August 26, 2025

Space Coast Startup Offers Spaceflight for Cremated Remains (Source: Ashes to Space)
Longtime space industry engineer Ryan Mitchell has started Space Beyond, "a privately-held vertically-integrated aerospace services company dedicated to democratizing spaceflight." Space Beyond's "Ashes to Space" service provides an affordable way to send a symbolic portion of your loved ones’ remains to Earth orbit. The service features an online ordering process with a mail-in kit that can be provided to a funeral service provider or directly to the customer.

When received in a small vial by Space Beyond, a loved-one's ashes are stored in a controlled location until ready for spacecraft integration. A licensed funeral director supports integration into a flight-certified carrier and Space Beyond handles carrier testing, certification, and launch vehicle processing. The customer is informed at every step, up to and including virtual or in-person launch day viewing. Click here. (8/26)

UCF-Developed Testing Tech to Launch on Blue Origin Mission (Source: UCF)
The Florida Space Institute is on the verge of launching a Blue Origin payload into space. If all goes as planned, Julie Brisset’s NASA-funded project will send an experiment into space. Brisset, interim director of the Florida Space Institute, has a passion for advancing space exploration, which the project aims to do.

The technology to be tested is a Dust In-situ Manipulation System (DIMS) — a payload designed to create and control dust clouds in low-gravity environments, specifically for simulating how dust behaves in undisturbed environments, for example interstellar dust clouds or pollution aerosols in our atmosphere. (8/25)

Don’t Shortchange Public Comment, Scientific Input on SpaceX Plans (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Space is written into Central Florida’s DNA. Local residents still thrill to the sight of a rocket climbing into the sky, and grin when a sonic boom from a decelerating spacecraft rattles their windows. When tragedy strikes, our grief knows no bounds. That doesn’t mean local residents are ready to write a blank check for space-related activities — particularly use of taxpayer-owned assets by for-profit companies. If private space enterprises like SpaceX or Blue Origin want to launch from government facilities, they should reimburse for those costs — particularly when they seek exclusive use of launchpads or other infrastructure.

And when they ask for leeway to close public assets, like area beaches or the Merritt Island Natural Wildlife Refuge, they need to make their case to the public, not just NASA — with full and open accountability. That should include a willingness to answer tough questions in an open forum, and due diligence to ensure that restrictions on public access to public land aren’t tighter than they need to be. Community advocates say that’s not happening with planned launch/landing facilities being requested by SpaceX. They are urging locals to speak out at a series of public meetings — and are justifiably unhappy that the meetings aren’t as public as they could be.

The critics raise multiple issues. First, the potential environmental impacts on a fragile, beloved piece of coastline need extensive study — particularly when it comes to impacts on the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, which lies north of the proposed launch site. If all goes well, there still could be significant impacts on the birds and other species that call the refuge their home. And as any casual observer knows, things don’t always go well with SpaceX launches or landings. Federal officials should take the time to listen to local residents, and find a way for everyone to be accommodated. (8/26)

Filtronic Gets Fresh $62.5 Million Contract From SpaceX (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Filtronic signed a $62.5 million contract with Elon Musk’s SpaceX, its single largest order to date. The U.K. defense and aerospace telecom-equipment maker on Tuesday said that the order is for the supply of its proprietary gallium nitride E-band product which enhances low-Earth orbit satellite connectivity as it delivers more than double the output power of its existing gallium arsenide product line. (8/26)

With a New Soyuz Rocket, Russia Seeks to Break its Ukrainian Dependency (Source: Ars Technica)
The chief of Roscosmos said the country's newest rocket, the Soyuz-5, should take flight for the first time before the end of this year. From an innovation standpoint, the Soyuz-5 vehicle does not stand out. It has been a decade in the making and is fully expendable, unlike a lot of newer medium-lift rockets coming online in the next several years. However, for Russia, this is an important advancement because it seeks to break some of the country's dependency on Ukraine for launch technology.

Essentially, the Soyuz-5 booster is a slightly larger copy of an older rocket manufactured in Yuzhmash, Ukraine, the Zenit-2. This medium-lift rocket made its debut in the 1980s and flew dozens of missions into the 2010s. It was the last major rocket developed in the Soviet Union and was designed by the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau in Dnipro, Ukraine. The Zenit's first and second stages were manufactured there. However, the first-stage engine, the extremely powerful RD-171 engine, was designed and built by NPO Energomash in Russia. (8/25)

The U.S. Space Industry Became Dependent on SpaceX (Source: CNBC)
SpaceX is valued at around $400 billion and is critical for U.S. space access, but it wasn’t always the powerhouse that it is today. Today, SpaceX dominates large parts of the space market from launch to satellites. In 2024, SpaceX conducted a record-breaking 134 orbital launches, more than double the amount of launches done by the next most prolific launch provider, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. These 134 launches accounted for 83% of all spacecraft launched last year. According to a July report by Bloomberg, SpaceX was valued at $400 billion. (8/24)

SpaceX Starship Critical Test Launch Scrapped Over Ground Systems Issue (Source: Fox News)
SpaceX’s 403-foot Starship was set to lift off Sunday evening from the company’s Starbase facility in South Texas, marking its most ambitious test yet after a string of setbacks. But the launch of SpaceX’s tenth test flight was scrapped after there was an issue with the ground systems. (8/24)

Spacesuit Milestone Reached with 20 Spacewalks on Chinese Station (Source: Space Daily)
The extravehicular spacesuit B aboard China's space station has achieved a major milestone by supporting 20 spacewalks. Astronaut Chen Dong most recently used the suit on Aug. 15 during the Shenzhou XX crew's third series of extravehicular activities. This accomplishment marks the first time a Chinese spacesuit has met its extended service goal of sustaining 20 EVAs within four years. The suit has been worn by 11 astronauts across eight manned missions, demonstrating both reliability and durability. (8/21)

Solar System Internet Achieves Breakthrough DTN Edge Processing Test on Lunar Mission (Source: Space Daily)
In a milestone for interplanetary communications, Lonestar Data Holdings confirmed the successful test of the Solar System Internet's Delay Tolerant Network (DTN) aboard its lunar data center mission launched on Intuitive Machines' Athena lander in February. The demonstration validated the use of DTN technology, engineered to maintain robust communications in high-latency space environments.

The test showed that advanced medical data could be transmitted across long distances, a development with major implications for astronaut health monitoring and future telemedicine in space. Lonestar's space-based edge processing simulated real-time medical data transfer from cis-lunar orbit and the lunar surface to Earth, offering critical insights into how space-grade communication can support both exploration and healthcare. (8/22)

Mitsubishi Electric to Lead JAXA Fund Project on Next Generation Solar Cells for Satellites (Source: Space Daily)
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) has been chosen as a representative organization under JAXA's Space Strategy Fund for the initiative "Development of Domestic Solar Cells, Cover Glass, and Solar Arrays," part of the agency's first-phase program to strengthen Japan's satellite component supply chain. A formal contract has been signed with JAXA.

Rising demand for satellite solar cells and protective cover glass-particularly with the growth of low Earth orbit constellations-has been driving shortages, high prices, and longer delivery times worldwide. The project aims to mitigate these issues by fostering cost-effective, mass-producible solar technology within Japan. (8/2)

SDA's First Tranche 1 Satellites Set for Vandenberg Launch on Falcon 9 (Source: Space News)
The first satellites for the Space Development Agency’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture are set to launch next month. York Space Systems said Monday it delivered 21 satellites to Vandenberg Space Force Base for a Falcon 9 launch scheduled for Sep. 10. The satellites are the first for Tranche 1 Transport Layer B of the overall architecture, and the first operational satellites for the overall constellation after the deployment of experimental Tranche 0 satellites in 2023.

Tranche 1 is designed to deliver usable services to military operators, with Ka-band payloads and Link 16 tactical data links as well as optical intersatellite links. The September mission is the first of six launches planned to build out the Tranche 1 Transport Layer, with 126 satellites spread across six near-polar orbital planes. (8/26)

China Readies Rocket Landing Attempt After Orbital Launch (Source: Space News)
China is preparing for its first attempt to land a rocket stage after an orbital launch, following years of development and testing. Both the state-owned China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation and commercial company Landspace recently made progress with testing of their respective Long March 12A and Zhuque-3 rockets, which make debut test flights possible before the end of the year. Achieving reusable launch capabilities has long been a goal for China’s space ambitions to enable deployment of the Guowang and Qianfan/Thousand Sails constellations. (8/26)

China Launches More Guowang Satellites, Maybe Military Versions (Source: Space News)
China continues to accelerate the deployment of its Guowang constellation with a launch Monday. A Long March 8A rocket lifted off from the Hainan Commercial Space Launch Center carrying the 10th group of Guowang satellites. This was the sixth Guowang satellite launch within 30 days as the project’s cadence ramps up. Little is known about the satellites themselves, with no images published and only terse descriptions of the spacecraft.

Some suggest that the satellites, in addition to broadband payloads, may carry additional payloads or functions, potentially mimicking elements of SpaceX’s Starshield service. Monday’s launch was the third flight of the Long March 8A, a variant of the standard Long March 8 with upgraded engines and a larger payload fairing that appears designed to support Guowang. (8/26)

Constellations Failing with Astronomy-Friendly Goals to Reduce Brightness (Source: Space News)
Satellite constellations like Guowang are falling short of brightness limits set to mitigate their effect on astronomy. A recent study found that constellations - with the exception of OneWeb - were missing goals to keep their satellites no brighter than magnitude 7, with some constellations having an average brightness as high as magnitude 3.3. At a conference last month, industry officials said that while that goal was worthwhile, it was “really, really difficult” to achieve because of the complexities of satellite designs and the need to ensure those satellites can still carry out their primary missions. (8/26)

Weather Scrubs Second Starship Launch Attempt (Source: Space.com)
Weather scrubbed a second attempt to launch SpaceX’s Starship on its latest test flight Monday. SpaceX called off the launch at about 8 p.m. Eastern, halfway into a one-hour window, because of anvil clouds in the area that violated weather constraints for launch. The company said it will try again Tuesday in a window that opens at 7:30 p.m. Eastern. (8/26)

DeepSat Wins USAF Contract for VLEO Satellites (Source: Space News)
Satellite startup DeepSat won a U.S. Air Force contract to support work on very low Earth orbit (VLEO) satellites. DeepSat received a $1.25 million “Direct to Phase 2” contract from AFWERX to develop technologies for Orion’s Belt, a proposed constellation of about 20 VLEO satellites for maritime monitoring in the Indo-Pacific region. The satellites will gather visual and shortwave infrared imagery in addition to tracking vessels and aircraft with Automatic Identification System and Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast receivers. DeepSat plans to use satellite buses and other services from Redwire. (8/26)

More DoD Officials Fired for Political Leanings? (Source: Reuters)
The head of the Pentagon office that has worked with commercial space and other companies has stepped down. Doug Beck, director of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), resigned on Monday, according to an email he sent to the unit’s staff. The reason for his departure, and whether it was voluntary, was not clear, but sources said Defense Department leadership noted his past donations to Democratic political candidates. Several other DOD officials have also been removed from their posts in recent days. DIU supports companies developing technologies with military applications, including in the space sector. (8/26)

ESA Jupiter Probe Glitches Before Venus Flyby (Source: ESA)
A software glitch caused a loss of communications with an ESA spacecraft as it prepared for a Venus flyby. ESA said that the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, or Juice, spacecraft, stopped communicating with controllers on July 16. Engineers spent the next day sending commands into the blind, hoping they would be received by the spacecraft. One of those commands did reach Juice, confirming that the spacecraft was in good condition with no major malfunctions of systems.

An investigation uncovered a software bug that could cause a signal amplifier on the spacecraft to turn off when a timer resets, something that takes place only once every 16 months. The spacecraft has since resumed normal operations and will make a flyby of Venus on Sunday, part of a series of gravity-assist maneuvers to send it to Jupiter. (8/26)