January 27, 2025

Space Robotics Leader Says Humans Will Soon Join Robots On Moon, Mars (Source: Forbes)
One of the globe’s top designers of space robots says a new “Golden Age of Space Exploration” - spearheaded by the world’s twin Titans of spaceflight - will speed up astronauts joining robotic scouts in trekking around the Moon and Mars. Gigantic new rockets now being tested by spacecraft makers Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos - the planet’s leading hyper-billionaires - are setting the stage for human explorers to sojourn across an expanding realm of off-world outposts, says Kris Zacny, Director of the Exploration Technology Group at Honeybee Robotics. (1/26)

NASA’s CLPS Program Accelerates as Two Landers Head for the Moon (Source: NSF)
As NASA focuses on returning humans to the Moon with Artemis, commercial providers are gearing up to deliver cargo to the lunar surface for NASA and other customers. Over a dozen uncrewed lunar missions are scheduled to be launched in the coming years, and more concepts are being developed globally. Two commercial lunar landers are currently on their way to the Moon, and at least two more are set to follow this year under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. Meanwhile, space agencies and companies worldwide are preparing for the next steps in their lunar exploration programs. (1/26)

Defense Acquisition Overhaul Expected (Source: Space News)
The defense industry is bracing for an acquisition overhaul in the Trump administration. A new guard of tech billionaires and venture capitalists expects to work with an administration stacked with like-minded reformers such as commercial space advocates and Silicon Valley veterans, all of whom want to take on legacy defense contractors. That could mean a shift from traditional cost-plus contracts to fixed-price ones. The role Elon Musk in particular plays in the administration presents both opportunities and challenges to the industry, given SpaceX's demonstration of the abilities of the commercial sector but also that company's market dominance.

A key political figure in those debates will be Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE), who will lead a Senate subcommittee. The Senate Armed Services Committee announced Friday that Fischer will chair the strategic forces subcommittee, whose jurisdiction includes military space programs. Fischer has advocated for increased funding for next-generation missile defense systems and space-based surveillance technologies to counter emerging threats. Sen. Angus King (I-ME), who chaired the subcommittee in the previous Congress, will serve as ranking member. (1/27)

ESA Seeks Modest Increase to Science Budget (Source: Space News)
ESA is seeking a "very modest" increase to its science budget at the next ministerial conference. At an online town hall meeting last week, Carole Mundell, director of science at ESA, said that while science programs received a 13% increase at the previous ministerial in 2022, that increase was wiped out by inflation and impacts from the war in Ukraine. The agency has found some efficiencies among its science missions, but she said an increase is needed at the ministerial in November to support new proposed missions, like one to land on Saturn's icy moon Enceladus. ESA's science programs are funded by mandatory contributions from its 23 member states, and all must agree on any increase. (1/27)

China's Lunar Program Open to Commercial Participation (Source: Space News)
China is opening up its lunar exploration program to commercial participation. STAR.VISION Aerospace Group Limited is working with Chinese and Turkish universities on small robots that will fly on the Chang'e-8 mission launching in 2028. STAR.VISION is the first Chinese private enterprise approved by the China National Space Administration to participate in the lunar exploration program, and its participation in this mission could signal broader roles for companies in the program, one that could include allowing commercial entities to attempt their own lunar missions. (1/27)

Astronomers Seek Bans on Space Advertising (Source: Space News)
Astronomers want a ban on space advertising, fearing the potential for interference with their observations. The American Astronomical Society announced this month a statement calling on nations to adopt bans on "obtrusive space advertising" that can be seen by the naked eye from the ground. Such advertising has been banned in federal law in the United States for decades, but astronomers said they are concerned other nations may pursue it, noting a space advertising technology demonstration mission by a Russian company last year. The society called on U.S. officials to advocate for a ban in international fora such as the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS). (1/27)

NASA-DARPA DRACO Project On Hold (Source: Aviation Week)
A joint NASA-DARPA project to demonstrate nuclear thermal propulsion technologies is on hold. The Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) planned to test nuclear thermal propulsion in Earth orbit as soon as 2027, but project officials say that launch will be delayed indefinitely because of problems finding ways to safely test the system on the ground. Nuclear thermal propulsion uses a nuclear reactor to heat a propellant like hydrogen to create thrust and is more efficient than chemical propulsion. Testing the system on the ground is a challenge, project officials said, since there are no active facilities that could capture the exhaust and prevent the release of any radioactivity. Project officials said they still hope to fly the mission as they look for ways to conduct ground tests safely. (1/27)

Japan Eyes Space Telescope Cooperation with USA (Source: Kyodo)
Japan is interested in cooperating with NASA on a future large space telescope. The Japanese government has created a team to look at ways the space agency JAXA could contribute to the Habitable Worlds Observatory, a mission projected to launch in the 2040s to observe the universe at optical and ultraviolet wavelengths. While JAXA did not participate on past space telescopes, like JWST, it hopes to leverage technologies from ground-based telescopes to find ways to contribute to this mission. (1/27)

Trump Says We're Going to Mars. It's Not Well Thought-Out (Source: MSNBC)
President Donald Trump says we’re going to Mars, but don’t start packing your bags just yet. There are a lot of reasons to doubt that his plans will get us to the Red Planet, and he may even put us further behind schedule. Almost everything that Trump has said and done indicates that a trip to Mars is about as likely to happen as Trump's broken first-term promise to repeal Obamacare.

It’s an ambitious goal and one of the few he’s laid out for his second term that has broad support. In a 2023 poll, 57% of Americans favored sending astronauts to Mars, making it much more popular than Trump’s pardons for Jan. 6 participants, attempt to overturn birthright citizenship and proposal for broad-based tariffs on foreign goods, all of which majorities oppose. (1/26)

Women Should Avoid Pregnancy in Space, For Now (Source: Forbes)
Many female astronauts have gone on to have successful pregnancies after one or more successful space missions, despite the reproductive challenges of space travel. Thus, women's reproductive systems appear to be somewhat resilient to the challenges of space travel. Nevertheless, NASA offers pre-flight egg and embryo freezing for female astronauts, recognizing the career sacrifices involved in space exploration.

Many astronauts delay childbearing, with the average age of first spaceflight being 36 and the average age of first child being 38. This makes IVF a reasonable choice for astronauts. Despite concerns about radiation and microgravity, Dr. Steller reports that from what has been observed so far, the uterus and menstruation seem to function relatively normally in space.

Although it is likely to increase the risk of miscarriage and other complications, scientists have yet to find evidence that radiation or microgravity completely prevent pregnancy. Given how the uterus functions during labor, Dr. Steller also hypothesizes that it may eventually be possible to deliver a baby in space. His biggest fears are not just the risks of spaceflight on pregnancy and childbirth, but also the complications that could arise afterwards, such as how a newborn baby can develop the neck strength in weightlessness to hold its head upright when gravity returns. We still know too little about the consequences of pregnancy in space to allow it, so the focus at the moment is on preventing pregnancy in space. (1/27)

Intuitive Machines Awarded $2.5 Million NASA Contract to Develop Moon-to-Mars Tech (Source: Houston Chronicle)
NASA awarded Houston-based Intuitive Machines a $2.5 million contract, which the company said it would use to help develop a "heavy-cargo-class" lunar lander, according to a recent news release. The lander, which the company said is still in development, is being designed as part of a greater plan to help NASA explore the solar system. Dubbed the Moon-to-Mars Architecture, the plan's goal is to establish a framework for sustainable, human-led exploration of deep space, according to their website. NASA's four-step strategy is to first return to the moon, explore it, develop a sustainable human presence and finally set the first pair of boots down on the surface of Mars. (1/26)

Aligning Ambition with Action: Driving Investments in Critical Technologies (Source: Space Florida)
While allocating capital is an important step, the measure of success always lies in execution. Federal capital programs can achieve their potential if they align with the practical realities faced by companies, equity investors, and debt investors. If the mechanisms are overly cumbersome, their transformative potential could be stunted. This is a critical consideration as the federal government moves to align with investor and market norms.

At Space Florida, we understand and have lived these challenges firsthand. Over the years, we’ve worked to develop programs that fuel innovation and economic growth in the aerospace sector. Our experience has taught us that designing impactful programs requires constant refinement, responsiveness to market needs, and a commitment to breaking down barriers that hinder participation. In other words, we had to stop thinking like government and start operating like the companies and financial institutions with which we work. Click here. (1/27)