May 18, 2025

India Uses Satellites to Assist Shoot-Down of Pakistani Missiles (Source: India Today)
The Indian air defense system stood tall and provided the perfect shield amid a barrage of drones and missiles fired from Pakistan during the recent military conflict and Indian satellites assisted the armed forces, providing them with the precise trajectory of air-borne weapons, ISRO said on Friday. (5/17)

With Airspace Closures, Starship Launch Could Affect 175 Flights (Source: Reuters)
The Starship 9 launch will affect air routes extending 1,600 nautical miles eastward from Texas through the Straits of Florida. Both the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos are expected to close their airspace up to 6,000 feet and the FAA will close the airspace above that. The FAA estimates 175 flights will be affected. (5/16)

Relativity Space and Blue Origin Hiring Several Launchsite Positions at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: SPACrePORT)
For those looking separated from their NASA jobs, or otherwise in the job market, companies like Relativity Space and Blue Origin are recruiting for several open positions at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Relativity is seeking several people to support their launch site development, while Blue Origin is looking for people to support manufacturing and launch operations. Click here. (5/17)

China's LandSpace Launches Improved Methane-Powered Rocket (Source: Reuters)
A new methane-powered rocket developed by China's LandSpace Technology launched six satellites into orbit on Saturday, as the private startup doubles down on a cheap, cleaner fuel that it hopes will help it develop reusable rockets. The Zhuque-2E Y2 carrier rocket blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, marking the fifth flight for the Zhuque-2 series. (5/17)

US Mint Releases Space Shuttle $1 Gold Coin (Source: Popular Science)
You can now own a $1 gold coin celebrating one of America’s most revolutionary achievements: the NASA Space Shuttle program. The latest variant in the ongoing American Innovation $1 Coin series is available to order through the United States Mint. Selected to represent the state of Florida, the noncirculating legal tender is the third coin released this year and the 28th coin in the 15-year project first announced in 2018. (5/15)

Space Force Testing Space-Based Sensors to Track Airborne Targets (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Force is collaborating with the Air Force and US Northern Command to demonstrate space-based sensors for tracking airborne targets, with an eye to seeing if that capability could work with Air Moving Target Indicator (AMTI) systems currently carried by crewed aircraft, a senior Space Force official said. (5/15)

Indian PSLV Launch Fails on Sunday (Source: India Today)
In a rare failure, India’s main rocket PSLV developed problems a few minutes after take-off and failed to place earth observation satellite EOS-09 into the intended orbit in an early morning launch on Sunday. It was not immediately clear what caused the failure of the flight. In a short statement, ISRO said the problem was observed in the third stage, potentially a nozzle failure. (5/18)