September 18, 2025

Space Florida Opens Next Round of Israel/Florida Grant Program (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida entered into an innovative bi-lateral partnership with the Israel Innovation Authority (OCS) to support joint aerospace research & development projects. Since 2013, Space Florida and Israel Innovation Authority have jointly funded aerospace companies in their research and development to cultivate an aerospace ecosystem and further strengthen the economic relationship between Florida and Israel.

Each year, the research and development funding available is valued at $2 million. To date, Florida and Israel have helped fund more than $22 million in valuable and innovative research. Click here for information on the 2026 Call for Projects. (9/18)

Rocket Lab Establishes $750 Million Stock Offering (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab has launched a new at-the-market (ATM) equity offering program allowing up to $750 million in stock to be sold over time through multiple investment banks. This replaces a prior ATM program capped at $500 million, under which Rocket Lab had already raised about $396.6 million before terminating that earlier facility. The stock reacted negatively: shares dropped about 3.5-4.2% in premarket trading on the announcement and is currently down over 10%. 

For investors, the larger ATM provides Rocket Lab with additional capital flexibility—likely aimed at supporting growth initiatives, manufacturing expansion (including its planned acquisition of Mynaric), launch capacity build-out, and potentially other M&A. But the price action indicates market concern over dilution and how aggressively the company might draw on this capacity. (9/16)

Court Rejects Challenge to FAA’s Approval of Expanded SpaceX Operations in South Texas (Source: Mach33)
U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols dismissed a lawsuit by conservation groups challenging the FAA’s 2022 approval for expanded SpaceX launch/test operations in South Texas (Starbase area), finding the FAA had adequately addressed environmental impacts, especially light pollution to nearby wildlife. This removes a lingering legal risk to SpaceX’s expansion plans. (9/16)

NATO Officials Say Space has Become a War-fighting Domain (Source: Defense News)
NATO countries are shifting their perception of space from a domain of potential conflict to an active war-fighting domain, as officials discussed at the Space Defense and Security Summit in Paris. "We have to accept that space is a tested domain, is a war-fighting domain, is becoming a war-fighting domain," says German Brig. Gen. Jürgen Schrödl. Officials highlighted the rapid development of anti-satellite weapons and the need for rapid response capabilities. (9/17)

Ground-Based GPS Jamming Now Reaches Satellites; Experts Call for Europe-Wide Adoption of Jamming-Resistant Technology (Source: Astrolight)
GPS jamming and spoofing is no longer just a problem in war zones. On August 12, Latvia’s Electronic Communications Office confirmed that Russia is disrupting satellite navigation systems from three permanent sites in Kaliningrad, Leningrad, and Pskov Oblasts, creating widespread risks for civil aviation and critical infrastructure across the Baltic Sea region.

The agency described the issue as a “growing problem” that has outgrown national borders, forcing pilots to rely on fallback navigation methods and even grounding flights. Estonian ministers have previously called the interference a “deliberate hybrid attack” reaching into everyday life. (9/17)

Beijing Company Sets New Thrust Record in Rocket Engine Test (Source: Space Daily)
Space Pioneer, a Beijing-based private launch firm, has completed a major ignition test of its TL 3 rocket, establishing a national record for thrust produced by any Chinese privately developed launch vehicle. The test took place Monday on an offshore platform. Nine TH-12 liquid oxygen-kerosene engines fired for 30 seconds, generating around 840 metric tons of thrust.

The trial confirmed the TL 3 first-stage design and subsystem integration, while also marking China's first sea-based engine ignition test. The previous record of 769 tons was set in June by LandSpace's TQ-12A engines at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Inner Mongolia. (9/17)

China Launches Yaogan 45 Satellite on Long March 7A Rocket (Source: Space Daily)
China has successfully launched the Yaogan 45 remote-sensing satellite into orbit aboard a Long March 7A carrier rocket, the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corp. reported. The rocket lifted off at 10 am Tuesday from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in Hainan province and delivered its payload to the designated orbit. (9/17)

China's Kinetica 2 Rocket On Track for Inaugural Mission in 2025 (Source: Space Daily)
CAS Space, a subsidiary of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, is completing development of its new Kinetica 2 rocket and aims to launch it before the end of 2025. The company confirmed that the first vehicle has been assembled and is undergoing integrated testing ahead of its debut flight in the fourth quarter. That mission will also introduce a new robotic cargo ship named Qingzhou, or Light Ship, designed to resupply the Tiangong space station.

The 52-meter-tall Kinetica 2 is a medium-lift, liquid-fuel launcher and the successor to CAS Space's Kinetica 1. Featuring a 3.35-meter-diameter core booster, two side boosters, and a liftoff mass of 625 metric tons, the rocket can generate up to 766 tons of thrust. It is capable of carrying 8 tons to a 500-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit or 12 tons to low-Earth orbit, making it suitable for major satellite deployments and cost-effective supply missions. (9/17)

Infinite Orbits Secures Multiple GEO Launches with Impulse Space (Source: Space Daily)
Impulse Space, a leading provider of in-space mobility solutions, has signed a multi-launch agreement with France-based in-orbit services company Infinite Orbits. The agreement, beginning in 2027, will use Impulse's Caravan rideshare program to deliver multiple Infinite Orbits spacecraft directly to geostationary orbit (GEO). Initial flights will deploy several satellite servicers for orbital life extension missions and a fleet of inspection and surveillance microsatellites. At least three spacecraft are slated to launch in 2027, with further missions planned annually thereafter, strengthening the companies' partnership. (9/17)

Ohio State Scientists Advance Focus on Nuclear Propulsion (Source: Space Daily)
New developments in nuclear thermal propulsion technologies may soon enable advanced space missions to the farthest reaches of the solar system. Leading these advances are researchers at The Ohio State University: Engineers are developing a nuclear propulsion system that uses liquid uranium to directly heat rocket propellant as an alternative to solid fuel elements used by traditional nuclear propulsion systems. (9/17)

SDA Taps GMV to Build Space Safety Portal for Next Era of Spaceflight Safety (Source: Space Daily)
The Space Data Association has chosen GMV to develop its next generation Space Safety Portal, a safety of flight system designed to support mission critical operations. The new platform will extend SDA's role as an integration hub for global space traffic coordination by enabling agile capabilities and deeper collaboration with operators and SSA agencies.

The SSP will draw on sixteen years of SDA operational experience and incorporate emerging technologies, expanded space situational awareness data, and new concepts for coordination. The aim is to address risks from the rapidly rising satellite population in orbit and in launch pipelines while preserving data integrity and secure information sharing. (9/17)

Alien Civilizations May Be far Rarer Than Hoped Study Suggests (Source: Space Daily)
New research indicates that the nearest technological civilization in the Milky Way could be about 33,000 light years from Earth, and that such a society would need to have survived at least 280,000 years - potentially millions - to coexist with us in time. The odds of finding advanced life are severely constrained by planetary conditions. Specifically, worlds require active plate tectonics to regulate carbon dioxide and maintain long-term biospheres. Without this mechanism, atmospheres can become either depleted or toxic.

This statistical framework suggests that if extraterrestrial intelligences exist, they are likely to be far older than humans. It also places the closest advanced civilization on the far side of the galaxy. Manuel Scherf cautions that these results depend on poorly understood variables such as the likelihood of life's origin, photosynthesis, multicellularity, and technological development. (9/17)

NASA Begins Testing PExT Wideband Communications System in Orbit (Source: Space Daily)
Payload commissioning has started for NASA's Polylingual Experimental Terminal (PExT), a pioneering wideband space communications technology designed to connect spacecraft with both government and commercial networks. The demonstration rides aboard York Space Systems' Bard satellite, launched on July 23. The satellite completed its bus commissioning within four weeks, validating key systems such as flight computers and navigation controls. With Bard fully operational, the PExT payload is now entering its own commissioning phase through September. (9/17)

78 Million Years Ago, an Asteroid Hit Earth. Then Life Grew in The Crater (Source: Science Alert)
78 million years ago, a 1.6 km asteroid slammed into what is now Finland, creating a crater 23 km (14 mi) wide and 750 km deep. The catastrophic impact created a fractured hydrothermal system in the shattered bedrock under the crater. There's evidence from other impact structures that in the aftermath of a collision, life colonized the shattered rock and heated water that flowed through it. But determining when the colonization happened is challenging.

New research shows for the first time exactly when that colonization happened. A team of researchers has zeroed in on the date that microbial life populated the hydrothermal system under the 78 million year old Lappajärvi impact structure. (9/18)

Artemis 2 Astronauts Will Double as Human Science Experiments on Their Trip Around the Moon (Source: Space.com)
Artemis 2 astronauts will be studied for how sleep, stress and radiation shape human health in deep space during their moon mission next year.

The second installment of NASA's Artemis program to return to the moon and establish a sustained human presence in deep space is set to be the first crewed flight test of its Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The four-person crew is tasked with putting the vessel through its paces in the cislunar environment, and performing several science experiments during their mission. (9/17)

Axiom Space Aims for Orbit with its Orbital Data Center Node (Source: The Register)
Axiom Space and Spacebilt have announced plans to add optically interconnected Orbital Data Center (ODC) infrastructure to the ISS. The company plans to launch two Axiom Orbital Data Center (AxODC) Nodes by the end of 2025, with at least three running by the end of 2027. It all sounds very exciting until you consider that Axiom Data Center Unit One (AxDCU-1), which eventually launched to the ISS in August, was a prototype that was roughly the size of a shoebox. (9/17)

Space Force Wants Faster Space Object Tracking (Source: Space News)
The Space Force’s top general says the service’s ability to track objects in space is dangerously outdated. Gen. Chance Saltzman said the military’s space surveillance systems, built for a more peaceful orbital environment, are struggling to keep pace with the explosive growth in satellites and space debris as well as the deployment of anti-satellite weapons by rivals such as China and Russia. He said the military can’t be satisfied if it takes hours to track on-orbit activity and weeks to months to fully characterize it. He called for “a more comprehensive program to avoid operational surprise” rather than make incremental improvements to space domain awareness systems. (9/18)

Space Force Speeds Acquisition Reform (Source: Space News)
The Space Force is speeding up its reorganization of acquisition units. Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, head of the Space Systems Command, said the restructuring, centered on “System Deltas” that pair acquisition officers with operational commanders, is progressing at a fast pace. In recent months the command activated new system deltas focused on missile warning, space-based sensing, space domain awareness, and training infrastructure. Garrant said the remaining units will be established in the next two months. The goal is to eliminate bureaucratic seams that historically slowed acquisitions and sometimes produced systems that didn’t fully meet operational needs. (9/18)

Small GEO Comsat Developers Differ in Strategy (Source: Space News)
Companies developing small GEO communications satellites are taking different strategies regarding vertical integration. At one sits Switzerland’s Swissto12, which recently expanded downstream by acquiring Ku-band terminal assets from Hanwha Phasor. At the other end is ReOrbit of Finland, which is committed to leaving hardware to third parties even after recently raising more than $50 million in a funding round announced earlier this month. In between the two is AscendArc, which plans to vertically integrate around a novel payload design while sourcing more standard spacecraft components off the shelf. (9/18)

Arianespace Looks to Expand Ariane 6 Launch Rate (Source: Space News)
Arianespace is considering ways to expand the launch rate of its Ariane 6 beyond its current limit of 10 per year. Arianespace CEO David Cavaillolès said the company is exploring options to ramp up production if enough demand emerges from government and commercial constellations. Those plans involve increasing capacity for producing the vehicle’s solid rocket boosters as well as spaceport improvements that could include a second launch pad. Cavaillolès said the company would need to decide on any upgrades in the next year or two so that additional capacity could be available by 2030, when demand from new constellations may emerge. (9/18)

Astra Targets Summer 2026 for Launch at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Sources: Space News, SPACErePORT)
Astra is targeting the summer of next year for the first launch of its Rocket 4 vehicle. Astra CEO Chris Kemp said the company was on track for a first launch of the vehicle, capable of placing 750 kilograms into low Earth orbit, from Cape Canaveral, at Space Florida's Launch Complex 46. Kemp said Astra is seeing demand from customers looking for alternatives to SpaceX for launches. Astra announced Rocket 4 in 2022 but ran into technical challenges with the earlier Rocket 3.3 and financial problems that caused the company to go private last year. (9/18)

NATO Fund Taps Spanish Startup for VLEO Satellite Investment (Source: Bloomberg)
Spain's Kreios has raised €8M to bring satellites closer to Earth, with support from the NATO Innovation Fund. Kreios is opening up an orbit once thought impossible, keeping satellites flying at 200 km altitude for years instead of days to unlock unmatched capabilities for Earth observation, communications, and security. They plan to launch the first in-orbit demonstration of our VLEO satellite powered by an Air-Breathing Electric Propulsion engine. (9/18)

Geopolitical Tensions Drive Rise in Earth Observation Revenues (Source: Space News)
Defense and security applications accounted for nearly half of commercial Earth observation revenue last year. A study by Novaspace found that geopolitical tensions have become the major driver for sales of Earth observation data and services, outpacing commercial and civil government demand. Novaspace found that commercial Earth observation generated about $6 billion in annual revenue in 2024 and projects that to nearly triple to $17 billion over the next decade. (9/18)

Cygnus Glitch Solved, Allowing Cargo Arrival at ISS (Source: Space News)
A Cygnus cargo spacecraft arrived at the ISS Thursday morning after a one-day delay. The station’s robotic arm grappled the NG-23 Cygnus spacecraft at 7:24 a.m. Eastern, and will berth the spacecraft to the Unity module later today. The Cygnus was scheduled to arrive at the station Wednesday morning but suffered early shutdowns of its main engine during two orbit-raising maneuvers on Tuesday. NASA and Northrop Grumman later found that a “conservative safeguard in the software settings” caused the shutdowns and not a problem with the thruster itself. (9/18)

SpaceX Launches Thursday Starlink Mission at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX launched more Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Thursday morning. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at 5:30 a.m. Eastern and put 28 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch came after another Falcon 9 launch of Starlink satellites from California on Wednesday was scrubbed because of weather. (9/18)

France Backs Military Reusable Spaceplane (Source: Space News)
The French military is backing development of a reusable spaceplane. Dassault Aviation announced in June a contract with the French armament agency DGA to develop VORTEX, a four-meter-long spaceplane demonstrator with a mass of less than one metric ton. A first flight is expected in 2028. VORTEX will launch on a small rocket, reach hypersonic speeds, perform atmospheric reentry and validate key technologies including thermal protection systems. DGA sees potential military uses of spaceplanes like VORTEX that include in-space servicing and return of cargo. (9/18)

Hubble Network Raises $70 Million for Bluetooth Constellation (Source: GeekWire)
Hubble Network has raised $70 million to advance its plans for a constellation of satellites using Bluetooth protocols. The Series B round, announced Wednesday, builds upon $30 million in earlier funding announced by the company. Hubble is planning a constellation of satellites that will be able to communicate with devices and sensors on the ground using Bluetooth. Hubble recently announced a contract with Muon Space for two satellites to launch in 2027, part of a constellation of 60 proposed to be in orbit as soon as 2028. (9/18)

Maxar Offers 3D Map Imagery (Source: Space News)
Maxar Intelligence released a new product that turns satellite imagery into 2D and 3D maps. Vivid Features combines Maxar’s satellite imagery archive with artificial intelligence software from Ecopia AI to automatically identify and outline buildings, roads, vegetation, water bodies and other features in satellite imagery. The companies said the product should be able to reduce the time it takes to create new vector-based maps from such imagery. (9/18)