December 10, 2025

Starlink Rallies Support as Namibia Weighs Licensing Bid (Source: Bloomberg)
Elon Musk’s Starlink Inc. urged Namibians to provide comment on proposed amendments to the country’s regulations as part of the satellite-internet operator’s efforts to obtain a license without ceding ownership. The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia is considering amending a law that requires telecommunications companies to have 51% domestic ownership. The regulator published Starlink’s license applications for public comment on Nov. 28, with submissions due by Dec. 12. (12/9)

Space Combat Moves From Science Fiction to Threat as China, Russia Outpace U.S. (Source: Washington Times)
It has gone from science fiction to a matter of serious military planning in a remarkably short time. Now, the notion of actual kinetic warfare in space — perhaps a Chinese attack on satellites to cripple the U.S. military as the precursor to an invasion of Taiwan — is fueling a high-stakes debate in national security circles over how to best protect valuable assets in orbit from adversaries with increasingly dangerous space capabilities.

One of the key conversations is whether the U.S. should pursue offensive weapons or restrict its space-based assets to defensive capabilities. High-level national security sources say the intensifying discussion will be a key topic at the Spacepower 2025 conference this week in Orlando, Florida. The three-day gathering, organized by the Space Force Association, will bring together power players from the military and defense industry. (12/10)

Australian Lawyers are Critical to the New Space Race (Source: LSJ)
The world held its breath. On 20 July 1969, as a lone foot met the Moon’s dusty surface, humankind’s greatest ambitions were realized. The historic moment was a global spectacle, and Australia was the silent partner making it possible. The crucial link beaming those first grainy, unforgettable images to an audience of 650 million people around the world was a small 26-meter dish at Honeysuckle Creek in Canberra, and then amplified and sent on via ‘Murriyang,’ the iconic 64-meter radio telescope, also known as ‘The Dish’, at Parkes in New South Wales.

This essential role was no accident: Australia had already been providing vital space tracking support to the United States since 1957, ready for the moment the world needed it most. Today, Australia’s space industry is booming, pivoting from simple tracking support to significant roles in mineral exploration and military applications. But as rockets get cheaper and space gets busier, this rapid growth is launching us into a complex new legal dimension. (12/10)

Scientists Build Rationale for Sending Astronauts to Mars (Source: Ars Technica)
Sending astronauts to the red planet will be a decades-long activity and cost many billions of dollars. So why should NASA undertake such a bold mission? A new report published Tuesday, titled “A Science Strategy for the Human Exploration of Mars,” represents the answer from leading scientists and engineers in the United States: finding whether life exists, or once did, beyond Earth.

“We’re searching for life on Mars,” said Dava Newman, a professor in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and co-chair of the committee that wrote the report, in an interview with Ars. “The answer to the question ‘are we alone‘ is always going to be ‘maybe,’ unless it becomes yes.” (12/9)

New Spacesuits Debuted for Shenzhou-21's First Spacewalk (Source: Xinhua)
Shenzhou-21 astronauts Zhang Lu and Wu Fei completed the first series of extravehicular activities (EVAs) of their mission on Tuesday, donning newly delivered extravehicular spacesuits for their inaugural use in space. The mission marked the debut of the space station's D and E extravehicular spacesuits, which were delivered by the Tianzhou-9 cargo spacecraft on July 15 as part of the second-generation Feitian spacesuit series. While maintaining white as the primary color, one suit features a red trim and the other a blue trim. (12/9)

Chinese Astronauts Perform TSS Spacewalk to Inspect Damaged Shenzhou (Source: Space News)
Two Chinese astronauts performed a spacewalk to inspect a damaged Shenzhou spacecraft. Zhang Lu and Wu Fei spent more than eight hours outside the Tiangong space station in a spacewalk that ended at 5:42 a.m. Eastern Tuesday. The astronauts inspected the damaged window on the Shenzhou-20 spacecraft that led Chinese officials to abandon plans to use it to return a crew from the station last month, instead bringing them back on the newer Shenzhou-21 spacecraft and launching a replacement Shenzhou-22 spacecraft. The astronauts also installed new space debris shielding on parts of Tiangong, a frequent task for spacewalks there. Chinese officials said they will return Shenzhou-20 without a crew on board in the near future. (12/10)

LeoLabs Wins Space Surveillance Contract with US Govt (Source: Space News)
LeoLabs won a contract to provide space surveillance data for the U.S. government. The California-based space tracker is providing its full public catalog under the six-month contract, covering nearly 25,000 objects in low Earth orbit, as well as radar observations, object state updates and maneuver-detection data. That work includes supporting adversarial spacecraft monitoring and the TraCSS orbital traffic coordination platform due to enter full service early next year. (12/10)

Canada Picks MDA and Telesat for Potential Military Satellite Constellation (Source: Space News)
The Canadian government has awarded a contract to MDA Space and Telesat to study a proposed military communications satellite constellation. The $2.1 million contract covers various orbital altitudes and frequencies for the Enhanced Satellite Communications Project – Polar (ESCP-P), a system that would provide communications services for the Canadian armed forces in the Arctic. ESCP-P is one of the first major procurements being run through Canada’s new Defence Investment Agency (DIA), created to accelerate acquisition timelines by bringing industry into the program definition phase earlier than in traditional procurements. (12/10)

NASA Loses Contact with MAVEN (Source: Space News)
NASA has lost contact with one of its Mars orbiters. NASA said late Tuesday it lost contact with the MAVEN orbiter on Saturday when the Deep Space Network failed to pick up signals from MAVEN after it passed behind Mars. The agency provided few other details about what might have caused the loss of communications. MAVEN has been orbiting Mars since September 2014, studying the upper atmosphere of the planet while also serving as a communications relay for Mars rovers. (12/10)

SpaceX IPO Would Fund Orbital Data Centers (Source: Bloomberg)
SpaceX appears to be pushing ahead with plans for an IPO. According to sources familiar with then company’s plans, SpaceX is preparing for an IPO as soon as the second half of 2026 that would raise “significantly more” than $30 billion and value the company at $1.5 trillion. The company has talked about the possibility of an IPO as long ago as 2020, possibly as part of a Starlink spinoff, but pushed back the timing of any public offering. The company would use at least some of the money raised in an IPO to fund development of orbital data centers. (12/10)

SpaceX Launches NRO Satellite on Tuesday Mission From Florida (Source: Space.com)
SpaceX launched a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office on Tuesday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 2:16 p.m. Eastern on a mission designated NROL-77. The NRO said the launch was a success but disclosed no details about the payload on board. (12/10)

South Korea's NEONSAT-1A to Launch Ahead of Japan's RAISE-4 on Electron (Source: Rocket Lab)
A South Korean satellite has jumped the queue in Rocket Lab’s launch manifest. The company said Wednesday that its next Electron launch will be of the NEONSAT-1A Earth observation satellite by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, with liftoff scheduled for 7:45 p.m. Eastern Wednesday. It moves ahead of the launch of Japan’s RAISE-4 satellite, which had previously been the next Electron mission. That satellite is now scheduled to launch Friday night (U.S. time) on another Electron. Both launches will take place from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. (12/10)

Overview Energy Enters Market for Space Power Beaming (Source: Space News)
A space solar power startup has emerged from stealth after testing key technologies. Overview Energy announced Wednesday it successfully tested technologies to transmit power using a wide-beam near-infrared laser, flying the laser on an aircraft and beaming power to the ground. The company plans to next test the technology on a satellite in low Earth orbit in 2028, followed by operational spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit as soon as 2030. The satellites would beam megawatts of power to terrestrial solar facilities. The company was spun out of commercial space station developer Vast a few years ago and has raised $20 million, with plans to raise more funding as it moves into satellite development. (12/10)

NASA Ditches Canoo Vans at KSC (Source: Tech Crunch)
NASA no longer plans to use electric vans from a bankrupt company as astronaut transports. NASA had purchased three vans from Canoo in 2023 and outfitted them to serve as vans to transport astronauts to the launch pad for Artemis missions. NASA said earlier this year would continue to use the vans after Canoo filed for bankruptcy liquidation, having trained staff to maintain the vehicles.  However, NASA now has dropped plans to use the vans, stating that Canoo “was no longer able to meet our mission requirements.” For Artemis missions, NASA will instead use an Airstream “Astrovan” commissioned by Boeing for its commercial crew missions. (12/10)

EROSS Project Confirms European Leadership in On-Orbit Servicing Technologies (Source: EROSS)
The European Robotic Orbital Support Services (EROSS) project, funded by the European Commission and coordinated by Thales Alenia Space, has reached major development milestones in 2025, consolidating Europe’s position at the forefront of on-orbit servicing and in-space operations. Bringing together leading partners from across Europe – including Thales Alenia Space in France, the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Sener Aerospace and Defence, GMV, PIAP Space, Almatech, CSEM, TRASYS, Kongsberg and SINTEF – the consortium exemplifies the strength and depth of European collaboration in this strategically important domain. (12/9)

Cosmic Trip Could Help Bacteria Protect Future Space Missions From Radiation (Source: University of Glasgow)
A new research collaboration which fuses fashion and science is set to send bacteria into space – and the outcomes could create radiation-sensitive fabrics capable of preventing skin cancer on Earth and protecting space explorers on the Moon. Scientists from Scottish institutions have teamed up with fashion designer to make fabrics painted with specially-designed dyes made from different types of bacteria.

When the multi-layered, multi-colored fabric is exposed to radiation and UV light, the dyes in each layer fade, revealing the layer below and leaving visible evidence of the level of radiation they have absorbed. The team plan to send a sample of the fabric into orbit around the Earth early next year aboard a tiny satellite called a PocketQube to test the dye’s performance in space. (12/10)

Global Military Spending Hit Record $2.7T Last Year (Source: Reuters)
Global military spending reached a record-setting $2.7 trillion last year, driven by conflicts such as Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the war in Gaza. European defense spending rose 17%, while Middle Eastern nations increased spending by 15%, with US firms dominating sales. China's arms revenue declined due to corruption allegations. (12/9)

Arianespace Preps for Amazon Leo (Source: Via Satellite)
Arianespace is preparing for its first Amazon satellite mission, scheduled for early 2026, by shipping key Ariane 6 rocket components to French Guiana. This mission is part of an 18-launch contract with Amazon and will mark the inaugural flight of Amazon's satellites on the Ariane 6, supporting the accelerated deployment of the Amazon Leo constellation. (12/9)

Merrick Acquires Wey Engineering (Source: Merrick)
Colorado-based Merrick & Co. has acquired Tampa-based Wey Engineering, a transportation engineering firm with a depth of experience in environmental regulations and permitting. The acquisition complements Merrick's spaceport-focused aerospace design/engineering business. Merrick recently relocated an office for this line of business on Florida's Space Coast. (10/20)