July 5, 2025

Could Signs of Mars Life Be Hidden in its Clay? (Source: Space.com)
The thick, mineral-rich layers of clay found on Mars suggest that the Red Planet harbored potentially life-hosting environments for long stretches in the ancient past, a new study suggests. Clays need liquid water to form. These layers are hundreds of feet thick and are thought to have formed roughly 3.7 billion years ago, under warmer and wetter conditions than currently prevail on Mars. (7/4)

Orbex CEO Says Proxima Rocket Will Let It Compete on Price With SpaceX (Source: European Spaceflight)
While speaking to the UK Engagement with Space Committee on 23 June, Orbex CEO Phil Chambers said the company would be able to compete with SpaceX on price once it introduces its medium-lift Proxima rocket. Orbex is currently working toward the inaugural flight of its small Prime rocket, which is not expected before 2026. (7/4)

Space Park Leicester Developing Tech for Sample Containment (Source: University of Leicester)
Work has begun to design and build a Double-Walled Isolator (DWI), akin to an ultra-clean miniature laboratory to safely store and analyse extra-terrestrial materials, such as the first material from Mars. University of Leicester scientists have passed a key European Space Agency review, and now will proceed to design the Qualification Model of a Double-Walled Isolator that could handle and curate samples from a Mars Sample Return mission.

The €5 million project will see a team working at Space Park Leicester, the University’s pioneering £100 million science and innovation park, to design, build and test the system. (7/3)

Astrobase Plans Indian Small Launcher (Source: Entrackr)
Astrobase aims to address the growing demand for satellite launches by building cost-efficient, high-payload launch vehicles. “The company is working on a methane oxygen full flow staged combustion engine designed to carry payloads ranging from 3 to 10 tonnes. It plans to offer three configurations of its launch vehicle: fully expendable, partially reusable and fully reusable, with a target launch cost of $300 per kilogram by 2034,” a person familiar with the matter said. (7/2)