September 2, 2025

Space Force Goes Commercial for Space Domain Awareness (Source: Defense One)
The Space Force has been working closely with private investment firms to get a leg up on emerging technologies. The result is a “pool” of companies with products the service wants, Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy said. The U.S. Space Force has, through SpaceWERX, spent recent years working with the private investment community to foster relationships with newer companies and keep up with the rapid development of commercial space technology. (9/2)

SpaceX is Allowed to Launch Starship 25 Times a Year. Can it Actually Happen? (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Elon Musk said that "In about 6 or 7 years, there will be days where Starship launches more than 24 times in 24 hours." And after the November 2024 election, SpaceX Chief Operating Officer Gwynne Shotwell shared similarly high expectations for Starship under the Trump administration, saying she "would not be surprised if we fly 400 Starship launches in the next four years."

Not all are rooting for SpaceX to pick up the pace of its launches. The company still lacks the support of a number of South Texans who are concerned about the land and wildlife surrounding the launch site. After the Federal Aviation Administration removed the previous five per year limit on Starship launches, claiming a more rapid launch cadence is consistent with environmental policies and "will not significantly affect the quality of the human environment," local environmentalists demanded a new environmental impact statement.

Dozens opposed a recent action from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission authorizing next steps to take place to dispose of 1.9 acres at Boca Chica State Park. After the vote, Emma Guevara, a member of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, noted the group's efforts to push back on SpaceX's activities in the region. But while the group has kept up the pressure, there is an underdog feeling to the fight.  "It's very much a David and Goliath situation where we're just the people, and we're fighting against this billionaire," Guevara said. (9/1)

Deep in the Swedish Forest, Esrange Space Center is Part of Europe’s Hope to Compete in the Space Race (Source: PBS)
Deep in the Swedish forest, where reindeer roam and scientists ski in winter, lies one of Europe’s hopes for a spaceport that can ultimately compete with the United States, China and Russia. For decades, Europe has relied upon the U.S. for its security among the stars. But the Trump administration’s “America First” policies, plus a commercial market that’s growing exponentially, has prompted Europeans to rethink their approach.

The state-owned Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden, is among the sites building out orbital rocket programs to allow Europe to advance in the global space race and launch satellites from the continent’s mainland. Hermann Ludwig Moeller believes a successful orbital launch from continental Europe could occur within the next year, though he won’t guess where. Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany and the United Kingdom also are among the countries seeking to be part of Europe’s spaceport portfolio. (9/1)

Muon Sees Demand in Larger Smallsats (Source: Space News)
Satellite manufacturer Muon Space is seeing strong growth in larger smallsats. Gregory Smirin, president of the company, said there is demand for its new line of 500-kilogram satellites from customers in missile warning and missile tracking, communications, radio-frequency intelligence, imaging and space domain awareness. Those customers have payloads that require larger satellites, he said, rather than a desire to consolidate missions on fewer spacecraft. (9/2)

South Korea Gives 15% Boost to Space Agency Budget (Source: Yonhap)
South Korea’s space agency is getting a budget increase. The Korea AeroSpace Administration will get a 15% budget increase in 2026 to nearly $800 million, the agency announced Monday. The additional funding will support development of imaging and communications satellites as well as a proposed lunar lander. Funding for launch will decrease, though, as the agency delays work on a next-generation launch system. (9/2)

Suspected GPS Jamming of European Commission President's Aircraft (Source: AP)
A plane carrying the president of the European Commission allegedly suffered GPS jamming by Russia. The plane, carrying President Ursula von der Leyen, suffered GPS jamming while in Bulgarian airspace, but landed safely, a commission spokesperson said Monday. The commission blamed the jamming on “blatant interference by Russia.” Flight tracking information, though, showed no major delays in the flight and its transponder provided good GPS data throughout the flight. EU officials said the incident showed the need to augment satellite navigation services with low Earth orbit satellites less susceptible to jamming. (9/2)

NASA Astronaut McArthur Retires (Source: NASA)
NASA astronaut Megan McArthur has retired from the agency. McArthur as selected as a NASA astronaut in 2000 and flew on shuttle mission STS-125, the final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, in 2009. She flew again in 2021 on the Crew-2 mission to the International Space Station, spending 200 days in space. She was the first woman to serve as pilot on a Crew Dragon spacecraft. (9/2)

Space Force Strategizes for Increased AI Use (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force is laying out a strategy to bring AI tools into the daily work of service members. Chandra Donelson, the service’s chief data and artificial intelligence officer, said at a recent conference that the Space Force plans annual updates to a data and AI strategic action plan published in March, while field commands have created boards to coordinate data and AI initiatives. The service is rolling out initiatives such as a series of AI challenges, which are expected to be hackathon-style competitions where guardians prototype solutions to operational and acquisition problems. These initiatives mirror a wider Department of Defense strategy to bring artificial intelligence into all aspects of military operations. (9/2)

China's Orienspace Raises Millions in Advance of Flight Test (Source: Space News)
Chinese commercial rocket company Orienspace has raised tens of millions of dollars as it moves towards a key test flight. Orienspace secured funding of between $27 million and $124 million last month to support development and mass production of its Gravity-2 medium-lift liquid launch vehicle. The company will soon begin comprehensive ground verification tests for the Gravity-2 and is scheduled to carry out its first flight test by the end of this year. The vehicle is designed to put up to 21,500 kilograms into low Earth orbit with the ability to increase that payload performance with solid-rocket boosters. (9/2)

European Customer Leases South Korea's SI Imaging Satellite (Source: Space News)
South Korean company SI Imaging Services says a European customer will lease its latest imaging satellite. The unnamed customer will lease the imaging capacity of SpaceEye-T, a satellite launched in March that provides imagery at a resolution of 25 centimeters. The company did not provide details about the lease but said the deal is worth more than $11.7 million. The agreement is the latest example of the growing popularity of the satellite-as-a-service business model. (9/2)

NASA's Lunar Nuclear Reactor Project Emphasizes Commercialization (Source: Space News)
NASA released a draft Announcement for Partnership Proposals document Friday for the Fission Surface Power program, implementing a directive signed by NASA’s acting administrator, Sean Duffy, a month ago. NASA plans to use a public-private partnership approach with funded Space Act Agreements to develop a reactor capable of producing at least 100 kilowatts of electrical power and be ready for launch by the end of 2029.

The document emphasizes the commercial approach to the program, with companies required to provide a business case for the reactor that includes customers other than NASA. Companies can propose that NASA land the reactor on the moon but the document said the agency will give higher ratings to proposals that offer a “wholly commercial approach” to reactor delivery. (9/2)

What is Vikram 32-Bit Processor? India's First Indigenous Space Chip (Source: Business Standard)
India unveiled its first fully indigenous 32-bit microprocessor, the Vikram 3201, at the Semicon India 2025 conference on Tuesday.  Electronics and Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw presented the chip to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, marking what officials described as a milestone in the country’s push towards semiconductor self-reliance.
 
Developed by the Indian Space Research Organization in partnership with the Semiconductor Laboratory (SCL), Chandigarh, the Vikram 3201 is built to withstand the extreme conditions of space missions, including temperatures from –55 degrees Celsius to +125 degrees Celsius. (9/2)

How Military Helicopters in Colorado Will Help Land NASA's Artemis Astronauts on the Moon (Source: Space.com)
NASA is using Colorado's rugged peaks to rehearse the risky final moments of future Artemis lunar landings. At the U.S. Army National Guard's High-Altitude Army Aviation Training Site (HAATS) in Gypsum, Colorado, astronauts are flying in military helicopters with Guard instructors to simulate the disorienting challenges of landing on the moon's complex surface, where deep craters, steep slopes and harsh lighting make navigation difficult. (9/1)

SpaceX On Track to Pass 100 Space Coast Missions This Year (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
SpaceX remains on track to surpass 100 launches on the Space Coast for 2025 after knocking out No. 70 on Sunday morning with four months to go. SpaceX has flown all but four of the 74 orbital launches that have taken off from the Space Coast this year, which is closing in on surpassing the record 93 launches from all companies the region saw in 2024, a milestone that could be met by the end of October.

The pace continues to climb with 2023 having seen 72 overall launches from Florida. Space Launch Delta 45, which oversees the Eastern Range and supports all rocket launches from the Space Coast, had stated it could support as many as 156 launches a year. (8/31)

NASA's Next Big Mission Prepares for Launch in Titusville. Meet IMAP Spacecraft (Source: Florida Today)
NASA's next big science mission is being prepared in Titusville ahead of a late September launch. The goal: better understand our Sun and provide timely warning ahead of space weather events. IMAP is set to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than late September from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A, the spacecraft will study the Sun's activities. IMAP arrived in May at the Astrotech facility in Titusville, and has been undergoing testing and processing. (9/2)