October 4, 2025

UK Boosts Satellite Security with £500,00 Investment in New Laser Detection Technology (Source: Forces News)
The UK government has today announced a new £500,000 investment in cutting-edge detection technology that spots lasers that adversaries may use to dazzle satellites and intercept communications. Currently under development, the new sensors will determine the characteristics of lasers based in space or on the ground and whether they pose a threat to the satellite, providing the military with crucial information to protect and defend the UK and allied space systems and assets. (10/3)

Vandenberg Space Force Base Breaks Annual Launch Record with SpaceX Rocket (Source: KTLA)
Vandenberg Space Force Base reached a milestone Friday morning as SpaceX set a new annual launch record for the site. The rocket launched from the Santa Barbara County base carrying 28 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit. It marked Vandenberg’s 52nd launch of the year. (10/3)

Jeff Bezos Predicts We'll Have Gigawatt Data Centers in Space in 20 Years (Source: PC Mag)
The Amazon founder says placing data centers into orbit will allow them to harness the abundant solar energy, making them more cost-effective than their Earth-bound counterparts. Bezos was asked to predict what the world might look like in the years to come. In response, the billionaire discussed his rocket company, Blue Origin, before talking about the construction of data centers in Earth’s orbit. (10/3)

SpaceX and ULA Contracted for USSF/NRO Launches in FY 2026 (Source: Via Satellite)
Under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program, SpaceX is to launch five NSSL Phase 3, Lane 2 missions through September 2026 for the Space Force and National Reconnaissance Office, while ULA is to launch two. Blue Origin did not receive any missions but may in fiscal 2027. The SpaceX assigned missions have a total price of $714 million and the ULA assigned missions have a total price of $428 million. (10/3)

SpaceX Sets Date for Next Starship Launch in South Texas (Source: San Antonio Express-News)
SpaceX has set a date for the 11th launch of its Starship megarocket from South Texas — Oct. 13. A 30-minute launch window opens at 6:15 p.m., according to the commercial space company which announced the plans this week along with a hype video for the giant spacecraft that’s in development at the Starbase complex outside Brownsville. It will be the 11th flight of the 400-foot-tall rocket. (10/3)

Embry‑Riddle Faculty Create a New Forum for U.S.-Japan Space Security Collaboration (Source: ERAU)
Security Studies and International Affairs faculty member Dr. Alice Dell’Era, with Drs. Elisabeth Hope Murray and Teha Cooks, recently won Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University’s first grant funded by the Japan Foundation to launch an ongoing speaker series addressing the importance of international diplomacy in space policy. The project aims to advance understanding of how the U.S. and Japan work together to strengthen space security and will provide Embry‑Riddle students and faculty with the opportunity to engage directly with leading American and Japanese space security experts. (10/3)

University of Colorado Endowed Professorship in Space Policy and Law to Expand Global Collaboration (Source: University of Colorado)
Through a generous investment in the future of space governance, CU Boulder donors Dale and Patricia Hatfield have given $2.5 million to establish the Hatfield Endowed Professorship in Space Policy & Law. Underscoring the university’s commitment to leadership in this fast-evolving field, the professorship will drive teaching and research on space policy and law, with broad implications for national security, global communications, navigation, weather forecasting and international collaboration. (10/3)

Female Astronauts on Key Role in Space Exploration (Source: CGTN)
At the 76th International Astronautical Congress in Sydney, CGTN's Wu Lei spoke with pioneering astronauts - including South Korea's first astronaut, Dr. Yi So-yeon, and veteran Canadian astronaut Julie Payette. He asked for their insights on the growing role of women in space. Click here. (10/4)

Iran to Launch “Zafar-2” and “Paya” Satellites Using Foreign Launch Vehicle, Support China Lunar Efforts (Source: Borna News)
In line with Iran’s 10-year space roadmap and the Seventh Development Plan, various programs led by research centers and universities are underway in the field of space science and exploration. This includes the development of biological capsules and reusable research platforms with precise control and guidance systems — effectively serving as space laboratories for sub-orbital and orbital tests related to living in space, radiation effects, and environmental changes on biological species.

Following the launch of a 500-kilogram recoverable capsule in 2023, the research and development of a new generation of these platforms has begun, with significant progress achieved in design and manufacturing. Iran will also participate in China's international lunar research, the Chang’e-8 project. (10/4)

Iran Prepares Chabahar Spaceport for First Solid-Fuel Launch (Source: Wanaen)
The head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) has announced that preparations are underway for the first solid-fuel launch from the Chabahar National Spaceport, while also revealing new details about upcoming satellite launches and international collaborations. Speaking at World Space Week 2025, ISA chief Dr. Hassan Salarieh highlighted the strategic role of the Chabahar National Spaceport, located in southeastern Iran. (10/4)

NASA Research Balloon Lands Unexpectedly on Texas Farmland (Source: KXAN)
It was an ordinary morning on the farm until it wasn’t. While getting ready for the day, Ann Walter was told that, floating high above them, was a massive parachute-like balloon gliding silently across the sky. They stood there in awe, snapping photos and videos before carrying on with their morning routine. The research balloon landed in a farmland in Hale County on Thursday morning. (10/3)

Malaysia Formalizes Participation in International Space Treaty (Source: Malaysian Reserve)
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) announced that Malaysia has formalised its participation in the international space treaty, the Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space (REG 1975), by depositing its instrument of accession with the United Nations on Sep. 26. (10/4)

Surprise Asteroid Flies by Earth at Only 250 Miles Away (Source: Space.com)
A small asteroid just gave the Earth a close buzz. The little space rock, called 2025 TF, safely passed within roughly 250 miles of our planet on Tuesday (Sep. 30) at 8:49 p.m. EDT. That flyby puts the asteroid at the same approximate altitude as the International Space Station. (10/3)

SpaceForest Aims to Capture 70% of European Demand for Suborbital Flights (Source: European Spaceflight)
Polish rocket builder SpaceForest has set an ambitious goal of capturing up to 70% of the European demand for suborbital flights. SpaceForest conducted the first two flights of its 11.5-meter-tall suborbital PERUN rocket in 2023, both of which were aborted mid-flight after encountering anomalies. In October 2024, the company received €2.4 million in co-funding from the European Space Agency’s Boost! program to upgrade the combustion chamber of its in-house developed SF-1000 hybrid rocket engines. The company aims to return the rocket to flight later this month. (10/4)

Peter Beck Discusses Neutron Development as Maiden Flight Nears (Source: NSF)
Rocket Lab’s ambitious push to launch its Neutron medium-lift rocket before the end of the year is entering the home stretch, with CEO Sir Peter Beck telling NSF that his team is “literally sleeping in the factories” to meet the aggressive timeline. “We’ll be there on the last day of December until the last hour trying to get a launch away,” Beck said in a recent interview. “We run green light schedules, meaning there is no fat in everything. Nobody’s waving the white flag yet.”

The 141-foot-tall reusable launch vehicle has passed several critical milestones in recent months. In April, Rocket Lab qualified Neutron’s carbon composite second stage by applying 1.3 million pounds of tensile force — 125% of its maximum operating pressure — while testing flight software, avionics, and guidance systems under cryogenic conditions. The first stage top section, including the distinctive “Hungry Hippo” reusable fairings and aerodynamic canards, completed qualification in May. (10/3)

Gilmour Space Plans Return to Flight Next Year (Source: Space News)
Gilmour Space expects to return its Eris rocket to flight next year (2026) Gilmour Space plans return to flight next year This follows the company's inaugural launch attempt in July 2025, which unfortunately ended in failure. The maiden flight of the Eris Block 1 rocket took place on July 30, 2025, from Bowen Orbital Spaceport in Queensland, Australia, but failed after just 14 seconds of flight. (10/3)

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex's Taste of Space to Offer Fall 'Galaxy of Flavors' (Source: Florida Today)
Attention fall foodies: get ready to snack on seasonal comfort dishes while exploring the cosmos. For the fifth year, Taste of Space: Fall Bites! will return to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Guests can experience a "galaxy of flavors" with fall comfort dishes landing on the menu from Oct. 3 to Nov. 16. (10/3)

Arkisys Awarded Astrobee Sustainer Contract! (Source: Arksys)
Arkisys is proud to continue the groundbreaking NASA Astrobee mission through an unfunded Space Act Agreement (SAA), ensuring the robotic platform aboard the International Space Station (ISS) remains sustained and maintained. Astrobee now becomes part of our customer services portfolio, offering a vital bridge between ground-based testing for Rendezvous & Proximity Operations (RPO) and fully space-qualified orbital testing. (10/3)

Shutdown Exception Allows Continued Work on Artemis (Source: CNN)
A document recently posted to NASA’s website shows that more than 3,000 employees will continue showing up to work during the government shutdown. That’s 2,000 more people than under a previous shutdown plan that did not include the Artemis exemption. Much of the ongoing work will revolve around Artemis II, a crewed test flight around the moon set to take off as soon as February.

With four astronauts slated to fly on that mission, work on the project “is obviously very safety critical,” said Lakiesha Hawkins, NASA’s acting deputy associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, during a September 23 news briefing. “We anticipate being able to request (and) being able to continue to move forward on Artemis II in the event of shutdown,” Hawkins said then.

But the exceptions spelled out in NASA’s shutdown plans this week go even further, allowing work to continue on Artemis III — the landmark moon-landing mission currently slated for mid-2027 — as well as Artemis missions expected to fly later this decade or next. The roughly $100 billion Artemis program is well over budget and running behind the ambitious schedule mapped out during President Donald Trump’s first term. (10/3)

Surveying Io's Surface with the UNAGI Lander (Source: Phys.org)
What type of lander could touch down on Jupiter's volcanic moon, Io? This is what a recent paper presented at the AIAA 2025 Regional Student Conference hopes to address. This study has the potential to help scientists and engineers develop new mission concepts from all levels of academia and industry. The researchers introduced UNAGI, which is a unique mission concept that is designed to use Jupiter's magnetic field as "propellant" to lower it to Io's surface without the need for actual propellant for its descent.

The team refers to this landing method as the electrodynamic tether (EDT) propulsion system that uses Jupiter's powerful magnetic field to interact with the lander's 50-kilometer (31-mile) tether, thus enabling corrections during the lander's descent and will deploy airbags upon touchdown. Once this occurs, the scientific payloads will begin their mission of examining Io's internal composition, surface changes from volcanic activity, outgassing and plume activity, tectonic activity, Io's interactions with Jupiter's magnetic field, and comparing Io's processes with the other Galilean moons (Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto). (9/30)

The 5 Worst Things To Ever Happen On The ISS (Source: BGR)
The ISS has faced its share of close calls, technical malfunctions, and sudden emergencies. Any of these could have spiraled into a catastrophe, from thrusters that spun the entire outpost uncontrollably to flying space junk that barely missed the ISS. These incidents remind us how fragile life can be beyond Earth's atmosphere. Click here. (10/2) 

The US Wants an Inhabited Lunar Village Within 10 years, While Other Space Agencies Prioritize Earth (Source: Union Rayo)
The United States, through NASA administrator Sean Duffy, announced at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2025) in Sydney that within 10 years it plans to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon. Not just an outpost, but a ‘’lunar village’’ powered by nuclear energy. This ambitious statement underscores the determination of the United States to lead global space exploration and expand humanity’s reach beyond Earth. (10/2)

Scientists Discover First Evidence of Lava Tubes on Venus (Source: Universe Today)
Venus and Earth both are geologically active and have been shaped by volcanism. Venus's surface is dominated by vast volcanic plains, enormous shield volcanoes and vast lava flows. Like Earth, Venus has been resurfaced by molten rock erupting from its interior, creating landscapes that bear striking resemblances to volcanic regions on our own planet. Understanding these volcanic features, including the underground structures they create, offers a window into the geological processes that have shaped both worlds and provides clues about why they took such different evolutionary paths.

An international team has been studying radar images and topographic data from earlier Venus missions. They focused their attention on the planet's large shield volcanoes, those exceeding 100 kilometers in diameter to search for signs of collapsed lava tubes. They identified four clear curving chains of pits that appear to mark where sections of underground tubes have collapsed. These tubes have been found on the Moon and Earth, but until now, their existence on Venus remained purely theoretical. (9/29)

Tata's Nelco Adopts New Path to Satellite Internet Ambition (Source: Live Mint)
Tata Group-owned Nelco LTD has received the government's preliminary approval to resell satellite internet services to consumers by partnering with companies like Starlink, OneWeb, Kuiper, and Jio Satellite. The company applied for a virtual network operator license to provide global mobile personal communications by satellite service and has received a 'letter of intent' from one of these companies. (10/2)

China’s Rocket Factories Aim to Beat SpaceX with Car-Style Mass Production (Source: Interesting Engineering)
Scientists in China claim the country is transitioning into a revolutionary new era of aerospace manufacturing. The new form of manufacturing will produce rockets and satellites as efficiently as auto plants make cars. This new method, which requires vast structural reform across the nation’s aerospace industry, is known as “final assembly pull”. It is inspired by lean manufacturing principles utilized in the automotive industry. (9/29)

Extreme Battery Tech Powers One-of-a-Kind Rover (Source: New Atlas)
It’s hard to think of a more challenging environment for an automotive battery than the surface of the Moon. For Artemis V, planned for 2030 or later, astronauts are to have on hand an open buggy that can carry them across the lunar surface while suited up. Three consortiums are competing to supply the buggy, dubbed the Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV).

One, Lunar Outpost, is drawing on automotive giant GM for its battery, chassis and autonomous control elements, and GM recently previewed how it will meet NASA’s battery demands. It's eye-opening to recognize that the battery powering the original Lunar Rover was a throwaway item, not rechargeable when it ran down. That limited the Rover to a 57-mile (92-km) total range, which the Apollo 15 crew shared with the two missions that followed it.

The LTV will bring a much better return for the effort expended in getting it to the Moon, offering astronauts the sort of utility you’d expect from a terrestrial car. Its rechargeable battery pack is expected to serve for 10 years and give it a lifetime range of at least 19,000 miles (30,000 km). (10/2)

Space Rapid Capabilities Office to Put Radars on Sats to Warn of Space-Bound Threats (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Rapid Capabilities Office (SpRCO) intends to award two vendors contracts by the end of the year to demonstrate that Space Force satellites can be equipped with small, inexpensive on-board radar systems to warn of potential threats from nearby satellites. While small — worth $3 million each for 24 months — the planned SBIR awards are part of a larger effort to promote what the SpRCO calls real-time “own-ship awareness” for US national security satellites. (10/2)

Europe Teams with Japan on Asteroid Mission, Beefs Up Space Cooperation with South Korea (Source: Space.com)
Europe is deepening cooperation with South Korea and Japan as it looks to expand its international cooperation activities on Earth and in space. ESA and the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for enhanced cooperation. The agreement will allow the agencies to use each others' ground stations for telemetry, tracking and command functions. The MoU also covers future areas of cooperation including space science, exploration, human spaceflight, in-space infrastructure and beyond. There is also an intention to work together on space weather. (10/3)

1 to 2 Starlink Satellites are Falling Back to Earth Each Day (Source: EarthSky)
It might not be long before you look up and see a fiery, slow-moving object streaking across your night sky and, clearly, breaking into pieces. That’s if you haven’t seen such a thing already. There are currently one to two Starlink satellites falling back to Earth every day, according to retired Harvard astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell. (10/3)

New Approach to Gravitational Wave Detection Opens the Milli-Hz Frontier (Source: Phys.org)
Scientists have unveiled a new approach to detecting gravitational waves in the milli-Hertz frequency range, providing access to astrophysical and cosmological phenomena that are not detectable with current instruments. The new detector concept uses cutting-edge optical cavity and atomic clock technologies to sense gravitational waves in the elusive milli-Hertz frequency band (10⁻⁵–1 Hz). (10/2)

Space Force Eyes Aggressor Satellites to Add Realism to Test and Training (Source: Air & Space Forces)
In a push to make testing and training more realistic, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said he wants to put live aggressor satellites in orbit to mimic adversary tactics. The concept is comparable to the Air Force’s practice of using aggressor or “red air” platforms to train pilots; in this case, an operator acting as the enemy would be operating a real satellite as a training asset. (9/30)

Planet Y? Astronomers Find Fresh Clues of Hidden World in Our Solar System (Source: CNN)
The search for an unknown planet in our solar system has inspired astronomers for more than a century. Now, a recent study suggests a potential new candidate, which the paper’s authors have dubbed Planet Y. The planet has not been detected but merely inferred by the tilted orbits of some distant objects in the Kuiper Belt — a large ring of icy bodies beyond Neptune’s orbit. Something, the researchers said, must be disturbing these orbits and tilting them.

Planet Nine and Planet Y aren’t mutually exclusive, and they could both exist, he said. Planet Y search started about a year ago when he was trying to find out whether the shape of the Kuiper Belt is flat. “The planets of the solar system have slight tilts up and down, but overall, they kind of almost etch out grooves on a record,” Amir Siraj said, referring to the orbits of the solar system’s planets being on nearly the same plane. (10/3)

Electron: The Quiet Workhorse Powering Momentum (Source: MarketBeat)
Rocket Lab’s stock is consolidating in a bullish base, with investors eyeing the critical $55 resistance as anticipation builds for Neutron’s maiden launch. Despite Neutron grabbing the headlines, Electron remains the company’s backbone, with 70 launches to date and expanding multi-launch contracts. Q2 results showed launch revenue up 58.5% YOY, as Electron’s reliability, flexibility, and growing cadence continue to drive momentum and validate Rocket Lab’s execution. (10/2)