August 9, 2025

Analysis: Space Force Budget Falls Short of Mission (Source: Military Times)
The US Space Force's mission to achieve space superiority is clear, but its budget falls short of what's needed to control the space domain, writes Shawn Barnes, a visiting defense fellow at the Allison Center for National Security at The Heritage Foundation. Although the fiscal 2026 budget request increases funding to $40 billion, much of it is allocated to missile defense and support for terrestrial warfighters, neglecting the offensive and defensive capabilities needed for space domain control, Barnes writes. (8/7)

The US Can Get to the Moon First — and Still Lose (Source: Space News)
Every few months, another headline warns that China might “beat” the United States to the Moon. Lately, the concern has widened to include Mars Sample Return. The worry is understandable. But the framing is misleading. It assumes that every “first” matters equally. That is simply not true.

Editor's Note: "Winning" in space exploration requires a sustained presence for value-added scientific, commercial, and national security results. The impulse to plant a flag and declare victory may have been appropriate for our race against the USSR to the Moon, but China is aiming for a long-term base there, in strategic partnership with many nations that would otherwise support a US lunar program. (8/7)

Official Pushes for Guam Spaceport Development (Source: Post Guam)
Lt. Gov. Josh Tenorio returned from national aerospace meetings last week with renewed emphasis on positioning Guam as a Pacific spaceport location, while the island's first advanced manufacturing facility moves closer to creating dozens of high-skilled jobs starting next year.

Tenorio, who serves as vice chair of the Aerospace States Association, moderated a panel of prominent spaceports from Alaska, Florida, Virginia and New Mexico during the organization's annual meeting in Virginia Beach. The discussions focused on commercial space operations, regulatory challenges and strategies to enhance economic impacts from the growing space economy. (8/8)

NASA Urged to Chase 3I/ATLAS Before it's Gone Forever (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Because it's moving so fast—more than 37 miles per second—launching a new spacecraft from Earth is virtually impossible. A recent pre-print study from Michigan State University calculated that a mission would have needed to launch at 15 miles per second on the day of discovery just to intercept it in time.

Instead, scientists are looking into existing spacecraft already in orbit around other planets. Harvard Professor Avi Loeb has proposed redirecting one or more of them to intercept 3I/ATLAS, including NASA's Juno probe, currently orbiting Jupiter. Loeb believes Juno, which is scheduled to plunge into Jupiter's atmosphere at the end of its mission in Sept. 2025, could be repurposed. He suggests using its remaining fuel to redirect it toward 3I/ATLAS when the object passes within about 34 million miles of Jupiter in March 2026.

Florida Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna has backed the proposal in a letter to interim NASA Administrator Sean Duffy, urging the agency to explore extending Juno's mission. (8/7)

Why Build a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon? (Source: The Conversation)
As a space lawyer focused on long-term human advancement into space, I see this not as an arms race but as a strategic infrastructure race. And in this case, infrastructure is influence. A lunar nuclear reactor may sound dramatic, but its neither illegal nor unprecedented. If deployed responsibly, it could allow countries to peacefully explore the Moon, fuel their economic growth and test out technologies for deeper space missions. But building a reactor also raises critical questions about access and power. (8/7)

Italy Signs Agreement with SpaceX for Starship Mars Mission (Source: European Spaceflight)
The Italian space agency, ASI, has signed an agreement with SpaceX for an uncrewed mission to Mars aboard one of the company’s Starship rockets. The agreement includes provisions for several payloads, including a plant growth experiment, a radiation sensor, and a meteorological monitoring station. ASI expects to collect data not only during the mission’s six-month interplanetary cruise but also throughout its time on the Martian surface.

In a social media update, ASI President Teodoro Valente declared, “Italy is going to Mars!” He described the agreement as a “first-of-its-kind” and said it affirmed the country’s continued commitment to “lead in space exploration.” SpaceX COO Gwynne Shotwell was equally enthusiastic about the agreement, stating, “Get on board! We are going to Mars! SpaceX is now offering Starship services to the Red Planet.” (8/7)

Bruno Worried About Starship Operations in Florida (Source: Space Policy Online)
The growing number of launches from Florida’s Space Coast already is creating congestion and Bruno worries about the impact of SpaceX’s plans to launch Starship from there as many as 44 times a year.

The FAA regulates commercial space launches and is conducting an environmental assessment of SpaceX’s plan, but Bruno wants to be sure the government takes a broad look. Starship “is not just another rocket on the range.”  Its unprecedented size and the number of planned launches require a thorough analysis not only of the effect on the ecological environment, but the launch environment. (8/7)

Rocket Lab Earnings Mixed (Source: Investor's Business Daily)
Rocket Lab reported that its loss widened to 13 cents per share from a loss of 8 cents per share last year. Revenue jumped 36% to a record $144.5 million. FactSet expected the company to report a loss of 10 cents per share on 27% revenue growth to $135.4 million. Product revenue jumped 28% to $92.73 million. Services revenue spiked 51% to $51.77 million. Rocket Lab has retreated 18% from its record high of 53.44 on July 17. Shares have rallied more than 71% so far this year. (8/7)

Space Force Can’t Achieve Space Superiority on the Cheap (Source: Military Times)
The chief of space operations, Gen. Chance Saltzman, laid out the mission quite clearly in his “Space Warfighting – A Framework for Planners” earlier this year: “to achieve space superiority — to ensure freedom of movement in space for our forces while denying the same to our adversaries.” Saltzman is correct. Unfortunately, the Space Force’s budget does not reflect this priority.

We have long understood that the first responsibility of our warfighters is to control the domains in which they operate — land, air, sea, cyber and space. It’s why we have an Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Space Force. Each service trains, organizes, equips and presents forces that understand the importance of controlling the domains in which they operate. We use terms like “superiority” or “supremacy” to describe the extent to which control is necessary and achieved.

The president’s fiscal 2026 budget request, along with the newly passed One Big Beautiful Bill, will increase the Space Force’s budget from about $28.5 billion to $40 billion. This increase is earmarked for the development of new missile defense systems for Golden Dome, along with other capabilities that support the terrestrial warfighter. All of this is warranted, but it neglects the offensive and defensive space domain control capabilities needed. Editor's Note: In other words, Golden Dome spending comes at the expense of other critical Space Force priorities. (8/7)

Space Force Wargame Could Inform Framework for Allied Info Sharing (Source: Defense News)
The Space Force is launching its annual, future-facing Schriever Wargames this week, and the service’s chief operations officer said the exercise could help create a framework for better information sharing with allies and partners on sensitive programs and capabilities. The two-week wargame is focused on understanding what capabilities and operational concepts the Space Force might need 10 years into the future. (8/7)

North Korea Asserts Rights to Space Exploration (Source: Korea Times)
North Korea on Friday asserted its legal right to explore outer space as it marked the third anniversary of a revision to its space development law that expanded its mission to defense capabilities. Jang Song-chol, dean at Kim Il Sung University, made the point in an article published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), recalling the parliamentary revision of the outer space development law in 2022.

Jang said the revision laid the legal foundation for accelerating the outer space industry, vowing to uphold the country's right to space exploration by nurturing more talent in the space law sector. (8/8)

Research Examines Astronaut Nasal and Sinus Problems (Source: Houston Methodist)
Sinus and congestion problems are more than just earthly annoyances, according to new research from Houston Methodist. A newly-published study reveals that a staggering 85% of astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS) experienced at least one nasal and sinus issue during their mission, which can significantly impact health. The study analyzed 754 medical events from 71 astronauts between 2000-2019. In addition to 85% of astronauts reporting at least one nasal or sinus issue, 75% reported nasal congestion, which is a common issue due to the lack of gravity pulling blood and other fluids downward. (8/7)

Azerbaijan Discusses Cooperation Prospects with SpaceX (Source: APA)
Azerbaijan discussed cooperation prospects with SpaceX, Economy Minister Mikayil Jabbarov said. "Within the framework of the working visit of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mr. Ilham Aliyev to the United States, together with President of SOCAR Rovshan Najaf , we had a productive meeting with Stephanie Bednarek , Vice President of SpaceX. (8/8)

DLR Gives the Go-Ahead for Innovative Space Experiment From GSI Biophysics (Source: GSI)
A piece of GSI/FAIR’s cutting-edge research is scheduled to be launched into space next year: the Biophysics department will be involved in one of the next scientific missions on the International Space Station (ISS) with a highly innovative research project. The “HippoBox” project was successfully reviewed by the German Space Agency at DLR and recently selected for participation in the CELLBOX-4 mission on the ISS.

The aim of the project is to use brain organoids (“mini-brains”) to investigate neuroplastic changes in a specific area of the brain, the hippocampus – a question that is highly relevant for the medical preparation of future long-term missions in space. (8/4)

China Launches Multi-User Drone Ship to Recover Reusable Rockets (Source: SCMP)
China has launched its first drone ship to recover reusable rockets. The new vessel marks a major step forward for China’s push to develop reusable rockets – a technology seen as vital to helping the country cut the cost of space travel and develop a commercial space industry.

Beijing aims to catch up with the US in an intensifying space race by replicating America’s approach of combining state and private sector investment, which paved the way for Elon Musk’s SpaceX to drive a series of technological breakthroughs. The new vessel – named the Xingji Guihang, or “Interstellar Return” – was developed by the Beijing-based private aerospace firm iSpace, and it will eventually be used to recover reusable rockets developed by several Chinese manufacturers. (8/8)

Curiosity Finds a Mars Rock Shaped Like Coral (Source: NASA)
NASA's Curiosity Mars rover used the Remote Micro Imager, part of its ChemCam instrument, to view this wind-eroded rock shaped like a piece of coral on July 24, 2025, the 4,609th Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Curiosity has found many rocks like this one, which were formed by ancient water combined with billions of years of sandblasting by the wind. This particular rock is similar to one seen by Curiosity's Mars Hand Lens Imager around the same time.

Curiosity has found many small features like this one, which formed billions of years ago when liquid water still existed on Mars. Water carried dissolved minerals into rock cracks and later dried, leaving the hardened minerals behind. Eons of sandblasting by the wind wore away the surrounding rock, producing the unique shapes seen today. (8/4)