August 30, 2025

DoD Drops Independent Testing For Several Space Systems (Sources: FNN, SPACErePORT)
The Pentagon’s weapons testing office has cut the number of programs it oversees from 251 programs last year to 152 programs this year, removing the XM7 rifle — an eerie reminder of the M16, which was adopted before independent testing existed and malfunctioned so badly in the field that it cost many soldiers their lives.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reduced the Defense Department’s Director of Operational Test and Evaluation (DOT&E) office’s workforce from 94 employees to 46. He also eliminated all contractor support. Critics immediately warned that any short-term savings will be far outweighed by the long-term costs of fielding faulty systems. Among the programs dropped from the list are Golden Dome, several GPS systems, multiple satellite communication and command/control programs, and Trident missiles. (8/29)

Emergency Services Turn to Starlink in Western Queensland (Source: ABC.net)
Emergency services and councils in western Queensland are purchasing Starlink devices after communication was lost during a flood emergency. Telstra and Australia Post have also recently partnered with Starlink. A telecommunications advisor says rural communities' dependence on Starlink is worrying and Australia needs to develop its own reliable satellite infrastructure. (8/28)

Startup’s Retractable Solar Arrays Could Aid Orbital Servicing (Source: National Defense)
Georgia-based startup Atomic-6 recently won a $2 million Space Force contract to mature and flight qualify its Light Wing retractable solar array technology that could not only power satellites but also enable on-orbit servicing. The ability to repair or refuel spacecraft on orbit is a major focus for the Space Force and other government agencies. The retractability of Atomic-6’s Light Wing solar arrays “really opens up” the ability to conduct rendezvous, proximity operations and docking maneuvers, said CEO Trevor Smith. (8/29)

Texas Is Leading a Lunar Gold Rush (Source: Texas Monthly)
To promote competition—and increase the odds of success—NASA qualified more than a dozen companies to bid for at least twelve planned lunar landings between 2024 and 2029. Two Texas start-ups leaped to the head of the pack and between them secured three of the first four CLPS contracts: Cedar Park’s Firefly and Houston-based Intuitive Machines. Their primacy in the program testified to the strength of the state’s aerospace industry. But the financial futures for these firms stood to look far less rosy if they failed to achieve flawless touchdowns.

Congressman Brian Babin, the chairman of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, represents much of southeast Texas, including the site of the Johnson Space Center. He expects CLPS’s bipartisan backing to continue but notes that it’s far from unconditional. “While some level of failure is expected, visible progress is key to maintaining confidence—both on the Hill and among the public,” he told me.

The traditional saviors of NASA come from Texas, and this year was no different. In June, Senator Ted Cruz pushed back against the Trump cuts by introducing a $10 billion package of “legislative directives” that restored the Artemis IV and V missions in the Senate’s version of the massive budget reconciliation bill. The clawback survived the House vote on July 3—shepherded through Babin’s committee—and Trump signed the budget the next day. (8/29)

Bruno: Assured Access to Space is a National Security Imperative (Source: Washington Times)
Assured access to space requires the Space Force to maintain more than one way for America to get there. This is more than just the law; it’s a strategic necessity. After the space shuttle program ended, only a single U.S. company was capable of doing that: United Launch Alliance. This was a heavy responsibility that sometimes transcended industrial and cost efficiency. As a result of this burden, ULA was required to maintain two redundant rocket families: Atlas and Delta.

Over the past two decades, SpaceX has grown from flying some orbits to reaching the full national security mission set, enabling the retirement of the Delta rocket and the transition from the Atlas to the newer, more efficient Vulcan rocket. With any luck, Blue Origin will join the heavy-lift provider club shortly, giving the United States a robust and resilient three-company industrial base.

Although this is good news, some would argue that it would be simpler and more cost-effective to conduct a winner-take-all down-select and pick one launch provider. The first contract would almost certainly be low-cost, but after that, it would be a monopoly, which is never the path to sustaining low prices or innovation. (8/27)

ISS Research Could Speed Drug Discoveries on Earth (Source: PharmaVoice)
For astronauts aboard the ISS, maintaining health requires effort, including daily two-hour workouts and careful nutrition. And while cell and tissue growth changes pose challenges for astronauts and mission support teams, they also offer opportunities for drug researchers looking to learn more about diseases.

SpaceX launched its CRS-33 cargo mission August 24 to the ISS carrying new research projects that scientists hope will speed drug discoveries and advances back on the ground. Here are three unique benefits of microgravity that may accelerate the search for treatments to improve human health on Earth. (8/28)

Singapore Positions Space Sector For Global Scale-Up (Source: Aviation Week)
The Singapore government is seeking to carve out a role in the fast-growing global space sector, with plans to commercialize and scale up home-grown technologies. The Office for Space Technology & Industry (OSTIn), the country’s national space office, has set three priorities: developing a robust space ecosystem, fostering international partnerships, and launching targeted space programs in areas like aviation, maritime, and sustainability.

This strategy builds on increased investment, such as the S$60 million for the Space Technology Development Programme (STDP), and aims to commercialize home-grown technologies and strengthen Singapore's position as a global hub for innovation in space. (8/28)

Budapest Panel Discusses Hungary’s Role in the Next Era of Space Exploration (Source: Hungarian Conservative)
Hungary’s past, present, and future in space came together on Thursday in Budapest, where the Hungarian-born space traveller Charles Simonyi, veteran astronaut Bertalan Farkas, and researchers Tibor Kapu and Gyula Cserényi joined a panel discussion hosted by the HUNOR Hungarian Astronaut Programme and the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. The speakers reflected on the evolution of spaceflight, its challenges, and what lies ahead for humanity in orbit. (8/28)

Switzerland To Set Beyond Gravity Strategy By Year's End (Source: Aviation Week)
The Swiss government says it is working to define a new strategic plan for local space company Beyond Gravity after parliament decided not to seek to privatize the business. To support the effort, the country’s armament agency on Aug. 13 said it was convening a group to help outline the plan. The strategy aims to define a new purpose for Beyond Gravity's continued federal ownership and outline its future development within the dynamic space market. (8/13)

Musk Reveals When SpaceX Will Perform First-Ever Starship Catch (Source: Teslarati)
Musk said the most likely opportunities for SpaceX to catch Starship itself would be Flight 13, Flight 14, and Flight 15, but it depends on “how well the V3 flights go.” (8/28)

NASA is Sending an Australian-Made Lunar Rover to the Moon by 2030 (Source: Startup Daily)
A $42 million project to put an Australian-designed and built lunar explorer on the Moon will be realized by the end of the decade. NASA has confirmed the Roo-ver will make the 384,000km trip from Earth as part of its Artemis Moon exploration program, via NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services by 2030.

The Roo-ver, 20kg semi-autonomous rover around the size of a cabin baggage suitcase, is charged by the US space agency with collecting new data about the surface of the Moon to support international space science and exploration goals, including taking soil samples as well as containing an integrated NASA payload on extracting oxygen. (8/29)

Independent Agency Takeover: Trump Nixes Weather Service, NASA Unions (Sources: Bloomberg, NASA Watch)
President Donald Trump nullified more government unions Thursday, expanding a March executive order that has sharply limited federal-sector collective bargaining. The president issued a new directive ending collective bargaining agreements at NASA, the International Trade Administration, the Office of the Commissioner for Patents, the National Weather Service, the US Agency for Global Media, hydropower facilities under the Bureau of Reclamation, and the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service. Trump classified the agencies as having national security interests, exempting them from federal union laws.

Oh yes, In addition to erasing NASA’s Union rights, this Executive Order says that NASA is “hereby determined to have as a primary function intelligence, counterintelligence, investigative, or national security work. It is also hereby determined that Chapter 71 of title 5, United States Code, cannot be applied to these agencies and agency subdivisions in a manner consistent with national security requirements and considerations.” No mention of that science and exploration stuff.

Editor's Note: This move enables the President Trump to more easily claim emergency powers over these agencies, allowing him to ignore Congressional authority over their budgets, programs and workforce. It's another example of this administration's "imperial presidency" approach, suggesting the president has king-like powers and can dismiss any career civil servants who might be democrats or otherwise aren't sufficiently supportive of his America First agenda. (8/28)

Sounding Rockets Soar Following NASA Wallops Launch (Source: WBOC)
Three TOMEX+ mission sounding rockets were successfully from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on Aug. 28. The rockets took off in succession starting at approximately 10:43 p.m. This comes after officials delayed the launch window numerous times due to cloudy conditions, as NASA says clear skies are crucial for the instruments onboard. (8/28)

Musk's South Texas Space City Adding Land, Seeking More SpaceX Tax Breaks (Source: San Antonio Express-News)
The South Texas town that’s home to SpaceX has gobbled up more land near Boca Chica Beach and is hunting for more tax breaks for the Elon Musk-led company. Since Starbase was incorporated as a Texas city in May, it has added 174 acres to its original 940-acre footprint along Texas 4. The new acreage is in 21 parcels previously owned by SpaceX that the city annexed.

It’s expanding outside its borders, too. Last week, Starbase officials voted to take control of another 1,413-acre swath by creating a wetlands conservation area the city will manage. The next day in Austin, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s commission unanimously approved the sale of 1.9 acres of state park land within Starbase to SpaceX. City leaders also voted to help SpaceX get additional state tax breaks for a $506 million construction project under the Texas Enterprise Zone program.

City Administrator Kent Myers called the conservation area, dubbed the “Rockhands Preservation Bank,” an “environmental offset” for continued development in the sensitive wildlife area. Ahead of last Thursday’s vote to sell the 1.9 acres of state-owned land, the parks commission received 266 written comments — six in favor of the move and 260 against — about the proposal that would sell four non-adjacent tracts in Starbase’s residential area, including one waterfront property. (8/28)