November 18, 2025

DHS Wants Satellite Volunteers to Test New Cyber Tools (Source: Via Satellite)
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Aerospace Corp. want satellite operators to volunteer to test out new tools they’re building to detect cyberattacks on spacecraft, officials said at Monday’s CyberSat conference. As part of its mission to protect critical infrastructure, DHS is working to develop cyber resilience tools for satellites that provide vital resources including position, navigation and timing (PNT) services like GPS, as well as communication channels like phone and internet, said Ernest Wong, the technical lead for PNT & Space Systems at DHS’s Science and Technology Division. (11/17)

NASA Is Tracking a Vast Anomaly Growing in Earth's Magnetic Field (Source: Science Alert)
For years, NASA has monitored a strange anomaly in Earth's magnetic field: a giant region of lower magnetic intensity in the skies, stretching out between South America and southwest Africa. This vast, developing phenomenon, called the South Atlantic Anomaly, has intrigued and concerned scientists for decades, and perhaps none more so than NASA researchers. The space agency's satellites and spacecraft are particularly vulnerable to the weakened magnetic field within the anomaly, and the resulting exposure to charged particles from the Sun. (11/18)

New Glenn Versus Falcon Heavy (Source: SPACErePORT)
Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket brings new heavy-lift capabilities to the Cape Canaveral Spaceport, but how does it stack up against SpaceX's Falcon Heavy? The answer is not as simple as you might think. (We'll stick to low-Earth orbit (LEO) for this comparison.) Both rockets' core stages are designed for reuse, but they can carry more payload if the customer opts to pay more for an expendable mission.

A reusable New Glenn can carry ~34000 kg to LEO and a reusable Falcon Heavy can carry ~23000 kg to LEO. But a fully expendable Falcon Heavy can lift ~63800 to LEO, and a partially expendable Falcon Heavy can lift ~57000 kg (with two of the three boosters recovered). If a New Glenn were to fly intentially expendable, it could carry ~45000 kg, still less than an expendable Falcon Heavy. But the kicker for Blue Origin is its payload volume: New Glenn includes a massive 7 meter diameter fairing while SpaceX's Falcon Heavy fairing is only 5.2 meters in diameter. It's payloads can be bigger but not heavier.

Price-wise, while not publicly available from the two companies, a reusable New Glenn launch is speculated to cost between $70 million and $110 million, while a Falcon Heavy would cost ~$97 million. (11/18)

Firefly Aerospace Stock Price Target Slashed by Morgan Stanley on Launch Setbacks (Source: Investing.com)
Morgan Stanley has lowered its price target on Firefly Aerospace to $27.00 from $52.00 while maintaining an Equalweight rating on the stock. With shares currently trading at $22.95, the new target suggests approximately 18% upside potential. The significant reduction reflects recent setbacks for the company’s Alpha rocket program, including a failed commercial launch and the loss of a first-stage booster during ground testing. These setbacks have contributed to Firefly’s stock plummeting 62% over the past six months. (11/17)

San Antonio Lands Texas’ First-Ever Space Summit (Source: San Antonio Express-News)
State officials have tapped San Antonio to host the first-ever Texas Space Summit in September 2026 to discuss the booming commercial space business. The three-day conference will run Sep. 21-23 at the Henry B. González Convention Center and is expected to bring in more than 2,000 attendees including space industry leaders. (11/17)

Tory Bruno: Nuclear Thermal Propulsion Shapes the Future of America’s Dominance in Space (Source: Washington Times)
The race to develop nuclear propulsion isn’t just about reaching Mars; it’s also an important next step in our battle for space dominance. NASA is developing two options: nuclear thermal propulsion and nuclear electric propulsion. Although both hold important roles in the future of spaceflight, nuclear thermal propulsion has greater implications for our national security posture in space.

A nuclear thermal propulsion engine can generate thrust two to three times more efficiently than conventional chemical rockets. It’s perfect for in-space applications, where the radiation is easily managed. With chemical rockets, it takes nine months to get to Mars and nine months to return. Nuclear thermal propulsion could make the travel duration three times shorter. So, if we are going to routinely send people to Mars (and get them back), nuclear thermal propulsion is the way to do it.

This isn’t only about Mars; it’s also about maneuvering in orbit and the security demands we face today. There is a national security reason to want nuclear thermal propulsion. We will have to reposition assets to hot spots, replenish satellites that have been destroyed, counterattack the threats, establish orbital security and control all this in real time. It all requires the ability to maneuver through space, rapidly, at will and across vast distances, involving transits between different orbits and orbital altitudes. (11/17)

ArianeGroup–Avio Deal Outlines Extended Transition of Turbopump Manufacturing to France (Source: European Spaceflight)
A new agreement between ArianeGroup and Avio has renewed questions about when the production of Ariane 6 turbopumps will be transferred from Italy to France. The transfer was intended to offset Vernon losing the responsibility for Vinci upper stage integration to Germany, as agreed during the 2019 ESA Ministerial Council meeting in Seville.

The agreement, signed on 14 November, secures the stabilized exploitation phase of the Ariane 6 program as ArianeGroup and Avio push forward toward the rocket’s full operational cadence. The agreement, which Avio says will be worth more than €200 million to the company, covers production of the next-generation P160C boosters and additional liquid-oxygen turbopumps for the Vulcain main engine up to 2029, the same turbopumps whose manufacturing is expected to be transferred to Vernon. (11/18)

Spain's PLD Space to Begin Launch Campaign in Early 2026, Leveraging its Launch Testing Capabilities (Source: Spacewatch Global)
PLD Space is operating its launch test infrastructure at full capacity at the Teruel Airport in Spain, where it boasts over 155,000 square meters of surface area for its MIURA 5 launch vehicle. These facilities, entirely designed and managed by the company, represent one of the largest private launcher testing capabilities in Europe. It is also a strategic asset within PLD Space's vertical integration model, allowing the company to adopt a "Test like you fly" development strategy. (11/18)

Novaspace Expands to India — Accelerating the Growth of the Nation’s Space Economy (Source: Space News)
Novaspace, the global consulting and market-intelligence firm dedicated to the space sector, announces the opening of its new office in India, marking a strategic milestone in its mission to connect global expertise with one of the world’s most dynamic and fast-evolving space ecosystems. Building on more than 40 years of heritage in advising governments, space agencies, and industry leaders, Novaspace’s expansion into India reflects both a commitment to local collaboration and a vision for global impact. (11/18)

Space Surveillance: Aldoria and Onera Step Up Efforts with a 12 Million Euro Program (Source: La Tribune)
A pioneer in space surveillance since 2017 in France and with a network of six telescope stations spread across four continents, Aldoria will reach a new milestone by 2030. The Toulouse-based company announced to La Tribune, on the sidelines of the Choose France summit held this Monday in Paris, the launch of a 12 million euro program with Onera and supported by France 2030, aimed at developing and deploying five multi-telescope and multi-spectral stations around the world. (11/17)

French Space Strategy: After the Headline Figure of More Than $20 Billion to 2030, a 6-Month Wait for Details (Source: Space Intel Report)
France’s new space strategy calls for a successor to the current Ariane 6 heavy-lift rocket by 2035, an expansion of France’s, and Europe’s, space surveillance network and a more-active defense of Europe’s radio-frequency rights, especially on behalf of the future Iris2 multi-orbit secure broadband network. The National Space Strategy 2025-2040 was published Nov. 14, a day after French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would add 4.2 billion euros ($4.9 billion) to its current military space programs. The full details of the financing for the strategy are expected to be available in the coming months. (11/18)

Golden Dome Faces Challenges of Size, Scope and Scale From Every Angle (Source: Breaking Defense)
The model is Israel’s Iron Dome, but that system covers a relatively small area and mostly protects against traditional ballistic missile attacks. Golden Dome will cover a much larger area, and must be able to counter intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), cruise missiles and hypersonic missiles. All of those requirements add complexity, engineering challenges and cost considerations.

Cruise missiles can take unpredictable flight paths and even loiter over targets, and hypersonic missiles offer speed and flexibility in maneuvering that makes them much harder to identify, track and intercept. That challenge is defined as the “absentee ratio,” which is the number of interceptors needed to ensure that one is always available to strike a target. That ratio becomes more complex to figure out as new capabilities make targets harder to track. (11/17)

Colorado Space Coalition Sets Federal Policy Priorities for FY-2027 (Source: Metro Denver EDC)
The Colorado Space Coalition announced their FY27 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) priorities, developed in partnership with aerospace and defense members across Colorado. These are designed to strengthen national security, accelerate private sector innovation, and reinforce Colorado’s leadership in aerospace.

The priorities include: a Corporate Tax Exemption for Self-Funded R&D; Defense Venture Investment and Loss Relief; and  Advanced Manufacturing Credits in the Defense Technology Hubs Act. Editor's Note: Florida currently lacks an organization like this one in Colorado. We used to have a Florida Space Business Roundtable, which served as an industry advocacy organization for state and federal space policy.

But FSBR dissolved over a decade ago, when Florida had far fewer space industry stakeholders than now. I think the state's commercial space industry and its federal contractor community are large enough now to sustain and benefit from a revived roundtable or other industry-led organization. The National Space Club Florida Committee is primarily a social and educational organization and doesn't wade into politics or advocacy. And Space Florida does represent industry interests to some degree, but the agency has its own priorities in Tallahassee and Washington. (11/17)

Blue Origin Ramps Up New Glenn Production at Space Coast Campus (Source: Ars Technica)
David Limp said success on New Glenn’s second flight would set the company up for a significant increase in cadence. The company is building enough hardware for “well above” a dozen flights in 2026, with the upper-end limit of 24 launches. The pacing item is second stages. Right now Blue Origin can build one per month, but the production rate is increasing.

“They’re coming off the line at one a month right now, and then we’re ramping from there,” he said of the second stages, known internally as GS-2. “It would be ambitious to get to the upper level, but we want to be hardware rich. So, you know, we want to try to keep building as fast as we can, and then with practice I think our launch cadence can go up.” The biggest part of increasing cadence is manufacturing. That means BE-4 rocket engines for the first stage, BE-3U engines for the upper stage, and the stages themselves. (11/17)

Project Ranger, New Mexico’s Newest Hypersonic Manufacturing Campus (Source: Castelion)
Castelion, a cutting-edge defense technology company, today announced it selected Sandoval County, New Mexico, as the site for Project Ranger, a 1000-acre solid rocket motor manufacturing campus dedicated to next-generation hypersonic systems. The initiative is projected to create 300 high-quality jobs and generate over $650 million in economic output over the next decade. (11/17)

According to SpaceX Documents, the Moon Will Have to Wait (Source: Gizmodo)
An internal SpaceX document lays out a new timeline for the Starship Human Landing System (HLS)—one that would put the Artemis 3 astronauts on the Moon by September 2028 at the earliest. That’s more than a year past NASA’s mid-2027 target. Even hitting this revised target will be a tall order given Starship’s enormous size, complex design, and the major milestones it has yet to achieve. The document reportedly shows that SpaceX aims to conduct an in-orbit propellant transfer in June 2026, an essential milestone for Artemis 3.

The next step will be demonstrating an uncrewed lunar landing with the HLS, which SpaceX plans to do in June 2027. That’s right around the time NASA had hoped to launch the Artemis 3 mission. If all this goes well, SpaceX could land the Artemis astronauts on the Moon by September 2028, but it’s entirely possible that it won’t. It’s possible that Blue Origin could snag the Artemis 3 contract from SpaceX with its own crewed lunar lander, Blue Moon Mark 2 (MK2). NASA has already contracted MK2 for Artemis 5, and although that mission won’t launch for another several years, Blue Origin aims to demonstrate an uncrewed version of the lander in January 2026. (11/17)

Sidus Space and Lonestar Data Holdings Advance Commercial Pathfinder Mission (Source: Sidus Space)
Sidus Space announced revenue associated milestones on the Lonestar Data Holdings Commercial Pathfinder Mission. Following the contract signing, the companies have successfully completed the mission kickoff and System Requirements Review (SRR). These achievements are part of developing Lonestar’s advanced in-space data storage solution. This solution includes secure data uplink, long-term data storage, rapid onboard AI-driven processing via FeatherEdge (Sidus Space’s edge computer featuring the NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin GPU) and on-demand downlink of critical data directly from orbit. (11/18)

Mapping the Dark Side of the World: The KH-5 ARGON Geodetic Satellite (Source: Space Review)
As important as high-resolution satellite imagery in the early Space Age was development of wide-area imagery needed for accurately mapping the Soviet Union. Dwayne Day examines the development of one satellite system to provide that data. Click here. (11/18)
 
DARPA’s Real Lunar Opportunity: Build the Operating System, Not the Outpost (Source: Space Review)
DARPA has supported studies on lunar development recently, including establishing lunar infrastructure. Michael Stennicke argues that DARPA would be best served by developing underlying technologies for an “operating system” there. Click here. (11/18)
 
America Needs a National Astroelectricity Energy Security Transition Policy (Source: Space Review)
It’s one thing to say that space-based solar power, or astroelectricity, is the key to American energy security. Mike Snead discusses why now is the time to develop policies to implement it. Click here. (11/18)

Congressional Report Concludes China Advancing to Space Dominance (Source: Space News)
A bipartisan report concludes that the United States is at risk of losing the strategic high ground of space that underpins modern military power. In a report to Congress scheduled to be released at a public event later today, the U.S. China Economic and Security Review Commission lays out a blunt assessment of Beijing’s push to become the world’s top space power. The reports says the speed, scale and ambition of China’s space program have entered a new phase that U.S. military leaders describe as “mind boggling.” A central theme in the report is China’s advantage from an entirely dual-use space program, in which companies, state-owned enterprises and the military operate as one system. The commission recommends that lawmakers boost Space Force funding to achieve space control and space superiority while working to better understand and simulate Chinese space threats. (11/18)

Germany's Dcubed Plans Space-Manufactured Solar Arrays (Source: Space News)
German satellite component company Dcubed is moving into the in-space manufacturing field. The company announced Tuesday its ARAQYS product line, which will provide the ability to manufacture solar arrays in orbit with more flexibility and at lower cost than traditional arrays. A demonstration mission scheduled to launch in early 2027 will test the technology by producing a 15-meter-long solar array that can produce two kilowatts of power. Dcubed says arrays manufactured in space can be cheaper and lighter than those produced on the ground, which must survive the rigors of launch and then use complex deployment mechanisms. (11/18)

Isar Aerospace to Launch SEOPS Mission on Spectrum Rocket From Norway (Source: Space News)
Isar Aerospace has sold a Spectrum launch to American launch aggregator SEOPS. The companies announced the deal Tuesday covering a Spectrum launch from Norway in 2028 carrying multiple payloads. SEOPS has primarily used rideshare capacity on Falcon 9 missions for its customers, but said it is responding to customer demand for a European launch option. (11/18)

Kepler to Launch Optical Relay Satellites in January (Source: Kepler)
Kepler Communications will launch its first optical data relay satellites in January. The Canadian company said Monday that 10 of the 300-kilogram satellites will launch on a Falcon 9 from California. The satellites have multiple optical terminals for data relay services that are compatible with standards set by the Space Development Agency. The satellites also have on-orbit computing capabilities to allow for data to be processed in space. (11/18)

Telescope Project Being Lured From Hawaii to Spain (Source: Science)
An observatory proposed for Hawaii is now considering Spain. The Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) project said last week it is evaluating an offer by the Spanish government of 400 million euros to support construction of the observatory provided it is built on the island of La Palma. TMT was originally intended to be built atop Maunakea in Hawaii, but has faced opposition from native Hawaiians and also failed to win support from the National Science Foundation. A decision on going forward with building the telescope on La Palma could come in months. (11/18)