February 21, 2025

Arianespace Delays Ariane 6 Launch (Source: Arianespace)
Arianespace is delaying the second launch of its Ariane 6 rocket. The rocket was scheduled to lift off next Wednesday from French Guiana, carrying the CSO-3 French reconnaissance satellite. Arianespace said Friday work on ground equipment will delay the launch, with no new date announced. (2/21)

Industry Laying Low as DOGE Digs Into Agencies (Source: FNN)
From the canceling of contracts to efforts to reduce the federal workforce, industry and their associations haven’t publicly vocalized any broad concerns or offered any true opposition or support for the US DOGE Services. Contractors and their associations typically speak up quite vocally when Congress teeters on shutting down the government, which could happen again in about a month. During sequestration in 2012-2013, industry banged the drum about the impact of the cuts.

But when it comes to reducing the federal workforce or DOGE ending potentially billions in contracts, associations and their members are publicly staying out of the mix, at least for now. “Everyone is trying to stay out of the firing line, but I do think there is a potential for really significant restructuring of the federal workforce and as a result, the federal contractor workforce,” said one lobbyist.

To some extent, I expect it will fall upon the contractor community to backfill the capabilities lost by government agencies in the great purge. Key civil servants who took early retirements or otherwise lost their jobs may be snatched up by trusted contractors and put back to work, potentially at greater taxpayer expense than before. (2/13)

China to Leverage AI for Space Exploration (Source: Space News)
China is studying how to incorporate artificial intelligence into a planned mission to the outer solar system. Chinese space officials have previously stated they are considering a mission to the head and tail of the heliosphere, with a goal of reaching a distance of 100 astronomical units (15 billion kilometers) from the sun by 2049. AI could support operations of the spacecraft at those great distances from the Earth, Chinese researchers argued in a recent paper, enhancing spacecraft autonomy and reducing reliance on Earth-based control. That could include using AI to handle spacecraft operations as well as to process data and prioritize scientific measurements. (2/21)

Karika Joins Logic Robotics (Source: Logic Robotics)
Logic is thrilled to announce Janet Karika has joined its Advisory Board. Ms. Karika brings over four decades of expertise in managing the intersection of technology, policy, and complex supply chains in space exploration. Ms. Karika is the former NASA Chief of Staff and a retired Force Officer specializing in space system acquisitions. Ms. Karika most recently served as the Principal Advisor for Space Transportation at NASA, where she oversaw strategic integration across major programs like the Artemis lunar missions, the Commercial Crew Program, the Launch Services Program, and Cargo Resupply Services. (2/21)

Sheets Joins Firefly (Source: Firefly)
CNBC space reporter Michael Sheetz has been hired by Firefly as director of investor relations. Firefly is an aerospace company that operates small- to medium-lift launch vehicles, lunar landers, and orbital vehicles.Sheetz has been covering the space industry since 2017. He contributes across both CNBC and NBCUniversal’s global content offerings, from digital reporting to television programming, and is the author of the weekly newsletter CNBC’s “Investing in Space.” (2/19)

Trump's DOJ to Drop Employee Discrimination Lawsuit Against SpaceX (Source: New York Times)
The Justice Department plans to drop a lawsuit it filed against SpaceX alleging discrimination in the company's hiring practices. The department filed the suit in 2023, claiming the company did not consider refugees and asylum seekers for jobs at the company, while SpaceX argued that export control regulations required that it only hire citizens and permanent residents. Prosecutors filed a motion in district court this week to drop the suit, but did not explain why they were doing so. (2/21)

Boeing Slashes Alabama SLS Jobs Due to NASA Cutbacks (Source: AL.com)
Boeing has announced a new round of layoffs in Huntsville, in part blaming changes to its contract with NASA’s moon rocket program. Boeing plans to lay off 71 employees, the company said in a notice to the Alabama Department of Commerce this week. The defense contractor was already in the midst of reducing its workforce, including in Alabama.

But today, the company said changes to its contract with NASA to develop the Space Launch System program sparked the need for some of the 71 layoffs. The Space Launch System program employs 28,000 people across 44 states, primarily in Alabama and Texas. There are 14,000 SLS employees in Alabama alone, Reuters reported. These layoffs add to a total of nearly 360 employees in Huntsville impacted by layoffs in the past year. (2/20)

Shetland Spaceport Gains Big Investor (Source: Shetland Times)
A billionaire has taken a majority stake in a spaceport in the Shetland Islands. Legal filings show that Wild Ventures Ltd., owned by Danish billionaire Anders Povlsen, now owns more than 50% of Shetland Space Center, which is developing the SaxaVord Spaceport. Wild Ventures made an initial investment in the spaceport in 2020 and has grown its stake in it since then. Povlsen was also a major opponent of Sutherland Spaceport, a proposed spaceport in northern Scotland that Orbex intended to develop for its Prime small launch vehicle. Orbex announced late last year it was pausing work at Sutherland and would instead conduct launches from SaxaVord. (2/21)

Airbus Space Biz Takes $314M Loss (Source: Space News)
Airbus took another 300 million euros ($314 million) in charges on its space business as it continues discussions about joining forces with other European space companies. Airbus said Thursday that charge came after a review of a final program in its space portfolio, which it did not identify, and brings the total charges on its space business to 1.3 billion euros in 2024.

Airbus said last year it had not properly evaluated technology risks on satellite programs when bidding on them, leading to the charges. Airbus executives said they do not anticipate any additional losses on its space business in 2025. Airbus is in "preliminary and nonbinding" discussions with Leonardo and Thales Alenia Space about combining their space businesses, which Airbus officials said was necessary to more effectively compete against American companies. They offered no timeline for completing those talks. (2/21)

China's Asteroid/Comet Probe Readied for Launch (Source: Space News)
China's Tianwen-2 spacecraft has arrived at a spaceport for its launch on a mission to a near Earth asteroid and comet. The spacecraft arrived at Xichang Satellite Launch Center Thursday, the China National Space Administration announced, and is expected to launch in May on a Long March 3B.

Tianwen-2 will first target the near-Earth asteroid Kamoʻoalewa, collecting samples from the small asteroid to return to Earth in 2027. The main spacecraft will then head for main-belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS, arriving in 2034. The two mission phases aim to provide insight into the composition and evolution of near-Earth objects and understand distribution of water and organic molecules and the history of the early solar system. (2/21)

ABL Changes Name to Long Wall in Shift to Missile Defense (Source: Space News)
ABL Space Systems has changed its name as it pivots from launch to missile defense. The company unveiled this week its new name, Long Wall, inspired by the defensive structures built by ancient Athens to protect against sieges. The company's focus is developing containerized missile defense systems and target rockets for U.S. military applications. The company was founded as ABL in 2017 to develop a small launch vehicle, the RS1. That rocket failed in its first launch attempt in 2023 and a second rocket was destroyed in a pad fire last summer. (2/21)

Isar's Spectrum Rocket Awaits Norwegian Launch License (Source: Space News)
Isar Aerospace says its first Spectrum rocket is ready for launch. The company said Friday it has completed testing of both stages of the Spectrum rocket, including a 30-second static-fire test of the first stage a week ago. Isar officials said they are waiting on a launch license from Norwegian regulators before setting a date for the launch, from Andøya Spaceport in northern Norway. Spectrum, capable of placing up to 1,000 kilograms into orbit, is one of several small launchers under development by European startups. (2/21)

Brace for 'Significant' Workforce Cuts at NASA (Source: Ars Technica)
According to sources, about 750 employees at NASA accepted the "fork in the road" offer to take deferred resignation from the space agency later this year. This sounds like a lot of people, but generally about 1,000 people leave the agency every year, so effectively, many of these people might just be getting paid to leave jobs they were already planning to exit from.

The culling of "probationary" employees will be more impactful. As it has done at other federal agencies, the Trump administration is generally firing federal employees who are in the "probationary" period of their employment, which includes new hires within the last one or two years or long-time employees who have moved into or been promoted into a new position. About 1,000 or slightly more employees at NASA were impacted by these cuts.

Adding up the deferred resignations and probationary cuts, the Trump White House has now trimmed about 10 percent of the agency's workforce. However, the cuts may not stop there. Two sources told Ars that directors at the agency's field centers have been told to prepare options for a "significant" reduction in force in the coming months. (2/18)

The Exploration Company Secures DLR as an Anchor Customer (Source: European Spaceflight)
The German aerospace agency DLR has signed on to be an anchor customer for The Exploration Company’s microgravity research service aboard its Nyx spacecraft. Nyx is a modular, reusable space capsule that will initially be used to transport cargo to and from low Earth orbit and to host in-orbit experiments. In May 2024, The Exploration Company was selected by the European Space Agency as one of two companies working toward a demonstration mission to deliver cargo to the ISS in 2028. (2/20)

ATMOS Secures €13.1M in New Funding for PHOENIX 2 Capsule (Source: European Spaceflight)
Germany’s ATMOS Space Cargo has been awarded €13.1 million in funding from the European Commission’s EIC Accelerator Program. The company will use the funding to continue the development of its PHOENIX 2 capsule. ATMOS is currently preparing for an initial test flight of its PHOENIX capsule, which is designed to host up to 100 kilograms of in-orbit experiments before returning them safely to Earth. The capsule relies on an inflatable heat shield to withstand the rigors of reentry. This initial test flight is expected to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than April 2025. (2/19)

Italy’s CubeSat Mission to a Martian Moon Enters Phase B Development (Source: European Spaceflight)
Italian space agency ASI has announced that its CubeSat mission to the Martian moon Deimos has entered Phase B, marking the commencement of preliminary design work for both the orbiter and lander. The Terrain Analyzer and Sample Tester Explorer (TASTE) is the tenth mission of ASI’s ALCOR Program. (2/18)

Critics Push Back at DOGE's Blind Destruction of S&T Research Funding (Source: Space Daily)
With sweeping layoffs and the dismantling of major research institutions, DOGE has slashed funding for programs deemed "inefficient" -- including key health and science initiatives. The loss of research grants and institutional support could drive top talent out of the U.S., diminishing the nation's leadership in scientific innovation.

The legality of Musk's position remains in question, with no plans to confirm his appointment with the Senate. Legal battles are mounting over the constitutionality of DOGE's actions, with critics arguing that the rapid dismantling of federal agencies is causing irreparable harm while failing to meaningfully reduce government debt.

Musk has furiously defended his approach, arguing that bureaucracy must be eliminated for the U.S. to remain competitive. He has called for entire federal agencies to be "deleted," dismissing concerns from public health and research experts who warn that such measures could endanger lives and economic stability. (2/20)

Ultra-Low-Noise Infrared Detectors Advance Exoplanet Imaging (Source: Space Daily)
With support from NASA's Astrophysics Division and industry collaborators, researchers at the University of Hawai'i are advancing a promising new detector technology to meet these demanding sensitivity requirements. These devices, known as avalanche photodiode arrays, are composed of the same semiconductor materials as conventional infrared detectors. However, they include an additional "avalanche" layer, which amplifies the signal from a single photon in a manner similar to how an avalanche can begin with a small snowball and quickly grow larger. (2/20)

NASA Investigates Spaceborne Antibiotic Resistance with ISS Experiment (Source: Space Daily)
The Genomic Enumeration of Antibiotic Resistance in Space (GEARS) experiment, managed by NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, is designed to analyze microbial resistance in space. As part of the study, astronauts collect samples from interior surfaces aboard the ISS to detect antibiotic-resistant bacteria, particularly Enterococcus faecalis, a microorganism naturally found in the human body. This initiative marks the initial phase of broader research on microbial behavior in space and its implications for medicine on Earth. (2/20)

Project 2025 End-Game: Replace Civil Servant Expertise with External Contractors (Source: SPACErePORT)
News reports about recent DOGE-driven layoffs reveal a Trump administration viewpoint that government workers provide less value or are less efficient than contractor personnel hired to do the same tasks. The layoffs are a departure from over a decade of effort by the government to shore-up its in-house expertise. NASA jobs are next in the line of fire. So which approach is better?

A 2011 'Project On Government Oversight' analysis reviewed DoD's service contracting and found that contractor employees cost nearly three times more than DoD civilian employees performing comparable functions. Specifically, service contracts amounted to $253.8 billion, while the civilian workforce cost between $72 billion and $108 billion in fiscal year 2010. This and other studies collectively indicate that, in many cases, hiring civil servants may be more cost-effective than relying on contractors. (2/20)

House Plans Hearing on Artemis (Source: Space Policy Online)
The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee said today it will hold a hearing on NASA’s Artemis program next week. Artemis is designed to return U.S. astronauts to the surface of the Moon for the first time since Apollo, but its future has become the subject of intense speculation since President Trump took office. The program is years late, over budget, and Trump confidant Elon Musk is a critic, although his company, SpaceX, is an Artemis major contractor.

The hearing does not include any witnesses from the Trump Administration, suggesting it will be more of a “how we got here” discussion combined with personal views on what should happen next. (2/19)

Musk: Time to Deorbit the ISS (Source: SPACrePORT)
On the heels of a highly unprofessional rant about "rescuing" ISS astronauts on his social media outlet, X, Elon Musk sent out a statement calling for deorbiting the ISS. "It has served its purpose," he wrote. "There is very little incremental utility. Let's go to Mars." This comes as the mercurial billionaire's new side-project, DOGE, is turning its focus on making dramatic changes at NASA.

After Caltech (which operates NASA JPL), SpaceX is NASA's biggest contractor, with $2.25 billion in contracts with the agency in 2024. This includes an $843 million contract to develop a de-orbit module for the ISS, currently scheduled to remain in operation until 2030. But given Musk's comments, DOGE might push to accelerate the ISS closure, allowing funds to be re-directed to Mars missions. (2/20)

With Hundreds Accepting Resignation Offer, NASA Job Losses at KSC Not Yet Clear (Source: Florida Today)
Hundreds of NASA employees signed up for President Donald Trump's deferred resignation offer earlier this month, the space agency said Wednesday afternoon. The announcement came amid rumors and published reports of potential mass job losses looming at NASA and Kennedy Space Center, generating concerns across Florida's Space Coast.

NASA job losses on the Space Coast would arrive on the heels of Blue Origin's Feb. 13 announcement that about 10% of its workforce of nearly 14,000 employees will be laid off. In an email to workers, CEO Dave Limp said the company's swift growth in recent years spawned "more bureaucracy and less focus than we needed."

And earlier this month, Boeing told workers to brace for the potential loss of about 400 jobs by April in the Space Launch System rocket team in NASA's Artemis program. KSC officials did not have further information available Wednesday afternoon on potential NASA cutbacks or their impact. (2/19)

NASA Glenn Research Center Braces for Possible DOGE Staff Cuts (Source: Cleveland.com)
It wasn’t immediately clear how many employees at NASA Glenn had responded to the deferred resignation offer. Statistics compiled by DOGE before staff reductions said Glenn employed 1,468 workers, whose yearly salary averages $137,239. It said that 69 of those workers had been there less than a year, and 134 had been there one to two years. DOGE statistics indicated NASA as a whole employed 18,073 people before any cuts, with the average employee making $148,398 yearly. (2/20)

Oman's Etlaq Spaceport Announces Plans for Five Test Launches in 2025 (Source: Etlaq Spaceport)
Etlaq Spaceport, the first commercial spaceport in the Middle East and North Africa, has announced plans for five test launches in 2025 during the highly anticipated Etlaq Launch Conference 2025. These missions will serve as critical technology demonstrations, focusing on controlled ascent and descent, landing systems, stage separation, and fuel efficiency.

As a globally accessible launch facility, Etlaq is collaborating with international launch partners from Kuwait, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand to execute these missions. This marks a major milestone in positioning Oman as a key player in the global space industry and reinforces Etlaq’s commitment to fostering international cooperation in space exploration. (2/20)