October 8, 2025

Space Infrastructure Investments Surge to Five-Quarter High (Source: Space News)
Investment in space infrastructure reached its highest level in more than a year during the third quarter. A report by early-stage investor Space Capital said global investments in core space infrastructure climbed to a five-quarter high of $4.4 billion. That was thanks to investments in satellite manufacturing in the United States and in Chinese launch companies. According to Space Capital, 60% of all satellite manufacturing funding rounds tracked over the past 15 years have occurred since 2021, reflecting growing confidence in mass-production models and dual-use hardware that aims to serve defense and commercial demand. Space Capital said it does not expect that trend of increased investment in infrastructure to slow. (10/8)

Blue Origin Wins $78.25 Million Space Force Contract to Expand Launch Processing Capacity (Source: Space News)
Blue Origin won a Space Force contract to expand satellite processing facilities at Cape Canaveral. The $78.2 million contract, announced Tuesday, was secured through a “Commercial Solutions Opening” (CSO) competition, a procurement method the government uses to attract private-sector innovation and to share project costs with commercial partners. Blue Origin’s contract marks the second CSO award of the year targeting satellite processing improvements. Lockheed Martin subsidiary Astrotech won a $77.5 million contract in April to expand facilities at Vandenberg Space Force Base. (10/8)

Stoke Space Reportedly Raising Another Massive Round of Funding for its Nova Rocket (Source: GeekWire)
Stoke Space is said to be raising hundreds of millions of dollars in a funding round that it hasn’t yet publicly acknowledged. Sources said the funding round could total as much as $500 million, and would value Stoke at nearly $2 billion. That figure would be roughly twice as much as the $944 million valuation that was cited by Pitchbook as of January. The round’s lead investor is said to be Thomas Tull’s United States Innovative Technology Fund. Editor's Note: Stoke is leasing LC-14 at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. (10/7)

Spain's Sateliot Demonstrates IoT Satellite Service (Source: Space News)
Spanish startup Sateliot says it has demonstrated Internet of Things (IoT) services via satellite using a 5G protocol. The startup said Tuesday it sent data from one of its four operational LEO satellites to an nRF9151, a low-power cellular module from Norway’s Nordic Semiconductor that is typically used in sensors for tracking or monitoring. The data was sent via the same network protocols as a regular mobile network. The system used a global 5G standard called 3GPP Release 17 that Sateliot argues will allow satellites to seamlessly integrate into terrestrial networks without the need to modify device hardware. Sateliot raised 70 million euros ($81 million) earlier this year and has long-term ambitions for a constellation of hundreds of satellites. (10/8)

Tug-of-War Over Discovery Shuttle (Source: Space News)
The future of the shuttle Discovery continues to be a hot topic in Congress. A provision in the budget reconciliation bill passed in July included $85 million for a “space vehicle transfer” interpreted to allow the move of Discovery from the National Air and Space Museum’s Udvar-Hazy Center outside Washington to Space Center Houston. Last month, four Democratic senators asked leaders of the Senate Appropriations Committee to prevent any additional federal funds from being spent on the effort, citing estimates that the move would cost far more than the amount included in the bill. Texas’s two senators countered with a letter this week seeking to block that effort while claiming that the Smithsonian was distributing “misinformation” about the costs of the move. (10/8)

SpaceX Launches California Starlink Mission on Wednesday (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
Another day means another launch of Starlink satellites. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and put 28 Starlink satellites into orbit. The booster for the mission made its 29th flight, one behind the company’s current record for booster reuse. (10/8)

Thales Alenia Opens "Smart Factory" for Satellites in Italy (Source: Thales Alenia)
Thales Alenia Space opened a “smart factory” in Italy for producing satellites. The Space Smart Factory, located in Rome, is designed to incorporate digital systems and automation to enable high-rate production of smaller satellites, with a goal of manufacturing more than 100 per year. The facility cost more than 100 million euros, supported in part by the Italian government using pandemic relief funds. While intended to be used to build smaller satellites for constellations, the factory's first program will be the larger Sicral 3 GEO satellites for the Italian military. (10/8)

Starbase Streamers Could be Blocked (Source: Texas Monthly)
Media companies that stream activities at Starbase are worried SpaceX could shut them down. The newly incorporated city of Starbase adopted a zoning plan this summer that classified as residential property an area that some use for cameras to provide live feeds of activities at Starbase, including testing and launches. Grandfathering rules in Texas mean that, for now, those cameras can continue to operate, but some are concerned that Starbase city officials could eventually move to evict them. Others note that SpaceX benefits from the coverage. (10/8)

ExoMars Orbiter Spies Interstellar Comet (Source: Space.com)
European spacecraft observed an interstellar comet as it flew near Mars. ESA said a camera on the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter spacecraft was able to observe comet 3I/ATLAS during that comet’s relatively close approach to Mars last week, coming as close as 30 million kilometers from the planet. The images clearly show the comet’s coma of gas and dust surrounding it. Scientists hope other data might provide information about the comet’s composition. NASA spacecraft at Mars also attempted to observe the comet, but the ongoing federal government shutdown, now entering its second week, has kept NASA from releasing any details. (10/8)

From CubeSats to Classrooms: Inspiring Young Space Leaders (Source: Star Sciences)
From middle school CubeSats to international conferences, Kevin Simmons is empowering the next generation of aerospace innovators. Hear how students as young as 11 are designing satellites, presenting papers worldwide, and proving that passion beats age every time. Click here. (10/7)

Ghana Hosts Space Conference as Africa’s Space Economy Targets $22.6 Billion (Source: News Ghana)
Ghana is positioning itself at the forefront of Africa’s space technology revolution as Accra welcomes the Maiden Ghana Space Conference from Oct. 6-8 at the University of Ghana, marking a significant milestone in the country’s technological ambitions.

The three-day conference, organized by the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) Ghana in collaboration with the University of Ghana, Ghana Space Science and Technology Institute (GSSTI), Ghana Meteorological Agency, All Nations University, Spacehubs Africa, and Agbedus Consult, brings together government officials, international organizations, scientists, academics, entrepreneurs, and global space experts to explore how satellite technology can drive sustainable development. (10/5)

China is Developing Ways to De-orbit Space Junk. Should We Be Worried? (Source: Space.com)
China is developing the capability to remove space debris from orbit, according to a top official. China will work on its space situational awareness capabilities in order to track objects and assess the chances of collisions, while also coordinating with other countries, Bian said. It will also take a more proactive role with regard to debris.

China's actions to address the issue of debris will no doubt be widely welcomed, but they may also spark some concerns. Active debris removal is a dual-use capability, meaning it can be used for civilian purposes but also for military ends. The ability to remove a defunct rocket stage or satellite from orbit could also be used to target an adversary’s spacecraft. (10/7)

Shield or Spark? The U.S. Golden Dome and the New Missile Arms Race (Source: Space Daily)
The launch of the US 'Golden Dome' missile defense initiative has already set in motion ripple effects across the globe. Rival nations are considering their own layered missile defense architectures, and experts warn this may trigger a new era of competitive missile development. What began as a domestic shield is now fueling a missile defense arms race, with competitors racing to counter, replicate, or surpass America's capabilities. (10/6)

300 Space Advocates Rally in D.C. to Save NASA Science (Source: Planetary Society)
Nearly 300 people from across the country traveled to Washington, D.C., to participate in the Save NASA Science Day of Action. They came from all walks of life and a range of political identities. Some had decades of professional experience; most had none, holding instead a personal passion for space exploration. All came on their own dime and on their own time. They shared a single motivation: to support NASA's science program, which is facing its largest proposed cut in history. (10/7)