March 22, 2025

Launch Delays Hamper Near-Term Impact of GPS Experimentation Program (Source: Defense News)
The Space Force is looking for ways to experiment with new technologies on its next-generation GPS satellites, but persistent delays to a key demonstration program could limit its options. The service planned to launch the Navigation Technology Satellite-3 demonstration, dubbed NTS-3, in 2022 with an eye toward experimenting with new positioning, navigation and timing signals and payloads that could be installed on future GPS satellites and shape its long-term plans for the constellation.

The satellite’s development, led by the Air Force Research Lab and L3Harris, has proceeded on schedule, but delays to the rocket assigned to fly the spacecraft — United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan Centaur — have stalled the program for years. The mission is slated to fly on Vulcan’s first national security launch this year, but those plans are on hold as the company awaits final certification from the Space Force. (3/21)

DOGE Backlash Has Arrived at Elon Musk’s Seattle-Area SpaceX Outpost (Source: Seattle Times)
Anti-Elon Musk protests have led consumers to boycott Tesla, unsettling the company and its share price. Could public sentiment have a similar effect on Musk’s privately owned space ventures? A group of protesters from Seattle’s Eastside believes it can.

That group — organized through the national grassroots movement Indivisible — has demonstrated outside the Redmond offices of Musk’s SpaceX rocket company and Starlink satellite internet firm every Wednesday for the last five weeks. The most recent demonstration drew roughly 350 people, more than double the first week’s attendance, according to organizers. (3/21)

Sutherland Spaceport Plan is ‘Not Dead’ (Source: John O'Groat Journal)
The plans to establish a spaceport in north Sutherland remain very much live, according to Highlands and Islands Enterprise. It was thought the project had been killed off when would-be operators Orbex opted to launch its first batch of commercial satellites from SaxaVord in Shetland. But renewed hope for the site at A’Mhoine, near Melness, was provided last month by the Forres-based firm. It then indicated it envisaged returning to the site to restart construction work in 2027 with a view to the first rockets being launched the following year. (3/22)

Trump Offers Overtime Pay to Previously Stranded NASA Astronauts (Source: Washington Times)
President Trump has offered to pay overtime out of his pocket for the two NASA astronauts who recently returned to Earth after an unexpected eight-month stint at the International Space Station. When Mr. Trump heard they were to be paid $5 a day per diem for 286 days, which equals $1,430 in extra pay, he said that it was the first time the matter was ever brought to his attention. (3/21)

First Space Force Civil Reserve ‘Pilot’ Contracts Go to 4 Space Watch Firms (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Force has signed the first contracts to “pilot” its new Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve (CASR) program to companies providing space monitoring data, the head of the service’s Commercial Space Office said. “Those went live 1 March,” Col. Richard Kniseley said. “We awarded to four companies, and they are [for] space domain awareness. Because of funding, we did only award to four, but also they are multi-month contracts." Together the contracts are worth $1.1 million, he said, while declining to name the winning firms. (3/21)

Chinese Meridian Project Phase II Revolutionizes Space Weather Monitoring (Source: CAS)
China has achieved a significant milestone in space science with the recent completion and national acceptance of the Chinese Meridian Project (CMP) Phase II on March 21. This project represents the world’s first comprehensive ground-based monitoring network spanning the entire Sun-Earth space environment, extending from the solar atmosphere to near-Earth space.

With construction starting in 2019, CMP Phase II established a “two vertical, two horizontal” double-cross monitoring network along the 100°E and 120°E longitudes and the 30°N and 40°N latitudes. By integrating 16 new observation stations with the original 15 CMP Phase I stations, the project enables unprecedented three-dimensional monitoring of space weather phenomena, from solar eruptions to Earth’s atmospheric responses. (3/21)

How Black Holes Could Nurture Life (Source: Dartmouth)
At the center of most large galaxies, including our own Milky Way, sits a supermassive black hole. Interstellar gas periodically falls into the orbit of these bottomless pits, switching the black hole into active galactic nucleus (AGN)-mode, blasting high-energy radiation across the galaxy. It's not an environment you'd expect a plant or animal to thrive in. But in a surprising new study, researchers show that AGN radiation can have a paradoxically nurturing effect on life. Rather than doom a species to oblivion, it can help assure its success.

The researchers found that the benefits—or harms—depend on how close the planet is to the source of the radiation, and whether life has already gained a toe hold. "Once life exists, and has oxygenated the atmosphere, the radiation becomes less devastating and possibly even a good thing," says Kendall Sippy '24, the lead author of the study. "Once that bridge is crossed, the planet becomes more resilient to UV radiation and protected from potential extinction events." (3/4)

America’s Space Strategy in a Changing Middle East (Source: Space News)
The geopolitical landscape is shifting beneath our feet as the United States recalibrates its global strategy. This strategic pivot carries profound implications not just for conventional U.S. military force posture throughout the globe, but for an often-overlooked dimension of allied security assistance: space. As Washington urges European and Middle Eastern partners and allies to shoulder greater security responsibilities, the implications for space-based capabilities demand our urgent attention.

America’s reorientation creates a delicate balancing act in the Middle East, particularly among Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states. These countries find themselves caught in a strategic transition as the U.S. reviews its theater missile defense postures worldwide. The Trump administration appears poised to push GCC countries toward integrating their disparate missile defense systems — all American-supplied — to create a more cohesive shield against missile threats from Iran and its regional proxies. (3/21)

Former NASA Astronauts Endorse Isaacman as Administrator (Source: Space News)
Nearly 30 former NASA astronauts have signed a letter endorsing Jared Isaacman as the agency’s next administrator, calling on the Senate to consider his nomination as soon as possible. The letter, sent to the leadership of the Senate Commerce Committee, said Isaacman is “uniquely qualified” to lead the agency and asked them to hold a confirmation hearing for him as soon as possible. (3/21)

NASA Websites No Longer Promote 'First Woman', 'Person of Color' on the Moon for Artemis (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA websites have dropped references to landing the first woman on the moon as part of the goals for its Artemis program. Updated pages as of Friday for the program no longer feature the statement: “NASA will land the first woman, first person of color, and first international partner astronaut on the moon using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before.”

The change comes as the Trump administration has used executive orders to remove diversity, equity and inclusion pages from all federal websites. The Artemis pages now simply read, “Artemis III will build on the crewed Artemis II flight test, adding new capabilities with the human landing system and advanced spacesuits to send the first humans to explore the lunar South Pole region." (3/21)

3D Printing: Saving Weight and Space at Launch (Source: NASA)
Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is regularly used on the ground to quickly produce a variety of devices. Adapting this process for space could let crew members create tools and parts for maintenance and repair of equipment on the spot, rather than trying to bring along every item that might be needed.

The ability to manufacture things in space is especially important in planning for missions to the Moon and Mars because additional supplies cannot quickly be sent from Earth and cargo capacity is limited. Research on the International Space Station is helping to develop the capability to address multiple needs using 3D printing. (3/21)

NASA to Launch Three Rockets from Alaska in Single Aurora Experiment (Source: NASA)
Three NASA-funded rockets are set to launch from Poker Flat Research Range in Fairbanks, Alaska, in an experiment that seeks to reveal how auroral substorms affect the behavior and composition of Earth’s far upper atmosphere. The experiment’s outcome could upend a long-held theory about the aurora’s interaction with the thermosphere. It may also improve space weather forecasting, critical as the world becomes increasingly reliant on satellite-based devices such as GPS units in everyday life. (3/21)

Putin Requests Allocation of Extra Funds for Development of Satellites for Drone Control (Source: TASS)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has directed to provide extra financing for development of low Earth orbit satellite groups for drone control, according to the list of assignments following a meeting on development of unmanned aerial vehicles on January 28. The request is addressed to the government, the Roscosmos state-run corporation, and the Platform for the National Technological Initiative autonomous non-commercial entity. (3/21)