February 19, 2025

ULA and Northrop Grumman Test SRM to Investigate Vulcan Nozzle Anomaly (Source: NASASpaceFlight.com)
Northrop Grumman and ULA tested a solid rocket motor as part of the investigation into an anomaly on a Vulcan launch. The GEM 63XL booster was fired at a Northrop facility in Utah last week to support the investigation of the Cert-2 launch in October, when the nozzle of one of the two boosters fell off a little more than 30 seconds after liftoff. The launch was still successful but the study of the incident has delayed certification of Vulcan for national security launches. ULA said the booster was "modified" for the static-fire test but didn't state what had changed. (2/19)

Borisov to Focus on Space Cooperation (Source: Reuters)
The former head of Russia's space agency has a new space-related position. The Kremlin announced Tuesday that President Vladimir Putin had named Yuri Borisov as "special presidential representative for international space cooperation." That position was previously held by former cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev. Borisov was removed as the head of Roscosmos earlier in the month, although the Kremlin did not disclose its reasons for doing so. Dmitry Bakanov, the country's deputy transportation minister, was named as the new head of the space agency. (2/19)

COSMIC Finds No ET Signals (Source: Space.com)
Another search for signs of alien civilizations has come up empty. The Commensal Open-source Multi-mode Interferometric Cluster (COSMIC) piggybacked on other observations by the Very Large Array (VLA) radio telescope in New Mexico, analyzing the signals for anything that appeared to be artificial in nature. COSMIC collected data from nearly one million individual pointings of the VLA and detected thousands of candidate signals, but none of them survived more rigorous analysis. (2/19)

SES Downgraded (Source: Space News)
Satellite operator SES moved to reassure investors after receiving a downgrade from a major ratings agency. Moody's downgraded the Luxembourg-based satellite operator's outlook from stable to negative but kept its Baa3 long-term issuer rating, one notch above non-investment grade. Company leaders pointed to the expected rise in net debt at SES to finance its acquisition of Intelsat as a factor weakening SES's financial profile. In response, SES issued a financial update ahead of its earnings announcement next week, stating that revenue will be at the upper end of its forecast of 1.94-2 billion euros ($2-2.1 billion). Adjusted EBITDA, or earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization, is also set to surpass forecasts of 950 million to 1 billion euros. (2/19)

NASA Layoffs Delayed (Source: Space News)
Large-scale layoffs at NASA did not take place Tuesday as expected, but the reprieve may only be temporary. NASA was expected to fire 1,000 or more "probationary" civil servants, part of broader job cuts across the federal government instigated by the Trump administration. However, by the end of the day no major layoffs were reported throughout the agency. It was not immediately clear why the layoffs did not take place as similar firings continued at other agencies, like the National Science Foundation.

The firings, along with those leaving through a buyout program, would have cut the agency's civil servant workforce by 10%, the largest single cut since the end of the Apollo program. Sources said the layoffs could still take place to some degree later this month, and NASA, along with other federal agencies, has been instructed to prepare for larger-scale layoffs. (2/19)

Rocket Lab Launches BlackSky Satellite From New Zealand (Source: Space News)
A Rocket Lab Electron lifted off from the company's New Zealand launch site and placed into orbit the first Gen-3 imaging satellite for BlackSky. The satellite is capable of 35-centimeter imagery, among other improvements. BlackSky signed a contract with Rocket Lab in 2023 for five Electron launches. (2/19)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Satellites From Cape Canaveral Spaceport, Booster Lands in Bahamas (Source: Space News)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, placing 23 Starlink satellites into orbit. The first stage of the rocket landed on a droneship in The Bahamas, the first time the company conducted a landing there. SpaceX said droneship landings in The Bahamas allow for new trajectory options, including for the upcoming Fram2 private astronaut mission that will fly to polar orbit. (2/19)

Rubicon Wins NASA Contract for Green-Propellant Thrusters (Source: Space News)
Rubicon Space Systems won a NASA contract to develop a thruster that uses green propellant. The company said it won the contract, of unstated value, for a 110-newton thruster that uses ASCENT, a nontoxic propellant touted as a green alternative to hydrazine. The company believes this would be the most powerful thruster yet powered by ASCENT. (2/19)

Is Elon Musk Poised to Profit From New Layoffs at the FAA? (Source: Rolling Stone)
The FAA firings are also remarkable because the agency regulates Musk’s rocket company SpaceX — presenting a significant conflict of interest for the man who has recently been called out in court for exercising king-like powers from his post at DOGE. (The Trump White House has said that it’s up to Musk to decide when he has a conflict of interest that warrants his recusal.) 

The FAA’s previous Senate-confirmed administrator Michael Whitaker abruptly left his post just as Donald Trump took office in January, under pressure from Musk, who had publicly demanded his resignation. Musk had clashed with Whitaker after the FAA fined SpaceX for regulatory and safety violations. Musk, who wants to colonize Mars, fumed in an X post last September that the agency was holding him back: “The fundamental problem is that humanity will forever be confined to Earth unless there is radical reform at the FAA!”

he administration’s invitation of SpaceX engineers to help re-imagine federal air-traffic control is giving fresh evidence to critics who believe that the end goal of DOGE is not to create efficiencies within government, but to degrade federal expertise within agencies like the FAA so they are forced to turn to for-profit companies, effectively privatizing essential government services. (2/17)

European Aviation ‘Dumbstruck’ by Musk’s Takeover of US Air Traffic Control (Source: Politico)
European aviation experts are aghast at the Trump administration's decision to have Elon Musk's employees investigate its troubled and understaffed air traffic control system following several high-profile air crashes. Aviation professionals, experts and politicians warn that the world's richest man doesn't have a good track record when it comes to safety and of the possible implications of involving his SpaceX company in U.S. air traffic safety.

Asked if the European aviation sector was concerned about the X boss' new task to fix U.S. air traffic management, Charlton said: “Yes, 100 percent. I think the word you're after is dumbstruck. I mean, they're freaking out. They're watching with slack-jawed amazement.” (2/18)

As Trump Slashes Federal Jobs, Alabama’s ‘Rocket City’ Braces for Impact (Source: New York Times)
There is no question that Huntsville, home to the Marshall Space Flight Center and a web of related businesses and research programs, has felt some tremors from the administration’s aggressive campaign to shrink the federal work force. The “Fork in the Road” resignation offers landed in email inboxes there, presenting NASA and other government employees with the difficult question of whether to stay in their jobs for now. There were reports of more traffic at the sprawling Redstone Arsenal military base after workers were mandated to be in person.

But Mr. Money’s conversations with customers during Mr. Trump’s first month in office suggest that despite much uncertainty, there is cautious optimism that his actions could help the Rocket City overall. “The defense budget is probably not going to shrink,” said Jake Griffin, a government contracting consultant there, “so overall, I don’t think we’re going to see a true economic downturn any time soon in Huntsville.” (2/19)

Orbex Builds UK Launch Workforce with Internships (Source: Orbex)
Orbex, the Scotland-based orbital launch services company, is today launching its annual internship program, recruiting nine individuals to support its team of experts working towards Orbex Prime’s inaugural launch later this year. The internship offers a unique opportunity for STEM and law students, to gain invaluable hands-on experience in Scotland’s space sector. The internships are hotly contested in the industry with over 1,650 registering their interest in the program over the last 12 months. (2/19)

Tomaszewski: Federal Investment Key to Space Innovation (Source: Aviation Week)
On the Aviation Week podcast, Aerospace Industries Association Vice President of Space Systems Steve Jordan Tomaszewski highlights the role of regulation, federal acquisitions and export control in supporting the space industry and innovation. "The federal government is an extremely important part of the space economy, and it will continue to be for the foreseeable future," he says. (2/18)

Alaska Aerospace Sues Insurance Group Over Cleanup Costs at Kodiak Island Spaceport (Source: KMXT)
The Alaska Aerospace Corporation is suing an aviation insurance group for the roughly $3 million it spent cleaning up damages at the Pacific Spaceport Complex-Alaska on Kodiak Island last year. Last summer, California-based ABL Space Systems was doing a test on its RS1 rocket at the state-owned spaceport. The ground test caused 1,800 gallons of aviation fuel and other contaminants to spill at the spaceport according to the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

Alaska Aerospace Corporation (AAC) is responsible for cleanup, the department says, and that process is still ongoing as of Feb. 18. The cost to repair the damages and cleanup at the spaceport has reached at least $3.1 million. ABL Space Systems was required to carry insurance that covered the spaceport, and had a policy for up to $50 million through the U.S. Aircraft Insurance Group (USAIG) to cover the damages. AAC asked to USAIG for a copy of its policy and status on a filed claim, which allegedly existed but was never confirmed by the insurance group. (2/18)

Possible Big Cuts Coming to NASA? Where Marshall Space Flight Center Stands (Source: WHNT)
Last week, the president directed federal agencies to lay off their probationary employees. A spokesperson said NASA is complying with the U.S. Office of Personal Management (OPM), and at this point, it is too early to share what this will mean for the agency as a whole.

The buyout offers represented the first wave of job cuts. Now, thousands of other federal employees have been laid off as ordered by President Trump’s OPM. The New York Times has reported that emails sent by OPM are encouraging federal workers to move from the public to the private sector, calling private sector jobs higher in productivity. However, Huntsville has seen a shift in the private sector. Some of the area’s largest space contractors have announced layoffs. (2/19)

Houston's NASA Employees Spared From Latest Layoffs in Surprise Turn (Source: Houston Chronicle)
NASA employees at the Johnson Space Center learned Tuesday night that the center's probationary employees would be spared from the latest round of layoffs under the Trump administration — a surprise turn of events hours after many had been bracing to be fired. An internal NASA email reviewed by the Houston Chronicle — citing the most "current information" as of about 5 p.m. local time — said Johnson Space Center employees would be exempt from the "impending layoff plan."

It was not immediately clear why the Johnson Space Center's employees were exempt. Houstonians had been bracing for layoffs earlier in the day as managers told employees on probationary status, which most employees are on for at least their first year, that they should prepare to be let go as early as Tuesday. NASA would be the latest federal agency to face such layoffs as President Donald Trump works to shrink the federal workforce.

The reversal Tuesday night does not mean there won't be future layoffs at the agency — NASA has also announced a broader reduction in force that is expected to result in firings at some point in the future. Nearly 3,000 full-time-equivalent federal employees work at the Johnson Space Center, and NASA has just under 18,000 civil servants nationwide, according to 2023 figures. (2/8)

DOGE Auditing NASA: A Conflict of Interest with Big Consequences for Huntsville (Source: Huntsville Business Journal)
As Huntsville braces for sweeping federal workforce cuts under a new executive order from President Trump, another development is raising alarms across the city’s aerospace sector. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an oversight agency led by Elon Musk, is set to audit NASA’s financials and contractor payments, sparking concerns over a glaring conflict of interest. With thousands of NASA and defense-related employees in Huntsville at risk, the move could significantly alter the city’s economic landscape. (2/19)

KazSat, OneWeb May Replace Starlink in Kazakhstan (Source: Inform.KZ)
Last December, the ministry published a draft order prohibiting import and use of satellite communication systems of Thuraya, Iridium, Inmarsat and Starlink in Kazakhstan. In a reply to an official request from Kazinform, the ministry says that these measures are related to the threat to national security. Kazakhstan prohibits using the communication networks controlled from abroad. The draft order is under additional discussion now. (2/18)

Uncertainty Mounts at Space Development Agency as Air Force IG Prepares Probe (Source: Defense One)
The Air Force will send an inspection team to Space Development Agency facilities to comb through records and interview employees, according to a memo obtained by Defense One, amid growing concerns over the future of the Pentagon’s space-acquisition “constructive disruptor.” (2/18)

Mojave Air and Spaceport Honors First African American Astronaut (Source: Desert News)
The Mojave Air and Spaceport is honoring the first African American astronaut during Black History month by commemorating Major Robert Lawrence for his remarkable achievement in the United States Air Force. Major Lawrence was a aerospace engineer and made significant contributions to space exploration which paved a way to the future generations of African American astronauts. (2/18)

SpaceX’s Starship Starbase Construction Set to Begin in Florida (Source: WESH)
While it's listed as a "work in progress," construction for the SpaceX Gigabay is set to start on April 1, according to documents from the FAA. "This thing is huge. There’s no doubt about it," Don Platt said. "They definitely need a lot of space to do different types of maneuvering operations to configure the Starship and its various varieties for missions — both for Earth orbit and for lunar and Mars missions."

Platt is an associate professor of space systems at the Florida Institute of Technology. "They build a little, test a little, fail a little, and then try again," Platt said. "They’ll probably keep most of that in Texas because I don’t think the Space Coast is the right place for that type of development. Once it becomes more operational and they get some of the bugs out, I think you’ll see it here on a regular basis." Construction is scheduled to run from April 1, 2025, to Aug. 2, 2026. (2/19)

Reaction Dynamics Begins Aurora-8 Engine Testing (Source: SpaceQ)
Canadian launch company Reaction Dynamics (RDX) has made progress in the last year, and is looking to hit key milestones in 2025. RDX's Jesse Mikelberg will be pitching the company to venture capitalist Tim Draper to potentially win a $1 million prize. They’ve been busily developing their small Aurora launch vehicle, which features the RE-101 and RE-102 hybrid rocket engines. The engines are built using additive manufacturing.

In addition, the company has been developing an in-space propulsion version of their engine, and a small orbital transfer vehicle called Micro OTV that is “designed for cubesat and smallsat mobility”. They recently announced their participation in the NATO Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA) accelerator program. (2/17)

SpaceX Employee Alleges She Was Terminated Over Ankle Injury (Source: MyNews LA)
A former SpaceX employee is suing Elon Musk’s space technology company, alleging she was terminated in 2023 for taking time off to heal from an ankle injury suffered in the workplace and for filing a workers’ compensation claim. Lauren Spotville seeks at least $3 million in damages and $500,000 in attorneys’ fees.

Spotville, 31, also alleges in her Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit that one of her managers told her to park in a handicapped parking spot while knowing the injury prevented the plaintiff from driving. Spotville alleges wrongful discharge, intentional infliction of emotional distress and violations of the state Labor and Government codes as well as the California Family Right Act. (2/18)

SpaceX Scores Win in Federal Court Case in Texas (Source: KUTNews)
A South Texas environmental group is dropping a lawsuit that alleged SpaceX illegally polluted the water around its Starbase launch site near Brownsville. Save RGV said in a two-page brief filed on Tuesday that it was voluntarily dismissing the case against SpaceX. One of the group’s lawyers, Lauren Ice, confirmed the dismissal but did not immediately explain why the decision was being made now. Save RGV "could decide to bring the claims again in the future (subject to other limitations that may exist at that time, of course, like statute of limitations),” Ice said. (2/18)

Musk Says US Astronauts Are Stranded On ISS For ‘Political Reasons’—As They Reject Claim (Source: Forbes)
Elon Musk suggested the two U.S. astronauts who have been on the International Space Station since June last year—due to safety issues with their return vessel, the Boeing Starliner—were left abandoned there for “political reasons,” reiterating a claim originally made by President Donald Trump that the astronauts themselves recently denied. (2/19)

Lubbock, San Angelo Receive Texas Funding for Space Projects (Source: Lubbock
In late January, the Texas Space Commission approved $21.5 million in awards from the Space Exploration and Aeronautics Research Fund to three cities — Lubbock, San Angelo and El Paso. Lubbock and San Angelo each received a half million, and El Paso received two grants totaling the rest. El Paso's allotment of about $20 million would help fund a Space Innovation Hub in that community, according to local media reports.

“The four awards approved today will support companies in Texas to partner with the U.S. Space Force, assess the feasibility of an aerospace corridor between El Paso and Midland, and understand how various regions in Texas can best engage with the burgeoning space economy,” said Gwen Griffin, chair of the TSC board, in a statement. (2/17)

Nokia is Putting the First Cellular Network on the Moon (Source: MIT Technology Review)
Later this month, Intuitive Machines will launch a second lunar mission, sending a lander, a rover, and hopper to explore a site near the lunar south pole that could harbor water ice, and to put a communications satellite on lunar orbit. But the mission will also bring something that’s never been installed on the moon or anywhere else in space before—a fully functional 4G cellular network.

Point-to-point radio communications, which need a clear line of sight between transmitting and receiving antennas, have always been a backbone of both surface communications and the link back to Earth, starting with the Apollo program. Using point-to-point radio in space wasn’t much of an issue in the past because there never have been that many points to connect. Usually, it was just a single spacecraft, a lander, or a rover talking to Earth. And they didn't need to send much data either. (2/18)

Turning the Moon Into a Fuel Depot Will Take a Lot of Power (Source: Ars Technica)
If humanity is ever to spread out into the Solar System, we're going to need to find a way to put fuel into rockets somewhere other than the cozy confines of a launchpad on Earth. One option for that is in low-Earth orbit, which has the advantage of being located very close to said launch pads. But it has the considerable disadvantage of requiring a lot of energy to escape Earth's gravity—it takes a lot of fuel to put substantially less fuel into orbit.

One alternative is to produce fuel on the Moon. We know there is hydrogen and oxygen present, and the Moon's gravity is far easier to overcome, meaning more of what we produce there can be used to send things deeper into the Solar System. But there is a tradeoff: Any fuel-production infrastructure will likely need to be built on Earth and sent to the Moon.

How much infrastructure is that going to involve? A study released today by PNAS evaluates the energy costs of producing oxygen on the Moon and finds that they're substantial: about 24 kWh per kilogram. This doesn't sound bad until you start considering how many kilograms we're going to eventually need. Click here. (2/17)

An Updated Strategy for GPS (Source: Space News)
Six GPS satellites still in orbit today were designed and built, launching into space from 1997 to 2004. Far exceeding their projected 7.5-year lifespan, the longevity of these and the seven GPS satellites that soon followed, is a testament to the skills and expertise of the engineers who crafted such marvels. However, it is long past time to replenish our GPS constellation with modern positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) satellites.

Attempts to save money in the short term by acquiring one GPS satellite per year (as Congress has proposed in the face of budget caps) rather than two results in long term pain for taxpayers, U.S. industry and the nation. The structure of the firm fixed price GPS contract makes clear that it is financially advantageous for the U.S. taxpayer to buy two satellites per year at a price of $250 million per satellite. The cost of buying one satellite per year increases the price to $350 million per satellite.

The US should adopt a “launch upon availability” strategy for GPS satellites. Storing completed, modern GPS satellites doesn’t make sense considering the vulnerabilities of single string on-orbit satellites, today’s threats, or Presidential directives to deliver financial and other efficiencies in government operations. Click here. (2/18)

Scientists Spot Alien World ‘Like Something Out of Science Fiction’ (Source: Independent)
Scientists have mapped the atmosphere a planet outside of our solar system in 3D for the first ever time. And they have found a world unlike anything we have ever seen: powerful winds that carry chemical elements in complicated, intricate patterns across the atmosphere. A vast jet stream reaches across half the planet, churning the atmosphere up as it crosses the side of the planet that it always facing its sun.

Scientists say that the new 3D understanding of the planet represents a major breakthrough for our understanding of the atmosphere and weather of alien worlds. But it also challenges our current understanding of weather, they say, because it is so unusual. (2/18)

Power Lifting: Cold War Satellite Reconnaissance and the Buran Space Shuttle (Source: Space Review)
In the 1980s, the Soviet Union developed Buran, its version of the space shuttle. Dwayne Day and Harry Stranger examine how the CIA was likely able to track its development using satellite imagery. Click here. (2/17)
 
Czars Versus Councils: Organizing Space in the New Administration (Source: Space Review)
The new Trump Administration appears unlikely to continue the National Space Council that it revived in its first term. Jeff Foust reports on what alternatives might be considered to provide a “whole-of-government” approach to space. Click here. (2/17)
 
A Bold Frontier: Advancing America’s Space Leadership and Economic Power (Source: Space Review)
The space community is waiting to see what the new administration will do differently in space and what will stay the same. Karlton Johnson argues the administration should embrace innovation and regulatory reform in space. Click here. (2/17)

Blue Origin Announces Crew for New Shepard’s 30th Mission (Source: Blue Origin)
Blue Origin today revealed the six people flying on its NS-30 mission. The crew includes: Lane Bess, Jesús Calleja, Elaine Chia Hyde, Dr. Richard Scott, Tushar Shah, and an undisclosed sixth crew member. Lane is flying on New Shepard for the second time, the fourth astronaut to do so. This mission is the 10th human flight for the New Shepard program and the 30th in its history. To date, the program has flown 47 humans above the Kármán line, the internationally recognized boundary of space. (2/18)

Under Trump, NASA Meetings are On Hold and Missions are Up in the Air (Source: Washington Post)
NASA is a methodical institution that plans its missions years or even decades in advance, enjoys a famously loyal workforce and carries out its tasks with the kind of precision required to hurl humans into orbit, drive rovers on Mars or build telescopes that can see nearly to the dawn of time. But at the moment, NASA employees and contractors don’t know what tomorrow will bring — or even if they’ll have jobs. With President Donald Trump’s return to power and the billionaire space entrepreneur Elon Musk patrolling government agencies, the world’s premier space agency has entered a murky realm.

In the days ahead, the agency’s expensive moon rocket, the Space Launch System, could be shelved. NASA’s ambitious plan to send astronauts back to the moon on multiple missions could be scaled back if Trump and Musk push for a rapid pivot to Mars. Even the long-term location of NASA headquarters is up in the air: The agency’s lease in Washington expires in three years, and the headquarters could soon be relocated, possibly to Florida or Texas.

Much of NASA’s immediate future may be in the hands of Musk’s U.S. DOGE Service. On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order saying a DOGE team lead will be installed at agencies, with authority over hiring decisions. Members of the space community have expressed fear that the administration could ask for deep cuts to the $25 billion agency when the president submits his budget request to Congress. “Our immensely successful research enterprise is under attack,” said Garth Illingworth. (2/16)

Indoors and in Cars: How Globalstar Plans to Upgrade iPhone Satellite Features (Source: PC Magazine)
Satellite connectivity on smartphones typically requires a clear view of the sky, but future iPhones may work from inside a car or even buildings, according to Apple partner Globalstar. In October, Globalstar revealed it had received $1.1 billion from Apple to develop a next-generation satellite network. In a new filing with the FCC, the company discloses more details, including how the so-called “C-3” constellation will span 48 satellites designed to operate at low-Earth orbit, with another six satellites to function as spares. 

“The C-3 System, representing a more than $1 billion total investment in state-of-the-art satellites and associated ground infrastructure, will expand Globalstar’s ability to provide connectivity,” Globalstar says. Importantly, the satellites can beam a stronger radio signal to devices on the ground, according to the filing. "Given this greater signal strength and the availability of multiple satellites overhead, users will have access to much-improved in-building and in-vehicle connectivity with less dependency on antenna orientation," the company adds. (2/18)

New Mexico's Future in Space (Source: Albuquerque Journal)
Every industry—from green energy to quantum computing—has a stake in the new space domain. And yet, many of our leaders view space as a singular industry run by DOD, billionaires, and NASA. That mindset is outdated, and, frankly, dangerous. If New Mexico fails to shift its mindset and get behind this, we’ll watch other states and nations cash in while we’re left behind. New Mexico has an edge of which most states can only dream. From prehistoric observatories to the first rocket propulsion systems, its history is rooted in astronomical advancements and scientific breakthroughs. Its infrastructure is defined by leading research institutions.

Its landscape inspires bold ideas. Its culture fosters creative solutions. It has the potential to lead innovations in space exploration in a unique and unprecedented way, but this won’t happen without a vision, without a strategy, and without support. The problem? The state’s current nine-sector economic strategy—while logical when only the sky’s the limit— is missing the unique opportunity to declare to the world that space is rapidly becoming the connective tissue linking these industries.

Biosciences, cybersecurity, energy, and agriculture, among many others, all have massive stakes in space-related innovation. Yet without clear alignment and investment, New Mexico is leaving one of its strongest competitive advantages on the table. If we don’t make space a top priority now, we’ll lose our competitive advantage. The clock is running out. States with no significant relationship to space are already taking action on this potential. (2/18)