May 24, 2025

Texas Space Commission Awards Axiom Space $5.5 Million to Fuel Bold Orbital Data Center Initiative (Source: Axiom)
The Texas Space Commission (TSC) has awarded Axiom Space up to $5.5 million through its Space Exploration and Aeronautics Research Fund (SEARF) to support the development and operationalization of initial Axiom Space Orbital Data Center (ODC) capabilities – a critical step toward a scalable and resilient orbital computing architecture that supports a variety of national security, civil, and commercial use cases.

Axiom Space’s ODC architecture includes two initial free-flying nodes in low-Earth orbit (LEO) launching by the end of this year, and additional nodes of increased compute capacity to be deployed in the coming years. This SEARF award complements Axiom Space’s previously announced ODC roadmap to accelerate deployment of a multitude of free-flyer ODC nodes to meet rapidly emerging demand from users around the world. These milestones represent progress towards establishing a fully operational orbital cloud computing network supporting users across national security, commercial, and civil sectors. (5/23)

Venus Aerospace Achieves ‘World First’ During Rocket Engine Test for High-Speed Plane (Source: Houston Chronicle)
A new type of rocket engine, one that could power a plane from Los Angeles to Tokyo in just two hours, has eluded scientists for decades. Houston’s Venus Aerospace says it recently solved the puzzle. The company flew a rotating detonation rocket engine, a fuel-efficient machine without any moving parts, last week in New Mexico. It’s the first full-scale flight of such an engine in the U.S., the company said, and the successful test is expected to help expand sales, venture capital funding and its 65-person workforce.

The engine could have many uses, but Venus Aerospace hopes it will usher in a new era of high-speed flight. Commercial supersonic air travel had a brief window from 1976 to 2003 with the Concorde, a joint French-British plane that flew from New York to Paris in roughly 3.5 hours, twice as fast as today’s passenger planes. (5/23)

Space Sponsorship: the Next Frontier for Revenue Generation (Source: Space News)
The space sector should consider taking a page out of the sports industry playbook by establishing corporate sponsorships that can bring in billions with minimal outlay. The sports industry generated a staggering $90 billion in sponsorship revenue in 2024, showcasing the potential of this lucrative, high-margin revenue source that has remained largely untapped by space companies.

Commercial sponsorships in space are not entirely new. Pepsi shelled out $5 million in 1996 for a Russian cosmonaut to float a four-foot-tall replica of a Pepsi can during a spacewalk, and Pizza Hut paid $1 million to have its logo emblazoned on a Russian rocket. More recently, Intuitive Machines partnered with the outdoor apparel company Columbia to promote the company’s active-gear insulation on IM’s two lunar lander missions.

This raises a compelling question: What value could be created if space companies develop strategies to proactively pursue sponsorships? (5/23)

Indian Astronaut Among Private Crew Launching to Space on June 8 (Source: The National)
An international crew of four is set to launch on a private mission to the International Space Station on June 8. Organized by Axiom Space, the mission, Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), will lift off from a spaceport in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Crew Dragon capsule. On-board will be veteran NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, along with three citizens from India, Poland and Hungary, the first time these countries will be represented aboard the ISS. (5/23)

KBR to Develop Facility at NASA JSC Research Park in Texas (Source: KHOU)
KBR Inc. is planning a major facility to anchor NASA’s Exploration Park development, the Houston-based contractor said this week. KBR signed a letter of intent to build a 45,000-square-foot facility on the 207 acres currently leased and being developed by Austin-based ACMI Properties. The facility would work to support the low Earth orbit economy, a term referring to the area of space where space stations and some satellites operate.

KBR said it is trying to meet demand for “advanced human-centric systems,” such as tailored food, nutrition and packaging. “This KBR-led capability will serve as a critical resource for NASA and its provider community by delivering safe, expertly developed food solutions tailored for human performance on spaceflight missions,” said Mark Kavanaugh. (5/23)

Galaxies Battle in ‘Cosmic Joust’ Witnessed by Astronomers for the First Time (Source: CNN)
Astronomers have for the first time spotted two galaxies in the throes of a deep-space “duel.” Using combined observations from ground-based telescopes over nearly four years, the researchers saw the distant galactic neighbors charging toward each other at more than 1.1 million miles per hour (1.8 million kilometers per hour). One repeatedly wielded its intense beams of radiation at the other, dispersing gas clouds and weakening its opponent’s ability to form new stars.

“That’s why we call it a ‘cosmic joust,’” said Pasquier Noterdaeme, a researcher for the Paris Institute of Astrophysics and the French-Chilean Laboratory for Astronomy in Chile who was part of the team that made the discovery. What Noterdaeme and his colleagues spied was a distant snapshot of the two galaxies in the process of merging into one large galaxy 11 billion light-years away. The findings, described in a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, provide a rare look into earlier times in the universe, when star formation and galaxy mergers were more common. (5/23)

Scout Space Wins Space Force Funding for GEO Space Domain Awareness (Source: Via Satellite)
Scout Space has won a new contract from the U.S. Space Force to deliver a new GEO Geostationary Orbit (GEO) space awareness domain (SDA) sensor. The contract, worth $3.8 million, is a Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) Sequential Phase II contract by the USSF Space Systems Command (SSC) Space Safari Office, with $1.9 million coming from both SpaceWERX and Scout Space’s private match. (5/22)

SpaceX IDs Raptor Engine Issue During March 6 Super-Heavy Landing (Source: SpaceX)
Two of the 13 Raptor engines intended for the Super-Heavy booster stage landing did not work as planned during SpaceX's March 6 Starship mission. The most probable cause for engines not relighting during the boostback and landing burn phases was traced to torch ignition issues on the individual engines caused by thermal conditions local to the igniter. Post-flight testing was able to replicate the issue and engines on future flights will have additional insulation as mitigation. (5/22)

SpaceX: Starship Failures in Flights 7 and 8 Were Not Related (Source: SpaceX)
Approximately five and a half minutes into its ascent burn, a flash was observed in the aft section of the vehicle near one of the center Raptor sea level engines followed by an energetic event that resulted in the loss of the engine. Immediately after, the remaining two center Raptor engines and one of the Raptor vacuum engines shut down and vehicle control authority was lost. ...It is expected that the Autonomous Flight Safety System fired upon loss of communication, ensuring vehicle breakup following the mishap.

The most probable root cause for the loss of Starship was identified as a hardware failure in one of the upper stage’s center Raptor engines that resulted in inadvertent propellant mixing and ignition. To address the issue on upcoming flights, engines on the Starship’s upper stage will receive additional preload on key joints, a new nitrogen purge system, and improvements to the propellant drain system.

While the failure manifested at a similar point in the flight timeline as Starship’s seventh flight test, it is worth noting that the failures are distinctly different. The mitigations put in place after Starship’s seventh flight test to address harmonic response and flammability of the ship’s attic section worked as designed prior to the failure on Flight 8. (5/23)

Have We Finally Solved Mystery of Magnetic Moon Rocks? (Source: Ars Technica)
NASA's Apollo missions brought back moon rock samples for scientists to study. We've learned a great deal over the ensuing decades, but one enduring mystery remains. Many of those lunar samples show signs of exposure to strong magnetic fields comparable to Earth's, yet the Moon doesn't have such a field today. So, how did the moon rocks get their magnetism?

There have been many attempts to explain this anomaly. The latest comes from MIT scientists, who argue in a new paper published in the journal Science Advances that a large asteroid impact briefly boosted the Moon's early weak magnetic field—and that this spike is what is recorded in some lunar samples. (5/23)

Chinese Launch Cadence Accelerates, Tianwen-2 Prepares for Launch (Source: NSF)
This month has seen the launches of three different commercial Chinese rockets, and the return-to-flight of a rocket that last flew in mid-2021. China has also begun deploying the world’s first space-based computing satellite constellation. Meanwhile, preparations are underway for China’s second interplanetary mission — a milestone two-part journey to return samples from an asteroid and study a comet. The number of Chinese orbital launches has increased by a third in 2025, and the number of payloads delivered to orbit has doubled from 2024, with over 140 payloads deployed to date. (5/23)

Chinese Rocket Dumps Fuel Over US to Paint Colossal White Streak in the Sky (Source: Space.com)
Skywatchers across the U.S. were treated to a startling sight on May 17 as a mysterious white plume tore through the sky during a surprise geomagnetic storm. At first glance, you could be mistaken for thinking it was a strange version of STEVE — a rare atmospheric phenomenon that can accompany the northern lights. But skywatchers quickly realized it was something entirely different.

The culprit? A Chinese rocket launch. Roughly an hour earlier, Chinese company Landscape launched its Zhuque-2E methane-fueled rocket from Site 96 at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center (JSLC) in China. When the upper stage reached about 155 miles in altitude, it carried out a "fuel dump" according to astronomer Jonathan McDowell, whereby the ejected fuel froze into a ribbon of crystals which then reflected sunlight back to Earth, appearing as a distinct white streak in the sky. (5/23)

Raytheon Secures $380 Million Contract Extension for GPS Ground Control System (Source: Spacce News)
The U.S. Space Force awarded Raytheon a $379.7 million contract extension to continue development of the long-delayed Next Generation Operational Control System (OCX), a critical software upgrade for the Global Positioning System (GPS) infrastructure now more than eight years behind schedule.

The extension follows a $196.7 million award in November and adds another year of work as the Space Force targets operational readiness by 2026. According to the Department of Defense, the total value of the OCX contract, including all options, has reached approximately $4.6 billion. (5/23)

Space Forge Inc. Appoints Dr. Atul Kumar as US Head of Semiconductors (Source: Space Forge)
Florida-based Space Forge Inc., the US subsidiary of the UK-based leader in in-space manufacturing, has appointed Dr. Atul Kumar as Head of Semiconductors in the U.S. This marks a significant milestone as the company accelerates plans to establish a US-based manufacturing capability for semiconductor materials, supporting both Earth-based production and in-space innovation, in line with the CHIPS and Science Act. (5/11)

CisLunar Industries Unveils Breakthrough Step Toward Star Trek Tractor Beams (Source: CisLunar)
CisLunar Industries, a commercial space leader providing critical power and manufacturing infrastructure for the space industrial economy, has announced a groundbreaking advancement in remote object manipulation: the first universal system capable of 3D position control of any electrically conductive material using time-varying magnetic fields.

This innovation shatters previous limitations that restricted magnetic manipulation to soft or hard-magnetic materials, unlocking new possibilities across industries. This breakthrough, recently published in IEEE, is a giant leap toward making the legendary Star Trek tractor beam a reality. (5/13)

Zero Gravity Corp. Secures $13M Contract with Space Force for Azimuth Program Support (Source: ZERO-G)
Zero Gravity Corp. (ZERO-G) announces a $13 million contract with the U.S. Space Force to support the Azimuth Program at the U.S. Air Force Academy. The contract encompasses 12 parabolic flights in 2025, with options for an additional 12 flights in each of the next three years. The Azimuth Program aims to advance aerospace education and innovation through hands-on, cutting-edge experiences.

ZERO-G’s parabolic flights will provide cadets and researchers with unique microgravity environments to conduct experiments and training critical to the Space Force’s mission of developing advanced space capabilities. The flights will be conducted using ZERO-G’s modified Boeing 727, G-FORCE ONE, which creates periods of weightlessness through carefully executed parabolic maneuvers. (5/22)

This Billionaire Venezuelan Immigrant Is Racing Elon Musk To Connect Your Phone From Space (Source: Forbes)
Last September, a crowd of seasoned spectators gathered at Cape Canaveral, Florida, to watch as SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket took flight for the 373rd time. But it wasn’t carrying yet another of Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites to join the 7,100-plus he has already circling Earth. Onboard instead were five satellites from AST SpaceMobile, a tiny Starlink rival that SpaceX has derided as a “meme stock” in regulatory filings with the federal government. Each was equipped with a 700-square-foot antenna that would unfold in orbit, an early step in establishing a network AST hopes will someday best the incumbent mocking it.

The size of these antennas—and the even larger 2,400-square-foot version that will succeed them—are key to CEO and founder Abel Avellan’s plan to win a new market: satellite internet beamed directly to your phone. In contrast to SpaceX, which uses thousands of satellites to connect residences, businesses, vehicles and even the White House to the internet, AST’s super-large antennas should give it global coverage with just 90 satellites. The company plans to launch 60 into orbit by the end of 2026. (5/22)

Samsung to Develop South Korean Spaceport (Source: Korea Global)
Samsung Group is stepping up efforts to venture into the space infrastructure industry, a sector analysts say remains a blue ocean where South Korea could secure a first-mover advantage. Samsung C&T Corp. recently kicked off early-stage research and development on a so-called “space plant” project that includes the construction of a rocket launch facility, according to industry sources on Tuesday.

The construction and engineering company is in talks with Seoul National University’s Department of Aerospace Engineering to establish an R&D center to build a rocket launch site. The move comes after Samsung Research under Samsung Electronics Co. hired space experts for the first time in its history early this year. (5/20)

Constellation Technologies & Operations (CTO) and ESA Cooperate on European Space-Based 5G Connectivity (Source: ESA)
An agreement to test a European-designed and developed 5G mmWave telecommunications infrastructure in low Earth orbit will pave the way for hybrid, universal, and autonomous connectivity. CTO and ESA will conduct joint experiments in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) with a regenerative payload operating in the 5G mmWave band, scheduled for launch in June 2025. (5/23)

House Bill Adds Another $150 Billion to DoD Budget (Source: Breaking Defense)
The House has narrowly passed a GOP-backed reconciliation bill that includes $150 billion in additional defense spending, with significant funding for the "Golden Dome" missile defense system, shipbuilding, and munitions production. The Golden Dome missile defense system is a centerpiece of the new defense spending bill, receiving $24.7 billion as a down payment. This funding is part of a larger $175 billion plan for the system to enhance the nation's ballistic and cruise missile defenses. (5/22)

Wisk, NASA Partner on Autonomous Aircraft Integration (Sources: AIN, Flying)
Boeing subsidiary Wisk Aero has entered a five-year partnership with NASA to advance the integration of autonomous aircraft into the National Airspace System. Using NASA's Live Virtual Constructive simulated airspace, the collaboration will focus on developing new requirements and procedures for advanced air mobility. The initiative is part of NASA's broader effort to prepare for the next generation of self-flying and advanced air mobility aircraft. (5/22)

Space Force Seeks Commercial Help for LEO Tracking (Source: Defense News)
The US Space Force has issued a request for information from commercial companies for low Earth orbit tracking capabilities. The Space Force has identified a growing need for enhanced monitoring capabilities in low Earth orbit due to the increasing number of commercial and government satellites. (5/22)