March 20, 2025

Starlab Space Station Moves Into 'Full-Scale Development' (Source: Space.com)
Starlab, a joint project between the U.S. space technology firm Voyager Space and European aerospace conglomerate Airbus, will consist of a service module and a habitat large enough to host four space tourists. Currently, the station is expected to launch in 2028 aboard SpaceX's Starship megarocket. The recently completed preliminary design review (PDR) marks the beginning of the station's "full-scale" production, the company said. (3/18)

National Spaceport Simulation Center Launches on Space Coast (Source: Team Orlando)
World Innovation Network (WIN) officially launched the National Spaceport Simulation Center (SPACE-SIM), as part of WIN’s Space ASTROpreneurial Accelerator (SPACE-BASE) outside the gates of Kennedy Space Center. According to Robert S. Katz, WIN’s CEO and executive director, WIN is establishing SPACE-SIM with the mission of creating a community focal point where industry, academia and researchers can meet with government to solve challenges relating to spaceport operations to advance and transform those functions to something that resembles airport operations. (3/20)

Former SpaceX Engineer is the Real Administrator at DOGE (Source: New York Times)
Elon Musk declared last month that the federal government was engaged in “utterly insane” activity, claiming without evidence that it had distributed $100 billion to people without Social Security numbers. Two days after Mr. Musk’s comments, one of his key lieutenants, Steve Davis, began pressing the Social Security Administration for information. Mr. Davis called the agency’s leaders to insist they give a young engineer from Mr. Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency access to databases that contained sensitive information about Americans.

Mr. Davis, 45, has effectively become the day-to-day leader of DOGE. He has more power than Amy Gleason, the Trump administration’s acting DOGE administrator, two people close to the effort said, adding that Ms. Gleason has sometimes been in the dark about Mr. Davis’s decisions. How Mr. Davis got to this position is hardly a secret. For more than 20 years, the engineer has devoted himself to fulfilling Mr. Musk’s desires, following the billionaire to his various companies, including the rocket maker SpaceX.

Mr. Davis wholeheartedly believes Mr. Musk will bring about humanity’s progress, according to interviews with 22 friends, former colleagues and government officials. For Mr. Musk, Mr. Davis represents the ideal employee — an engineer who will throw himself at any task, even if he has no expertise in the area. Mr. Davis began working for Mr. Musk in 2003, when the tech entrepreneur plucked him out of a Stanford aeronautics graduate program. Mr. Davis became the 14th employee at SpaceX. (3/20)

Chinese Scientists Unveil Six-Legged Robot for Asteroid and Lunar Mining (Source: Space Daily)
A research team from China has engineered a six-legged robotic system inspired by insects, aiming to revolutionize how space mining is conducted on the moon and asteroids. Unlike mining on Earth, extraterrestrial excavation faces unique obstacles due to low-gravity environments. The moon's gravity is about one-sixth of Earth's, and asteroids often have even weaker gravitational pull, making conventional drilling and anchoring methods ineffective.

Scientists from the China University of Mining and Technology (CUMT) incorporated elements from insect movement, the climbing techniques of woodpeckers, and origami-based design to develop this pioneering robotic platform tailored for off-world exploration and resource extraction. (3/18)

China's AZSpace Plans Commercial Crewed Spaceflights (Source: Space News)
A Chinese company is making plans for commercial human spaceflight missions. The chairman of Beijing Ziwei Yutong Technology Co., Ltd., also known as AZSpace, told a Chinese publication last week that his company planned to conduct orbital crewed test flights in 2027 or 2028. AZSpace, founded in 2019, focuses on spacecraft manufacturing and space tourism, with backing from venture capital firms, but it's unclear if the company has the funding and expertise to carry out crewed orbital missions or if it will have access to state-owned technology. Several other Chinese startups have announced plans for suborbital human spaceflight. (3/20)

NASA and Boeing Considering Options for Continued Starliner Flights (Source: Space News)
NASA says it is working with Boeing on options for another Starliner test flight. At a briefing after the end of the Crew-9 mission this week, NASA said it wants Boeing to perform another test flight of Starliner, with or without people on board. The flight would be used to test changes to the spacecraft's propulsion system intended to correct helium leaks and thruster malfunctions seen on the Crew Flight Test mission last year. If that is successful, NASA expects Starliner to begin crew rotation missions like what SpaceX's Crew Dragon has been doing since 2020. NASA said it still has several months to determine if Starliner will be ready for the next available mission opportunity in early 2026. (3/20)

Space Force Strategy Includes AI Integration (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force released a new strategy blueprint outlining how it plans to integrate AI into its operations. The strategy, released Wednesday, outlines plans to incorporate AI into its systems for "maintaining space superiority." Based on trends in the private sector, space domain awareness represents a primary focus area for AI implementation to help the service track space objects and identify anomalies or unusual activities. The plan acknowledges the need for digital fluency among Space Force personnel, emphasizing AI literacy as necessary for addressing operational challenges. (3/20)

Satellite Operators Need Better Space Weather Data (Source: Space News)
Satellite operators say they need better data on space weather. During a session of the Space Weather Workshop this week, representatives from industry and academia said that space weather events like last May's major storm increase atmospheric density and thus drag, reducing the accuracy of their predicted orbits and making collision avoidance more difficult. That drag also reduces the lifetime of satellites.

They said operators need more accurate space weather forecasts, or at least better understanding of their uncertainties, and improved atmospheric models. A former Capella Space engineer who led that company's efforts to respond to shortened lifetimes of its satellites caused by drag has started a new company, Leonid Space, which will offer satellite operators improved predictions of satellite lifetimes. (3/20)

Rocket Lab to Launch Eight Wildfire Detecting Satellites for Germany's OroraTech (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab's next launch will be for a German company. Rocket Lab said its next Electron launch, scheduled for as soon as March 27 from New Zealand, will place eight satellites into orbit for OroraTech, a company developing a constellation of satellites for detecting wildfires. The launch is scheduled for just four months after the companies signed the launch contract for the mission. (3/20)

India's Somanath to Advise Government (Source: India Today)
A former head of India's space agency ISRO has a new position advising an Indian state government. The state of Andhra Pradesh announced this week it appointed S. Somanath as its new space technology adviser. In that role, Somanath will advise the state government on the use of space technologies in various programs and to build up a space technology sector in the state, which is located in eastern India. Somanath completed a three-year term as chairman of ISRO in January. (3/20)

ESA Releases First Euclid Telescope Data (Source: ESA)
The European Space Agency has released the first batch of data from its Euclid space telescope. The data, released Wednesday, include 26 million galaxies at distances of up to 10.5 billion light-years in three regions of the sky covering 63 square degrees. The data includes classification of 380,000 of those galaxies using an AI system that was trained by human volunteers. Euclid will study those three regions in detail over the next several years to provide insights into the nature and distribution of dark matter and dark energy. (3/20)

DESI Observations Hint at Weakening Dark Energy (Source: New Scientist)
Data from another survey has raised new questions about dark energy. Results from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) gathered over three years of observations at an Arizona observatory show evidence that dark energy, which controls the accelerating expansion of the universe, may be changing over time. Dark energy is showing signs of weakening according to the DESI analysis, which means the universe's expansion could slow to a constant rate over time. The finding is the "biggest hint" about what dark matter is since it was discovered a quarter century ago, according to one astronomer. (3/20)

Spaceo Leads ESA Project to Deploy Inflatable Sail for Satellite Disposal (Source: Space Daily)
A European initiative spearheaded by Portuguese start-up Spaceo has secured a European Space Agency (ESA) contract to create a novel solution for clearing obsolete satellites and debris from orbit. The program, called SWIFT (Spacecraft With Inflatable Termination), has received euro 3 million in funding to develop a deployable sail-like structure that acts as a drag device to hasten the descent of defunct satellites. The first orbital demonstration of this system is scheduled for 2028. (3/20)

Chile Reviews Chinese Observatory Plans Slammed by US (Source: Space Daily)
Chile said Wednesday it was reviewing an agreement for the construction of a Chinese astronomical observatory on its soil, a project that has drawn criticism from Washington as it jostles with Beijing for influence in Latin America. Under an agreement signed by President Xi Jinping in 2016 with Chile's Catholic University of the North (UCN), the Ventarrones Astronomical Park was to be built in Chile's Atacama desert -- home to the world's darkest skies and numerous other observatories. (3/19)

DESI Opens Access to the Largest 3D Map of the Universe Yet (Source: Space Daily)
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) is mapping millions of celestial objects to better understand dark energy: the mysterious driver of our universe's accelerating expansion. This week, the DESI collaboration released a new collection of data for anyone in the world to investigate. The dataset is the largest of its kind, with information on 18.7 million objects: roughly 4 million stars, 13.1 million galaxies, and 1.6 million quasars (extremely bright but distant objects powered by supermassive black holes at their cores).

While the experiment's main mission is illuminating dark energy, DESI's Data Release 1 (DR1) could yield discoveries in other areas of astrophysics, such as the evolution of galaxies and black holes, the nature of dark matter, and the structure of the Milky Way. (3/20)

SuperSharp Advances Toward 2026 Mission with Funding Boost and Prototype Completion (Source: Space Daily)
SuperSharp Space Systems, a spin-off from the University of Cambridge, has marked two major achievements on its path toward space deployment. The UK Space Agency has awarded the company $6.4 million to support an in-orbit demonstration of its innovative unfolding thermal infrared (TIR) telescope, designed to aid climate change mitigation.

Simultaneously, SuperSharp has finalized and delivered the first prototype of its high-resolution space telescope, Hibiscus, which is slated for launch in the final quarter of 2026. The Center for Earth Observation Instrumentation, in collaboration with the UK Space Agency, backed the prototype's development. These accomplishments solidify SuperSharp's rising prominence in leveraging space-based imaging to combat climate change. (3/20)

Exolaunch Surpasses 500 Satellite Deployments and Debuts New Quadro System on SpaceX Rideshare (Source: Space Daily)
Exolaunch, a global leader in satellite deployment and mission management, has marked a significant milestone with the successful deployment of its 500th satellite. During SpaceX's Transporter-13 rideshare mission, Exolaunch deployed 27 satellites, delivering close to 1,500 kilograms of payload into orbit for clients from fourteen different countries.

This mission also marked the inaugural use of Exolaunch's innovative Quadro separation system, a four-point satellite deployment mechanism designed to accommodate spacecraft weighing between 200 and over 800 kilograms. Quadro completed its first operational flight with precision, ensuring the controlled and coordinated deployment of a microsatellite by synchronizing the release of all hold-down and release mechanisms (HDRMs). This design minimizes tip-off rates and simplifies the deployment process. (3/18)

China is Practicing ‘Dogfighting’ in Space, Space Force Says (Source: Defense One)
Chinese satellites have conducted coordinated maneuvers with “synchrony” and “control,” a top Space Force official revealed Tuesday, dubbing the moves “dogfighting in space.” The service is “starting to see our near-peers focusing on practicing dogfighting in space with satellite-on-satellite” operations, Vice Chief of Space Operations Gen. Michael Guetlein said during the annual McAleese defense programs conference.

“With our commercial assets, we have observed five different objects in space maneuvering in and out and around each other in synchrony and in control. That's what we call dogfighting in space. They are practicing tactics, techniques, and procedures to do on-orbit space operations from one satellite to another,” he said. (3/18)

Trump’s Military is Quietly Pursuing Attack Weapons in Orbit. Here’s How That Could Affect Colorado (Source: Colorado Sun)
According to several people participating in or briefed on the deliberations, plans circulating inside the Pentagon and White House envision an unparalleled surge in a wide range of offensive weaponry. The concept, among other elements, includes military satellites designed to grapple, bump or disable enemy spacecraft, according to four senior Trump advisers, industry officials or former high-ranking uniformed officers.

Whatever plans are finalized undoubtedly will have strong links to Colorado and its network of U.S. Space Force bases, technical centers and operational facilities. Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado Springs, for example, is expected to oversee major technical and policy issues; U.S. Space Command, headquartered there, is poised to enhance cooperative efforts with overseas allies; and steps will be taken here to coordinate new programs with legacy contracts. (3/19)

The Most Innovative Companies in Space for 2025 (Source: Fast Company)
The list of Most Innovative Companies in space for 2025 reflect global efforts over the last year diversify and secure launch and orbital services, which are increasingly seen as critical components of national security. Click here. (3/18)

Candidate Criticized for Taking SpaceX Campaign Contribution (Source: New Jersey Globe)
Mikie Sherrill took over $30,000 in campaign contributions from Elon Musk’s SpaceX political action committee while she was running for Congress and now one of her opponents in the Democratic gubernatorial primary, Steve Sweeney, wants her to give it back. Sweeney’s trigger was a fundraising email from Sherrill this morning, alleging that Musk “will try to buy the New Jersey governor’s race for Republicans.”

“Sherrill took tens of thousands from Elon Musk and used his money, and then she turns around and asks the public to donate to her to stop him? She can’t have it both ways,” Sweeney said. The former Senate President hammed Sherrill for taking money from Musk, “the same guy who wants to gut Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, hurting New Jersey’s families, seniors, and the disabled community.” (3/18)

Tesla Is No Longer Elon Musk’s Most Valuable Asset (Source: Forbes)
Elon Musk paid out more than $200 million to help get Donald Trump reelected in November. In the weeks following Trump’s victory, Musk more than made that back. In fact, he became the first person ever worth $400 billion in December, after private investors valued his startup xAI at $50 billion (up from $24 billion in May) and Musk’s rocket maker SpaceX at $350 billion (up from $210 billion in June). That same month, public shareholders drove Tesla’s market capitalization to an all-time high of $1.5 trillion.

With Tesla crashing, SpaceX is now Elon Musk’s most valuable asset for the first time in five years. Forbes estimates that Musk’s 42% stake in his rocket maker is now worth $147 billion–nearly $20 billion more than his Tesla stock and options as of Monday’s market close. (3/18)

Rocket Lab is Notching NASA Contracts and Planning Satellite Constellations (Source: Fast Company)
While SpaceX and Blue Origin have focused on medium- and heavy-lift rockets, Rocket Lab—founded in New Zealand and now headquartered in Long Beach, California—has made its name with the light-lift Electron, which carries smaller payloads. But the reliability and precision of these rockets, which are made of lightweight carbon composite and use 3D printed engines, allow Rocket Lab to fly the kinds of complex missions, on tight timetables, that its competitors can’t.

Demand for Electron’s agile capabilities is growing. In Q3 2024 alone, Rocket Lab sold $55 million in new Electron launch contracts, at an average sale price of $8.4 million per mission, and the company has now completed five dedicated launches for the U.S. National Reconnaissance Office, which oversees satellite surveillance for the Department of Defense. Customers are split between government and commercial, with return customer rates of 70%, according to Beck. (3/19)

Trump Seizes Credit for Astronauts’ Return. He Had Little To Do With It (Source: Washington Post)
“This began when I asked Elon Musk to go up and get the abandoned Astronauts, because the Biden Administration was incapable of doing so,” Trump posted on Truth Social on Monday, as a Musk-owned SpaceX ship waited at the International Space Station to load its human cargo and head home. “They shamefully forgot about the Astronauts, because they considered it to be a very embarrassing event for them — Another thing I inherited from that failed group of incompetents.” (3/18)

Why Canada Needs its Own Spaceport (Source: The Hub)
In a moment of renewed geopolitical competition and technological progress, the space industry holds boundless importance and strategic importance. Yet, as other nations race ahead, Canada is at risk of being left behind, squandering its chance to be a key player in this pivotal sector.

Canada currently lacks domestic launch capabilities, leaving us entirely reliant on foreign providers for satellite deployment. This dependence not only restricts technological progress but also exposes Canada to external geopolitical and economic pressures. Without an independent launch capability, we risk being sidelined as other nations rapidly expand their space industries. (3/19)

DOD Plans Workforce Reductions (Source: AP)
The Pentagon is cutting up to 60,000 civilian jobs as part of an initiative led by the Department of Government Efficiency Service to reduce the federal workforce. About 21,000 workers have taken a voluntary resignation plan, and the remaining cuts will be made by not replacing departing employees. (3/18)

Trump Nominates Republic CEO Bedford to Lead FAA (Source: CNBC)
President Donald Trump has nominated Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford to lead the Federal Aviation Administration amid increased scrutiny after several aviation incidents. Bedford, a pilot with over 30 years of experience, has received praise from airlines. The FAA position has been vacant since January 20, when Mike Whitaker resigned as administrator. (3/17)

NASA to Launch ‘Asteroid Killer’ Spacecraft in 2027 (Source: Haystack News)
NASA's NEO Surveyor is specifically designed to find large asteroids and comets that might harm Earth. After its launch, the NEO Surveyor will be able to spot about 90% of asteroids and comets that might pose a hazard to Earth within a range of about 30 million miles. Those that are smaller than about 500 feet in diameter are nearly impossible to see from Earth but not from space. (3/19)

Apollo, Soyuz Among Artifacts Moving to New Space Gallery in London (Source: CollectSpace)
The spacesuit worn by the first Briton in space, the Russian capsule that brought Britain's first professional astronaut back to Earth and the only flown-to-the-moon Apollo command module to be on display outside of the United States will soon be on the move in the United Kingdom.

The Science Museum in London has announced it is closing its "Exploring Space" gallery, which for almost 40 years has shown tens of millions of people how "humanity has ventured into orbit, traveled to the moon and explored the solar system and beyond." The gallery is undergoing a four-month phased shutdown, as its contents join other artifacts in the museum's new "Space" gallery, opening later this year. (3/19)

New Space Coast Bridge Ready to Serve NASA, America’s Space Interests (Source: NASA)
The high-rise bridge that serves as the primary access point for employees and visitors to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida is fully operational. In the late hours of March 18, 2025, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) opened the westbound portion of the NASA Causeway Bridge, which spans the Indian River Lagoon and connects NASA Kennedy and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to the mainland.

This new bridge span sits alongside its twin on the eastbound side, which has accommodated traffic in both directions since FDOT opened it on June 9, 2023. The new structure replaces the old two-lane drawbridge which operated at that location for nearly 60 years. (3/19)

Sidus Space Launches Third LizzieSat Satellite with Enhanced Onboard AI (Source: Space Daily)
Sidus Space has confirmed the successful launch and deployment of its LizzieSat-3 satellite into Low Earth Orbit (LEO), reinforcing the company's growing multi-satellite network. This latest satellite was launched on March 14 aboard SpaceX's Transporter-13 rideshare mission from California. LizzieSat-3 now joins its predecessors, LizzieSat-1 and LizzieSat-2, which were deployed in March and December of 2024. Together, these satellites form an expanding constellation designed to deliver near real-time data services powered by advanced artificial intelligence.

LizzieSat-3 represents a significant advancement in Sidus Space's efforts to deliver real-time data services to clients across government, defense, intelligence, and commercial sectors. Equipped with a suite of sophisticated sensors and the latest version of the company's proprietary Sidus Orlaith AI platform, the satellite enables on-orbit data processing for a range of mission-critical functions, including Space Situational Awareness (SSA), maritime surveillance, and disaster response. (3/18)

Moon Navigation System Advances with Thales Alenia Space Leading Orbital Segment (Source: Space Daily)
Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has entered into a contract with Telespazio, itself a joint venture between Leonardo (67%) and Thales (33%), to handle the design and development of the orbital segment for the European Space Agency's Moonlight Lunar Communications and Navigation Services (LCNS) initiative.

Spearheaded by ESA and led by Telespazio, the Moonlight program aims to establish a network of satellites orbiting the Moon to deliver state-of-the-art communication and navigation capabilities. This infrastructure will enable autonomous lunar landings, support surface mobility operations, and allow fast, reliable data exchange between the Moon and Earth. The system is critical for sustaining a long-term human presence on the Moon, while also improving mission efficiency and reducing costs. (3/18)

NASA and USGS Join Forces to Advance Space Resource Detection (Source: Space Daily)
NASA and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently convened a diverse group of stakeholders from government, industry, and the international space community to focus on the technologies needed for future resource exploration, both on Earth and in space. The event, held in February at NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, centered on tools and methods for locating and utilizing resources such as water ice and critical minerals found on the Moon, planetary bodies, and asteroids.

Over 300 participants joined the discussions, attending in person and online, to evaluate key technological capabilities required for identifying and mapping extraterrestrial resources. (3/19)