August 6, 2025

NASA Picks Six Companies for Orbital Transfer Vehicle Studies (Source: NASA)
NASA awarded study contracts to six companies regarding orbital transfer vehicles. The agency said Tuesday it awarded a total of nine contracts with a maximum value of $1.4 million to Arrow Science and Technology, Blue Origin, Firefly Aerospace, Impulse Space, Rocket Lab and ULA for concepts to enable “multi-spacecraft and multi-orbit delivery” to different orbits. The companies are exploring concepts that range from dedicated space tugs to modified upper stages. The studies are due by mid-September and will inform NASA planning for future missions though its Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare Launch Services contract. (8/6)

Elon Musk Is Working His Hardest to Make a Chinese Century (Source: Liberal Currents)
The flow of research, ideas, money, and highly trained personnel between academia, industry, and government has powered a century of American technological dominance. In an age of renewed great power competition, national security depends on remaining at the cutting edge of bioscience, artificial intelligence, aerospace, and advanced manufacturing technologies. Taking a hacksaw to the funding for these institutions will have predictable consequences.

In many ways Elon Musk is the right man to play this role in our national suicide. He more than perhaps anyone now alive has benefitted from the mythology of the entrepreneur, the Randian myth of the one man who keeps society innovative and dynamic through his individual brilliance and gumption. (2/9)

State Incentives Bring 3D-Printing Aerospace Company HQ to Colorado (Source: Denver Gazette)
Raven Space Systems, a 3D-printing company that makes parts for the aerospace industry, picked Colorado for its new headquarters and manufacturing facility, the governor’s office announced. It’ll be based in Broomfield, the city located centrally between Boulder and Denver. The company chose the location for its talent pool and nearness to other aerospace companies, the announcement said. Raven was also considering Kansas and Missouri for its expansion.

Raven is a startup with four employees currently headquartered in Kansas City, MO. The headquarters and manufacturing facility is expected to bring 392 jobs to the state. The Colorado Economic Development Commission approved more than $5.8 million in job growth tax incentives to Raven in March. (8/4)

Space Force to Launch Ground Target-Tracking Satellites in 2028 (Source: Defense One)
The Space Force plans to launch satellites that can track vehicles and ships in 2028 and eventually use that work to figure out how to track airborne targets from orbit. The ground moving target indicator mission, known as GMTI, is a joint effort between the Space Force and National Reconnaissance Office to help the military track targets on the ground from space—a mission handled until 2023 by the aging, airborne E-8 JSTARS fleet. (8/4)

AST SpaceMobile's Prototype Satellite Faces Potential Delay (Source: PC Mag)
As AST SpaceMobile tries to compete with SpaceX's cellular Starlink system, the company is facing a possible delay with a crucial prototype satellite. The FM1 prototype was supposed to launch this month via India’s space agency, ISRO, marking an important step in helping AST SpaceMobile deliver satellite connectivity to phones.

But last week, the ISRO's chairman indicated that FM1 won't take off on time, according to local media. ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan was recorded twice saying that the satellite launch will occur within three or even four months, presumably pushing the FM1’s deployment to late Q4. (8/4)

As Launches Increase, Third Cargo Crane Arrives in Port Canaveral (Source: Florida Today)
It's been a busy year on the Space Coast and with multiple rocket launches every week, Port Canaveral is adding a third mobile harbor crane to support Port Canaveral cargo and rocket boosters coming in from the ocean on landing platforms. "The third mobile harbor crane, like the first two, is a versatile multipurpose crane designed to handle a wide range of heavy cargo, including space hardware," said Steven Linden.

"There's another space operator that's contemplating maritime recovery," said Murray during the February meeting, "Our cranes aren't large enough to handle that booster, so we modified the crane prior to its delivery." Blue Origin is one of those companies, as it plans to land the first-stage of its New Glenn rocket on its landing platform known as Jacklyn in the Atlantic Ocean. However, Blue Origin already has a crane established for New Glenn.

Another launch provider working toward launching reusable rockets from Cape Canaveral is Stoke Space. The company plans a fully reusable rocket, known as Nova, but it has not revealed many details on recovery efforts. Stoke Space has mentioned in the past that Nova will land back at the launch site − Launch Complex 14 − similar to SpaceX's Starship. (8/5)

Lockheed Martin Sued Over Billions in Reported Losses (Source: Fort Worth Report)
A lawsuit against defense contractor Lockheed Martin Corp. alleges that the company misled investors by downplaying risks in its government contracts and overstating its ability to deliver on time. Investor Muhammad Khan filed the suit July 28 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, alleging the company made false or misleading statements that led to significant losses for investors between Jan. 23, 2024, and July 21, 2025. (8/4)

CEO of U.S. Space and Rocket Center Announces Retirement (Source: WHNT)
The CEO of the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville has announced her retirement following a leave of absence from her position in June. According to a spokesperson from the USSRC, Dr. Kimberly Robinson became CEO in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which posed a threat of potential bankruptcy and permanent closure.

The Space and Rocket Center said that one of the hallmarks of her time as CEO was the successful launch of a $65 million capital campaign. It enabled transformative investments, including the completion of the Space Camp Operations Center and the I4 Skills Training Complex, which will be completed by the end of 2025. (8/5)

A Small Uniform Tweak Reveals a Shift in Space Force Culture (Source: Air and Space Forces)
Chief of Space Operations Gen. B. Chance Saltzman’s official portrait got a slight update in June that largely went unnoticed: His silver Space Operations Badge with its distinctive orbital rings and Space Force delta, vanished. Now we know why. This week Lt. Gen. DeAnna M. Burt, the Space Force’s chief operations officer, revealed that the removal signals shift in Space Force culture and training.

With the introduction of the new Space Force Officer Training Course last fall, however, every newly commissioned officer must complete a 12-month program where officers will be immersed in all the core knowledge Guardian leaders will need. That includes understanding space operations, cyber, and intelligence, the service’s three core career fields. New graduates will be given a badge, still to be determined, that signifies their completion of the course. (8/5)

The Spaceport Company Wins DoD Contract for Sea-Based Suborbital Launch (Source: TSC)
TSC signed a contract to launch a sounding rocket to space (above the Karman Line) from the ocean for a DoD customer. This will be America’s first launch to space from the ocean since 2014. TSC will be the only commercial company capable of delivering payloads to space from the sea outside of China. The mission is on schedule to launch in 2026. The company was awarded a third DoD contract last month, and is in due diligence for our fourth active DoD contract. Revenue growth is on track. (8/6)

Mississippi Port is Strategic location for Spaceport Company (Source: Mississippi Business Journal)
A company located at Hancock County’s Port Bienville is changing the way rockets are launched and reenter the earth. The Spaceport Company, based in Virginia, produces vessels designed to launch rockets from sea and to serve as reentry sites. A contract with the Department of Defense was signed to demonstrate sea-based launch facilities.

Things are going well, according to Port Bienville on-site Operations Coordinator Jenna Ringer. “In 2023, we completed four successful rocket launches from a floating platform in the Gulf of Mexico in partnership with Evolution Space,” she said. “This proof-of-concept campaign demonstrated the viability of sea-based launch operations within U.S. territorial waters, laying the foundation for future offshore orbital-class spaceports.” (7/31)

ULA Schedules Inaugural Vulcan National Security Launch (Source: WHNT)
United Launch Alliance has confirmed an Aug. 12 Vulcan rocket launch for the US Space Force's Space Systems Command, marking the first national security space mission for Vulcan. The mission, USSF-106, will deploy a payload to geosynchronous orbit from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. ULA emphasized its continued partnership with the Space Force in supporting critical national defense missions. (8/5)

Space Scotland Gets New CEO Ahead of First UK Orbital Launch (Source: Space Scotland)
Space Scotland has appointed Dr. Natasha Nicholson as its new Chief Executive Officer, a strategic leadership move at a pivotal time for Scotland’s rapidly growing space sector, and ahead of the UK’s first-ever commercial orbital launch from Shetland.
Dr. Nicholson played a key role in Space Scotland’s early development as its original Cluster Manager and now returns to lead its next phase.

She holds a PhD in astrobiology and brings deep scientific and strategic expertise, having served as Cross-Cluster Liaison Manager for the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) at Harwell Campus. Her appointment comes amid a surge in international engagement and commercial activity across Scotland’s space ecosystem, with the first orbital launch from Europe anticipated to occur from SaxaVord within months.

The country now hosts more than 180 space organizations and leads Europe in small satellite production, with companies like Spire Global, AAC Clyde Space, and Alba Orbital based in Glasgow. With backing from Scottish Enterprise, the UK Space Agency, and private sponsors including Intel and Burges Salmon, Space Scotland has become a trusted voice in UK and international space policy, uniting academia, industry, and government. (8/6)

NASA Shifts Plans for Commercial Space Stations (Source: Space News)
NASA is changing course on its plans to support development of commercial space stations. In a memo signed by NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy last week, but not yet publicly released, the agency said it would change its plans for the next phase of the Commercial LEO Development program that supports commercial successors to the ISS. Instead of awarding a fixed-price contract for certification of stations and initial services, NASA will instead award funded "Space Act Agreements" to companies for continued development, including crewed flight demonstrations involving non-NASA astronauts.

The move is intended, the memo states, to keep the program on schedule and address a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall. However, NASA said it will no longer require a “Full Operational Capability” that involved a permanent presence of NASA astronauts on those stations, opting instead to a minimum capability of four-person crews spending a month on those stations. NASA said it no longer considers binding the LEO Microgravity Strategy it published last December that called for a continuous human presence in LEO. (8/6)

Space Command Endorses In-Space Refueling (Source: Space News)
The head of U.S. Space Command is endorsing the use of in-space refueling of satellites. Speaking Tuesday at the Space & Missile Defense Symposium, Gen. Stephen Whiting endorsed a vision for space operations that moves beyond the traditional “one-and-done” approach to satellite deployment. He said space needs to adopt the same comprehensive logistics frameworks used in other domains so that spacecraft can “maneuver for advantage to achieve space superiority.” His remarks come at a critical juncture, as the U.S. Space Force grapples with whether to invest in orbital infrastructure or continue treating satellites as expendable assets and as China demonstrates its own satellite refueling capabilities. (8/6)

Northrop Grumman Investments in Solid Rocket Motors Position The Company for Golden Dome (Source: Space News)
Northrop Grumman says investments in increased solid rocket motor production will help it win contracts for the Golden Dome missile defense program. Company officials said at the Space & Missile Defense Symposium that they are in a strong position to capitalize on the demand likely to be generated by Golden Dome. The company is now producing large solid rocket motors in Utah and West Virginia, and smaller tactical motors in Maryland. Northrop said $1 billion in investments made in those facilities after acquiring Orbital ATK in 2018 will allow the company to meet projected demand from Golden Dome. (8/6)

NASA Picks Space Shuttle for Transfer to Houston (Source: Space News)
NASA has selected a shuttle orbiter to transfer to Houston under a provision of the budget reconciliation bill. That bill included $85 million for a “space vehicle transfer” to a facility affiliated with a NASA center, directing the NASA administrator to identify the vehicle within 30 days of the bill’s July 4 enactment. NASA said late Tuesday that Acting Administrator Sean Duffy made that identification, but did not disclose the vehicle or its destination.

However, Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said late Tuesday that NASA selected a shuttle orbiter to be moved to Space Center Houston, next to the Johnson Space Center. The statement didn’t identify the vehicle but noted “congressional intent” of the bill was for Discovery to go from the National Air and Space Museum to Houston. Such a move, though, faces various legal, logistical and fiscal challenges. (8/6)

TRACERS Satellite Glitching (Source: NASA)
NASA is still studying a problem with a new space science satellite. NASA said Tuesday that one of two satellites on the TRACERS mission launched last month is having problems with its power system, limiting the time it can operate to when it gets “adequate power” from its solar panels. The next opportunity to try to recover the satellite will be later this month when the spacecraft’s orientation will allow more sunlight onto the solar arrays. NASA separately said Tuesday it has yet to hear from another satellite on the same launch, Athena EPIC. The satellite, built by NovaWurks, is intended to demonstrate a modular satellite design and test an Earth science sensor. [NASA]

The California Coastal Commission’s Fight with SpaceX is Back On (Source: Politico)
A California agency is preparing for another fight with SpaceX over launches at Vandenberg Space Force Base. The California Coastal Commission will take up next week a proposal to allow SpaceX to increase the number of launches at Vandenberg from 50 to 95 per year. The commission’s staff recommended that it reject the proposal because the launches are primarily commercial.

The commission last October voted against a proposal to increase launches from 35 to 50 per year, with some commissioners citing SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s politics in the process. That resulted in a lawsuit from SpaceX. The earlier vote had no effect on launches, with the Space Force citing national security considerations for allowing an increased launch rate. (8/6)

Breakthrough Discovery Reveals Potentially Habitable Super-Earth (Source: SciTech Daily)
In their search for Earth-like worlds, an international team led by the Yunnan Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in collaboration with other institutions, made a significant breakthrough using a method called Transit Timing Variation (TTV).

For the first time, TTV enabled the detection of a super-Earth named Kepler-725c, which is about 10 times the mass of Earth and orbits within the habitable zone of a Sun-like star, Kepler-725. The findings were published in Nature Astronomy.

Traditionally, astronomers have used the transit method and radial velocity (RV) measurements to detect low-mass planets (10 Earth masses or less) within the habitable zones of Sun-like stars. However, these smaller planets usually follow long orbits and produce weak RV signals, making them difficult to detect. The RV technique, in particular, demands extremely precise measurements, which limits its practicality for identifying such faint, distant planets. (8/5)

Eutelsat Set for Another Year of Shrinking Margins Despite Booming Demand for OneWeb (Source: Financial Times)
Eutelsat has told investors to expect another year of declining margins even as the French satellite group reported a jump in revenues from its OneWeb broadband service, Europe’s answer to Elon Musk’s Starlink. Eutelsat on Tuesday reported a €1.1bn annual net loss, compared with a €310mn loss the previous year, largely due to a previously announced €535mn write-off on a business acquired in 2014.

Chief executive Jean-François Fallacher, who took over in June, said the company was expecting margins to fall in the current financial year, but promised that OneWeb would be driving higher returns within two years from a rapidly growing customer base. He added that OneWeb was the “growth engine that is going fast, where there is huge demand”. (8/5)

Federal Agencies are Starting to Admit That DOGE’s Policies Were Trash (Source: The New Republic)
The White House has apparently decided that some of the administration’s DOGE-directed firings were a mistake. The National Weather Service / NOAA has received permission to hire hundreds of employees, CNN reported Tuesday. That includes 450 meteorologists, hydrologists, and radar technicians to replace the ones that were let go from the agency at the behest of former DOGE chief Elon Musk.

Exhausted staffers who had been tasked with working additional hours with added responsibilities due to the abrupt layoffs are reportedly irate at the realization that their peers’ job loss was pointless. “How much time/money is it going to cost to train a bunch of new people when we had already-trained people in place?” an unidentified NOAA official told CNN. (8/5)

No More Snacks, Exercise, Or Visitors at Goddard And Wallops (Source: NASA Watch)
There is already a plan to more or less abandon half of Goddard’s buildings. Proposals are due by 1 September on the plan to shut down (maybe commercialize) all of the GSFC buildings West of Goddard Road – which includes Bldg 1 (where the cafeteria/exchange is).  Now NASA is closing the place where people eat lunch and putting a halt to the public’s ability to visit GSFC and WFF. This is really starting to get petty, Sean. People are already demoralized. (8/4)

Huntsville’s New $20 Million Rocket Motor Plant is the Size of Six Football Fields (Source: AL.com)
L3Harris Technologies unveiled its new $20 million rocket motor plant in west Huntsville on Monday. The 379,000 square-foot facility is the size of six football fields and could play an important role in President Donald Trump’s proposed Golden Dome defense, L3Harris officials said. (8/4)

Space Force Preps Infrastructure, Operators for Target-Tracking Mission (Source: Defense News)
The Space Force expects to launch its first ground moving target indicator satellites in the next year — but until then, it’s working to craft operational concepts and experiment with enabling technologies that will shape the future constellation. The service has been working closely with the intelligence community to develop a framework for managing a layered moving target indicator capability that pulls data from space sensors and other sources and feeds it to operators to better track threats on the ground — a mission that’s typically been conducted by aircraft. (8/4)

Space Force Appoints Laughlin as Deputy Chief for Cyber (Source: Defense Scoop)
Charleen Laughlin has been appointed as deputy chief of space operations for cyber and data at the US Space Force, transitioning from the Joint Staff. This move comes as the Space Force splits the cyber function from Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt's role to create a standalone position. Laughlin's extensive experience in digital and AI roles at the Department of Defense is expected to drive the Space Force's digital modernization efforts. (8/4)

Panel to Study Creation of US Cyber Force (Source: Breaking Defense)
A commission has been established to study how to implement a Cyber Force if the Trump administration decides to create one. The Commission on Cyber Force Generation, a joint effort between the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the Cyberspace Solarium Commission 2.0, includes former military leaders and industry executives. The commission's work will include planning for the organizational structure, core responsibilities and necessary authorities for a separate Cyber Force.

Editor's Note: The Space Force currently supports cyberspace operations through Space Delta 6, headquartered in Colorado. While the Space Force oversees cyber defense for its own space systems and is building organic cyber defense teams, overall DoD cyber warfare efforts are the responsibility of U.S. Cyber Command, headquartered in Maryland. (8/4)

Space Force Set to Launch Dedicated GMTI Satellites (Source: Defense One)
The US Space Force is set to launch satellites capable of tracking ground vehicles and maritime assets within the next year as part of the Ground Moving Target Indicator mission, in partnership with the National Reconnaissance Office. The initiative aims to replace the aging E-8 JSTARS fleet, with initial satellites already in orbit. Lt. Gen. DeAnna Burt says the satellites' data will be processed at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. (8/4)

Is NASA Wallops Going GOCO? (Source: NASA Watch)
Multiple sources have mentioned ongoing discussion at NASA HQ, NASA Goddard, and NASA Wallops that consider the option of moving toward a Government-Owned, Contractor-Operated (GOCO) model for the future of Wallops.

Editor's Note: The Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority operates the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) as a NASA tenant on the Wallops Flight Facility. MARS supports launch vehicle programs of Northrop Grumman, Firefly Aerospace, and Rocket Lab. The US Navy, US Coast Guard, and NOAA also operate at Wallops. A GOCO arrangement at Wallops could see an elevated role for the State of Virginia, and demonstrate how NASA and the Space Force could transition to tenants at a state-operated Cape Canaveral Spaceport. (8/5)

Vaya Space Selected for $1.2 Million AFWERX Phase II Contract to Advance Hypersonic Propulsion (Source: SatNews)
Space Coast-based Vaya Space has been selected by AFWERX for a SBIR Phase II in the amount of $1,236,406 focused on the development of the Hybrid-Fueled Ramjet, a throttleable and restartable hypersonic missile propulsion system, to address the most pressing challenges in the Department of the Air Force (DAF).
(8/4)

Eutelsat LEO Revenue Rockets 84% as Governments Cool on Starlink (Source: The Register)
Paris-based Eutelsat is reporting rocketing revenues in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite services, driven partly by an uptick in interest from governments seeking to reduce reliance on US providers. Increasingly shaky relations with the US have led allied governments to consider alternatives to American vendors. Notably, Elon Musk's Starlink satellite broadband service has come under scrutiny.

Starlink has proven invaluable following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, allowing connectivity to be maintained even while communication networks have been disrupted. However, recent mixed messaging from US President Donald Trump's administration has led governments and commercial organizations to consider alternatives, such as Eutelsat. According to its financial results for fiscal 2025 ended June 30, Eutelsat posted total revenue of €1.244 billion, up 1.6 percent year-on-year. Within this, video revenue fell 6.5 percent to €608 million, but LEO revenue was up 84.1 percent to €186.8 million, and Government Services jumped 24.1 percent to €211 million. (8/5)

Dark Mirror of Our Own Universe Could Explain Quirks in Gravity (Source: Science Alert)
Since conventional explanations have failed to pony up dark matter, one physicist is looking towards the unconventional. In a series of two papers, physicist Stefano Profumo of the University of California, Santa Cruz has proposed two strange, but not impossible, origins for the mystery material responsible for the excess gravitational effects we see out there in the Universe.

In the first, published in May 2025, he proposes that dark matter could have been born in a dark matter 'mirror' of our own Universe, where matter is made of dark versions of particles akin to our protons and neutrons. In the other, published in early July, Profumo proposes that dark matter particles could have formed at the boundary of the cosmic horizon – the edge of the observable Universe – during the rapid expansion following the Big Bang. (8/5)

Could Amazon buy into AST SpaceMobile? (Source: SatNews)
An intriguing idea been floated around by Defence news expert Larry Ramer, suggesting that Amazon should buy — or make a considerable investment — in AST SpaceMobile. Ramer explained: “In light of the tremendous potential of AST’s technology, I also would not be surprised if AMZN eventually decides to buy AST for as much as $80 billion in a combination of cash and stock.”

An Amazon investment/acquisition would allow their Project Kuiper satellite broadband to leapfrog their own deployment of Kuiper satellites with — arguably — AST’s superior craft. Moreover, AST has some extremely valuable contracts in hand, not least the Vodafone agreement and in particular the deal with Vodafone Idea (in India) as well as partnerships in place with AT&T and Verizon in the US. (7/7)

Interlune to Fly Multispectral Camera on Astrolab FLIP Rover to Measure Helium-3 on the Moon (Source: Interlune)
Interlune and Astrolab announced that an Interlune payload will fly on Astrolab’s FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform (FLIP) rover on its upcoming mission to the Moon. The Interlune payload is a multispectral camera built, tested, and developed in partnership with NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, whose images will be used to estimate helium-3 quantities and concentration in Moon dirt, or regolith. (8/5)