May 14, 2025

Space Forge Secures £22.6M for In-Space Manufacturing Platform (Source: European Spaceflight)
Welsh in-space manufacturing company Space Forge has raised £22.6 million in a Series A funding round led by the NATO Innovation Fund. Founded in 2018, Space Forge is developing the ForgeStar, a recoverable in-orbit platform designed to enable research and manufacturing in low Earth orbit. An initial ForgeStar demonstrator was launched aboard the final flight of Virgin Orbit’s air-launched rocket in January 2023, but it failed to reach orbit.

On 14 May, Space Forge announced it had secured £22.6 million (€26.81 million) in new funding. The round was led by the NATO Innovation Fund, with significant contributions from the World Fund, the National Security Strategic Investment Fund, and the British Business Bank. (5/14)

Varda Capsule Reenters (Source: Space News)
The third mission by Varda Space Industries concluded with a reentry Wednesday. The capsule from the W-3 mission successfully landed in the Koonibba Test Range in South Australia. The spacecraft launched two months ago and carried an inertial measurement unit (IMU) developed for the U.S. Air Force by Innovative Scientific Solutions Inc. to collect data in the hypersonic phases of reentry. The W-3 mission landed two and a half months after the previous mission, W-2, also landed in Australia. (5/14)

China Launches Constellation Satellites (Source: Xinhua)
China launched a set of satellites for a space computing constellation. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 12:12 a.m. Eastern and placed into orbit what Chinese media said was a "space computing satellite constellation." The constellation is believed to be 12 small satellites for a Chinese company, ADA Space. (5/14)

Satellite Industry Revenues Increased in 2024 (Source: Space News)
A new report found modest increases in satellite industry revenue in 2024 even as the number of satellites grows much faster. The Satellite Industry Association's annual State of the Satellite Industry Report, released Tuesday, said that the satellite industry had $293 billion in revenue in 2024, a 3% increase. Bigger increases in satellite manufacturing, launch and ground equipment were offset by declines in satellite TV services, part of broader changes as consumers shift to streaming services. By contrast, the number of operational satellites has more than tripled since 2020. At an event to roll out the report, Jay Schwarz, chief of the FCC's Space Bureau, emphasized efforts to improve regulatory processes to benefit the industry, including progress in reducing the backlog of license applications. (5/14)

Starship Launch Possible Next Week (Source: Ars Technica)
SpaceX is gearing up for a Starship test flight as soon as next week. The company said Tuesday it completed a long-duration static-fire test of the Starship upper stage and was moving into final preparations for its launch. That launch could take place as soon as May 21 based on navigation notices. That upcoming flight, the ninth for Starship, is critical after the last two ended with the loss of the Starship upper stage. (5/14)

Saudi Cubesat Added to Artemis 2 Mission (Source: NASA)
A Saudi cubesat will hitch a ride on Artemis 2. NASA said Tuesday that a cubesat from the Saudi Space Agency, designed to collect space weather data, will be one of several flying as secondary payloads on the launch. NASA previously announced that Germany and South Korea will also fly cubesats on the launch. The Saudi deal was announced as part of President Trump's visit to Saudi Arabia. (5/14)

Bridenstine Steps Down From Viasat Board (Source: Viasat)
Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has stepped down from the board of Viasat. The satellite operator said this week that Bridenstine, who had been on the board since April 2021, had resigned for undisclosed reasons. Viasat CEO Mark Dankberg noted in a statement that the company would continue to work with Bridenstine as a consultant through his company, The Artemis Group. Viasat separately announced it had appointed Bill LaPlante, a former undersecretary of defense, and Michael Paull, a former Disney executive, to the board. (5/14)

ISSNL Initiates Accelerator (Source: CASIS)
The ISS National Laboratory is launching the Orbital Edge Accelerator program. This initiative is designed to integrate cutting-edge startups and investment partners into the expanding space economy. Through the accelerator, six pioneering startups will  receive an investment of up to $500,000 each—which is being provided by global investors Cook Inlet Region, Inc. (CIRI), E2MC, and Stellar Ventures—along with mentorship and the opportunity to launch an ISS National Lab-sponsored investigation. (5/14)
 
Failure Analysis: Intuitive Machines' Lunar Lander (Source: Space News)
Faulty altimeters and lighting conditions caused Intuitive Machines' second lunar lander to fall on its side in March. In an earnings call Tuesday, company executives said their review of the IM-2 mission found that laser altimeters on the lander suffered "signal noise and distortion" that kept them from providing accurate altitude readings during the final phases of the lander's descent.

Lighting conditions at the landing site in the south polar region of the moon, with long shadows, also affected the lander, as did differences in the appearance in craters at lower altitudes compared to reference images used by the lander's optical navigation system. The company said changes to the company's next lander to fix those problems, such as the use of dissimilar and redundant altimeters, won't delay the mission, set to launch next year, and will only slightly increase its cost. (5/14)

Meink Confirmed as SECAF (Source: Space News)
The Senate confirmed Troy Meink as secretary of the Air Force Tuesday. The Senate voted 74-25 to confirm his nomination, winning bipartisan support despite controversies about alleged favoritism toward SpaceX and his relationship with Elon Musk. Meink, who most recently served as deputy director of the National Reconnaissance Office, is expected to advocate for increased Space Force resources and to help shape its expanding mission set. (5/14)

AST SpaceMobile Plans for Monthly Launches (Source: Space News)
AST SpaceMobile plans to launch satellites for its direct-to-smartphone broadband constellation every one to two months starting in July. The company said in an earnings call this week that it has five launches under contract with multiple providers over the next six to nine months. That includes the first launch of its larger Block 2 satellite, which will have 10 times the capacity of its existing Block 1 satellites. The company plans to start offering broader commercial services in early 2026, including video conferencing, for anchor mobile operator partners seeking to keep their subscribers connected outside cell tower coverage. (5/14)

Eutelsat and Ramon.Space to Upgrade OneWeb Constellation (Source: Space News)
Eutelsat will incorporate software-defined technologies into its future OneWeb satellites. Ramon.Space announced a deal Wednesday to supply digital communication channelizer systems for at least 70 upcoming OneWeb satellites. Those systems will allow future OneWeb satellites to be reconfigured once in orbit. The first-generation OneWeb satellites currently in orbit use analog channelizers to sort and direct data traffic, relying on hardware that must be configured before launch and cannot be adapted once in space. Eutelsat has outlined plans to invest up to 2.2 billion euros ($2.5 billion) to deploy the 440 satellites needed to sustain the OneWeb constellation until IRIS² comes online. (5/14)

OroraTech Raises $13.3 Million for Wildfire-Monitoring Constellation (Source: Space News)
OroraTech has raised an additional $13.3 million for its wildfire-monitoring satellite constellation. The company said Wednesday it secured the addition to its Series B round from investors led by BNP Paribas Solar Impulse Venture Fund, a sustainability-focused investment vehicle managed by one of Europe's largest banks, BNP Paribas. The funds will support the deployment of eight more satellites later this year after the launch of eight in March. (5/14)

Golden Dome Caucus Formed in Congress (Source: Space News)
Members of Congress have formed a caucus to support the Golden Dome missile-defense system. The Golden Dome Caucus, announced Tuesday by Sen. Tim Sheehy (R-MO), will address what he said was insufficient understanding of the project's complexity and potential cost. He argued that the scale of Golden Dome will require a closer relationship among members of Congress, the Defense Department and industry. While Congress is proposing to provide an initial tranche of $25 billion for Golden Dome this year, he cautioned that it "will likely cost in the trillions if and when Golden Dome is completed." (5/14)

With Gateway on Chopping Block, NASA Offers New Opportunities for Global Partners (Source: The National)
NASA is expanding opportunities for its international partners to take part in its Moon and Mars exploration efforts, as it prepares to adjust its road map in response to proposed budget cuts by the White House, including ending the Gateway project, a lunar-orbiting station that NASA and numerous countries were building parts for.

But the agency said in a statement that components already produced for the station would be repurposed for other missions to the Moon and Mars, in which international partners would be invited to part in through “meaningful collaboration”. “The Moon to Mars Architecture outlines opportunities and processes for international partners to propose cooperation that addresses [critical technology] gaps.” (5/12)

Trump to Stop US Research on Space Pollution, in Boon to Elon Musk (Source: Guardian)
The Trump administration is poised to kill federal research into pollution from satellites and rockets, including some caused by Elon Musk’s space companies, raising new conflict-of-interest questions about the billionaire SpaceX and Starlink owner. The pollution appears to be accumulating in the stratosphere at alarming levels. Some fear it could destroy the ozone layer, potentially expose some people to higher levels of ultraviolet radiation or help further destabilize the Earth’s climate during the climate crisis. (5/7)

New Lab Could Help Space Industry Dodge a Bullet (Source: University of Glasgow)
A small piece of outer space recreated in a basement in Glasgow could help ensure that a key enabling technology for future space missions won’t lead to deadly ‘rifle bullets’ of space junk circling the Earth. Researchers at the University of Glasgow’s James Watt School of Engineering have built the NextSpace Testrig - the world’s first dedicated facility for testing the structural integrity of materials that will be 3D printed in space.

The NextSpace Testrig was developed by the University’s Dr Gilles Bailet in partnership with The Manufacturing Technology Centre, supported by £253,000 in funding from the UK Space Agency (UKSA). The facility, which uses a specially-constructed vacuum chamber capable of generating temperatures between -150°C and +250°C to create space-like conditions on Earth, is designed to help support the developing field of space manufacturing. (5/13)

Rethinking Amateur Contributions to Space Situational Awareness (Source: SkyRiddles)
As space becomes increasingly congested, contested, and commercialized, the need for reliable, secure, and professional-grade space situational awareness (SSA) has never been greater. While the democratization of satellite observation through open-source ground station networks appears promising, it presents significant under-discussed risks.

This paper uses SatNOGS as a central example to explore the operational, economic, and ethical implications of these networks. Other emerging initiatives attempting similar models—such as TinyGS and NyanSat—further reinforce the need for clear boundaries, standards, and governance in the amateur space operations landscape. (5/12)

Poland Launches Demonstration of Suborbital Research Rocket (Source: European Spaceflight)
Poland has successfully launched a single-stage rocket demonstrator at the Central Air Force Training Ground in Ustka. The flight was part of a project to develop a three-stage solid-fuel rocket for research payloads. In 2020, the Polish government selected Wojskowe Zakłady Lotnicze No. 1 to lead a consortium developing a three-stage suborbital launch system. (5/12)

India Continues Optimizing the Performance and Production of its Family of Rockets (Source: Space Brew)
Producing rocket engines and stages involves complex pipelines. ISRO has continued investments in optimizing the performance and production of parts of its family of rockets, with this year seeing some notable advances. Click here. (5/13)