July 4, 2025

China Launches Long March 4C With Test Satellite (Source: Weixin)
Long March 4C took off from the Xichang Spaceport and then sent the Test 28B 01 satellite into orbit. This mission is the first time in nearly a year that the Long March 4 series rocket test team has returned to the Xichang. (7/3)

Russia Launches Cargo to ISS on Soyuz (Sources: CollectSpace, William Harwood)
A Roscosmos' Progress MS-31 (92P) uncrewed cargo spacecraft lifted off atop a Soyuz 2.1a rocket from Site 31/6 at the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Thursday. The venerable launcher carried 2.8 tons of food, propellant and supplies bound for the International Space Station. (7/3)

Medallions for Apollo-Soyuz 50th Anniversary Launch to Space Station (Source: CollectSpace)
Medallions for the 50th anniversary of the first time that Russia and the United States worked together in space have launched to the International Space Station on a Russian rocket specially decorated for the occasion. The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) golden commemoratives were packed on board Roscosmos' Progress MS-31 (92P) uncrewed cargo spacecraft that lifted off Thursday. (7/3)

US Moon Landers Face Risks From Fire, Mass, and Prop Transfer (Source: Payload)
The future of the US lunar return hinges on SpaceX and Blue Origin’s development of landers that can bring astronauts from the Orion spacecraft down to the surface of the Moon—programs that are facing some difficulties, according to the Government Accountability Office. Most NASA programs avoided cost overruns, but hose that didn’t are largely part of the Artemis program.

The GAO said NASA had identified risks with both the Blue Origin and SpaceX landers due to “inadequate controls for flammable materials”—fears that a combination of oxygen and pressure levels could lead to a fire. Testing is ongoing to understand and mitigate the issues. The GAO highlighted one issue with Blue’s work: “Its lunar lander design did not meet NASA’s propellant and mass requirements.” The company performed additional work and made progress, but it’s not clear if the problem has been resolved.

Beyond the Starship program’s three test failures in row (plus an explosive static fire mishap last month) there are a few interesting tidbits in the GAO’s report: The Artemis III mission—which hinges on the HLS Starship bringing astronauts to the surface— is expected in 2027. But SpaceX’s lunar orbit checkout review of that system’s mission readiness is scheduled for 2028. A top risk facing the program is still “maturing propellant management technologies to support on-orbit storage and transfer of propellant.” (7/3)

SpaceX Manager Sues for Sexual Harassment, Discrimination, Security Violations (Source: Tech Crunch)
A former SpaceX security manager, who was privy to top secret information on U.S. government programs, is suing the company and one of its senior employees for alleged discrimination, sexual harassment, and retaliation. Jenna Shumway, who was promoted to senior contractor program security officer after being hired in 2022, also alleges the senior employee — Daniel Collins, a former Defense Department official hired to run security compliance for the company’s government work — violated top secret protocols and then concealed this information from the government.

According to Shumway’s complaint, she was passed over for the director position that Collins ultimately was hired for without being given the opportunity to apply for it. Her “work environment entirely changed” when Collins was hired as her superior in spring 2024, according to the complaint. Shumway claims Collins effectively waged a campaign of harassment against her, which included stripping her of her responsibilities over a period of months and ultimately leading to her termination in October 2024.

Collins’ harassment extended to other female employees, too, the complaint alleges. The discrimination included preventing female staff from doing required security work, allegedly setting them up for noncompliance, staring at one employee’s chest during a meeting, and asking a subordinate female employee if she wanted to “get s–tty together” over after-work drinks. (7/2)

Black Technician Sues SpaceX for Discrimination (Source: Independent)
A Black technician at SpaceX was fired for being late to work while caring for his young daughter as she recuperated from a heart transplant, while his white colleagues were given a pass for their own “consistent tardiness and absences,” according to an eye-popping workplace discrimination lawsuit obtained by The Independent.

In a 33-page federal complaint initially filed in Los Angeles and removed to federal court on June 25, L’Tavious Rice says his bosses at the commercial space launch provider were fully aware of his daughter's medical condition, and “encouraged him to take time off as needed.”

Yet, Rice’s complaint alleges, the SpaceX Human Resources department soon began ginning up issues with his time-off requests in retaliation for him having agreed, in principle, to testify truthfully about a former supervisor that another employee had accused of wrongdoing in an unrelated incident. (7/2)

NASA Detects New Planet with Temperatures That Suggest Habitable Conditions (Source: ABC News)
Astronomers have captured "compelling evidence" of a planet with a mass about 100 times the size of Earth orbiting a young, red dwarf star 34 light-years away called TWA 7 or CE Antilae. An initial analysis suggests the object could be a young, cold planet with a temperature near 120 degrees Fahrenheit, NASA said. Life can grow and reproduce starting at about 5 degrees Fahrenheit and as high as 251 degrees Fahrenheit, scientists say. (7/2)

So You Want to Build a Spaceport? Here's How to Avoid 'Spaceportopian' Ambitions (Source: Aerospace Corp.)
Spaceports are becoming key facilities in the rapidly growing space ecosystem, but building one is neither simple nor without risk, according to a new paper from Aerospace's Center for Space Policy and Strategy. Like any other large infrastructure investment, a spaceport's location and capabilities must be carefully considered before committing communities and resources.

"'Spaceportopian' ambitions to claim a piece of the growing global space industry should be grounded by the practical realities of what a spaceport might bring to a host region’s long-term economic, social, and environmental well-being, while future-proofing launch capacity and ensuring continued success for all stakeholders," write the authors. Click here. (7/1)

Megabill Pork Includes Billions for Artemis, ISS, Moving A Space Shuttle to Texas And More (Source: Space Policy Online)
Dubbed the “megabill” for its far reaching effects on federal spending and revenue, the reconciliation bill (its more common name) includes $10 billion for NASA programs the Trump Administration has proposed cutting in the FY2026 budget request. They include elements of the Artemis program, funding for the International Space Station, as well as $85 million to move the Space Shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum to Texas.

Over the past week, first the Senate and then the House pulled all-nighters to get the reconciliation bill passed by July 4 giving up most of their week-long July 4 recess that was supposed to begin last Friday, June 27. Quite a few House Republicans bitterly complained about changes the Senate made to the House-passed bill and initially vowed not to approve it, but the vote in the House this afternoon was 218-214, with all but two Republicans in favor. All Democrats were opposed. No changes were made to the Senate-passed version. (7/3)

Space Force Picks Boeing for $2.8 Billion Strategic Communications Program (Source: Defense News)
The Space Force on Thursday awarded Boeing a $2.8 billion contract to provide secure, survivable communications for strategic missions through the service’s Evolved Strategic Satellite Communications program. Boeing edged out Northrop Grumman for the contract, which funds two initial satellites with options for the Space Force to buy two additional satellites. The two companies have been building prototype satellites for the effort under 2020 contracts. (7/3)

ESA Prepares Downselect for European Launcher Challenge (Source: Space News)
The European Space Agency will soon select the finalists for a competition intended to support the development of new launch vehicles by European companies. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said that the agency received 12 proposals for the European Launcher Challenge, a program to award launch contracts to new vehicles as well as fund demonstrations of upgraded vehicles.

Companies are eligible for up to 169 million euros ($199 million) each. Those 12 proposals are currently going through technical reviews by ESA, which will select a group of them for funding consideration at the ESA ministerial conference in late November. (7/3)

NASA Workforce Depletion Update (Source: NASA Watch)
Over 2,600 NASA employees have taken the deal so far and the window doesn’t even close until 25 July. In addition, there are another 350 or non-DRP departures scheduled. Add that up and you have over 17% of the NASA workforce planning imminent departure. Over 70 SES employees are leaving – that includes Human Resource directors, the CIO, and the CISO. Center Directors are also planning departures.

NASA is going to be at the lowest level of employees since it was founded. At this rate an agency-wide RIF may not be needed but focused RIFs at centers may still be called for. People without options are staying behind risking RIF exposure with an increasingly bad job market. (7/3)

Pentagon Reevaluating Future Data Transport Layer (Source: Aviation Week)
The Defense Department is debating how best to develop the space-based data connectivity backbone of its future force–to forge ahead with an existing program led by the Space Development Agency (SDA), or to pivot to a new program called Milnet that, for now, has SpaceX as its sole vendor.

Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) publicly sounded the alarm in a March 27 hearing. He said the Department of the Air Force was weighing canceling future solicitations of the SDA’s Transport Layer—a key element of its Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA), which eventually will boast hundreds of satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO)—in favor of using Starshield, the militarized version of SpaceX’s Starlink data capability. (7/2)

Etlaq Spaceport in Duqm to Start Operating by 2027 (Source: Muscat Daily)
Oman’s first spaceport Etlaq is expected to be operational by 2027, according to HH Sayyid Azzan bin Qais al Said, Founder and CEO of National Aerospace Services Company (NASCOM) and Etlaq Spaceport. The announcement comes as Oman consolidates its position in the regional space sector following the successful launch of Duqm-1, the first commercial spacecraft to launch from Oman in 2024.

The milestone marked a significant step forward in the Etlaq’s ambitions to establish a space infrastructure for commercial and scientific purposes. Etlaq Spaceport, located in Wilayat Al Duqm, is designed to offer end-to-end logistical and technical services for orbital and sub-orbital vehicle launches. Oman’s strategic location has been highlighted as a key advantage for attracting global operators. (7/2)

This is Not the Time to Cut Space-Enabled Medical Research (Source: Space News)
Research that leverages space to develop treatments for blindness, cancer, and Parkinson’s disease is jeopardized by the $6.1 billion NASA budget cuts championed by President Trump. The cuts to the ISS, forecasted to be $508 million, halt space research and development momentum, discourage investors, impede growth of the space manufacturing economy and supply chains, threaten the loss of specialized space talent and expertise and jeopardize the United States’ leadership position in space-based life science research.

These cuts and their consequences are contrary to the administration’s stated commitment to support American medical and pharmaceutical research along with advanced manufacturing, and they ought to be reversed. The benefits of space-enabled healthcare are immense. Click here. (7/2)