September 4, 2025

A Moon Rover is Driving Around a Ranch in Southern Colorado (Source: Colorado Sun)
In a lonely part of southern Colorado between Rye and Walsenburg, the most off-road-looking, off-road vehicle maneuvers past craters, rolls over dirt mounds and kicks up a little dust as it drives in a location so obscure that even Google Maps has trouble finding it. But there it was and similar to an early artist rendering: the Lunar Outpost Eagle. Or at least it was a prototype of the autonomous lunar terrain vehicle that may be on the moon by the end of the decade for astronauts to scoot around up there.

Two iterations of the solar-powered Eagle roamed the family ranch of Lunar Outpost founder Justin Cyrus, who invited TV cameras, journalists and other media to take a peek last week at what the Golden-based space company has been up to for the past few years. If all goes Lunar Outpost’s way, NASA will award the Lunar Dawn team — which includes partners Goodyear, GM, MDA Space and Leidos — a service contract for the lunar terrain vehicle, or LTV.

But there’s competition. NASA narrowed it down to three LTV finalists in April 2024 for the Artemis Program, the U.S. mission to get humans back on the moon. A winner could be announced by the end of the year. The other two finalists are Venturi Astrolab in the Los Angeles area, and Houston-based Intuitive Machines. (8/26)

Trump Confirms Politics a Major Factor in Space Command Move (Source: The Gazette)
Trump said that Colorado's mail-in voting leads to automatically crooked elections and that played "a big role" in moving the command. Colorado mails out ballots and allows voters to mail them back in, return them to drop boxes or return them in person. Colorado also runs in-person voting centers for those who wish to cast a ballot in person. Trump also said his decision isn’t political. (9/2)

The Impacts of Space Commands Loss in Colorado (Source: The Gazette)
Colorado boasts having the second-largest aerospace economy in the nation, heavily concentrated along the Front Range from El Paso County to the border of Wyoming. Colorado’s aerospace industry is home to more than 2,000 companies. Just like Huntsville, Colorado is home to the operations of major defense contractors, such as Lockheed Martin, L3Harris Technologies, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and Boeing.

The Front Range also serves as the headquarters for local aerospace titans like Maxar, BAE Systems (formally Ball Corp.), Sierra Space and the United Launch Alliance. It’s also home to rising startups, such as Astroscale and Albedo Space. While Colorado is home to huge aerospace companies, many of which also have operations in Alabama, White said the move would hurt the smaller, local contractors most.

“They’re the ones that can’t just pick up and move to Huntsville,” White said. “If Space Command leaves, those local Colorado aerospace and defense companies lose out on that opportunity to support the mission.” Out of the companies looking to expand to Colorado, aerospace led last year in the number of companies seeking job growth tax incentive packages from the state and in the jobs it promised to create. (9/2)

Kuiper Demos 1 Gigabit Downloads (Source: PC Mag)
The team behind Amazon's Project Kuiper has posted a video showing the satellite internet service delivering a 1,280Mbps download rate. The Starlink rival has over 100 satellites in orbit, with more set to launch in the coming weeks and months. Amazon still needs to launch additional satellites to offer continuous internet service from space, but Project Kuiper Head Rajeev Badyal said his team has been testing the growing constellation’s download and upload capabilities. (9/3)

Texas Space Commission Awards $4.84M for Interlune Regolith Center (Source: UPI)
Seattle-based natural resources firm Interlune will build a Texas facility to develop and test imitation moon dirt near NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. The imitation moon dirt will support the development and testing of technologies and equipment for use of the moon's surface and an eventual mission to Mars, among other possibilities. A $4.84 million grant from the Texas Space Commission, combined with internal funding by Interlune, will enable the firm to build a facility to produce imitation moon dirt, which also is called "regolith." (9/2)

Telesat to Offer Blocks of Satellite Bandwidth to DoD for Golden Dome (Source: Space News)
As the space industry watches what analysts describe as a "gold rush" around the Pentagon's projected $175 billion Golden Dome missile defense program, Canadian satellite operator Telesat is spelling out how it intends to compete for a role in the program. Telesat’s CEO Dan Goldberg revealed last month the company is eyeing opportunities in the Golden Dome program for the company’s low Earth orbit satellite broadband service known as Lightspeed. (9/3)

Ukraine's Fire Point to Produce Solid Rocket Fuel in Denmark (Source: Militarnyi)
The Ukrainian company Fire Point, known for developing the Flamingo cruise missile, is preparing to launch the production of solid rocket fuel in Denmark. According to DR, production is scheduled to start on December 1, 2025. This will be the first known case of a Ukrainian defense enterprise being located in Denmark. The new production facility will be located next to Skridstrup Air Base, where the Royal Danish Air Force’s F-35 fighter jets are stationed. (9/3)

Earth's Rotation Is Slowing, And It Might Explain Why We Have Oxygen (Source: Science Alert)
Ever since its formation around 4.5 billion years ago, Earth's rotation has been gradually slowing down, and its days have gotten progressively longer as a result. We know, based on the fossil record, that days were just 18 hours long 1.4 billion years ago, and half an hour shorter than they are today 70 million years ago. Evidence suggests that we're gaining 1.8 milliseconds a century.

At night, cyanobacteria microbes rise to the top of the microbial mat and do their sulfur-munching thing. When the day breaks, and the Sun rises high enough in the sky, the white microbes retreat and the purple cyanobacteria rise to the top. "Now they can start to photosynthesize and produce oxygen," said geomicrobiologist Judith Klatt. The window of daytime in which the cyanobacteria can pump out oxygen is very limited – and it was this fact that caught the attention of oceanographer Brian Arbic of the University of Michigan. He wondered if changing day length over Earth's history had had an impact on photosynthesis. (9/2)

PERSEI Space to Test Tether Solution for Orbital Mobility (Source: NSF)
The upcoming Electrodynamic Tether technology for Passive Consumable-less deorbit Kit (E.T. Pack) demonstration aboard Avio’s Vega-C rocket offers more than just a cost-effective flight opportunity. This ESA partnership validates PERSEI’s innovative space tether technology at the highest levels of European space policy. PERSEI’s Electrodynamic Tether (EDT) technology offers a propellant-free approach to deorbiting defunct spacecraft and extending the operational life of active satellites.

A conductive tether deployed from a spacecraft interacts with Earth’s magnetic field during orbit, creating an electrical circuit between the tether and the surrounding ionospheric plasma. The system passively generates electrical current as the tether cuts through Earth’s magnetic field. When the tether cuts through Earth’s magnetic field, this creates a Lorentz force that gradually slows the spacecraft, causing its orbit to decay while simultaneously generating electrical power. Essentially, the satellite’s orbital energy converts to electrical energy, creating a self-powered deorbit mechanism. (9/3)

‘Closer Coordination’ Needed for Supersonic Airworthiness and Environmental Standards (Source: Flight Global)
Russian representatives are proposing the establishment of a co-ordination group to support development of ICAO standards on supersonic transport aircraft, to take into account airworthiness and environmental matters. The proposal is contained in a paper submitted to the upcoming ICAO Assembly which convenes towards the end of September. (9/2)

US Army Awards Lockheed Record $9.8 Billion Missile Contract (Source: Defense News)
The U.S. Army awarded Lockheed Martin a $9.8 billion multiyear contract to produce nearly 2,000 of the most advanced variant of the Patriot air and missile defense missile, the service announced in a Wednesday joint signing ceremony at Lockheed’s Grand Prairie, Texas, facility. The contract marks the largest deal in the history of the company’s Missiles and Fire Control unit. The agreement covers the fiscal years 2024 through 2026 and calls for the procurement of 1,970 Patriot Advanced Capability-3 Missile Segment Enhancement interceptors and associated hardware for the U.S. and allies, according to the service’s statement. (9/3)

The Space Rock Stars of Brazil (Source: New York Times)
An all-female research group, As Meteoriticas, scours the South American country’s interior aiming to preserve meteorites for scientific study and public display. In recent years, meteorites have ignited a quiet conflict in Brazil. Scientists seek to study them, collectors hope to purchase them and the often rural local residents who discover them find themselves caught in the middle. (9/2)

Fuel Supply is a Bottleneck for Starship—Here’s How SpaceX Will Get Around It (Source: Ars Technica)
It takes more than 200 tanker trucks traveling from distant refineries to deliver all of the methane, liquid oxygen, and liquid nitrogen for a Starship launch. SpaceX officials recognize this is not an efficient means of conveying these commodities to the launch pad. It takes time, emits pollution, and clogs roadways. The sole two-lane highway leading to Starbase from nearby Brownsville is riddled with potholes and cracks in the pavement from overuse by heavy trucks. 

SpaceX's solution to some of these problems is to build its own plants to generate cryogenic fluids. The company recently received approval from local authorities to build an air separation plant across the highway just north of the Starbase launch pads. The resulting liquid oxygen and liquid nitrogen will flow about 1,000 feet through a pipeline into ground storage tanks at the launch site. Also, a pair of methane liquefaction facilities to convert natural gas—initially delivered by truck or a future pipeline—into pure liquid methane, and eventually, a methane generation plant co-located with Starbase's dual launch pads.

SpaceX has flirted with the idea of propellant generation plants at Starbase before, but this is the closest the company has come to making it a reality. A public notice released by the US Army Corps of Engineers on August 27 describes SpaceX's plans, and an accompanying map illustrates the changes coming to the Starbase launch site. SpaceX's proposed expansion covers approximately 21 acres, including 18 acres of undeveloped "emergent wetlands" and "wind-tidal flats" about a quarter-mile inland from the beach. (9/2)

Scientists Find Errors in Energy Department Climate Report (Source: NPR)
A group of more than 85 scientists have issued a joint rebuttal to a recent U.S. Department of Energy report about climate change, finding it full of errors and misrepresenting climate science. This comes weeks after the Union of Concerned Scientists and the Environmental Defense Fund filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration that alleges that Energy Secretary Chris Wright "quietly arranged for five hand-picked skeptics of the effects of climate change" to compile the government's climate report and violated the law by creating the report in secret with authors "of only one point of view." (9/2)

Dragon Boosts ISS Orbit (Source: NASA)
A Dragon cargo spacecraft performed the first reboost of the International Space Station on Wednesday. The CRS-33 Dragon spacecraft, launched to the station last month, fired thrusters for just over five minutes Wednesday to raise the station’s orbit by about 1.6 kilometers. The Dragon is equipped with a special “reboost kit” in the spacecraft’s trunk to enable it to maintain the station’s orbit, a task usually performed by Russian Progress spacecraft or thrusters on the station itself. (9/4)

Bridenstine: NASA Unlikely to Beat China to Crewed Lunar Landing (Source: Space News)
A former NASA administrator warned that it was “highly unlikely” NASA would return astronauts to the moon before China landed astronauts there. Testifying at a Senate Commerce Committee hearing Wednesday, former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine said his doubts stemmed from the complex Artemis architecture, particularly the Starship lunar lander. “This is an architecture that no NASA administrator that I’m aware of would have selected if they had a choice,” said Bridenstine, who left NASA a few months before the agency awarded SpaceX the Human Landing System contract. He and other witnesses emphasized the importance of Artemis landing astronauts before a Chinese mission anticipated by 2030, while also maintaining a human presence in low Earth orbit. (9/4)

AscendArc Sells GEO Satellite to South Korea's KT Sat (Source: Space News)
Startup satellite manufacturer AscendArc has sold its first small geostationary communications satellite to South Korea’s KT Sat. AscendArc announced Thursday it would deliver the sub-1,000-kilogram spacecraft in the second half of 2027, after raising $4 million early this year to join the nascent market for compact, lower-cost alternatives to the massive multi-ton satellites that dominate geostationary orbit (GEO). The satellite will be able to provide 500 gigabits per second of capacity, similar to EchoStar’s Jupiter-3 despite being a fraction of the size. KT Sat said the AscendArc satellite will target underserved communities across the Asia-Pacific region. (9/4)

DoD's PTS-G to Use Small GEO Comsats (Source: Space News)
The Protected Tactical Satcom-Global (PTS-G) program, officially launched this summer, marks the military’s first significant attempt to deploy constellations of small satellites in the geostationary belt. A shift from a few large GEO satellites to “swarms” of smaller satellites distributes risk across multiple smaller platforms, making it more difficult for opponents to neutralize communications capabilities while also lowering costs. PTS-G is also about rewriting the procurement playbook by selecting five companies to compete for satellite production awards rather than picking a single supplier for the life of the program. (9/4)

Spacedock Plans Demo of Universal Connector (Source: Space News)
Space technology startup Spacedock plans a 2026 in-space demonstration of a universal connector for space systems. The company, previously known as Orbital Outpost X, said it will work with launch integrator Oligo Space and radiation-shielding specialist Melagen Labs to fly its berthing and docking connector in the second quarter of next year. That connector, also called Spacedock, is a modular interface designed for satellite servicing and space-station docking. (9/4)

Three Companies Competing for NASA Lunar Rover Contract (Source: Space News)
Three companies are heading into the final turn in a race to win a lunar rover contract from NASA. Astrolab, Intuitive Machines and Lunar Outpost all recently submitted proposals to NASA for the next phase of the Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV) Services program. The three companies won initial LTV awards last year to refine the designs of their proposed rovers to be used by NASA astronauts on later Artemis missions, taking those designs through preliminary design reviews. NASA is expected to select one company later this year for an award to build the rover, selling services to NASA and other customers. Companies hope the agency follows the lead of other services programs and makes two awards. (9/4)

Acting NASA Administrator Duffy Selects Exploration-Focused Associate Administrator (Source: NASA)
Acting NASA Administrator Sean P. Duffy Wednesday named Amit Kshatriya as the new associate administrator of NASA, the agency’s top civil service role. A 20-year NASA veteran, Kshatriya was most recently the deputy in charge of the Moon to Mars Program in the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate (ESDMD) at NASA Headquarters in Washington. In this role, Kshatriya was responsible for program planning and implementation for crewed missions to the Moon through the Artemis campaign in preparation for humanity’s first mission to Mars. (9/3)

Trump Is Moving the Least Important Branch of the Military to the Perfect Place (Source: Esquire)
Honestly, I have no objection to this move that compares to my objection to the whole idea of the Space Force. Colorado Springs is a genuinely weird place, thick with hardcore evangelicals, many of whom are associated with the Air Force Academy. I've never been comfortable with a place with so many military men who can quote you Revelations from memory. I'll take the pick-up trucks and Cat hats of Huntsville over that any day.

And Huntsville has a long history with spaceflight. (The nearby minor-league baseball team, which I adore, is the Rocket City Trash Pandas.) Wernher von Braun and his merry band of adjusted passports set it up in the 1950s. It became the place where all of the rockets of NASA's glory days were built and tested. It's also been a PR bonanza—a tourist attraction and the home of NASA's Space Camp. If we're going to have a Space Force, and I remain fairly sure we don't need it, Huntsville is a helluva more appropriate than Jesusland in the Rockies. (9/2)

FAA Plans to Amend SpaceX Authorizations for Falcon 9 Operations at LC-40 (Source: FAA)
The FAA made a finding of no significant impact (FONSI) for SpaceX to expand Falcon 9 operations at Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Based on this, the FAA would modify SpaceX’s existing launch license to authorize: up to 120 Falcon 9 launches annually at LC-40, which represents an annual increase of 70 launches; construction and operation of a landing zone at LC-40; and up to 34 first-stage booster landings at the new landing zone annually [with attendant sonic booms]. (9/3)