August 14, 2025

Space Force Launches L3Harris Navigation Satellite (Source: Satnews)
The Navigation Technology Satellite-3, built by L3Harris Technologies, has been launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket by the US Space Force. This marks the first time in nearly five decades that the Department of Defense has launched an experimental navigation satellite system, with the event representing a major milestone in advancing US space-based positioning, navigation, and timing capabilities. (8/13)

Trump Orders Launch Regulations Eased in Win for Musk (Source: Space Daily)
US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday easing regulations for the private space industry, including eliminating some environmental reviews, in a move likely to please his erstwhile advisor Elon Musk. The executive order, which said it aimed to "substantially" increase the number of space launches in the United States, was described by an environmental group as "reckless." (8/14)

NASA Working with Two Companies to Study Raising Swift's Orbit (Source: Space Daily)
NASA is working with two American firms to study the feasibility of raising the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory's orbit, potentially extending its mission life and demonstrating new spacecraft servicing capabilities. Cambrian Works of Reston, Virginia, and Katalyst Space Technologies of Flagstaff, Arizona, each received $150,000 Phase III Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) awards for concept design studies. (8/13)

New Regulations Could See Musk's Starlink Finally Come to UAE (Source: The National)
The UAE's telecoms regulator is looking at new regulations that could pave the way for satellite operators such as Starlink to begin operations in the country. The Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority said on its website that it wanted feedback for regulations to "regularize the current resale of satellite services" which could pave the way for resellers of low-earth-orbit satellite internet communications devices such as Starlink. (8/13)

Why Space Force Part-Timers Are Nothing Like Guard and Reserve (Source: Air & Space Forces)
The Space Force revealed new details about its plan for part-time Guardians—and they aren’t like anything the military has seen before. Part-time service will be episodic, lasting for a tour or two, Space Force officials say, a complete shift from the classic one-weekend-a-month, two-weeks-a-year Guard and Reserve model that’s existed for decades. “Our long-term vision is not necessarily this career-long part-time work role,” said Col. Matthew E. Holston. The Space Force anticipates having about 800 part-time positions. (8/13)

'State of the Bases' is Strong Despite Challenges, Space Force Commanders Say (Source: The Gazette)
As critical components of the U.S. military’s newest branch, Peterson and Schriever space force bases are experiencing their share of growing pains, but they continue to build and grow, thanks in large part to their partnerships with the Colorado Springs community. That was the overriding message of this year’s State of the Bases address, held Wednesday at Peterson before a collection of military, civic and business leaders.

The Space Force, now in its fifth year, has a symbiotic relationship with the Pikes Peak region. Roughly two-thirds of the Space Force’s operational capabilities are along the Front Range, and SBD 1 and SBD 41 represent an annual economic impact of nearly $4.2 billion. (8/13)

SpaceX Slams Virginia for Overlooking Starlink in State's Broadband Funding (Source: PC Mag)
SpaceX is protesting Virginia’s $613 million plan to expand high-speed internet access, accusing the state of deliberately denying a larger slice of the subsidies to Starlink. On Wednesday, the company blasted Virginia’s plan as a “massive waste of federal taxpayer money” after the state chose Starlink for just 5,579 of the 133,000 locations slated for subsidized broadband installations.

“Simply put, Virginia has put its heavy thumb on the scale in favor of expensive, slow-to-build fiber bias over speedy, low cost, and technology neutral competition,” the company told the state’s government in a 7-page letter shared with the media. “Virginia must immediately revise its final proposal to appropriately consider applications received in line with program rules." (8/14)

Momentus Secures NASA Contract to Study the Launch of Robotic Technologies (Source: Momentus)
Momentus was awarded a contract by NASA to perform a study to fly critical foundational robotics technologies into space. Momentus has subsequently completed work under this initial contract and expects to submit a proposal to NASA to fly a follow-on mission that would demonstrate this cutting-edge technology in space. This mission marks a pivotal step in NASA’s ongoing efforts to test and validate key technologies that could support the next era of space exploration and stimulate commercial robotic servicing operations in orbit. (8/13)

Blue Origin To Bid For Proposed NASA Mars Orbiter (Source: Aviation Week)
Blue Origin plans to offer a variant of its Blue Ring in-space platform as a Mars telecommunications orbiter for NASA. This builds upon their existing Blue Ring platform and is in response to NASA's July 7 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). The proposed orbiter, called Mars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO), will be based on the Blue Ring platform and is designed to support NASA's Mars missions, potentially by 2028. (8/13)

NASA Has Sparked a Race to Develop the Data Pipeline to Mars (Source: Tech Crunch)
For decades, NASA built and flew its own relay orbiters and spacecraft to ferry valuable data back to Earth. Now the agency is shifting to buying connectivity as a service, much like it does for launch and astronaut transport. That pivot has sparked a race, with major contenders pitching ways to keep Mars missions online. What’s at stake isn’t a single contract: it’s the data pipe to Mars.

This new approach, which will mix NASA assets and commercial infrastructure, would gradually replace the patchwork relay network the agency relies on today. Generally, that works by orbiters like Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and MAVEN that pick up data from rovers and landers and transmit it to the Deep Space Network’s (DSN) giant antennas on Earth. (8/13)

KBR Awarded Contract to Support Astronaut Health and Performance for Space Missions (Source: KBR)
KBR has been awarded an estimated $2.459 billion NASA contract to support astronaut health, occupational health, and research that could help mitigate health risks for future human spaceflight missions. This follow-on single-award indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract extends KBR’s ongoing support of NASA, building on the company’s long-standing role in human spaceflight operations. (8/13)

SpaceX Funds $4.4M Upgrade for Popular Texas Beach (Source: My San Antonio)
Beachgoers visiting South Padre Island will soon be able to enjoy a surfside park with a smorgasbord of family-friendly amenities paid for by a $4.4 million contribution from SpaceX. Currently, the sparse beach access contains a pothole-riddled parking lot made of packed sand and caliche and a dune walkover made of a permeable mat and a wooden ramp. But the parking lot is small and accommodates just a few vehicles. Beachgoers must then traverse the dune walkover that ramps up and over the natural sand dune line before ending in the powder-soft sand several yards away from the high tide line. (8/14)

Trump Orders Cull of Regulations Governing Commercial Rocket Launches (Source: Ars Technica)
An executive order signed Wednesday directs government agencies to "eliminate or expedite" environmental reviews for commercial launch and reentry licenses. The FAA grants licenses for commercial launch and reentry operations and ensuring launch and reentries comply with environmental laws, comport with US national interests, and don't endanger the public. The head of the FAA's commercial spaceflight division will now become a political appointee.

Trump ordered Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, who also serves as the acting administrator of NASA, to "use all available authorities to eliminate or expedite... environmental reviews for... launch and reentry licenses and permits." Duffy should consult with the chair of the Council on Environmental Quality and follow "applicable law" in the regulatory cull. The executive order also includes a clause directing Duffy to reevaluate, amend, or rescind a slate of launch-safety regulations written during the first Trump administration.

And there's more. Trump ordered NASA, the military, and DOT to eliminate duplicative reviews for spaceport development. This is particularly pertinent at federally owned launch ranges like those at Cape Canaveral, Florida; Vandenberg Space Force Base, California; and Wallops Island, Virginia. (8/13)

Canada’s First Spaceport Blasting Forward with Deal Inked (Source: Halifax City News)
Maritime Launch Services, the company behind Spaceport Nova Scotia in the Canso area, has finalized key agreements with Montreal-based orbital launch firm Reaction Dynamics. The deal marks a major milestone for Canada, paving the way for the first-ever orbital launch of a Canadian-designed and built rocket from Canadian soil at Spaceport Nova Scotia.

Under the first agreement, Reaction Dynamics will invest a combined $1.7 million in common shares of Maritime Launch Services. Another arrangement will allow Reaction Dynamics to launch its spacecraft from the spaceport. The company is expected to conduct its first orbital launch attempt on or before the third quarter of 2028. The agreements come as both companies aim to position Nova Scotia as the hub of Canada’s emerging space economy. (8/14)

Coleman Departs FAA AST, Joins Baines (Source: LinkedIn)
Kelvin Coleman has departed as the FAA's Associate Administrator for commercial space transportation. Under a new Trump executive order, that position will transition to a political appointment. Coleman has joined Baines Advisory Group, providing advisory services to aerospace companies. (8/14)

Congress Aims to Change CPARS System for Rating DoD Contractor Performance (Source: FNN)
Both the House and the Senate want to overhaul how the Defense Department evaluates contractors by getting rid of subjective performance ratings in the Contractor Performance Assessment Reporting System. The House Armed Services Committee’s version of the 2026 defense policy bill includes a provision titled “Reforming of Contractor Performance Information Requirements,” which would require DoD to revise the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement to create an “objective, fact-based, and simplified system for reporting contractor performance.” (8/13)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Mission From California (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX launched a set of Starlink satellites overnight after days of delays. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California Thursday and placed 24 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch was the first Falcon 9 mission from Vandenberg in two weeks, and this launch had slipped several days for undisclosed reasons. (8/14)

SpaceX Touts Rideshare Flexibility (Source: Space News)
SpaceX says it is offering customers of its rideshare services additional schedule flexibility. The company said it has launched more than 1,400 satellites since starting its rideshare program five years ago, using both dedicated launches and excess capacity on other launches. Customers facing satellite delays have the ability to easily rebook their launch on a later mission, officials said. In addition, SpaceX is offering “bridge contracts” that allow customers to move up to an earlier launch if space becomes available on it. (8/14)

Rogue Space Systems Expands and Reorganizes (Source: Space News)
Rogue Space Systems is growing and reorganizing ahead of a 2027 mission. The space logistics company hired Brook Leonard, a retired U.S. Space Force major general, as CEO, with former CEO Jon Beam becoming president and chief strategy officer. The 30-person company expects to expand its workforce by about one-third in the next quarter as it works on projects like two ESPA-class Orbot satellites, scheduled for launch in 2027. Those satellites will demonstrate rendezvous, proximity operations and docking, refueling and will offer room for hosted payloads. (8/14)

Chinese Astronauts Plan TSS Spacewalk (Source: Xinhua)
Two Chinese astronauts are preparing for another spacewalk. The China Manned Space Agency said two members of the Shenzhou-20 crew are preparing for a spacewalk outside the Tiangong space station in “the next few days.” Such announcements usually come within a day or so of the planned spacewalk. The announcement did not disclose which astronauts would perform the spacewalk, the third since arriving at the station in April, or their planned tasks. (8/14)

New Mexico Gains $240 Million in 2024 From Spaceport America (Source: KTSM)
New Mexico’s Spaceport America is touting the economic impact it has on the region. A study released this week by the spaceport and New Mexico State University concluded the spaceport had a total economic impact of $240 million in 2024, up from $72 million in 2019. It supported more than 300 direct jobs and 800 total jobs from the spending created by that economic activity. (8/14)

Blue Origin Accepts Cryptocurrency Payments for Suborbital Flights (Source: Shift4)
If you rode crypto to the moon, now you can use it to fly to the Kármán Line. Payment processing company Shift4 announced this week an agreement with Blue Origin to allow customers to pay for flights on the New Shepard suborbital vehicle using cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin and Ethereum. The companies said the agreement will allow Blue Origin to “tap into a growing user base of crypto holders” interested in flying to space. Virgin Galactic announced in 2013 it would accept bitcoin for flights on its suborbital vehicles. (8/14)

White House Issues Executive Order to Revamp Commercial Space Regulations (Source: Space News)
An executive order released by the White House Wednesday will reshape commercial space regulation. The order makes a series of changes to launch, spaceport and other regulations with the intent of “enabling a competitive launch marketplace and substantially increasing commercial space launch cadence and novel space activities” by 2030. The order directs the FAA to “reevaluate, amend, or rescind, as appropriate” the existing Part 450 launch and reentry licensing regulations that many in the industry have complained about.

It would scale back environmental regulations involving launch and spaceport projects. It also directs the Commerce Department to establish a mission authorization system for “novel space activities” not currently regulated by other agencies. The order makes some administrative changes, such as moving the Office of Space Commerce from NOAA to the office of the Secretary of Commerce. The executive order, widely expected for weeks, was praised by companies and industry groups, but other groups criticized the rollback of environmental regulations. (8/14)

Automated Processes Could Improve Military Satellite Operations (Source: Space News)
Military satellite operators are still determining what can be automated even as the capabilities to do so grow. During a side meeting at this week’s Small Satellite Conference, panelists agreed that satellite maintenance and routine communications should be automated, an acknowledgement that is particularly important given limited government funding and personnel to manage day-to-day satellite operations. Collision avoidance is another task that could be automated, panelists said. Such automation faces challenges in the form of limitations on in-space computing capabilities and communications. (8/14)

Norway's Kongsberg Sharpens Arctic Focus (Source: Space News)
Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) is preparing to expand its small satellite footprint over the Arctic. The company, which acquired smallsat manufacturer NanoAvionics in 2022, is seeing rising surveillance and communications needs as the strategic importance of the Arctic grows. KDA recently deployed its first three satellites, built in-house by what is now called Kongsberg NanoAvionics, with radar detection and Automatic Identification System (AIS) payloads to provide maritime monitoring data to the Norwegian government and allied nations. The company is also looking to combine its Arctic space capabilities with a broader Kongsberg portfolio that also includes underwater monitoring systems and autonomous ships. (8/14)

Space Insurers Bouncing Back After 2023 Losses (Source: Space News)
Insurers who pulled out of the space business after a string of large claims are coming back. Several underwriters left the space insurance market after $2 billion in reported claims from incidents in 2023. Some insurers are returning, though, as insurance rates climb and some reported claims have been reduced after efforts to restore capability to affected satellites. However, there is a danger of underwriting discipline slipping in the future, as the market needs to earn $500–600 million annually to remain viable. (8/14)

ULA Aims for 30 Vulcan Launches Yearly by 2027 (Source: Via Satellite)
United Launch Alliance aims to significantly increase Vulcan rocket launches to more than 30 annually by 2027, with 60% for commercial missions and 40% for national security. The Vulcan's first National Security Space Launch for the Space Force involves the USSF-106 mission. CEO Tory Bruno says ULA plans 25 launches annually in 2026 and 2027, potentially exceeding 30 in 2027. (8/12)

NASA Selects Arrow Science and Technology for OTV Study (Source: Arrow)
Arrow Science and Technology was selected by NASA to conduct an Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) study under the agency’s Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare (VADR) contract. Arrow will leverage a partnership with Quantum Space and their Ranger OTV to NASA in the development of a commercial approach to deliver payloads to destination orbits that are uncommon for traditional launch services, including orbits in cislunar space. (8/5)

The Perfectly Fine, Already-Paid-For Satellites Trump Wants to Destroy (Source: CNN)
NASA is planning to decommission premier satellite missions that gather information on planet-warming pollution and other climate vital signs beginning as soon as October, sources inside and outside of the agency said. The destruction of the satellites — which will be abandoned and allowed to eventually burn up in a fiery descent into Earth’s atmosphere — marks the latest step by the Trump administration to scale back federal climate science.

President Trump’s budget proposal takes a hatchet to NASA’s Earth science spending for fiscal year 2026, which begins in October. The greenhouse gas monitoring missions, known collectively as the Orbiting Carbon Observatory, are some of the many Earth science casualties in the proposal. Other satellites and instruments on the chopping block include the long-lived Aqua satellite, which carries a high-resolution Earth imaging instrument called MODIS, that among other uses, helps detect wildfires worldwide.

Also at risk are the Terra and Aura missions, each of which have climate science applications, and planned satellites that would precisely measure solar radiation, heavy precipitation and clouds. While the Trump administration says it is looking to end the OCO and other missions to cut costs, scientists involved in the projects see an anti-climate science pattern at work. (8/13)

Impulse Space Sees Strong Demand for GEO Rideshare Program (Source: Space News)
A year after announcing plans to offer rideshare missions to geostationary orbit, Impulse Space says the demand has been strong enough to plan an annual series of them. Last year Impulse Space said it would offer rideshare missions to GEO using its high-energy Helios orbital transfer vehicle under development. The company said it was prompted to offer the service by the number of “microGEO” spacecraft under development with masses of one ton or less. (8/13)