September 6, 2025

NASA, Partners Adjust Next Cygnus Resupply Launch (Source: NASA)
NASA, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX are accelerating the next commercial resupply flight to the ISS to maximize launch opportunities following an assessment of mission readiness. NASA now is targeting no earlier than 6:11 p.m. EDT, Sunday, Sept. 14, for the launch of a Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. (9/5)

Putin Urges Russia's Aerospace Industry to Develop Rocket Engines (Source: Reuters)
President Vladimir Putin urged aerospace industry leaders on Friday to press on with efforts to develop booster rocket engines for space launch vehicles and build on Russia's longstanding reputation as a leader in space technology. Putin, who has spent the past week in China and the Russian far eastern port of Vladivostok, flew to the southern Russian city of Samara, where he met industry specialists and toured the Kuznetsov design bureau aircraft engine manufacturing plant. (9/6)

China's CERES-1 Rocket Launches New Satellites (Source: Xinhua)
China on Friday launched a CERES-1 carrier rocket, sending a group of satellites into space. The rocket blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, sending the Kaiyun-1, Yuxing-3 08 and Yunyao-1 27 satellites into orbit. (9/5)

How the Space Shuttle Helped Women Break NASA's Glass Ceiling (Source: BBC)
In 1978 NASA announced 35 new astronauts for a new era of spaceflight – and six of them were women. Here's how the Space Shuttle program chipped away at one of Nasa's blind spots. (9/6)

GOP May Finally Succeed in Unrelenting Quest to Kill two NASA Climate Satellites (Source: Ars Technica)
After many twists and turns, NASA's 23-year remit of charting greenhouse gas emissions could come to a close as soon as the end of this month. President Donald Trump's budget request to Congress calls for terminating 41 of NASA's 124 science missions in development or operations, and another 17 would see their funding zeroed out in the near future. Overall, the proposed budget slashes NASA's spending by 25 percent and cuts NASA's science funding in half.

This all leaves NASA officials and scientists in a lurch. Two of the missions with uncertain futures monitor carbon dioxide levels in the Earth's atmosphere. US taxpayers paid more than $750 million to design, build, and launch the instruments, and killing the missions now would save roughly $16 million per year. (9/5)

Sep. 10 Webinar: Academic Partnerships - The Key to Local Spaceport Success (Source: Global Spaceport Alliance)
Spaceports thrive when they’re supported by strong academic ecosystems that serve the full talent lifecycle—from early STEM education to workforce development and ongoing professional training. This webinar explores how strategic partnerships with universities, community colleges, and K–12 institutions are driving long-term success for spaceports and their surrounding communities. Click here. (9/5)

Director Sought for Florida Space Research Consortium (Source: University of Florida)
UF in Gainesville is advertising to hire a new director for the Florida Space Research Consortium. Among the responsibilities: Develop and implement a strategic research agenda for the Consortium aligned with institutional priorities and national space research goals; and Promote collaborative partnerships between Consortium member institutions, government agencies (e.g., NASA, DoD), and industry partners. Click here. (9/5)

Space Operations Command Getting New Name, New Boss (Source: Air and Space Forces)
SpOC is getting booted from the Space Force. The service is renaming its Space Operations Command, with its Star Trek-themed acronym, to Combat Forces Command to emphasize its warfighting mission. The pending name change was revealed among a list of new general officer assignments announced by the Pentagon on Sep. 5. (9/5)

SpaceX to Colorado: You're Spending Too Much on Fiber Internet. Why Not Starlink? (Source: PC Mag)
SpaceX is challenging another state's broadband expansion plan, arguing that it's pouring too much federal funding into fiber projects instead of cheaper satellite alternatives, like Starlink. SpaceX sent a letter to Colorado’s broadband office after the state revealed how it would divvy up $400 million in US Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) program funds, which will be used to close internet gaps. (9/5)

NASA Picks KBR to $2.5 Billion Spaceflight Health Contract (Source: Innovation Map)
Houston-based technology and energy solution company KBR has been awarded a $2.5 billion NASA contract to support astronaut health and reduce risks during spaceflight missions.

Under the terms of the Human Health and Performance Contract 2, KBR will provide support services for several programs, including the Human Research Program, International Space Station Program, Commercial Crew Program, Artemis campaign and others. This will include ensuring crew health, safety, and performance; occupational health services and risk mitigation research for future flights. (9/5)

China Unveils Asteroid Defense Mission Plan (Source: China Daily)
China is planning a kinetic impact demonstration mission to test the feasibility of defending Earth against potentially hazardous asteroids, a senior space scientist revealed. Wu Weiren, chief designer of China's lunar exploration program and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, gave a comprehensive overview of the country's asteroid exploration and strategy defense.

Wu said the mission will follow a "fly-along–impact–fly-along" model, involving both an observer and an impactor spacecraft. The observer will arrive first to conduct close-up surveys of the target asteroid, collecting detailed physical parameters. The impactor will then strike the asteroid at high speed, while both spacecraft, together with ground- and space-based assets, record the event using advanced imaging technologies to precisely assess the results. (9/6)

Astrobotic Partners with Andøya Space to Test Lunar Lander Tech in Norway (Source: European Spaceflight)
US-based lunar logistics company Astrobotic and Norwegian spaceport operator Andøya Space have signed a term sheet outlining the framework for a Launch Site Agreement. The agreement, once finalized, will facilitate flights of Astrobotic’s Xodiac lander testbed from the Andøya Space facilities.

The Xodiac vertical takeoff, vertical landing rocket was initially developed by Masten Space Systems to simulate landing on the Moon and Mars. When Masten filed for bankruptcy in 2022, Astrobotic acquired its intellectual property and assets, including the Xodiac vehicle, and absorbed Masten’s staff into its newly established Propulsion and Test Department. (9/5)

Astronomers Detect the Brightest Ever Fast Radio Burst (Source: Science News)
A powerful blast of energy detected in March marks the brightest fast radio burst — a mysterious type of outburst from space — observed to date. This ultrabright flash originated 130 million light-years from Earth, closer than most fast radio bursts, or FRBs, with pinpointed locations, allowing an in-depth investigation into what produced the puzzling signal. (9/5)