June 29, 2025

Blue Origin’s New Shepard Completes 33rd Mission to Space (Source: Blue Origin)
Blue Origin successfully completed its 13th human spaceflight and the 33rd flight for the New Shepard program on Sunday from Texas. The crew included: Allie Kuehner and her husband, Carl Kuehner, Leland Larson, Freddie Rescigno, Jr., Owolabi Salis, and Jim Sitkin. Including today’s crew, New Shepard has now flown 70 people to space, including four who have flown twice. (6/29)

Space Systems Command Picks SpaceX to Launch Weather Satellite (Source: SSC)
Space Systems Command sets the stage to enhance global weather sensing and prediction model performance, along with research, development, and prototyping capabilities through award of latest National Security Space Launch Phase 3 Lane 1 task order. The $81,613,951 multi-manifest mission awarded to SpaceX makes use of available launch vehicle capacity to efficiently deliver capability to orbit. (6/27)

Rocket Lab Completes Record Launch Turnaround, Successfully Deploys 68th Electron Mission (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab Corporation (Nasdaq: RKLB) (“Rocket Lab” or “the Company”), a global leader in launch services and space systems, today successfully launched its 68th Electron rocket to deploy a single satellite to space for a confidential commercial customer. The mission was the second of two launches from the same launch site in less than 48 hours, a new launch record for the Company as it continues to deliver dedicated, repeatable and reliable access to space for satellite operators. (6/28)

Col. Brian Chatman Named New Commander of Space Launch Delta 45, Director of the Eastern Range (Source: Space Coast Daily)
Colonel Brian L. Chatman is the Space Launch Delta 45 installation commander and the Director of the Eastern Range at Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. As the SLD 45 commander, he runs the world’s busiest spaceport and is responsible for delivering infrastructure, operations, and support for all Eastern Range launch and test missions. As Director of the Eastern Range, he is responsible for the safety of launch and test operations across a 15-million-square-mile area.

Editor's Note: This was previously a role reserved for one-star general officers. I hear the shift to a colonel slot is due to ongoing plans to shrink DoD's general officer numbers. (6/28)

Firefly Advances Eclipse Launcher, Blue Ghost Lunar Lander, Ocula Imaging Service (Source: NSF)
Firefly Aerospace is continuing to make good progress toward the debut of the company’s next-generation launch vehicle, Eclipse, in partnership with Northrop Grumman. Firefly also announced Ocula, a new commercial lunar imaging service that will utilize the company’s Elytra orbital spacecraft bus. Additionally, the company is continuing to develop the lander and payloads for its second Blue Ghost mission to the Moon. (6/27)

Canadian Space Agency Allocates $5.5 Million for 2025 FAST Program (Source: SpaceQ)
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has allocated up to $5.5 million for the 2025 Flights and Fieldwork for the Advancement of Science and Technology (FAST) program. The CSA posted the 2025 FAST announcement of opportunity (AO) on its website this week. FAST is open to Canadian universities and post-secondary institutions and the funding is in the form of grants. (6/27)

OSHA Investigating Crane Collapse at SpaceX's South Texas Site (Source: Houston Chronicle)
A few days after a Starship rocket exploded while it was on a test stand in preparation for the next flight test, SpaceX's Starbase facilities experienced another hazard. On Tuesday, video captured by LabPadre during a livestream showed a crane collapsing at the Starbase site. SpaceX and the city of Starbase did not respond to a request for comment about the crane's collapse, but federal safety regulators are conducting a probe. (6/27)

Vision Unveiled to Position EU as Leader in Space Economy (Source: Silicon Republic)
On Wednesday (June 25), the European Commission unveiled its ‘Vision for the European Space Economy’, an initiative that aims to position the EU as a global leader in the space economy by 2050. The Vision outlines a strategy to ensure Europe captures a strong share of the global space market, while reinforcing its autonomy and technological edge, establishing over 40 actions to strengthen the EU’s space ecosystem.

Among these is the call to launch a ‘Space Team Europe’ – a high-level, inclusive forum of European space stakeholders including European Space Agency (ESA) and the EU Agency for the Space Program (EUSPA) “to unify fragmented efforts and consolidate capabilities across the EU”. (6/27)

Can China’s Commercial Space Firms Replicate SpaceX Magic? (Source: Straits Times)
The number of rocket launches in China by both state-owned and private firms is expected to hit a record high in 2025, according to Chinese industry reports, amid plans to ramp up investment in the sector. So far, China has carried out more than 30 orbital launches, including at least six in June, with more on the horizon. In 2024, the country recorded 68 orbital launches and in 2023, 67 launches. China’s space sector used to be tightly controlled by the state, until it was opened up to private companies in 2015. (6/27)

Orbex Pushes Saxavord Blast-Off Back to 2026 (Source: The Herald)
The first launch of one of the rockets scheduled to blast off from Scotland’s spaceport has been pushed back until next year. Rocket company Orbex had intended to stage a launch later this year from SaxaVord on Shetland, but has now said that it will happen in 2026. “Moving parts” - including infrastructure requirements and engagement with regulators – have been blamed for the delay. 

The hold-up means there is something of a space race taking place in Scotland. German company RFA, which already test-fired a rocket on the SaxaVord launchpad, has said it intends to launch from Shetland this year – meaning this would be the first rocket to use the site. (6/27)

ASI Taps OHB to Develop Lunar Oxygen Extraction Mission (Source: European Spaceflight)
The Italian space agency (ASI) has awarded OHB a contract to develop its ORACLE mission, which aims to validate technology for the extraction of oxygen from lunar regolith on the surface of the Moon. Work on the Oxygen Retrieval Asset by Carbothermal-reduction in Lunar Environment (ORACLE) mission began in July 2023 when ASI signed an agreement with the Polytechnic University of Milan (Politecnico di Milano) to start developing the core technology. (6/27)

Satellites Keep Breaking Up in Space. Insurance Won't Cover Them (Source: Space.com)
Airplane passengers crossing the Indian Ocean who peered out their windows on Oct. 19, 2024, might have seen what looked like a fast-moving star suddenly flash and fade. Above their heads, a $500 million satellite was exploding. Operators confirmed the destruction of the Intelsat-33e satellite two days later.

There was a bright flash as the satellite's fuel ignited, followed by the flickering of the debris cloud as it fragmented into at least 20 pieces. Those satellite parts are now zooming around Earth, along with around 14,000 tonnes of space debris. The satellite wasn't insured.

As space junk increases, more operators are choosing to launch without any insurance at all. To compensate, companies are cutting back on the cost of satellites and launching more of them at faster rates, thus creating a feedback loop as the cheaper satellites break up more easily and add to the problem. "I don't think it's sustainable," said Massimiliano Vasile. (6/28)