November 23, 2025

Bill in Tallahassee Would Change Space Florida Responsibilities and Board (Source: SPACErePORT)
State Rep. Kim Kendall is sponsoring a bill in Tallahassee intended to modernize Space Florida's 20-year-old enabling statute by updating the responsibilities of spaceport directors, "ensuring they are equipped to navigate the complexities of the next generation of space exploration." It defines "Quintimodal transportation hub" as "a spaceport territory within which interconnected transportation facilities are available to move people or property by means of road, railroad, airport, seaport, and spaceport facilities" and directs Space Florida to promote the development of such hubs in the state.

Rep. Kendall, being from Northeast Florida, seeks to benefit the Cecil Spaceport in Jacksonville as one of these quintimodal hubs. Her bill upgrades current Space Florida non-voting board seats for the Jacksonville Aviation Authority and the Titusville-Cocoa Airport Authority (another state spaceport territory) to full voting seats. It then would add a governor-appointed non-voting board seat for a port authority representative.

The bill further would limit Space Florida's roles vis-a-vis designated "spaceport directors or commanders." ... "Notwithstanding any other provision of this part, authority over the operational oversight, management, and day-to-day administration of each spaceport shall be vested in the spaceport director or commander for that facility." Under this provision, Space Florida "may not exercise direct control over local operational decisions unless: (a)  Specifically requested in writing by the spaceport director or commander; or (b)  Required to comply with applicable federal law or regulation." (11/22)

Stoke Space Goes for Broke to Solve the Only Launch Problem that “Moves the Needle" (Source: Ars Technica)
“What’s the thing that fundamentally moves the needle on what’s out there already today?” Andy Lapsa said. “The only thing, in my opinion, is rapid reuse. And once you get it, the economics are so powerful that nothing else matters. That’s the thing I couldn’t get out of my head. That’s the only problem I wanted to work on, and so we started a company in order to work on it.”

It sounds like Stoke Space is doing the right things. Earlier this year, the company shipped a full-scale version of its reusable second stage to its test site at Moses Lake in central Washington. There, it underwent qualification testing, during which the vehicle is loaded with cryogenic fuels on multiple occasions, pressurized, and put through other exercises. Lapsa said that testing went well. The company also built a stubby version of its first stage. The tanks and domes had full-size diameters, but the stage was not its full height. That vehicle also underwent qualification testing and passed.

The company has begun building flight hardware for the first Nova rocket. The vehicle’s software is maturing. Work is well underway on the development of an automated flight termination system. “Having a team that’s been through this cycle many times, it’s something we started putting attention on very early,” Lapsa said. “It’s on a good path as well.” It will launch "next year" from LC-14 at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Click here. (11/21)

ESA Unveils Thales Alenia-led Consortium for its Argonaut Lunar Lander (Source: Space News)
The European Space Agency has tapped a consortium led by Thales Alenia Space Italy to develop its Argonaut lunar lander and has outlined a division of labor for the program across several European firms. (11/21)

Canadian Defense Budget Includes Initial $130M to Develop Sovereign Orbital-Launch Capacity, Deemed ‘a Strategic Enabler’ (Source: Space Intel Report)
The Canadian Department of National Defence (DND) is making sovereign launch capability a priority with a multi-year budget to move from a small launcher in 2028 to a domestic medium-lift rocket in the late 2030s, Canadian defense officials said. DND’s first formal backing of a Canadian domestic launch capability came in the national budget approved by the government’s Cabinet Nov. 17. The budget includes an initial three-year program budgeted at 182.6 million Canadian dollars ($130 million). (11/21)

SpaceX Launches Saturday Starlink Mission at Florida Spaceport (Source: Space.com)
SpaceX reached another milestone with the launch of 29 more Starlink satellites. The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from LC-40 at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. (11/22)

Our Solar System is Racing Through Space 3x Faster Than We Thought (Source: Science Daily)
New measurements of radio galaxies reveal that the solar system is racing through the universe at over three times the speed predicted by standard cosmology. Using highly sensitive data from multiple radio telescope arrays, researchers uncovered a surprisingly strong dipole pattern—one that challenges longstanding assumptions about how matter is distributed across cosmic scales. The results echo similar anomalies seen in quasar studies, hinting that something fundamental about our universe’s structure or our motion through it may need rewriting. (11/22)

Think Tank Urges Europe to Scale Up Space-Based Data Center Efforts (Source: Space News)
Europe must move quickly to craft a large-scale strategy for space-based data centers or risk ceding a potential pillar of future digital infrastructure to global competitors, according to the European Space Policy Institute (ESPI). (11/21)