August 21, 2025

Chinese Rocket Launches Mexican Built Satellites in International Collaboration (Source: Space Daily)
CAS Space successfully carried out the eighth flight of its Kinetica 1 rocket on Tuesday afternoon, sending seven satellites into orbit, including two designed and built in Mexico. The liftoff took place from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. The payload package included a synthetic aperture radar satellite, an Earth observation satellite, and five experimental spacecraft. Among them were the mini ThumbSat-1 and ThumbSat-2 satellites, each weighing about 100 grams, developed by private Mexican firm ThumbSat. (8/21)

PREFIRE CubeSats to Operate Through 2026 as Mission Expands Worldwide (Source: Space Daily)
NASA has extended the PREFIRE mission through September 2026 and broadened its scope from the poles to the entire planet. The twin shoebox-size CubeSats measure how water vapor, clouds, and other components of Earths system trap heat, improving forecasts of storm frequency and intensity. Launched in spring 2024, PREFIRE has been quantifying how much heat escapes to space from the Arctic and Antarctic. Earth absorbs most solar energy in the tropics, which winds, weather, and ocean currents move poleward. Polar ice, snow, and clouds then emit much of that energy as far-infrared radiation. (8/20)

Preparing Rock Analysis Methods on Earth for Future Mars Samples (Source: Space Daily)
In 2024, NASA's Mars rover Perseverance retrieved an unusual specimen named Sapphire Canyon, a red mudstone with white, black-edged spots that could reveal potential sources of organic molecules on the planet. To prepare for its eventual return, scientists from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech tested optical photothermal infrared spectroscopy (O-PTIR) on an Earth rock with similar visual traits. The method, described in Review of Scientific Instruments by AIP Publishing, uses one laser to heat a sample and another to measure surface vibrations, producing a precise chemical fingerprint. (8/15)

How Space Changes Our Cells: Insights From the ISS (Source: Earth.com)
When we think about space, we often picture rockets, astronauts, and distant planets. But some of the most important discoveries are happening at the cellular level. Scientists are studying how our cells respond to space – especially to changes in gravity – and what that could mean for future missions and for health here on Earth. Click here. (8/20)

EarthDaily Constellation Completion Expected by 2026 (Source: SpaceQ)
EarthDaily Analytics recently announced $60 million in financing that will allow them to finish building and launching their Earth observation constellation in 2026. EarthDaily focuses on whole-of-Earth change detection through multispectral imagery, and they’re in the process of building the EarthDaily Constellation, a ten-satellite constellation that will “deliver unmatched, high-quality data and insights that push the boundaries of what’s possible in Earth Observation,” according to EarthDaily CEO Don Osborne. (8/19)

Wallops Suborbital Missions to Study Turbulence in Earth's Outer Atmosphere (Source: UPI)
NASA is planning to launch TOMEX+ rocket mission to study the turbulence where Earth's atmosphere ends and outer space begins sometime over the next two weeks. The earliest the agency expects to launch the three sounding rockets is Saturday, with the launch window closing Sept. 3, NASA announced Wednesday. The launch window has been repeatedly pushed back, this time due to high sea states in the rocket recovery area from Hurricane Erin. (8/20)

New Spaceport, Satellite Missions And Start-Up Push (Source: Swarajya)
Union Minister Jitendra Singh, MoS for Science and Technology on Wednesday (20 August) informed the Parliament about India's progress in the space sector. He informed that the ISRO's second spaceport at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu is progressing steadily, with commissioning targeted for the financial year 2026–27.

Land acquisition has been finalized, barring plots required for rerouting the East Coast Road. Site development is complete and construction of technical facilities is under way, alongside fabrication of equipment at multiple centers. Unlike the existing spaceport at Sriharikota, where rockets must undertake maneuvers to avoid spent stages falling over land, Kulasekarapattinam offers direct access to Sun-Synchronous Polar Orbits (SSPOs).

This reduces payload penalties and enables the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) to carry about 300 kg, a capacity deemed inadequate when launched from Sriharikota. (8/21)

Nuclear-Powered Rockets Will Win the New Space Race (Source: Washington Post)
Victory in this new space race — with entrants including the United States, China, Russia and India — will go to the program that first masters nuclear-powered space travel. This capability will determine who leads in space exploration, in space mining and manufacturing, in national security, and in scientific discovery for decades to come. (8/20)

NASA Starts Bolting Together Artemis III Rocket for 2027 Moonshot (Source: The Register)
NASA has begun assembling the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will send humans on a lunar landing mission in 2027. The buildup has begun at Kennedy Space Center with the shift of the SLS engine section and boat tail, which protects the engines during launch, from the Space Systems Processing Facility to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). The VAB already contains the almost complete Artemis II SLS, which is set to launch in early 2026 and carry a crew on a ten-day mission around the Moon.

Artemis III, in 2027, is the landing mission, and planners are aiming for the lunar South Pole. There are plenty of ifs and buts around the mission. Artemis III could be the final flight of the SLS, depending on what happens to NASA's budget. In one proposal, the SLS program is canceled after the Artemis III mission. An amendment could, however, keep the program running for a few more missions. (8/19)

GD Space Architecture Contract Reaches $1.1B (Source: Yellowhammer News)
General Dynamics Mission Systems received a $17.5 million contract modification from the Department of Defense, increasing its total Air Force contract for space architecture and related efforts to over $1.14 billion. (8/20)

SpaceX’s Expensive Starship Explosions Are Starting to Add Up (Source: Bloomberg)
So far, Musk’s early projections that it would be safe to carry humans to space by 2023 and land people on the moon as early as this year haven’t panned out. The misfires haven’t deterred investors. The 23-year-old company has continued to raise new capital at rates more befitting a keenly watched startup than a mature, capital-hungry business. Most recently, SpaceX has been planning a sale of stock that would value the company at about $400 billion.

Yet there are also signs that for SpaceX to achieve a substantially greater valuation, investors may need to see more progress on Starship. During its latest fundraising effort, in which new investors don’t participate, the company had discussed a $500 billion valuation, before lowering it after consultation with backers, people familiar with the matter said.

Much will hinge on what happens next. The company is aiming to launch its tenth test flight of Starship as early as Aug. 24.  It's possible that SpaceX will be able to continue to absorb more testing failures, but the perception that the company is moving forward in Starship development will be key to their long-term investment success and fulfilling contractual agreements with NASA. (8/20)

Abolition of Independent UK Space Agency Welcomed by Industry (Source: New Civil Engineer)
News that the UK Space Agency is to be abolished as an independent entity in 2026 has been welcomed by the space industry sector, but the union representing workers at the agency has raised concerns about the government’s ambitions for space exploration. The space sector could present commercial opportunities for civil engineering firms due to the terrestrial infrastructure needed to support launch activities, such as utilities and transport connections, and foundations.

“In a major step to boost support for the UK’s space sector, the change will bring together the people who shape space policy and those who deliver it. This will cut any duplication that exists and ensure decisions are made with clear ministerial oversight." (8/20)

The True Cost of Colonizing Space (Source: Baltimore Sun)
Calculating the costs of colonizing other planets remains elusive. In a report by the NASA Ames Research Center, the estimate was half a trillion dollars for a trip to transport humans to Mars. So imprecise is the process of estimating costs, Elon Musk, a vocal proponent of settling on Mars, ventured that it would cost between 100 billion and 10 trillion — a vast range, even by interplanetary standards.

What it would cost to sustain even the smallest colony on Mars is almost beyond calculation, since it would require not only an immense up-front investment, but vast sums to put in place the redundant systems necessary to avoid a catastrophic failure of a wholly artificial environment. And given the provision of the Outer Space Treaty of 1967, which explicitly states that no nation can claim sovereignty over any celestial body, investing immense sums to inhabit naturally uninhabitable places such as the moon or Mars seems misplaced. (8/20)

FAA’s Informed Consent Rules leave Space Tourists Flying Blind (Source: Space News)
The FAA current informed consent framework under 14 CFR §460.45 falls dangerously short of adequately warning space flight participants (SFP) about the true risks they face, particularly long-term health consequences that may not manifest until months or years after their journey. (8/20)

Irish CubeSat Proves Wave Based Control for Precise In-Orbit Pointing (Source: Space Daily)
EIRSAT-1, Ireland's first satellite, has validated an onboard Wave-Based Control payload that enables accurate attitude control in orbit. Developed at UCD's School of Mechanical and Materials Engineering, the software-led experiment demonstrates advanced maneuvering techniques on a live spacecraft rather than solely in simulation. (8/20)

SwRI Unveils Spacecraft Impact Detection System for Orbital Debris (Source: Space Daily)
Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) has created and tested a micrometeoroid and orbital debris (MMOD) detection system to help satellites and spacecraft identify and characterize debris impacts. The technology ensures operators are aware of collisions even when damage is not immediately visible. (8/20)

SpaceX Applies Lessons Learned to New Starbase Launch Tower (Source: NSF)
SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas, continues to evolve as the company pushes the boundaries of rocket development with its Starship program. Following the operational experience gained from Pad 1, significant design advancements have been implemented for Pad 2, aiming to enhance efficiency, reliability, and safety for future Starship launches.

This includes key modifications across various elements of the launch site, from the tower and launch mount to the flame trench and tank farm, highlighting the iterative engineering approach that defines SpaceX’s rapid development philosophy. Click here. Editor's Note: Compare SpaceX's rapid development of multiple Starship heavy-lift launch facilities to NASA's multi-year, billion dollar saga at Kennedy Space Center to develop (arguably) similar SLS tower and pad infrastructure. (8/19)

Astronomers Intrigued by Odd Light Emitted by Interstellar Visitor 3I/ATLAS (Source: BrighterSide)
Some researchers say it’s just an icy traveler from deep space, while others believe it might be something far more unusual—perhaps even technology built by another civilization. Unllike comets, there’s no bright tail trailing behind it, the sort you’d normally expect. Instead, a glow appears focused like a beam of light in front of its path.

This unusual brightness has led Loeb and his colleague Eric Keto to consider a daring possibility: the object might be producing its own light. That would separate it from ordinary comets and asteroids. Loeb calculated that the glow requires about 10 gigawatts of power, comparable to the output of a large power plant on Earth. Sunlight reflection alone cannot explain the observed profile. (8/20)

Guidehouse Could Play Role in Alabama's Space Command Development (Source: AL.com)
A defense and security consulting firm may play a key role in setting up U.S. Space Command and the Golden Dome should either headquarters come to the Rocket City. Guidehouse – which employs about 200 locally – has taken significant costs out of the transition of programs from the FBI’s headquarters in the Washington, D.C., area and helped the agency “bring excellence and mission capability here,”  John Saad said. (8/19)

NASA and IBM Unveil AI That Helps Scientists Forecast Solar Storms (Source: Gizmodo)
Earlier this year, local and national officials gathered for a first-of-its-kind tabletop exercise to test their readiness for a severe solar storm. The simulation exposed major gaps in scientists’ ability to forecast space weather, which threatens critical infrastructure on Earth and in orbit.

On Wednesday, August 20, IBM and NASA unveiled Surya: an open-source AI model that could begin to fill those gaps. Heliophysicists currently rely on complex computer models to monitor and predict the Sun’s activity. Surya improves upon the lead time and accuracy of existing solar forecasting technologies, allowing scientists to not only predict a solar flare two hours out but also visually pinpoint where it should occur on the Sun’s surface. (8/20)

Starlink Snubbed by West Virginia (Source: Space News)
Starlink only a tiny fraction of rural broadband subsidies. SpaceX’s Starlink would get just 1% of the $625 million in rural broadband subsidies proposed by West Virginia. Those plans come after Virginia and Louisiana similarly provided Starlink and Amazon’s Project Kuiper a tiny fraction of funds through the federal government’s Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program. A research firm noted SpaceX is slated for $17.4 million of the $1.7 billion in BEAD funding awarded so far, covering around 6% of the 329,000 subsidized locations, while Amazon has netted $4.5 million for just over 2% of locations. Those BEAD plans have favored terrestrial fiber systems that can offer service at lower costs but take longer to roll out. (8/21)

SpaceX Beefs Up Starship Workforce (Source: Bloomberg)
SpaceX has added employees to work on Starship after the loss of a vehicle in a June test. After a Starship upper stage exploded on a test stand ahead of a static-fire test, about 20% of the Falcon 9 engineering team was reassigned to Starship for six months. The move came after three unsuccessful test flights of Starship this year that raised new doubts about the viability of the heavy-lift reusable launch vehicle. Moving the Falcon 9 engineers to Starship would allow SpaceX to increase testing and reliability of vehicle components and increase production rates, but could result in some Falcon 9 Starlink launches slipping from this year to next. SpaceX is preparing for its next Starship test flight as soon as Sunday. (8/21)

Russia Launches Life Science Research Mission on Soyuz-2.1b (Source: TASS)
Russia launched a life science research mission Wednesday. A Soyuz-2.1b rocket lifted off from the Baikonur Cosmodrome at 1:13 p.m. Eastern and placed the Bion-M No. 2 spacecraft into orbit. Bion-M carries plant and animal specimens, including 75 mice and 1,500 flies, to study how they respond to space environment conditions such as higher radiation levels from exposure in a polar orbit. The spacecraft will remain in orbit for a month before landing in Russia’s Orenburg region. This is the first launch of a Bion-M mission since 2013. (8/21)

NASA's New Astronaut Class Coming Next Month (Source: NASA)
NASA will announce its new astronaut class next month. The agency said Wednesday it will reveal the new astronaut class members, selected from more than 8,000 applicants, Sept. 22 at the Johnson Space Center. The event will be tied to briefings there about the Artemis 2 mission, scheduled for early next year. (8/21)

Ceres May Have Been Habitable (Source: New Scientists)
The dwarf planet Ceres may have been habitable early in its history. New analysis of data from the Dawn mission of Ceres, the largest object in the main asteroid belt, shows that the world may have maintained a warm interior for up to two billion years after its formation to allow for a liquid water ocean and mixing of carbon compounds that contained the organic ingredients needed for life. That could have allowed the formation of microbes like those seen in hydrothermal ocean vents on Earth. Similar conditions may have existed on other large icy asteroids and moons. (8/21)

Space Force Budget Prioritizes Advanced Technology (Source: Defense News)
The US Air Force and Space Force are prioritizing new weapons and technology in their fiscal year 2026 budgets while planning to cut thousands of civilian jobs and reduce contracting services. The Space Force budget is also set to grow, with an additional 600 troops and enhanced funding for advanced space technologies. (8/19)   

NASA Seeks Supplier for Turbine Air Motors (Source: Military & Aerospace Electronics)
NASA is seeking proposals for four turbine air motors for propulsion-airframe integration testing at the Ames Research Center's 11-by-11-foot Unitary Plan Wind Tunnel. The motors, capable of operating up to 20,000 RPM and 170 hp, will be installed on a body-and-wing model to simulate propfan propulsion and analyze aerodynamic performance under high-speed cruise conditions. The procurement includes two primary and two backup units and proposals are due by Sep. 5. (8/19)

ULA Remains Focused on Vulcan Reusability (Source: SPACErePORT)
In his Aug. 19 "The Burn Sequence" podcast, ULA chief Tory Bruno and ULA engineer Amanda Bacchetti discussed incremental upgrades to the company's new Vulcan rocket. The incremental approach differs from ULA's "static" approach to launch vehicle design/development, requiring a different mindset among the Vulcan team.

For folks wondering if ULA remains committed to achieving reusability, Bruno cryptically mentioned that "engine recovery is not the only reuse thing we have cooking." ULA has said it would recover the Vulcan main engines as part of a detachable pod that parachutes downrange for a helicopter air-snatch. Bruno has also mentioned previously that the Centaur upper stage might be reused while remaining in orbit. It is unclear if he was referring to the Centaur scheme in his Burn Sequence comment. (8/19)

The Commercial Case for Mars (Source: Space Review)
NASA, hoping to build on the success of commercial cargo, crew, and lunar lander programs, has rolled out plans for commercial Mars services. Jeff Foust reports on the industry interest in such missions and the obstacles they face. Click here. (8/19)
 
The LEO Toll Road: How the Constellation Gold Rush is Paving Over the Path to the Planets (Source: Space Review)
A large part of space activity today is devoted to the development and launch of broadband megaconstellations like Starlink, Kuiper, and Guowang. Vaibhav Chhimpa argues that focus is making it difficult for other uses of space, such as research. Click here. (8/19)
 
The Future of Data Storage? Look Up (Source: Space Review)
Data centers have become a big business on Earth. Sebastien Jean discusses how they could become a big business in space as well, addressing some of the drawbacks of terrestrial systems. Click here. (8/19)
 
The New Italian Law on the Space Economy: Regulatory Framework and Incentives for Businesses (Source: Space Review)
Italy enacted a new law overseeing space activities in the country in June. Three lawyers examine the law’s contents and its significant for space companies operating in Italy. Click here. (8/19)
 
In Memoriam: R. Cargill Hall (Source: Space Review)
Space historian R. Cargill Hall died earlier this year. Dwayne Day recalls his life and his work to document space history, particularly of satellite reconnaissance. Click here. (8/19)
 
Frank Strang and SaxaVord: Europe’s First Fully Licensed Vertical Launch Site (Source: Space Review)
Frank Strang, co-founder of SaxaVord Spaceport in the United Kingdom, passed away this month from cancer. Steve Fawkes recalls his effort to establish a spaceport on a remote island that is only now starting to bear fruit. Click here. (8/19)
 
A Museum Exhibition on Japanese Spaceflight (Source: Space Review)
A Tokyo museum is hosting a special exhibition on spaceflight with a focus on Japanese activities. Jeff Foust explores the exhibits and what they say about how spaceflight is viewed there. Click here. (8/19)