July 28, 2025

NASA Tests 5G-Based Aviation Network to Boost Air Taxi Connectivity (Source: NASA)
NASA engineers are exploring how the technology used in existing cellphone networks could support the next generation of aviation. In April and May, researchers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Cleveland built two specialized radio systems to study how well fifth-generation cellular network technology, known as 5G, can handle the demands of air taxi communications. (7/23)

Troubled Balloon-Tourism Pioneer Space Perspective Bought by Spanish Company (Source: Space.com)
The European company Eos X Space has acquired Space Perspective, one its key rivals in the nascent field of stratospheric balloon tourism. Florida-based Space Perspective has been developing a luxury balloon-borne capsule called Spaceship Neptune, which is designed to carry passengers on leisurely trips through the stratosphere for $125,000 per seat.

Space Perspective made serious progress over the years, even launching a full (though uncrewed) test flight of the first Spaceship Neptune, named Excelsior, to a maximum altitude of about 100,000 feet (30,480 meters) in September of 2024. However, the company fell upon tough times recently. (7/27)

Engineers Study Little-Known Hazard of Lunar Landings (Source: JHU)
When spacecraft land on the moon, their engines unleash huge clouds of dust and debris that can damage expensive equipment and threaten future lunar bases. As space agencies plan to establish a lasting presence on the moon, understanding how these plumes form has become a critical priority.

A JHU research team is helping to answer that by investigating the complex interaction between rocket exhaust and the lunar surface. Since 2021, in collaboration with NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and the University of Michigan, the team has focused on a puzzling phenomenon—the regularly spaced dust streaks radiating from the touchdown point—a pattern first observed during the Apollo era and seen again during the recent landing of Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander. (7/21)

Starlink Messing With Radio Astronomy Too (Source: The Register)
Elon Musk's Starlink loves photobombing astronomy photographs, but for its latest trick it's humming loudly over the faintest whispers from the dawn of the universe. A new multi-billion dollar, multi-year international radio observatory called SKA-Low – a Square Kilometer Array plans to catch the radio signals sent 13-plus billion years ago as the universe cooled from the Big Bang and recognizable states of matter started to appear.

The SKA-Low team built a prototype instrument called EDA2 and ran some tests. They found unquiet skies. Over 29 days and 78 million full-sky images later, they found more than 112,000 signals from 1,506 different Starlink satellites. These could be five orders of magnitude stronger than the target signals. This isn't supposed to happen. Radio astronomy has its own protected bands, and satellites have to conform to the frequencies allocated to them as well. (7/23)

What's the Lifetime of a Dyson Megaswarm? (Source: Phys.org)
A "Dyson swarm" could be built instead, a megastructure consisting of portions of a shell, satellites functioning as orbiting habitats or solar energy collectors. If a Dyson megaswarm in our solar system covered even one-tenth of 1% of the spherical area at the Earth-sun distance, it would still capture two million times more solar power compared to all sunlight incidents on Earth alone.

As the "covering fraction" of the swarm approached 1, the civilization would become a Type II population on the Kardashev energy scale, with enormous amounts of power available to them. There's another reason a species might build a megaswarm—to serve as a technosignature that communicates their presence to others in the galaxy, bridging not just cosmic distances, but, even if civilization disappears, eons of time.

Brian Lacki concludes that "stellar megaswarms, without maintenance, are expected to be destroyed in most cases within a few million years," which he notes is about how long it would take an extraterrestrial intelligence to spread across a galaxy. An advanced civilization, especially if using their swarm for solar power, might well strip all planets and asteroids from its solar system to minimize the chances of the swarm's destruction from gravitational perturbations. (7/28)

Space Force Scheduled to Launch Eighth X-37B Mission (Source: USSF)
The U.S. Space Force, in partnership with the Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office, is scheduled to launch the eighth mission of the X-37B Orbital Test Vehicle (OTV-8) on Aug. 21 from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. X-37B Mission 8 will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket, designated USSF-36, with a wide range of test and experimentation objectives. These operational demonstrations and experiments comprise of next-generation technologies including laser communications and the highest performing quantum inertial sensor ever tested in space. (7/28)

Firefly Aerospace Seeks $5.5 Billion Valuation in IPO (Source: Reuters)
Northrop Grumman-backed Firefly Aerospace is targeting a valuation of about $5.5 billion in its U.S. initial public offering, as investor appetite for high-growth sectors shows signs of a sustained rebound. The Texas-based maker of spacecraft and launch vehicles is aiming to sell 16.2 million shares, priced between $35 and $39 apiece, to raise as much as $631.8 million, a filing showed on Monday. (7/28)

Space Command Readies for Satellite-to-Satellite Conflict (Source: The Economist)
Gen. Stephen Whiting of US Space Command has revealed preparations for potential satellite-to-satellite combat, highlighting a recent operation involving American and French satellites conducting a rendezvous and proximity operation near a suspected Russian satellite. This exercise demonstrated the ability to maneuver satellites in close proximity to both each other and foreign satellites, signaling operational capabilities. (7/27)

Uranus Emits its Own Heat, NASA Set to Probe It (Source: Central Oregon Daily)
Uranus creates its own internal heat, a discovery researchers say resolves decades of mystery about the formation of the ice giant. In results of a study announced last week by the University of Houston scientists found that Uranus releases more heat than it receives from sunlight. Nearly 40 years ago, Voyager 2 analysis did not suggest the presence of significant internal heat, UH said in its announcement. But decades of spacecraft observations and computer models have changed that thinking. (7/20)

Asteroid Sure to Hit the Moon Could Affect Us on Earth (Source: EuroWeekly)
There is an asteroid approximately the size of a building that has been on the radar of many astronomers for a long time due to its initial potential to collide with the Earth. However, there is no need to worry anymore, as its trajectory has shifted slightly since it was first detected. It is now expected to miss the Earth entirely, although the bad news is that it will hit the moon.

That data reveals that even with Earth avoiding direct impact, YR4 could still pose a threat in late 2032 by colliding with the moon. The impact could also send fine-grained lunar debris flying toward our planet. While Earth would not face significant physical danger, there is a chance that any astronauts or infrastructure on the lunar surface at that time could be at risk, and so could satellites orbiting our planet that we depend on to keep vital aspects of life, including navigation and communications, running smoothly. (7/25)

Roscosmos Chief Meeting NASA Acting Administrator (Source: TASS)
The head of Roscosmos says his agency will meet with NASA’s new acting administrator this week. Dmitry Bakanov said in a Russian TV interview that a delegation from Roscosmos will attend Thursday’s scheduled launch of the Crew-11 mission from the Kennedy Space Center, which includes cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. He said the visit will include a meeting with Sean Duffy, the acting NASA administrator, but it was not clear if Bakanov himself would attend. NASA has not confirmed the meeting or disclosed that Duffy will attend the launch. (7/28)

NASA Troubleshooting TRACERS Satellite Issue (Source: NASA)
NASA is troubleshooting an issue with one of two space science spacecraft launched last week. NASA said late Friday that one of the TRACERS satellites requires “further investigation” after making routine adjustments to its power subsystem after launch. NASA did not disclose additional details about the issue but said that work commissioning the spacecraft was on hold for now. The twin TRACERS spacecraft, built by Boeing-owned Millennium Space Systems, are designed to fly in closely spaced orbits to measure variations in the Earth’s magnetic field caused by interaction with the solar wind. (7/28)

Iridium Shares Fall (Source: Seeking Alpha)
Iridium shares fell last week after the satellite communications company cut revenue guidance. The company said it now projects revenue in 2025 to grow by 3-5% rather than 5-7% previous forecast. Shares in Iridium fell 22% in trading Thursday. (7/28)

NASA Losing More Than 20% of Workforce (Source: Space News)
More than 20% of NASA’s workforce is leaving the agency through buyouts. NASA said Friday that about 3,000 civil servants elected to participate in a second round of a deferred resignation program along with other voluntary departure initiatives. They join 870 who departed in a first round earlier this year.

NASA said its workforce, which was more than 18,000 at the start of the year, will fall to 14,000 with the buyouts and “natural attrition.” The sharp reduction in the workforce has alarmed many, both inside and outside NASA, because of the loss of expertise. NASA, though, sought even larger staff reductions in its fiscal year 2026 budget proposal, less than 12,000, opening the door to potential layoffs in the future. (7/28)

NOAA's Satellite Chief Placed on Administrative Leave (Source: Space News)
The head of NOAA’s satellite division has been placed on administrative leave for undisclosed reasons. NOAA confirmed Friday that Stephen Volz, associate administrator for satellite and information services, was placed on administrative leave, but did not disclose the reason for doing so. Volz has led NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS), which acquires and operates weather satellites, since 2014, after previously working for NASA and Ball Aerospace. Sources inside and outside NOAA say they are unaware of any investigations into or allegations against Volz. NOAA’s deputy general counsel was also placed on leave. (7/28)

ULA Halves 2025 Launch Projection (Source: Space News)
United Launch Alliance has cut in half its launch projections for the year. ULA CEO Tory Bruno said on a recent CNBC podcast that the company is projecting to complete only half of the 20 launches it said earlier this year it planned to carry out in 2025. He did not disclose a reason for the reduced number, but the company has yet to launch a Vulcan rocket so far this year, which was to account for about half of the launches originally planned for 2025. Bruno said the first national security launch of Vulcan will take place “very soon” but did not give a specific date. (7/28)

Blue Origin's First Blue Ring to Launch in Spring 2026 (Source: Space News)
Blue Origin said it will fly its first Blue Ring spacecraft next year. The company announced last week the first Blue Ring will fly to GEO next spring, carrying a space domain awareness sensor from Scout Space. Blue Origin did not say if other payloads will be on the vehicle. Blue Ring is design to carry up to 4,000 kilograms of payload and is highly maneuverable. A Blue Origin official said last week that the company has about dozen Blue Rings on the production line at an Alabama factory. (7/28)

Starlink Outage Affected Starshield DoD Service (Source: Fedscoop)
A Starlink outage last week also affected SpaceX’s Starshield service for the military. Space Systems Command said that Thursday’s global outage included Starshield Global Access services, used by military organizations for secure communications. The outage lasted two and a half hours, with a partial restoration of services about midway through, the command said. (7/28)

Vega C Launcches Earth Imaging Spacecraft (Source: Space News)
A Vega C rocket successfully launched five imaging and Earth science spacecraft Friday night. The Vega C lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana, deploying the CO3D and MicroCarb missions into separate sun-synchronous orbits. CO3D features four spacecraft that will provide stereo imagery for creating digital terrain models for French government agencies. MicroCarb will provide precise measurements of atmospheric carbon dioxide. This was the second Vega C launch of the year, with two more remaining to be conducted by Arianespace before it hands over operations to Avio. (7/28)

China Launches Broadband Satellites on Long March 6A (Source: Space News)
China launched a new set of Guowang broadband satellites Sunday. The Long March 6A rocket carrying the satellites lifted off from Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. The satellites are described simply as the satellite Internet low-orbit group 05, corresponding to China’s Guowang national proliferated low Earth orbit broadband project. The announcement of the launch did not disclose how many were on board, although a Long March 6A launch in June carried five Guowang satellites. (7/28)

Chinese Scientist Details First Planned Mars Sample-Return Mission Tianwen 3 (Source: Space Daily)
China's first Mars sample-return mission, Tianwen 3, is scheduled for launch around 2028, with the goal of returning no less than 500 grams of Martian samples to Earth by around 2031, according to the mission's chief scientist. Hou Zengqian systematically outlined the overall plan and scientific objectives of the mission. "The mission will be a critical step in China's planetary exploration. We hope to provide the international community with an unprecedented opportunity to understand Mars," Hou said. (7/25)

BAE Systems Completes Delivery of NOAA and NASA Space Weather Satellites for Fall Launch (Source: Space Daily)
BAE Systems has completed the delivery of two advanced satellites from its Colorado facility to Kennedy Space Center. The spacecraft-NASA's Carruthers Geocorona Observatory and NOAA's Space Weather Follow On - L1 (SWFO-L1)-are slated for joint launch this fall. Developed to enhance scientific and forecasting capabilities, both missions will operate from Lagrange Point 1, approximately 1.5 million kilometers from Earth. There, they will observe solar activity and its effects on Earth's space environment. (7/25)

Skyfall Mars Helicopter Fleet to Scout Future Astronaut Landing Sites (Source: Space Daily)
Skyfall, a forward-looking Mars helicopter concept developed by AeroVironment (AV) in collaboration with NASA JPL, aims to support future human exploration of the Red Planet by 2028. The system features a fleet of six autonomous scout helicopters designed to explore potential astronaut landing zones. Each rotorcraft would operate independently, capturing high-resolution surface imagery and subsurface radar data. This reconnaissance will guide the selection of safe, resource-rich landing sites with access to water, ice, and other key materials for human missions. The information gathered could also contribute to the ongoing search for signs of past life on Mars. (7/25)