft. Vast announced earlier this year its intent to compete for future PAM opportunities offered by NASA, stating that the experience it would gain from such missions would help its development of commercial space stations. (12/19)

Avio Signs Contracts for Vega Spaceport Upgrades (Source: Space News)
Avio signed a set of contracts with the European Space Agency regarding its Vega rocket. Avio announced Wednesday the contracts, one of which covers upgrades to its launch site in French Guiana to enable the facility to support six Vega C launches a year, up from the four planned in 2025. A second contract continues development of the upgraded Vega E, set to make its first launch in 2027 and 2028. Those two contracts are worth about 350 million euros ($364 million). Avio also signed a launch contract with ESA for the Vega C launch of the FORUM Earth science satellite in 2027. Avio took over sales and marketing of the Vega earlier this year as part of a transition of launch service provider responsibilities from Arianespace. (12/19)

DoD Stepping Up Partnerships with Space Startups (Source: Space News)
The Department of Defense is stepping up efforts to partner with emerging commercial space startups. Maj. Gen. Steven Butow, director of the Defense Innovation Unit's space portfolio, said in a SpaceNews webinar Wednesday that the nascent commercial space market requires "a lot of investment" and that the U.S. needed to keep pace with China, which is making significant investments in its own commercial space sector to develop systems that can also have military applications. As part of those efforts, the U.S. Space Force's Space Systems Command has expanded its "Front Door" initiative, a portal connecting commercial firms with potential government buyers. That initiative now includes more than 20 government agencies, including NASA and the NRO. (12/19)

Japan's ispace to Falcon-9 Lunar Ride with Firefly (Source: Space News)
Firefly's first lunar lander will share a ride to the moon with another company's lander. Japanese company ispace said late Tuesday that its second lunar lander, Resilience, will share the Falcon 9 launch in mid-January with Blue Ghost 1. A report last week stated that the two landers would launch together, but at the time neither Firefly nor ispace would confirm the report, deferring questions to SpaceX, which did not respond to inquiries. While the two landers will launch together, they will take different paths to the moon, with Blue Ghost landing about 45 days after launch while Resilience, using a low-energy trajectory to conserve fuel, landing at the moon several months after launch. (12/19)

Space Force Pegs 2Q 2025 for First Vulcan National Security Mission (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
The Space Force says the first national security launch of ULA's Vulcan Centaur won't take place until next spring. In a statement, Space Systems Command said it is targeting the second quarter of 2025 for that mission, which had been planned before the end of the year. The Space Force is continuing to study an anomaly on Vulcan's second flight in October where part of the nozzle of one solid rocket booster fell off during flight. The rocket compensated for the decreased performance from the booster and still completed the mission. That investigation has delayed certification of Vulcan for national security missions, a process now expected to wrap up in the first quarter of 2025. (12/19)

China's Galactic Energy Launches Sea-Based Mission with Four IoT Satellites (Source: Xinhua)
A Chinese commercial rocket completed a sea-based launch Thursday. The Ceres-1S rocket lifted off at 5:18 a.m. Eastern from a ship in Chinese coastal waters. The rocket placed into orbit four Tianqi satellites for Internet-of-Things services. (12/19)

New Zealand Gets Nationwide Starlink Direct-to-Device Coverage (Source: Space News)
A New Zealand telco is the first to provide nationwide coverage using Starlink direct-to-device services. One NZ said Wednesday it will be the first in the world to provide that service throughout a country, covering the 40% of New Zealand without terrestrial service as well as in coastal waters as far as 20 kilometers from shore. One NZ says it will provide the service for free to customers with one of four phone models and who have pay-monthly plans. According to One NZ, text messages can currently be sent and received within three minutes, but it can take up to 10 minutes as SpaceX works to add satellites to its direct-to-smartphone constellation. (12/19)

OSTP Releases Cislunar Science and Technology Plans (Source: Space News)
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) released new policies Wednesday about cislunar science and technology development. OSTP issued one memo directing NASA to lead work on a cislunar reference system needed for future navigation on and around the moon, calling for the agency to provide an implementation plan by the end of 2026. OSTP also released a  National Cislunar Science and Technology Action Plan to implement a strategy it published two years ago. The action plan gives specific tasks to federal agencies on four objectives, from research and development for cislunar activities to development of cislunar space situational awareness capabilities. (12/19)

Arianespace CEO Retiring (Source: Arianespace)
Arianespace CEO Stéphane Israël is leaving the company. Arianespace announced Thursday that Israël, who has been CEO of the launch services provider since 2013, will leave at the end of the month to "pursue a new career opportunity" in January. Israël will be replaced by David Cavaillolès, who has spent the last five years at IT services and consulting company Capgemini and previously was ministerial advisor for French space policy. (12/19)

Space Florida Approves Millions for Spaceport Infrastructure Improvements for “Project Hinton” (Source: WFTV)
Space Florida has agreed to provide $65 million in funding for a development project at Cape Canaveral. The funding, approved at a Space Florida board meeting Wednesday, includes $50 million in matching grant funds in partnership with the state's transportation department and $15 million in common use funds. The effort, known only by the codename "Project Hinton," includes a high-volume production facility, high bay and launch infrastructure at Cape Canaveral. Space Florida has not identified the company affiliated with Project Hinton, but many speculate it is SpaceX given its plans to expand facilities at the Cape for future Starship launches. (12/19)

Firefly Awarded $179 Million NASA Contract for Moon Delivery to Gruithuisen Domes (Source: Firefly)
Firefly Aerospace, Inc., the leader in end-to-end responsive space services, was awarded an approximately $179.6 million NASA contract to deliver and operate six NASA instruments in the Gruithuisen Domes on the Moon’s near side in 2028. As part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload (CLPS) initiative, the mission will utilize Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander, Elytra Dark orbital vehicle, and a rover from an industry provider to investigate the unique composition of the Gruithuisen Domes – a part of the Moon that has never been explored. (12/18)

Blue Origin and Estes Rockets Join Forces (Source: Estes)
Blue Origin and Estes Rockets, the trusted name in model rocketry for over 65 years, are proud to announce an exciting partnership to bring the marvel of space exploration to enthusiasts of all ages. The collaboration will launch a groundbreaking product line inspired by Blue Origin’s New Glenn orbital rocket, bridging the worlds of hobby, educational and toy industries with the future of spaceflight. The product line, branded Estes and New Glenn , will include highly detailed scale models, functional model rockets for hobbyists, and educational kits for schools. (12/17)

Amazon to Manufacture Satellite Parts in Turkey (Source: Turkey Daily)
U.S. tech giant Amazon has partnered with Turkish precision machining company Tezmaksan to manufacture 1,500 satellite components entirely in Türkiye, according to a report by the Türkiye daily. Production will take place in Sivas, Yozgat, Tokat and Kayseri, with the first delivery expected in the first quarter of 2025. (12/18)

UAE Concludes Participation in Space Travel Study (Source: Dubai Eye)
The UAE's Captain Engineer Obaid Al-Suwaidi has concluded his participation in a study that stimulates the challenges of long-term space travel in collaboration with NASA. The 45-day second analog study, which is part of NASA's Human Exploration Research Analog (HERA) Campaign 7 Mission, particularly related to missions to Mars. (12/18)

SpaceX Rocket Launches to Be Subjected to Public Review (Source: Santa Barbara Independent)
The U.S. Air Force announced it will be holding three public in-person meetings this January regarding the ever-expanding launch “cadences” now taking place at Vandenberg. These meetings will be held January 14-16. At issue is the scope of the environmental impact statement that will be prepared on the sonic booms and expanded launch schedule: in other words, what issues need to be addressed and what impacts and mitigations should be considered.

However bureaucratically arcane this might seem, it marks the first time that a branch of the federal government has reached out to the public about what’s going on at Vandenberg. (12/17)

Meet the Astronaut Who Left NASA to Help Support Healthy Churches (Source: Gospel Coalition)
In spring 2021, Capitol Hill Baptist Church (CHBC) in Washington, DC, had nine pastoral interns. Eight were 40 years old and under. Seven were coming out of—or would head into—seminary.And one was NASA’s former head astronaut.

Pat Forrester was 63 years old. He’d been to space three times to put together the International Space Station. To do the internship, he’d stepped down from his job as chief of the astronaut office—the highest position an active astronaut can have—and moved from his corner office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston to a white plastic table in a CHBC Sunday school room. (12/18)