May 3, 2025

Orlando, Denver Lockheed Martin Workers Strike Over Pay, Labor Practices (Source: Fox35 Orlando)
Union members have gone on strike at Lockheed Martin facilities in Orlando, Florida, and Denver, Colorado, after negotiations over a new labor agreement were rejected, union officials and Lockheed Martin confirmed. The union alleges unfair labor practices by Lockheed Martin, as well as disagreements over starting salary, pay scale and raises, and recognizing Veterans Day as a company holiday. Lockheed Martin claims its best-and-final offer to the union was rejected by its members. (5/1)

Big Cuts to Major NASA Missions (Source: NASA Watch)
Acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro described the following proposed Trump Administration cuts to the agency's highest profile programs: Ending the Mars Sample Return (MSR) Program and positioning NASA to lead future sample return efforts through human missions; and retiring the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket, Orion spacecraft, and their ground systems after Artemis III, and ending the Gateway Program – opening the door to next-generation commercial systems and expanded international collaboration.

Also, the agency would end green aviation spending, while advancing technologies for air traffic control; and decommissioning the ISS in 2030, taking a more cost-effective approach that includes reducing the space station’s crew size and focusing onboard research on efforts critical to future exploration of the Moon and Mars. Amid such cuts, NASA would get more than $7 billion toward returning to the Moon and more than $1 billion in new investments to accelerate human missions to Mars. (5/2)

Terran Orbital Picked for $237M Space Force Contract (Source: Orange County Business Journal)
Irvine-based small-satellite maker Terran Orbital Corp. said it has been selected by the U.S. Space Force as one of 12 companies awarded a position on the Space Test Experiments Platform contract. “This 10-year, $237 million indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, administered by Space Systems Command, supports the Department of Defense’s broader Space Test Program to accelerate the deployment and validation of advanced space-based technologies,” the company said. (5/2)

Army to Roll Out Enlisted Space Ops Specialty (Source: DoD)
The Army confirmed it will implement a new space domain-related enlisted military occupational specialty by next fall, the service's top space officer announced during a media briefing at the Pentagon today. Initially announced by the Army's deputy chief of staff in December 2024, the MOS — titled 40D space operations specialist — is on track to become official by October 2026, the commander of Army Space and Missile Defense Command, Army Lt. Gen. Sean A. Gainey, told reporters. (5/2)

Space Force Isn’t Space Command, But it Does Have a Huntsville Presence (Source: AL.com)
Are you ready to move to Huntsville? is a question U.S. Space Force Commanding General B. Chance Saltzman says he is asked “all of the time.” That is because people often confuse the newest branch of the armed services he commands with U.S. Space Command, which may be on its way to the Rocket City under President Donald Trump’s second administration. “I have to remind people that’s Space Command, not Space Force,” said Saltzman. (5/2)

The Unopposed Candidates Who Would Run Starbase TX Town (Source: Texas Tribune)
Little is publicly known about the three people poised to lead Texas’ next city, Starbase, which includes the launch site for Elon Musk’s SpaceX. There have been no signs of a traditional campaign along the Boca Chica Beach region in South Texas, where the proposed town is located about 20 miles east of Brownsville. No yard signs. No campaign websites. No candidate forums. In fact, each candidate signed a pledge not to accept more than $1,110 in political contributions for this election.

The dearth of campaigning stems in part from the fact all three are running unopposed. If a majority of the nearly 300 eligible voters — many SpaceX employees — approve the city’s incorporation Saturday, the three candidates win automatically. And they’ll be tasked with creating the city from the ground up. Click here. (5/2)

Trump’s Space Budget Reflects Influence of Elon Musk and SpaceX (Source: New York Times)
SpaceX, already one of the biggest NASA and Pentagon contractors, could win billions of dollars in new contracts if President Trump’s budget proposal is approved by Congress. At the Pentagon, Mr. Trump is calling for a massive jump in spending, an extraordinary 13 percent increase, almost entirely through allocations in a Congressional budget reconciliation plan under consideration.

The jump would happen while many other federal agencies would be slashed, in part to supercharge federal spending in two areas where SpaceX is positioned to profit: a vast missile defense system and space missions to Mars and the moon. Mr. Trump has proposed a Golden Dome defense system to track and kill missiles headed toward U.S. targets. Pentagon officials say SpaceX is considered likely to be the top recipient of this burst of new spending.

That is because SpaceX manufactures both rockets that can launch military payloads into orbit and satellite systems that can deliver the surveillance and targeting tools needed for the project, which would require the largest military investments the United States has ever made in space. (5/2)

Who Gets to be Called an Astronaut? (Source: The Conversation)
The recent all-women spaceflight carried out on Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin vehicle has raised discussion of who gets to be called an astronaut. Sean Duffy, Donald Trump’s transportation secretary, disputed the astronaut title given to those on the flight, including singer Katy Perry and journalist Gayle King. The term astronaut was only rarely disputed until the first “celebrity” suborbital flight in 2021. In the 1960s, pilots flying the experimental, rocket-powered X-15 jet were awarded astronaut status by the US Air Force if they flew above 50 miles (80km). Click here. (5/2)

Nova Scotia Could Be Entering the Space Race (Source: Canadian Geographic)
Nestled on the northeast coast of Nova Scotia is Canso, a town of 71,000 known for its lighthouses and incredible fishing. But the region, located on the traditional lands of the Paqnkek Mi’kmaw Nation, may soon have another claim to fame —  as the home base for an active spaceport.

Maritime Launch Services wants to launch Canadian-made rockets over the Atlantic Ocean, sending satellites around the poles or over the equator as needed. While these plans remain at an early stage, the community is already preparing to host the initial influx of staff who have arrived to oversee the construction and early development of its facility. Click here. (5/2)

Trump Budget Would Cut "Grossly Expensive" Huntsville-Based SLS Rocket (Source: AL.com)
The budget request would cut $879 million from “legacy” spaceflight projects like SLS and the Orion crew capsule by phasing them out after the Artemis 3 mission, which will land humans on the moon for the first time since Apollo 17 and is planned for a mid-2027 launch.

A 2024 study found a greater economic impact for NASA’s Artemis-related work in Alabama than in any other state. It tallied $5.1 billion in effects and attributed much of that to the reach of Marshall Space Flight Center. In addition to the SLS, Marshall Space Flight Center manages the lunar landing aspects of Artemis, as well as developing software and building adapters for various stages of the spacecraft. (5/2)

NASA Budget Proposal Boosts Human Exploration at Expense of Science (Source: Flying)
The proposal props up NASA human space exploration while casting a dark shadow over the space agency’s science and other programs. The Mars Sample Return mission, Space Launch System rocket, Orion capsule, and Gateway space station all face impacts from cuts to their respective programs.

“Slashing NASA’s budget by this much, this quickly, without the input of a confirmed NASA administrator or in response to a considered policy goal, won’t make the agency more efficient—it will cause chaos, waste the taxpayers’ investment, and undermine American leadership in space,” The Planetary Society said in a statement Friday. (5/2)

Houston NASA Projects to be Slashed in Trump Budget (Source: Houston Chronicle)
President Donald Trump on Friday released a budget request that would slash NASA funding by nearly 25% and result in the end of Houston-area programs. “Houston has to worry,” Casey Dreier said. “This budget … it's indicative of a shift away from NASA-implemented spaceflight systems, particularly for human spaceflight.”

The ISS, with its operations and missions led by teams in Houston, would have its funding cut by $500 million, roughly a third of its estimated operating budget. The number of astronauts living on the station and the amount of research conducted would be reduced.

The budget request also detailed a $1.1 billion drop in “mission support,” which it said would entail streamlining the workforce, NASA center operations, facility maintenance, etc. Dreier said this aligns with the agency’s reduction in force plan that’s being worked on. A $1.1 billion drop could portend a 25% to 30% drop in NASA’s nationwide workforce, he said. NASA accounts for roughly 20,000 jobs in Texas. Nearly 3,000 full-time-equivalent federal employees worked at the Johnson Space Center in fiscal year 2023, the most recent data available. Another 17,359 contractor jobs were tied to NASA in Texas. (5/2)

Eric Schmidt Apparently Bought Relativity Space to Put Data Centers in Orbit (Source: Ars Technica)
In the nearly two months since former Google chief executive Eric Schmidt acquired Relativity Space, the billionaire has not said much publicly about his plans for the launch company. However, his intentions for Relativity now appear to be increasingly clear: He wants to have the capability to launch a significant amount of computing infrastructure into space. We know this because Schmidt appeared before the House Committee on Energy and Commerce in April, speaking on the future of AI and US competitiveness.

Schmidt noted that an average nuclear power plant in the United States generates 1 gigawatt of power. "People are planning 10 gigawatt data centers," Schmidt said. After seeing these comments by Schmidt, I reasoned that the former Google executive might have bought Relativity Space as a means to support the development of data centers in space. Such data centers, ideally, would be powered by solar panels and be able to radiate heat into the vacuum of space. (5/2)

Europe Begins Probing SES–Intelsat Merger on Competition Grounds (Source: Space News)
European regulators have launched a preliminary investigation into Luxembourg satellite fleet operator SES’ multi-billion-dollar plan to buy U.S.-based rival Intelsat. The European Commission set a June 10 deadline to decide whether to clear the deal with or without conditions, or open a full-scale, potentially four-month-long probe into any serious concerns about its effects on competition.

SES CEO Adel Al-Saleh told analysts during the company’s April 30 earnings call that the operator anticipates closing the transaction early in a previously forecasted window of the second half of 2025. (5/2)

Building the Space Workforce — How to Compete for Top Talent in a New Frontier (Source: Space News)
The space industry is entering a new era. No longer defined solely by national agencies and defense contractors, it now includes a fast-growing field of private innovators, venture-backed startups and visionary founders. In 2024 alone, startups in the sector brought in $8.6 billion in funding — a clear sign that investors are putting serious money behind commercial space companies and the people building them.

But there’s a gap between potential and reality. Without a steady pipeline of talent, even the most well-funded or well-engineered ideas risk stalling. Building the next generation of the space workforce is now mission-critical. Companies can’t afford to wait for perfect-fit candidates to knock on their doors — the industry is growing too fast and becoming too competitive. Leaders need to think strategically and creatively about workforce development. The companies that figure this out early will define the next decade of innovation. Click here. (5/2)

NASA Astronaut Notices "Slice" in Her Suit's Glove During Spacewalk (Source: Futurism)
This morning, NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers stepped outside the International Space Station inside their Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) suits. Less than an hour in, McClain noticed a "slice" in the index finger of her right glove, prompting ground control in Houston to have a closer look. Fortunately, the problem wasn't deemed serious enough to impact safety, and the spacewalk proceeded as planned. (5/1)

Trump Budget Would Cut $6 Billion From NASA, Phase Out SLS and Orion, Curtail ISS Operations (Source: Space News)
The White House is proposing major changes to NASA in its fiscal year 2026 budget request, seeking to phase out the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft as well as reduce operations of the International Space Station. The White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a top-level budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 May 2.

The so-called “skinny” budget includes overall funding levels and some details, but without the same level of detail as a full budget proposal. The full budget is expected in late May. For NASA, the skinny budget requests just $18.8 billion for the agency, a cut of nearly 25% from the $24.9 billion the agency received in the full-year continuing resolution for fiscal year 2025. (5/2)

Is Dark Energy Just Leftover Momentum From the Big Bang? (Source: Big Think)
This is a great question: one that’s deep, and compels us to look at the foundations of the expanding Universe. Let’s find out together! Click here. (5/2)

JWST Finds Coldest Exoplanet (Source: Science Alert)
In 2020, astronomers detected WD 1856+534 b, a gas giant that orbits a star 81 light-years from Earth. This exoplanet, which is roughly six times the mass of Jupiter (making it a "super-Jupiter"), was the first transiting planet known to orbit a white dwarf (WD) star. An international team of astronomers described their observations of this exoplanet using the Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) aboard the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). Their observation confirmed that WD 1856+534 b is the coldest exoplanet ever observed. (5/2)