July 1, 2025

Is the US Forfeiting its Red Planet Leadership to China's Mars Sample Return Plan? (Source: Space.com)
While NASA's Mars Sample Return initiative is in political hot water, China is moving ahead on plotting out its rendezvous with the Red Planet. New details of China's aims are emerging. China's intent is to haul back to Earth a Mars treasure trove or rock and soil via its Tianwen-3 mission. The plan calls for launch of two boosters in 2028 in support of their Mars Sample Return (MSR), which could send at least a pound (500 grams) of the extraterrestrial goodies back to Earth around 2031.

A drill mounted on China's MSR lander would penetrate to a depth of 6.5 feet (2 meters) to collect several grams of subsurface samples, while a robotic arm will gather more than 400 grams of the foreign surface material from the landing site. Apparently, also on the agenda is use of a robotic helicopter. This drone, outfitted with an arm, is to be deployed for rock sampling at locations greater than 300 feet (over 100 meters) from the lander. (6/29)

UK’s Orbex and Germany’s Exolaunch Sign Strategic Partnership Agreement In Launch Services (Source: Orbex)
Orbex, the UK-based orbital launch services company, announced a strategic five-year partnership with Exolaunch, a global leader in launch services, mission management, deployment systems and integration services for small satellites. The agreement will see Orbex and Exolaunch collaborate to provide end-to-end launch services for small satellites. (7/1)

Northrop Grumman Shows SpaceX Doesn't Have a Monopoly on Explosions (Source: The Register)
Old Space has shown itself to be just as adept at explosive malfunctions as New Space, with Northrop Grumman encountering an anomaly during a static fire test of an updated solid rocket booster design. The test was the first demonstration test fire of NASA's Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension (BOLE) solid rocket booster, a five-segment booster intended for NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) once the US space agency exhausts its remaining inventory of parts from the Space Shuttle era.

The booster was secured to the ground at the Utah test site and fired for slightly more than two minutes. All went well for the first 100 seconds or so, until it appeared that the rocket's nozzle had failed. (6/30)

Human Remains Lost After Memorial Spaceflight Capsule Crashes Into the Sea (Source: Space.com)
A space capsule included on a recent SpaceX launch almost survived its decent back to Earth, so The Exploration Company is deeming their mission a "partial success".

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Transporter-14 rideshare mission June 23, sending 70 payloads from different customers into orbit. The satellites included cubesats and other spacecraft bound for low-Earth orbit, as well as two reentry capsule designed for recovery back on Earth.

The first came from Varda Space — the company's fourth "Winnebago" series spacecraft designed to test first-of-its-kind on-orbit pharmaceutical manufacturing. Its mission is still underway. The second, Tranporter-14's largest payload and the last to be released, was European spacecraft manufacturer The Exploration Company's "Mission Possible" Nyx capsule, carrying remains contributed by loved ones through Celestis Memorial Spaceflights. (6/26)

Sidus Space Partners with VORAGO Technologies to Advance Radiation-Hardened Tech (Source: Sidus Space)
Sidus Space announced a strategic collaboration with VORAGO Technologies to validate and integrate next-generation radiation-hardened microcontroller (MCU) technology through VORAGO’s Alpha Customer Program. Sidus Space has previously utilized VORAGO MCUs, but will now play a pivotal role in the early validation and system-level integration of VORAGO’s future high-performance radiation-hardened microcontroller. (6/30)

Skynopy Raises €15 Million to Build the First Real-Time, High-Speed, Satellite Ground Station Network (Source: Skynopy)
France's Skynopy completed a record fundraising round less than 18 months after its creation. With this new €15 million, Skynopy will work to deploy a global network of high-throughput ground stations (S, X and Ka bands), enabling real-time satellite data downlink services—particularly for Earth observation constellations. (6/30)

NOAA Budget Would Cancel Space Traffic Coordination Effort (Source: Space News)
NOAA’s fiscal year 2026 budget proposal would cancel the space traffic coordination system it is developing. The detailed NOAA budget proposal, released Monday, confirms speculation that NOAA would seek to end funding for the Traffic Coordination System for Space, or TraCSS. That program would take space situational awareness data from government and commercial sources to provide conjunction warnings and related services.

The Office of Space Commerce, within NOAA, has been developing TraCSS and is beta testing it with some satellite operators. NOAA argued in the budget that private entities could provide such services. A former head of the office, though, said that argument is a “fundamental misunderstanding” of the value of TraCSS to promote real-time data sharing and be an authoritative benchmark among other systems. Some industry groups have also called on NOAA to continue TraCSS. (7/1)

Space Force Satellites Set for Proximity Maneuvering (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force is working to develop a new generation of military satellites designed to maneuver unpredictably through space. Kelly Hammett, director of the Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO), an organization within the Space Force, outlined at a recent event a roadmap for what the military calls “dynamic space operations,” a catchall for orbital maneuvers considered too fuel-intensive or technically impractical for traditional satellites.

The office plans to develop geostationary satellites that would serve as testbeds for the dynamic operations concept. They would demonstrate not only maneuverability but the software and ground systems needed to make such operations routine.  Hammett did not provide an estimated timeline for the launch of these maneuverable spacecraft, which would be the office’s first “full-up” satellites. (7/1)

Chines Satellites in GEO Perform Proximity Maneuvering (Source: Space News)
Two Chinese spacecraft in GEO are conducting proximity operations for a second time. The Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 spacecraft appeared to come together June 30, according to optical ground tracking from Swiss company S2a systems. The two spacecraft came within a kilometer of each other on June 13 and may have docked. The spacecraft appear to be testing rendezvous and proximity operations technologies for an on-orbit refueling demonstration. (7/1)

Singapore's Liberatech Space Developing Analysis Tools for Mining (Source: Space News)
Singapore startup Liberatech Space is developing Earth observation analysis tools for the mining industry. The company, founded last year, is working to use satellite data to address challenges in the commodity, energy and environmental industries. It announced a partnership in June with Kongsberg Satellite Services of Norway to combine its extensive Earth observation and communications infrastructure with Liberatech’s artificial intelligence-enhanced analytics. (7/1)

Europe Space Law to Harmonize Regulations (Source: Space News)
The release of a draft European Union space law marks the start of discussions about space regulations in Europe. The European Commission released last week the long-awaited draft of the EU Space Act, which sets rules on topics such as space sustainability and cybersecurity of space systems. The act is designed to harmonize regulations across the EU, where 12 of 27 member states have national space laws.

However, specific details, like post-mission disposal timelines for satellites, are not included in the law itself but will be established later by a separate implementing act. Passing the EU Space Act by the European Council and European Parliament could take as long as two years, and the law would only apply to satellites launched starting in 2030. (7/1)

NASA Continues Efforts to Contact Lunar Trailblazer (Source: NASA)
NASA is trying a little longer to reestablish contact with a lunar smallsat. Contact with the Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft was lost shortly after its launch in February. NASA previously said it would try through mid-June to restore communications, but said Monday it will continue those efforts through early July, based on favorable lighting conditions. NASA hopes that enough sunlight can reach the spacecraft’s solar panels to power up its radio, but will consider closing out the mission if it does not hear from the spacecraft. NASA says that if contact can be restored with Trailblazer, it may still be possible to put it into a lunar orbit and carry out its mission to map lunar water ice. (7/1)

Italy Advances Lunar Mission (Source: European Spaceflight)
The Italian space agency ASI is funding the next phase of a lunar mission. ASI said last week it signed a contract with OHB Italia for the next phase of the Oxygen Retrieval Asset by Carbothermal-reduction in Lunar Environment (ORACLE) mission. ORACLE would fly a payload to the surface of the moon to test the ability to extract oxygen from lunar regolith. The new phase of the mission will allow work on ORACLE to proceed to the flight model stage. (7/1)

DoD Delays Cutoff of Weather Satellite Data to NOAA (Source: New York Times)
The Defense Department will continue to provide weather satellite data to forecasters, but only for a month. NOAA said Monday that microwave sounder data the DoD had provided from its weather satellites, which was due to be cut off at the end of June, would continue through July. NOAA said the original decision to stop providing the data was due to a “significant cybersecurity risk” but didn’t elaborate. Meteorologists had warned that the loss of the DoD weather satellite data could degrade the accuracy of forecasts of tropical weather systems. (7/1)

NASA Earth Imagery Coming to Netflix (Source: Hollywood Reporter)
NASA programming will soon be available on Netflix. The streaming service said Monday it will add NASA+ to its lineup later this summer, allowing subscribers access to live coverage of launches and related events. NASA unveiled NASA+ as a free streaming service last year, replacing NASA TV, and Netflix said adding NASA+ is part of its effort to add more live programming. (7/1)

Space is Hard. There is No Excuse for Pretending it’s Easy (Source: Space News)
The headlines in the space industry over the past month have delivered a sobering reminder: space is not forgiving, and certainly not friendly to overpromising entrepreneurs.

From iSpace’s second failed lunar landing attempt (making them 0 for 2) to SpaceX’s ongoing Starship test flight setbacks — amid a backdrop of exploding prototypes and shifting goalposts — the evidence is mounting that the commercialization of space is not progressing in the triumphant arc that press releases might suggest. This isn’t just a series of flukes. It points to a structural, strategic and cultural problem in how we talk about innovation, cost and success in space today. (6/30)

As SpaceX Landing Zone Lease Expires, Companies Negotiate Deal for Falcon-9 Landings (Source: Spectrum 13)
Last week’s Axiom 4 launch featured the return of SpaceX’s first stage Falcon 9 booster back at Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. This return is significant because the SpaceX lease on LZ-1 is coming to an end in July 2025. And it means that SpaceX’s famed Falcon 9 first-stage booster may be returning on a launch pad instead of LZ-1 during crewed missions.

Back in May 2023, Space Launch Delta 45 issued a press release, stating, “SLC 13, currently Landing Zone 1 and 2, is also moving forward with Phantom Space and Vaya Space.” It means that the existing launch complex property agreements for landing operations will be discontinued once the agreements expire.

“Vaya and Phantom are committed to making the best possible use of limited launch real estate on the Space Coast," said Vaya's Robert Fabian. "We’ve agreed among the three of us to extend SpaceX's use of SLC-13 through the end of the year while we are doing off-site preparations for adapting the site to our use, but that is still under review by SLD 45." (6/30)

Guardians on the West Coast: The Space and Missile Technology Center and Vandenberg Museum (Source: Space Review)
Last week a new museum opened outside the gates of Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Dwayne Day provides an overview of the museum’s development and its contents. Click here. (7/1)
 
Taiwan’s Satellites: A Lawfare Vulnerability and an Option to Cure and Enhance Deterrence Against the PRC (Source: Space Review)
Taiwan has a small but growing fleet of satellites, but could those satellites be in legal jeopardy ahead of any conflict involving China? In the first of a three-part report, Michael Listner sets the legal stage regarding ownership of space objects. Click here. (7/1)
 
Assigning an Identification to a Satellite, Revisited (Source: Space Review)
Analysts use various techniques to identify new space objects. Charles Phillips reexamines one approach he uses to help identify objects that are associated with one another, such as being on the same launch. Click here. (7/1)

UK Space Forge Satellite to Create Semiconductors in Low Earth Orbit — Could Advance AI Data Centers (Source: Tom's Hardware)
Manufacturing advanced computer components of the future may take place in space rather than on Earth. Space Forge, a UK-based startup, had its ForgeStar-1 satellite launched into orbit via SpaceX, paving the way for the satellite to ignite its forge and begin producing semiconductors in space.

ForgeStar-1 is officially the UK's first ever in-space manufacturing satellite, enabling the company to build semiconductors in space. The satellite was entirely designed and built in Cardiff, Wales, and launched into space as part of SpaceX's Transporter-14 rideshare mission. (6/28)

Space Shuttle Discovery's Potential Move to Houston Could Cost $300M-$400M, Smithsonian Says (Source: KHOU)
Texas Republicans want to bring Space Shuttle Discovery to town, but its current owners say Sen. Ted Cruz’s estimate to move the veteran spacecraft is way off. The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum confirmed to the Houston Business Journal that it provided a cost estimate of $300 million-$400 million to Congress this week as the Senate deliberates a massive spending package. (6/27)

What Happens When a Black Hole Devours a Neutron Star: Star Quakes and Monster Shock Waves (Source: SciTech Daily)
To explore the extreme physics behind this violent cosmic encounter, researchers turned to supercomputers. In a recent study, a team created the most detailed simulation yet of what happens just before a neutron star is swallowed. Their model shows how, about one second before the merger, the neutron star’s crust begins to crack apart in a massive quake triggered by the black hole’s intense gravity.

“The neutron star’s crust will crack open just like the ground in an earthquake,” Most says. “The black hole’s gravity first shears the surface, causing quakes in the star and the opening of rifts.” When a neutron star fractures -- a brief milliseconds-long window -- the most powerful predicted shock waves in the universe shoot outward from the star. (6/24)

The U.S. Space Force Wants You … to Start a Business (Source: Inc.)
It all started with an online posting about the Department of Defense’s desires. Last year, Nicholas Mehrle, a scientist, heard that the Space Systems Command, a part of the Space Force, had a few requests for entrepreneurs and researchers—29 requests, actually. They wanted help solving a slew of problems relating to what’s known as space domain awareness: figuring out what’s coming and going from space, what might be a threat, and what objects in space are where.

Those problems were posted on the homepage of an organization the command had recently started called the Space Domain Awareness TAP Lab. It exists to better engage with early-stage companies and academics with solid space solutions, in part through an affiliated startup accelerator called Apollo. The TAP Lab and its Apollo Accelerator are part of an ecosystem of Defense Department-sponsored programs that foster cutting-edge private technology and help smooth (and quicken) the path for startups whose innovations could have national-security applications. (6/26)

Iran Threatens to Flog Elon Musk's Starlink Users (Source: Newsweek)
Iran's parliament has voted to ban Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet service, marking a sharp escalation in its crackdown on outside influence after U.S. and Israeli strikes. Users of the SpaceX-operated satellite service now face penalties of fines, flogging, or up to two years in prison if they are caught, according to state media.

The law, which also toughens espionage rules, targets foreign-backed dissent. Though pending final approval, it reflects Tehran's growing alarm over Starlink's role as a digital lifeline during internet blackouts and a potent symbol in its information war with the West. (6/30)

Doubts That Eutelsat Can Answer Starlink Challenge (Source: CNBC)
Even though Eutelsat has been ramping up investments in LEO satellite with its OneWeb unit, experts say its technical architectures and orbital designs are ultimately different from Starlink’s. “The OneWeb constellation currently uses a bent-pipe architecture, which is not as capable as Starlink satellites; therefore, OneWeb will also need to invest in second-generation satellites.”

The French firm’s use cases also differ to Starlink’s. Eutelsat operates a constellation of geostationary orbit (GEO) as well as LEO satellites. “Eutelsat’s higher altitude satellites are leveraged for specialized use cases, such as polar coverage for companies and research facilities in remote regions like Greenland and Alaska,” said Joe Vaccaro. (6/30)

NASA Opportunity for Simulated Space Environment Testing (Source: NASA)
NASA invites interested government and commercial organizations to submit ideas for simulated space environment testing at Kennedy Space Center, utilizing the spaceport’s Launch Equipment Test Facility (LETF). The LETF is designed to test all physical aspects of a launch vehicle’s performance, from components to loads to full-scale systems probes involving cryogenic commodities. Interested parties are encouraged to submit ideas by July 11, 2025. Click here. (6/30)