August 17, 2025

NASA Budget Cuts Could End U.S. Exploration of the Outer Solar System (Source: Scientific American)
The U.S. planetary science community is sounding the alarm about Trump budgetary plans to discard a nuclear technology that has powered dozens of NASA missions over the past 50 years. The technology in question, known as radioisotope power systems (RPS), is an often overlooked element of NASA’s budget that involves turning nuclear fuel into usable electricity.

More like a battery than a full-scale reactor, RPS devices attach directly to spacecraft to power them into the deepest, darkest reaches of the solar system, where sunlight is too sparse to use. It’s a critical technology that has enabled two dozen NASA missions, from the iconic Voyagers 1 and 2 now traversing interstellar space to the Perseverance and Curiosity rovers presently operating on Mars. (8/14)

Creating ‘Space Beach’ (Source: LA Business Journal)
Despite SpaceX decamping its longtime Southern California headquarters for Texas last year, the region remains an integral part of the national space program. In particular, Long Beach – affectionately known by the local business community as “Space Beach” – has churned out companies that could be the critical government contractor.

Long Beach is a uniquely dynamic hub for neighborhood space startups to expand, given the readily available access to an airport and the Port of Long Beach. In addition, it’s a pipeline of talented engineers and a collaborative local government. The area is also close in proximity to Los Angeles Air Force Base in El Segundo, which houses Space Force’s Space Systems Command center.

“We have one of the fastest-growing space ecosystems in the country right now, and we continue to see startups and fast-growing companies, as well as existing companies, grow and expand within the city,” said Bo Martinez, the director of economic development for the City of Long Beach, a role he has held for nearly three years. (8/11)

Intuitive Machines Submits Proposal for NASA’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle Delivery and Operations Contract (Source: Intuitive Machines)
Intuitive Machines announced it has submitted its proposal for the next phase of NASA’s Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services (LTVS) contract, to build, fly, and operate the Intuitive Machines-led Moon RACER vehicle on the Moon. NASA is expected to announce the LTV delivery and demonstration award by the end of 2025. (8/15)

Russia to Commence Space Mission Design, Plans to Revisit Venus Before 2036 (Source: The Hawk)
Russia plans to launch its Venera-D interplanetary mission to revisit Venus before 2036, and preparations are already underway, state media reported on Sunday.

The mission is now part of the country's new national space program, and the preliminary design work on the mission will begin in January 2026, coinciding with the start of the national space project, Oleg Korablev, head of the Department of Planetary Physics at the Space Research Institute (IKI) of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was quoted as saying by TASS news agency. (8/17)

Washington-Made Rockets Taking NASA to the Moon for the First Time in Half a Century (Source: Seattle Refined)
NASA’s Artemis campaign is a bold series of missions to take humans back to the moon... and those astronauts will get there thanks to help from rocket engines made right here in Washington! We are told each of the first three Artemis missions uses 32 rocket engines produced at the L3Harris facility in Redmond. (8/16)

McAlister: NASA New Commercial LEO Development (CLD) Strategy is an Improvement (Source: LinkedIn)
So, let’s take stock…the previous strategy did not have enough money to succeed, did not have enough time to succeed, and was over-constrained technically.  NASA’s response: “Sounds great, let’s go with that plan!  And if anybody changes the plan, we will get mad and accuse them of losing the space race to China.”

The new strategy will be much cheaper because industry does not have to go through the onerous process of producing the significant testing and analysis documentation to prove to NASA that it has met all of NASA’s 700+ requirements.  And NASA will not have to go through the onerous process of reviewing all that testing and analysis documentation and agree that it is satisfactory (or not, in which cast you have to start the testing and documentation process all over again).

The schedule for development will be significantly shorter for the same reason.  Without having to go through NASA’s labor- and bureaucratically-intensive process of certification, the new strategy gives NASA and industry a chance to have an operational CLD by 2030 within the available budget.  And since NASA will be is using Space Act Agreements, the companies will be in charge of the design decisions and there will be a much lower likelihood that NASA will over-design the CLDs. (8/12)

Tiny Devices Propelled by Sunlight Could Explore a Mysterious Region of Earth's Atmosphere (Source: Space.com)
Self-lofting devices propelled by sunlight have been tested for the first time in near-vacuum conditions akin to those in Earth's upper atmosphere, paving the way for a revolution in atmospheric science.

The tiny, lightweight membranes — which are made of aluminum oxide and a layer of chromium — take advantage of a phenomenon known as photophoresis, which occurs when one side of a slice of thin material gets warmer than the other. As gas molecules bounce off the warmer side, they push the membrane upward. However, the effect is very weak and thus can be observed only in very low-pressure environments, such as those near the edge of space. (8/16)

Voyager Acquires ElectroMagnetic Systems (Source: Voyager)
Voyager Technologies has acquired ElectroMagnetic Systems, Inc. (EMSI), a California-based developer of AI and machine learning-based automated target recognition software and intelligence analytics for space-based radar systems. Voyager is scaling AI-native, mission-resilient systems that align directly with U.S. defense and intelligence priorities. By augmenting the human interface, the company is unlocking real-time, multi-domain monitoring across ground, air, and space for defense and high-growth commercial markets. (8/7)