June 16, 2025

Hubble’s Dusty Surprise: Why Uranus’ Moons Are Darker on the “Wrong” Side (Source: SciTech Daily)
The four moons in this study — Ariel, Umbriel, Titania, and Oberon — are tidally locked to Uranus, so that they always show the same side to the planet. The side of the moon facing the direction of travel is called the leading hemisphere, while the side that faces backward is called the trailing hemisphere. The thinking was that charged particles trapped along the magnetic field lines primarily hit each moon’s trailing side, which would darken that hemisphere.

Researchers suspect that Uranus’ magnetosphere may be fairly quiescent, or it may be more complicated than previously thought. Perhaps interactions between Uranus’ moons and magnetosphere are happening, but for some reason, they’re not causing asymmetry in the leading and trailing hemispheres as researchers suspected. The answer will require further investigation into enigmatic Uranus, its magnetosphere, and its moons. (6/15)

Congress Wants New NASA Nominee ASAP (Source: Space News)
Members of Congress are asking the White House to swiftly select a new nominee for NASA administrator. In briefings at the Paris Air Show Monday, House and Senate members said they were surprised that the White House withdrew the nomination of Jared Isaacman to lead NASA. They said it was important to get a new person nominated, and then confirmed by the Senate, to provide long-term leadership for NASA. They also expressed some concerns about the proposed NASA budget that would cut agency funding by about 25%. Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX), chairman of the House Science Committee, said he backed a proposal by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) to add $10 billion to a budget reconciliation bill for NASA human spaceflight programs. (6/16)

Ursa Major to Provide Engines for Stratolaunch Tests (Source: Space News)
Ursa Major won a contract to provide engines for Stratolaunch's hypersonic vehicles. Under the $32.9 million contract announced Monday, Colorado-based Ursa Major will deliver an upgraded variant of its Hadley engine for use in Stratolaunch's reusable hypersonic vehicle called Talon-A. The contract covers 16 such engines. Hadley engines have powered multiple Talon-A missions, and the upgraded version will offer increased reusability. The engine produces 5,000 pounds-force of thrust and operates on liquid oxygen and kerosene. (6/16)

ESA Approves Plan for Earth Observation Satellite System (Source: Space News)
ESA is also moving ahead with a Earth observation satellite program with security applications. The ESA Council formally approved an "enabling resolution" last week instructing the agency to prepare a proposal for the European Resilience from Space (ERS) program, which will include high-resolution optical and radar satellites with revisit times as short as 30 minutes. ESA member states will be asked to contribute about one billion euros ($1.15 billion) to ERS at the November ministerial as the first phase of the program. It will eventually be a joint effort with the European Commission envisioned as a "system of systems" that will include the IRIS² secure connectivity constellation and a low Earth orbit navigation system that will give European governments independent access to such capabilities for civil and military applications. (6/16)

China Launches Science Satellite on Long March 2D (Source: Space News)
China launched a scientific satellite Saturday. A Long March 2D rocket lifted off at 3:56 a.m. Eastern from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, placing into orbit the China Seismo-Electromagnetic Satellite-2 (CSES-2), also known as Zhangheng-2. The satellite, the successor to the CSES-1 spacecraft launched in 2018, will look for correlations between earthquakes and electron flux activity in the inner Van Allen belt, which could be used to predict seismic activity. The satellite includes contributions from Italy and Austria. (6/16)

China's Cangyu Plans Data Relay Constellation (Source: Space News)
A Chinese company is proposing to develop a data relay satellite constellation. Cangyu Space Technology presented its plans at a Chinese conference earlier this month. The constellation will consist of 13 satellites in different orbits: six in medium Earth orbit, four in geostationary orbit and three in inclined geosynchronous orbits. According to the company presentation, use cases appear to include data relay for UAVs, launch vehicle telemetry, maritime and aviation assets and potentially Internet of Things and data nodes in remote or rural areas. The first satellite is in production for a launch by the end of next year. (6/16)

White House "Reviewing" SpaceX Contracts (Source: Reuters)
The White House is reportedly "reviewing" SpaceX contracts with the U.S. government. According to sources, the White House asked NASA and the Defense Department to provide it with details about its existing contracts with the company, just after Elon Musk's acrimonious departure from the Trump administration. It's unclear what the White House was specifically reviewing and what steps it might take to cancel or revise those contracts, steps that could impair operations by the space agency and military. (6/16)

ICEYE Radar Imaging Added to SkyFi Satellite Data Platform (Source: Space Daily)
SkyFi and ICEYE US have launched a strategic partnership to incorporate ICEYE's synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data into the SkyFi Earth observation platform. The agreement initiates a broader collaboration aimed at expanding access to commercial radar imaging, with ICEYE tasking and archive features set to appear soon in SkyFi's web and mobile tools.

ICEYE operates the largest commercial SAR satellite constellation, boasting more than 50 satellites. Its integration into SkyFi's interface allows users to access radar imaging by simply defining an area of interest and choosing between tasking or archived data. This provides critical support for applications such as port monitoring, infrastructure assessment, and coastal surveillance. (6/16)

NATO Partners with Planet Labs to Boost global Surveillance and Early Warning Capability (Source: Space Daily)
Planet Labs has secured a seven-figure agreement with NATO to deliver a comprehensive daily monitoring and intelligence platform, reinforcing the Alliance's ability to respond swiftly to global developments. The contract comes amid heightened efforts by European nations to bolster defense readiness in light of evolving geopolitical tensions.

Under this agreement, Planet will integrate its PlanetScope Broad Area Monitoring technology with advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) analytics. This combination aims to deliver persistent space-based surveillance, early warning indicators, and enhanced maritime domain awareness (MDA) to NATO decision-makers. (6/16)

Muon Space Secures $146 Million to Scale Satellite Manufacturing and Defense Constellations (Source: Space Daily)
Muon Space has finalized an $89.5 million Series B1 funding round, bringing its total Series B raise to $146 million. The new capital mix includes $44.5 million in equity and $45 million in credit facilities, building on the initial Series B secured in August 2024.

The funding will accelerate Muon's scale-up strategy, expanding its satellite production capacity, vertically integrating key systems such as propulsion and infrared/radio frequency instruments, and enhancing its automated constellation operations platform and global ground station footprint. With a 50% workforce increase since December and over $100 million in contracts signed in 2024, Muon's growth includes a major deal with SNC to develop satellites for the Vindler commercial RF sensing network. (6/16)

Elon Musk Eyes Launch Opportunities from South Africa’s Western Cape (Source: Space in Africa)
Elon Musk has expressed strong interest in possibly launching SpaceX rockets from South Africa’s Denel Overberg Test Range near Arniston, a move that could strengthen the country’s emerging role in the global space economy. Following a high-profile diplomatic exchange between former President Donald Trump and South African officials, the proposal was raised during a closed-door meeting at the White House.

According to individuals familiar with the discussions, Musk expressed interest in two key areas relating to South Africa: access to the Overberg site for orbital launches, and concerns about the availability of rare-earth magnets amid tightening export restrictions from China. (6/12)