November 5, 2025

French New Space Standout Hemeria Says GEO-Orbit Guard-Dog Satellites’ Launch Unlikely Before 2028 (Source: Space Intel Report)
Two small satellites designed to act as guard dogs stationed around larger French military telecommunications satellites in geostationary orbit are unlikely to be launched before 2028, four or five years later than initially planned, because of the complexity of requirements from both the French space agency, CNES, and the French Defense Ministry, prime contractor Hemeria said. Another factor in the delay is that the French government insisted that Yoda must be launched on an Ariane 6 rocket, which after accumulating operational delays now has a full manifest. (11/5)

China Postpones Astronauts’ Return From TSS After Suspected Debris Strikes (Source: SCMP)
China has postponed the return of the Shenzhou-20 space mission following a suspected impact by small space debris, the China Manned Space Agency said on Wednesday, adding that it was carrying out an impact analysis and risk assessment. (11/5)

Telesat Makes $5M Farcast User Terminal Investment, Reports Q3 Revenue Decline (Source: Via Satellite)
Telesat is making a $5 million U.S. dollar investment into flat panel antenna developer Farcast as it prepares for its Lightspeed network. The Canadian operator announced the investment on Tuesday along with its third quarter financial results, reporting 27% revenue decline year-over-year for its Geostationary Orbit (GEO) business.

Farcast is a San Francisco-based startup that has developed a proprietary Active Electronically Scanned Antenna (AESA) that can simultaneously transmit and receive data from the same aperture. Telesat has worked with the company since 2022 building and testing hardware to operate on the Lightspeed network. (11/4)

White House Renominates Isaacman to be NASA Administrator (Source: Space News)
The White House said it is renominating Jared Isaacman to be NASA administrator, the latest twist in an unprecedented saga over the agency’s leadership. The move comes a little more than five months after President Donald Trump abruptly withdrew the original nomination. The statement did not explain Trump's decision. The description of Isaacman was identical to what Trump wrote in December 2024 when he first announced his intent to nominate the billionaire businessman and private astronaut. Trump previously withdrew Isaacman's nomination because he had donated to democrats. (11/4)

AI Fixed the James Webb Space Telescope's Blurry Vision (Source: Space.com)
But a team of Australian researchers created an AI algorithm that fixes the problem — a major relief for the scientific community, which hopes to use the instrument to search for exoplanets around stars in our Milky Way galaxy.

The affected instrument is the Aperture Masking Interferometer (API), designed and built by a team of astronomers led by Professor Peter Tuthill from the University of Sydney in Australia. API is not one of the main four instruments on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) but a device that enables a special type of imaging on one of the observatory's main instruments — the Near-InfraRed Imager and Slitless Spectrograph (NIRISS). (11/5)

Sun Unleashes 2 Colossal X-Class Solar Flares, Knocking Out Radio Signals Across the Americas and Pacific (Source: Space.com)
The sun has fired off not one but two colossal X-class solar flares in less than 12 hours, causing radio blackouts across the sunlit portion of Earth at the time of eruption and marking a dramatic uptick in solar activity. The first eruption, an X1.8-class flare, exploded from sunspot AR4274 and peaked at 12:34 p.m. EST. It triggered a strong R3 radio blackout across much of North and South America. A few hours later, at 5:02 p.m. EST, a second X.1.1-class flare erupted from a region still hidden beyond the sun's southeastern limb, triggering another strong radio blackout across the North Pacific Ocean, New Zealand and parts of eastern Australia. (11/5)

Reflecting Sunlight Into Space Could 'Buy Time' Against Global Warming - But Experts Warn of 'Rogue Nations' Risk (Source: Sky News)
Reducing the amount of sunlight reaching the Earth could take the edge off global warming and limit the damage caused by climate change, according to Britain's leading scientific body. But the Royal Society has warned that strategies aimed at bringing about these changes are not without risk. The society, which sparked the scientific revolution in the 17th century, said in a new report that bold new technology for reflecting sunlight back into space could "buy time" for cuts in fossil fuel emissions to take effect.

It said two strategies - pumping reflective particles high in the atmosphere and spraying salt into clouds over the sea to make them whiter - are likely to be effective, as well as technically feasible. But the report's authors warn a rogue nation going alone, and attempting to dim sunlight in one region, could cause extreme droughts and other weather disturbances elsewhere in the world. (11/5)

Astronomer Captures 2 Meteors Slamming Into the Moon (Source: Space.com)
Two bright meteors were caught slamming into the moon on Thursday (Oct. 30) and Saturday (Nov. 1), by Japanese astronomer Daichi Fujii, curator of the Hiratsuka City Museum. The flashes, visible from Earth for just a split second, were caused by space rocks striking the lunar surface at high speed, producing brief but brilliant explosions of light. (11/4)

LambdaVision Closes $7M Seed Round to Make Retinas in LEO (Source: Payload)
A biotech company hoping that space can help some people on Earth regain their vision closed a $7M seed round on Wednesday. LambdaVision said the funding will allow it to continue operations through 2027, including scaling up manufacturing in LEO for artificial retinas. Seven Seven Six and Aurelia Foundry Fund led the round, which also included participation by Seraphim Space. (11/5)

Portal Unveils Starburst, Set for Flight Next Year (Source: Payload)
Portal Space Systems has a new craft hitting the market, and it’s set to fly for the first time next year. The Washington-based space maneuverability startup has unveiled Starburst, an ESPA-class vehicle that can maneuver payloads in orbit. Starburst was initially designed as a way to de-risk thruster and rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) tech that would be used on Supernova, the company’s larger planned inter-orbit shuttle. However, Portal found that customers were interested in the smaller Starburst architecture for its ability to maneuver precisely within a given orbit, and spun the de-risking vehicle out into its own product for hire. (11/5)

Artemis Accords By the Numbers (Source: Payload)
The US led the establishment of the Artemis Accords in 2020. Nations who sign on commit to exploring space in a peaceful, transparent, and sustainable way. The accords celebrated their fifth anniversary last month. As of Nov. 4, 60 nations have signed on to the accords, representing every continent except for Antarctica. Europe has the most signatories, with 29 nations represented, while Oceania (which has far fewer nations than Europe) has the fewest with just two. 2024 was a banner year for the agreement, with 19 nations signing onto the accords—the most number of additions in a year.

Editor's Note: Are Artemis Accords signatories committed to working with a NASA-led lunar program, as opposed to working with China? No. The Artemis Accords don't explicitly prohibit signatories from working with China's lunar program. At least two Artemis nations are also working with China's International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) initiative, including Thailand and Senegal. Also, multiple European signatories supported China's Chang'e lunar missions. (11/4)

Space Force Fields L3Harris, CACI Satellite Jammers (Source: SCMP)
The US Space Force is set to deploy the L3Harris Meadowlands system and Remote Sensing Terminals built by Northstrat and CACI International, systems designed to disrupt Chinese and Russian surveillance satellites. The deployments come in addition to the Counter Communications System jammer, which became operational in 2020, and will be dispersed globally. (11/5)
 
Raytheon Software to Enhance UK Space Operations (Source: Electronic Weekly)
The UK Space Agency has contracted Raytheon UK to supply NORSSTrack software to enhance its space domain awareness capabilities. The software will be used at the National Space Operations Centre at Royal Air Force Base High Wycombe to map and track satellites and monitor potential collisions and debris. (11/5)

Accelerate U.S. Lunar Exploration with a Robotic Sample Return Campaign (Source: Space News)
A realistic and cost-effective path for the United States to advance the exploration and development of the moon, and to keep our nation in the forefront of that enterprise, is to dramatically increase robotic exploration efforts and to focus with urgency on a comprehensive campaign to collect and return geologic samples from a wide range of locations on the moon. (11/5)

Telesat Lightspeed Satellites to Begin Deployment in Late 2026 (Source: Space News)
Telesat plans to launch the first satellites for its Lightspeed constellation late next year. The company said in an earnings call Tuesday that two pathfinder satellites would launch in December 2026, followed by 96 satellites in 2027 that will provide initial broadband services globally. The two pathfinder satellites are designed to confirm ground tests of the spacecraft, being built by MDA Space. Telesat signed a contract with SpaceX in 2023 for 14 launches to deploy a 198-satellite constellation. Telesat is counting on Lightspeed to offset declining revenues from its traditional GEO satellite business. (11/5)

SES Leases Capacity to Meet Aircraft Connectivity Demand (Source: Space News)
SES is turning to another satellite operator to help it meet demand for aircraft connectivity services. SES said Tuesday it is leasing the entire Ku-band capacity on SKY Perfect JSAT’s Superbird-C2, an aging geostationary satellite launched over Japan in August 2008. Superbird-C2 will move from 144 degrees east to another orbital slot over Japan that the company did not disclose. Services are expected to start this winter. SES plans to use the satellite to provide extra capacity needed to meet growing demand for inflight connectivity services in Asia. (11/5)

Ariane 6 Launches Sentinel-1D Satellite (Source: Space News)
An Ariane 6 successfully launched an Earth observation satellite Tuesday. The Ariane 62 lifted off from Kourou, French Guiana, at 4:02 p.m. Eastern and deployed the Sentinel-1D satellite into a sun-synchronous orbit a little more than a half-hour later. Sentinel-1D carries a synthetic aperture radar payload for the Copernicus Earth observation program. The 2,184-kilogram satellite is similar to Sentinel-1C, which launched last December on a smaller Vega C rocket. European officials said they chose to launch Sentinel-1D on Ariane 6 because that was the fastest option to get it into orbit and replace the aging Sentinel-1A satellite. (11/5)

Canada Plans Major Investment in Spaceport (Source: SpaceQ)
The Canadian government is proposing to invest in developing its own launch capability. A federal budget proposal released Tuesday included $182.6 million Canadian ($129.2 million) for work on a sovereign launch capability. The funds would be spent over the next three years, but the budget did not include details on how it would be spent. The funding is part of broader investment in building up the Canadian military. (11/5)

Blue Skies Space Offers Cubesat Telescope Data for Sale (Source: Science)
A startup is allowing astronomers to buy data from a small space telescope. Blue Skies Space said it will sell data collected by Mauve, a 16U cubesat with a 13-centimeter telescope collecting optical and ultraviolet observations. Mauve is scheduled to launch later this month on a SpaceX rideshare mission. Blue Skies Space is offering annual subscriptions to data from Mauve, with nine research groups signing on so far. If successful, the company plans to develop Twinkle, a larger spacecraft with a 50-centimeter telescope for studying exoplanets. (11/5)

Tingle Becomes NASA's Top Astronaut (Source: Collect Space)
NASA has a new chief astronaut. Scott Tingle is taking over this week as head of the astronaut office at the Johnson Space Center. He succeeds Joe Acaba, who is moving into a new role as a technical adviser to JSC director Vanessa Wyche. Tingle spent 166 days on the ISS in 2018 and for a time was slated to command Starliner-1, the first operational mission of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner, before problems with the spacecraft delayed that flight. (11/5)

Laser-Powered Networks Set to Transform Coordination of Future Satellite Constellations (Source: Space Daily)
The University of Michigan, supported by a $2 million grant from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research, has launched a three-year research project aimed at enabling satellites in orbit to exchange power and momentum using laser links. The initiative, named ORACLE (Orbital Architectures for Cooperative Laser Energetics), seeks to augment existing laser-based data interlinks with new modes for transferring energy and facilitating fuel-free satellite maneuvers. (11/4)

Protein Production Tested in Microgravity for Sustainable Space Missions (Source: Space Daily)
European Space Agency (ESA) has initiated the study phase of the HOBI-WAN project, aimed at addressing astronaut food supply on extended Moon or Mars missions without Earth resupply. Funded by ESA's Terrae Novae Exploration Programme, HOBI-WAN (Hydrogen Oxidizing Bacteria In Weightlessness As a source of Nutrition) will test Solar Foods' gas fermentation technology for producing Solein protein powder in microgravity on the ISS. OHB System AG is the Prime Contractor, collaborating with Solar Foods to adapt the fermentation process for space conditions. (11/4)

Florida Space Coast Set to Break Launch Record (Source: Space Daily)
Five launches are planned this week at the two space complexes in central Florida, including doubleheaders on Wednesday and Saturday involving three companies. The missions at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport would break the record of 93 in one year from Florida's Space Coast. There have already been 91 launches. (11/3)

The U.S. Shouldn’t Simply Race to Lagrange Points (Source: Space News)
From the first satellite in orbit, to the first human in space, to the first steps on the moon, the United States government has always framed space exploration as a race. As U.S.-China space competition intensifies, so too does our American instinct to reach the next first. The Earth-moon Lagrange points may be next. In 2024, the U.S. House Select Committee on the China adopted the most definitive U.S. guidance yet on these special locations in cislunar space: “ensure that the United States is the first country to permanently station assets at all Lagrange points,” as part of a broader strategy to “counter [China’s] malign ambitions in space.” (11/4)

Germany's Reflex Aerospace Raises €50M (Source: Payload)
German satellite manufacturer Reflex Aerospace closed a €50M ($57.5M) Series A to expand its production capacity and meet the rising demand for European-made sats. Reflex will use the capital to expand the manufacturing capacity at its facility in Bavaria, which will be able to churn out 60 to 70 highly complex satellites per year, according to CEO Walter Ballheimer. (11/4)

For New Lunar Collaboration, Look to India and Japan (Source: Space News)
The renewed interest in the moon can arguably be traced back to the 2009 discovery of water ice on the lunar surface. Much of the narrative in the intervening decade and a half has been set to a background score of a military drumroll slowly gathering pace. The competing visions vis-à-vis lunar exploration and exploitation have pitted two international coalitions against each other — the United States and its partners on one hand, and China, Russia and their partners on the other — and that dichotomy has dictated much of the conversation around the second lunar race. (11/4)

Chasing Falcon 9: China’s New Launch Vehicles Gear Up (Sources: Spacewatch Global, SPACErePORT)
As the deployment of low-Earth-orbit satellite-internet constellations enters a critical phase, demand for high-capacity, low-cost launch has soared. Despite this, production ramp-up of the state-built Long March series of rockets has not kept pace with demand, with SOEs preferring a “slow and steady” approach that prioritizes reliability over rapid iteration.

This has led to the exploration and development of new facilities and processes (such as the "test-and-launch pulse" model) to increase the launch cadence of vehicles like the Long March 8A to meet demand. To help bridge this gap, China is encouraging the development of its commercial space sector, with private companies like Landspace, Space Pioneer, and Galactic Energy developing their own reusable medium-lift launch vehicles (e.g., Zhuque-3, Tianlong-3, Pallas-1) that are benchmarked against the Falcon 9 and expected to debut around 2025-2026. (11/4)

Geopolitical Shifts and AI Reshapes Earth Observation Market (Source: Space News)
Over the past year, geopolitical tensions have prompted nations to seek sovereign observation capabilities, fueling demand for commercial EO solutions. This surge has pushed the EO data market to $2.2 billion in 2024, growing at a 7% CAGR since 2019, with defense applications accounting for over 65% of data demand. Simultaneously, the EO Value-Added Services (VAS) market reached $3.2 billion, also growing at 7% CAGR, and projected to reach $5 billion by 2034.

The next frontier in EO lies in data fusion, the seamless integration of multi-sensor inputs into actionable intelligence. This evolution is giving rise to specialized service providers capable of orchestrating complex, multi-source architectures. These market advancements see security emerging as a strategic imperative. Technologies such as quantum key distribution and secure data relay are becoming essential to protect EO data integrity and ensure resilient communications across increasingly interconnected networks. (11/4)

Intuitive Machines Secures AFRL Contract Extension for In-Space Nuclear Power Tech (Source: Spacewatch Global)
Intuitive Machines has announced an $8.2 million contract extension from the U.S. AFRL to develop nuclear power systems for spacecraft and lunar infrastructure. The award builds on Intuitive Machines’ earlier $9.5 million progress under a previous AFRL program, an initiative by AFRL to develop compact nuclear power systems for space applications. (11/4)

Vodafone IoT Partners with Iridium to Provide its Customers with NTN NB-IoT Connectivity (Source: Iridium)
Iridium Communications announced a new partnership with Vodafone IoT to integrate its Iridium NTN Direct service. The new partnership will extend Vodafone IoT's coverage for customers wanting NB-IoT connectivity – meaning that devices in the most remote locations will now be connected. (11/4)

Experience, Not Funding, is Hindering European Smallsat Launchers (Sources: Space News, SPACErePORT)
Increasing tensions with Russia have prompted defense spending boosts throughout Europe that will benefit fledgling smallsat launcher companies across the continent. But Europe is still years away from meeting its own space access needs, analysts said. Analysts indicate the primary hindrance is a lack of flight heritage and operational experience, not a lack of funding.

European smallsat companies, such as Rocket Factory Augsburg, HyImpulse, Isar Aerospace, and Orbex, have secured healthy amounts of funding through a mix of private investment and government grants, but none have yet completed a successful orbital flight. The main challenges they face are technical difficulties and a need for proven operational experience.

The reliance on foreign launchers, particularly amidst global political volatility, has intensified calls for European "strategic autonomy" in space. The European Space Agency (ESA) and the European Commission are pushing initiatives, like the "European Launcher Challenge" and the proposed EU Space Act, to foster a competitive, internal market and ensure independent access to space. (11/4)