August 27, 2025

Russia's Energia at Risk of Closure (Source: Gazeta)
The head of RSC Energia has warned employees of the Russian space company that it is in danger of shutting down. In a notice on an internal website, Igor Maltsev, general director of the company, said the company has severe debts and that many employees have lost motivation. He said he could not rule out closing the firm if the problems continued. Energia, whose origins date back to a design bureau created by Sergei Korolev, currently produces Soyuz and Progress spacecraft. (8/27)

Concerns Over SKAO Financial Management (Source: Guardian)
A radio telescope project is facing allegations of financial mismanagement. The Square Kilometer Array Observatory (SKAO) is a multibillion-dollar project building a network of thousands of radio antennas in the Australian outback. Costs of the project have gone up significantly, which a whistleblower alleges were due in part to losses from investments using SKAO funds, covered up by reshuffling other funds and claiming losses from currency fluctuations. SKAO is an international organization governed by a treaty that exempts it from taxes and normal legal processes. SKAO leadership has commissioned an external review of those claims. (8/27)

Giant Star Stripped to its Core Reveals Origins of Silicon and Sulfur (Source: Space Daily)
Researchers have identified a rare type of supernova that exposes the hidden inner layers of a massive star, revealing where heavy elements such as silicon and sulfur are produced. The discovery centers on SN2021yfj, a stellar explosion detected in September 2021. Unlike most observed supernovae, which mainly display hydrogen and helium, this event was dominated by signatures of silicon, sulfur, and argon. The findings provide direct observational proof of the onion-like structure long theorized in massive stars. (8/26)

Can Humans Live on Mars? This NASA Mission Intends to Find Out (Source: The Times)
The atmosphere on Mars is less than 1 per cent of Earth’s surface pressure and comprises largely carbon dioxide, with only trace amounts of oxygen. Minus a spacesuit, helmet and life-support systems, I would suffer rapid collapse and — within a couple of minutes — death by suffocation if this were a true red-planet scenario. Here in the Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analogue (CHAPAE), a simulated Martian habitat at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston, Texas, the stakes are lower and crew members face mock challenges without danger.

Throughout their 378-day missions — one completed last year and another two to come — almost everything else here mimics life on Mars as envisaged by scientists and engineers. The purpose is to help researchers understand and mitigate the physical and psychological challenges and inform the design of future missions. (8/25)

ICEYE Secures €9.38M in Funding from Poland’s National Development Bank (Source: European Spaceflight)
Earth observation data provider and satellite manufacturer ICEYE has secured over PLN 40 million (€9.38 million) in new funding from Vinci S.A., an investment vehicle of Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego (BGK), Poland’s National Development Bank. As an investment vehicle for BGK, Vinci S.A. is tasked with investing in the commercialization and expansion of Polish startups. (8/25)

Picking Winners: Pentagon Considers Stakes in Defense Contractors (Source: CNBC))
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has revealed that the Pentagon is considering acquiring equity stakes in major defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin, similar to the recent 10% acquisition of Intel. This move could signify a significant shift in defense financing, raising concerns about increased government control over the private sector. (8/27)

DOGE Team to Lead Sweeping Review of DOD Contracts (Source: Bloomberg)
The "Delivering Outcomes, Greater Efficiency" team at the Pentagon will review more than 400,000 contracts and grants in an effort to identify and eliminate waste, according to a fiscal 2026 budget document. Savings identified in the review would be redirected to other programs, the document says. (8/27)

Elbit's JUPITER Camera Launches (Source: Jerusalem Post)
Elbit Systems has launched its JUPITER space camera aboard the NAOS Satellite using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The high-resolution camera is compatible with advanced image processing and AI engines, and can be integrated with ground station analytics and onboard systems. (8/27)

Belgium's Aerospacelab Secures $110 Million to Expand Satellite Production and Development (Source: Space Daily)
Aerospacelab has closed an extended Series B funding round worth $110 million, strengthening its industrial roadmap and positioning as a leading European satellite manufacturer. The round combined $66 million in new financing with a $44 million commitment from a European financial institution.  A portion of the capital is supporting the vertical integration of key subsystems, reinforcing industrial autonomy, and accelerating product development. (8/26)

Starship Flies Again, Deploys Test Payloads, Achieves Soft Landing (Source: Space News)
SpaceX’s Starship vehicle performed a largely successful test flight Tuesday after a string of failures. The Starship/Super Heavy vehicle lifted off from Starbase, Texas on the Flight 10 mission. The vehicle avoided the problems that caused the three previous launches to fail. Starship deployed eight mass simulators of next-generation Starlink satellites during the suborbital flight and performed an in-space relight of a Raptor engine. The vehicle survived reentry and made a pinpoint “soft” splashdown in the Indian Ocean. SpaceX said after the flight that the launch achieved all of its major goals. (8/27)

EchoStar AT&T Spectrum Deal Boosts Direct-to-Device Constellation Scheme (Source: Space News)
EchoStar is selling spectrum to AT&T in a deal that should boost its efforts to deploy a direct-to-device satellite constellation. EchoStar will sell the terrestrial wireless spectrum to AT&T for $23 billion, ending its bid to operate as a traditional mobile carrier in the United States. The proceeds from the spectrum sale should allow EchoStar to pay down much of its more than $25 billion in debt and help it finance a $5 billion constellation of direct-to-device satellites. EchoStar ordered 100 satellites from MDA Space earlier this month for that constellation. (8/27)

Firefly Says Structural Failure Caused Alpha Rocket Failure (Source: Space News)
Firefly Aerospace said a structural failure caused by excessive heating was the key problem with its Alpha rocket in April. The company announced Tuesday it completed the investigation into the failure, which caused the loss of a Lockheed Martin technology demonstration satellite.

On the launch, a higher angle of attack during ascent than used on previous launches caused aeroheating on part of the first stage. That weakened the structure, which ruptured from the forces of stage separation. The pressure wave from the rupture took off the nozzle of the second stage engine, reducing its performance and keeping the stage and its payload from reaching orbit. The company said it has implemented changes to prevent the problem from happening again and has received approval from the FAA to resume launches. (8/27)

XTAR Plans New Satellites for Government Business (Source: Space News)
Satellite operator XTAR is planning new satellites to expand opportunities with U.S. and allied military customers. The Virginia-based company is shifting from its two legacy X-band satellites to next-generation spacecraft funded by its minority shareholder, Spain’s Hisdesat Servicios Estratégicos.

One of the satellites, Spainsat NG-1, launched in January, while Spainsat NG-2 is scheduled for launch in the fall. Both next-gen satellites carry payloads in X-band, military Ka-band and UHF. XTAR’s new CEO, Patrick Rayermann, said the satellites will give XTAR more tools to compete for U.S. Department of Defense and allied government contracts. (8/27)

SpaceX Launches NAOS and Several Smallsats From California (Source: Space News)
SpaceX launched an imaging satellite for Luxembourg and several secondary payloads Tuesday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Its primary payload was the National Advanced Optical System (NAOS) satellite, a high-resolution imaging satellite built by OHB Italia for the government of Luxembourg. The launch also carried seven secondary payloads for Capella Space, Dhruva Space, Pixxel and Planet. The launch was an example of the “shared launch” rideshare services that SpaceX provides in addition to its dedicated rideshare launches. (8/27)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Satellites on Wednesday at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Florida Today)
Another Falcon 9 launched more Starlink satellites Wednesday morning. The Falcon 9 lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, carrying 28 Starlink satellites. Those satellites were deployed a little more than an hour after liftoff. (8/27)