May 5, 2025

Axiom Advances Space Health Tech and Cancer Studies with Ax 4 Mission (Source: Space Daily)
Axiom Space is redefining research in orbit through its fourth mission to the International Space Station, known as Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4). This milestone mission carries the highest number of scientific projects ever for Axiom, with approximately 60 investigations representing 31 nations. Participating countries include the United States, India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, the UAE, and numerous European states, illustrating the global commitment to space-based scientific progress.

Among the highlighted studies is a collaboration with UAE healthcare provider Burjeel Holdings to explore the viability of space missions for astronauts with insulin-dependent diabetes. The project focuses on glucose monitoring accuracy, data sharing, and insulin stability in microgravity. By proving these technologies in space, Axiom aims to broaden astronaut eligibility and enhance remote care for patients on Earth. (5/5)

Eutelsat Replaces CEO (Source: Eutelsat)
Eutelsat is replacing its CEO. The satellite operator announced Monday it hired Jean-François Fallacher as CEO, effective June 1, replacing Eva Berneke. Fallacher was previously CEO of mobile phone operator Orange France. The company said only that the move "comes as a natural change that fully aligns Eutelsat to the telecom ecosystem." Eutelsat added that it will release its fiscal third quarter financial results May 15, and that the results will be in line with predictions. (5/5)

NASA Hope to Re-Establish Lunar Trailblazer Control (Source: Space News)
NASA will continue efforts to recover the Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft through the middle of June. Lunar Trailblazer launched as a secondary payload on the IM-2 mission in late February, but lost contact with the ground hours after launch. Engineers believe the spacecraft is in a slow spin, and hope a change in orientation over the next several weeks will allow more sunlight to reach its panels, charging its batteries and turning on its radio. NASA says if control of Lunar Trailblazer can be reestablished, it will review if it is still possible for the spacecraft to carry out its original mission to orbit the moon to map water ice deposits. If not, NASA will close out the mission. (5/5)

Inversion Space Completes Re-Entry Vehicle Test (Source: Space News)
Inversion Space has wrapped up the first flight of the company's reentry vehicle, but without a reentry. The company said last week its Ray mission, launched into low Earth orbit on a SpaceX rideshare mission in January, was now complete. The spacecraft was to perform a controlled reentry, splashing down off the California coast, but the company said a short circuit in its propulsion system kept the deorbit burn from occurring. Inversion called the mission "profoundly valuable" nonetheless, demonstrating other technologies it will incorporate into its next vehicle, Arc. (5/5)

South Korea Cubesat to Launch with Artemis 2 (Source: Dong-A Ilbo)
A South Korean cubesat will fly on the Artemis 2 mission. The South Korean space agency KASA said Friday it signed an agreement with NASA to fly the K-RadCube spacecraft as a secondary payload on Artemis 2 next year. The 12U cubesat will go into a high Earth orbit to study radiation in the Van Allen belts. (5/5)

Chinese Scientist Li Licheng (Aged 84) Signs Up for Space Travel (Source: SCMP)
Power grid engineering expert Li Licheng has signed a contract with a Chinese private commercial crewed space flight company, booking a seat on a space tourism voyage – at the age of 84. Li, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, booked a seat on the inaugural flight, which will depart in 2028, according to a post on Beijing Interstellor Human Spaceflight Technology’s social media account on April 17. (5/4)

Terran Orbital Joins Elite Group for $237 Million US Space Force Tech Program (Source: Space Today)
Terran Orbital Corporation has been selected by the U.S. Space Force to participate in the Space Test Experiments Platform (STEP) 2.0 program, a 10-year Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract worth up to $237 million. Managed by the Space Systems Command, the initiative supports the Department of Defense's efforts to accelerate the deployment and validation of advanced space technologies.

Under the STEP 2.0 contract, Terran Orbital will compete for task orders to design and deliver modular small satellite buses. These compact spacecraft, comparable in size to a microwave or small refrigerator, will host experimental payloads such as advanced sensors, navigation instruments, and communications systems. They are intended to serve as flexible platforms for demonstrating next-generation space capabilities. (5/5)

Space Force Strengthens Missile Warning Network with Next Generation SBIRS S2E2 System (Source: Space Daily)
The Strategic Missile Warning Ground and Integration Acquisition Delta, part of Space Systems Command (SSC), in coordination with Space Operations Command's Mission Delta 4, has officially accepted the Space Based Infrared System (SBIRS) Survivable Endurable Evolution (S2E2) system for operational use. This critical milestone, achieved on April 25, 2025, enhances the resilience of the U.S. missile warning architecture in increasingly contested and degraded operational environments.

The S2E2 system replaces the outdated Mobile Ground System (MGS), which dates back to the 1960s and was originally used for Defense Support Program (DSP) operations. The new system includes modern, mobile ground terminals designed to handle data from both SBIRS and nuclear detonation (NUDET) detection systems. By combining SBIRS Mobile Ground Terminals with Universal Ground Nuclear Detection Terminals, S2E2 delivers significant improvements in capability, survivability, and deployment agility. (5/2)

Van Hoeydonck, First Artist to Exhibit on Moon, Dies (Source: Space Daily)
Belgian artist Paul Van Hoeydonck, who made what was for decades the only work of art on the Moon, died on Saturday aged 99, his family said. Born on October 8, 1925, Van Hoeydonck was a prolific artist whose works spanned sculpture, painting, drawing, collage and graphic design. He is best known for "Fallen Astronaut", an aluminum sculpture left on the moon in 1971 by the crew of the Apollo 15 spacecraft, in homage to their fallen colleagues. (5/3)

Europe’s Failed Quest for Independence in Space (Source: Foreign Policy)
On March 30, a German start-up launched a rocket designed to place small satellites into orbit from Europe. Taking off from Norway’s Andøya spaceport above the Arctic Circle, it was the first-ever attempt to reach orbit from anywhere in Europe outside Russia and would have been a milestone in Europe’s goal of gaining independent access to space.

Constructed by Isar Aerospace, the two-stage rocket named Spectrum lasted approximately 40 seconds before exploding. It is, of course, nothing unusual for a new rocket to fail on its first attempt. Nevertheless, the failure reflects broader shortcomings in Europe’s space ambitions that carry strong implications for European strategic autonomy.

Europe’s defense deficiencies go beyond long-dwindled stocks of ammunition, missiles, and components; a fragmented defense industry; and inadequate funding. It simply lacks the platforms and strategic enablers necessary to undertake military operations in a major war. Click here. (5/5)

Spacecraft That Sweat? A Cool New Way to Tackle Atmospheric Reentry (Source: Texas A&M)
The Department of Aerospace Engineering at Texas A&M University is partnering with Canopy Aerospace to develop and test a 3D-printed material that releases or “sweats” a coolant gas to protect spacecraft. This technology, part of a $1.7 million Air Force Small Business Technology Transfer grant, could enable the design of fully and rapidly reusable spacecraft. (4/30)

Texas Space Commission Selects Intuitive Machines to Advance Earth Reentry and Microgravity Biomanufacturing Spacecraft (Source: Intuitive Machines)
The Texas Space Commission has selected Intuitive Machines for a grant up to $10 million from the Space Exploration and Research Fund (“SEARF”). This funding supports the development of an Earth reentry vehicle and orbital fabrication lab designed to enable microgravity biomanufacturing and is intended to serve as a critical risk-reduction platform for the Company’s future lunar sample return missions. (4/29)

Moon RACER Activates Self-Driving Mode for Lunar Exploration (Source: Intuitive Machines)
Just over a year since receiving NASA’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services feasibility assessment contract, the Intuitive Machines-led Moon RACER team has hit another milestone in its development timeline: successful integration and testing of its autonomous driving system.

CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, and Moon RACER teammate, provided the autonomy software that uses the point cloud and vehicle sensor inputs to figure out the vehicle’s exact location and orientation, build a local map, spot potential hazards like rocks or slopes, and decide the safest way to drive. (5/1)