December 12, 2025

The Myth: Washington Can’t Do Vertical Launch (Source: Pacific Aerospace Launch & Spaceport)
For decades, a familiar belief has circulated across industry, government, and even within Washington’s own aerospace community: “Vertical launch can’t be done in Washington—especially not inland.” This assumption was rooted less in Washington’s aerospace capability and more in geography, particularly the idea that vertical launch requires ocean corridors and that Washington’s terrain does not support safe inland ascent and descent. But the biggest barrier has always been latitude.

Washington sits at roughly 47°–49° N, and for years this latitude was considered “too far north.” Traditional launch thinking focused heavily on low-inclination, eastward trajectories, missions that indeed benefit from lower latitudes such as Cape Canaveral’s 28.5° N position. But today’s space economy looks nothing like the environment in which those assumptions were formed. The most in-demand orbits now—polar and sun-synchronous—are precisely the types best served by higher-latitude locations. These orbits do not rely on equatorial velocity gain; instead, they benefit from cleaner north–south ascent corridors that minimize or eliminate the need for fuel-wasting dog-leg maneuvers. (12/11)

Space Force’s Gladiator-Inspired Guardian Arena Descends on Space Coast (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
This year’s Space Force Guardian Arena III competition, held over two days earlier this week, conferred trophies and bragging rates on the best teams among 100-plus participants, most representing the country’s various armed services. The winners, which were announced Thursday at the Space Force Association’s Spacepower Conference in Orlando, were the “Einherjars” team from Space Delta 9 based out of Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado.

The intro event, called Guardian Strike, required teams to run five laps around a track and head into into an obstacle course afterward each time to perform one of a series of strength and agility tests. (12/12)

A December Launch Surge at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
First up Thursday evening was SpaceX’s planned Starlink 6-90 mission with 29 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex 40 at 5:01 p.m. This was the 16th flight of the first-stage booster, which made a recovery landing downrange on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed in the Atlantic. The rocket pads will be quiet for a few days, but get busier Sunday night through early Friday, Dec. 19, with four more potential launches, including three that could fly within 15 hours from Sunday-Monday. (12/11)

NASA Astronaut Back on Earth After 8 Months on Space Station (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
NASA astronaut Jonny Kim flew home from the International Space Station packed tight with two Roscosmos cosmonauts, their Soyuz spacecraft landing Tuesday in the frozen steppes of Kazakhstan to complete an eight-month stay in space. Kim launched to to the station back on April 8 with cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky aboard the Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft and spent nearly 245 days in space, as part of Expeditions 72 and 73 on board the station. (12/9)

SpaceX National Security Mission Marks Last Use of Landing Zone (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
SpaceX sent up its second launch in less than 24 hours on the Space Coast on Tuesday afternoon, while also bringing home its booster for the last time on a landing zone it has been leasing for the last 10 years. This was the 16th time SpaceX has used Landing Zone 2, but likely the last. SpaceX had been using both Landing Zones 1 and 2 within Launch Complex 13 under leases from the Department of the Air Force.

The LZ-1 saw its final landing in August, while the LZ-2 lease ends on Dec. 31. LC 13, which is among the southernmost launch facilities on the Cape, has not been used for launches since 1980, but it has been set aside for future use by small rocket launch providers Vaya Space and Phantom Space. SpaceX is in the midst of constructing its own landing zone at SLC-40 so it can launch and land in the same site, which is the Air Force’s preference for Canaveral launch operations. (12/9)

Reliable Robotics Tests Autonomous Flight System with NASA (Source: Unmanned Aerospace)
Reliable Robotics has secured a contract with NASA's Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate to conduct demonstration flights of the company's autonomous Cessna 208B Caravan around airports. The flights aim to collect data to support the development of performance standards for large unmanned aircraft systems. (12/12)

Space Force: China, Russia Test Stealth Satellites (Source: Breaking Defense)
China and Russia are testing stealth technologies to make their satellites harder to detect, Chief Master Sgt. Ron Lerch of the US Space Force says. China has been experimenting with microsatellites since 2012, with one project creating a metallic sphere to reduce radar visibility. Russia recently deployed the Mozhayets satellite in medium Earth orbit, which has a low visual magnitude, making it difficult to spot. (12/11)

Robotic Welding Project to Prepare UK for in Orbit Repairs (Source: Space Daily)
Researchers at the University of Leicester are leading work to develop what they describe as the UKs first in space robotic welding capability, supported by new funding from the UK Space Agency's National Space Innovation Program Call 2 for a project known as ISPARK, the Intelligent SPace Arc welding Robotic Kit. The ISPARK program, valued at 560,000 pounds including 485,000 pounds from the UK Space Agency, will design and test a robot mounted arc welding system intended for in orbit repair, structural joining and future orbital manufacturing. (12/12)

Germany's OroraTech Expands GENA Satellite Platform with Orbital Testbed for Scientific Payloads (Source: Space Daily)
OroraTech has launched GENA-OT, the first mission built on its GEneric flexible NAnosatellite platform, on SpaceX's Transporter-15 rideshare flight from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The 16U CubeSat was developed under the European Space Agency's General Support Technology Program with funding from the German Space Agency at DLR to provide a standardized satellite bus for scientific and technology demonstration payloads in low Earth orbit.

The satellite carries multiple payloads from the Universitat der Bundeswehr Munich and partner organizations, including elements of the SeRANIS project and contributions from the Munich Center for Space Communications. It also carries the relaunch of the ICARUS satellite-based animal tracking system from the Max Planck Institute, allowing space-based wildlife monitoring experiments to resume after being paused in 2022. (12/12)

ONE Bow River backs Odyssey Space Research Growth in Flight Software and Mission Engineering (Source: Space Daily)
ONE Bow River National Defense Fund has taken a strategic stake in Odyssey Space Research LLC, a spaceflight software and engineering firm that supports government and commercial missions. The fund focuses on technology businesses that contribute to U.S. national security and the wider defense and space sector.

Odyssey develops and supports flight software, guidance navigation and control, and mission analysis capabilities for mission-critical civil and defense space programs. Its work spans human-rated and robotic missions that require high-reliability onboard software and engineering services. (12/12)

D-Orbit Launches Dual Orbital Missions, Passes 200-Payload Milestone (Source: Space Daily)
D-Orbit, a global leader in space logistics and orbital transportation, has launched two new orbital transportation missions using its ION Satellite Carrier, pushing the company past the milestone of 200 payloads delivered to orbit. The twin missions, named We Need More Space and Ride With Me, represent the 20th and 21st commercial flights of the ION orbital transfer vehicle and flew as part of SpaceX's Transporter-15 rideshare launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base on November 28, 2025. (12/12)

Beyond Gravity Positions New Modular Satellite Platform for European LEO Missions (Source: Space Daily)
Beyond Gravity is expanding from supplying satellite components to delivering complete satellites based on a new low Earth orbit platform. The company aims to offer turnkey spacecraft to institutional and government customers that can be placed in orbit on relatively short timelines. The space technology firm, headquartered in Zurich, already provides structures, thermal protection, computers, antennas, solar arrays and instruments for many missions. (12/12)

Sidus Space to Host MobLobSpace Radar Payload on LizzieSat for NASA Debris Tracking Study (Source: Space Daily)
Sidus Space Inc has been selected as a subcontractor to MobLobSpace Inc under a NASA Small Business Innovation Research award to support a mission concept hosting a space-based 4D radar system on the LizzieSat satellite platform for space domain awareness. The six-month Phase I effort will concentrate on mission design and planning for integrating the radar payload with LizzieSat to deliver space domain awareness data services aimed at tracking orbital debris down to centimeter-scale objects.

Under the 173,000 dollar NASA SBIR award, MobLobSpace will design and mature an adaptive electronically scanned array radar as part of NASA's Space Sustainability Strategy activities. Sidus Space will define the host spacecraft requirements, including power provision and Guidance Navigation and Control interfaces, to enable radar payload accommodation on LizzieSat. (12/12)

Blue Origin Gets Four-Launch Benchmark for New Glenn Certification (Source: Space News)
Blue Origin is seeking certification of its New Glenn rocket for national security missions after four launches. Space Force Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, head of Space Systems Command, said Wednesday Blue Origin selected the four-flight benchmark and the government agreed. Blue Origin has performed two New Glenn launches to date and Garrant said the next launch is expected “earlier in the new year than later.” The numbers of launches needed for national security certification varies based on design maturity, test history and the government’s risk tolerance. Once certified, Blue Origin would join SpaceX and United Launch Alliance as the Space Force’s third heavy-lift launch provider. (12/11)

GEO Satellite Refueling Is Most Practical Near-Term Application (Source: Space News)
Refueling of GEO satellites is one of the most practical and immediately valuable applications of on-orbit servicing, according to a new report. The study by the Consortium for Space Mobility and ISAM Capabilities, or COSMIC, a NASA-established group, argues that GEO refueling has become a national security need as military and intelligence spacecraft face rising maneuver demands and fixed fuel reserves. Key technologies needed for GEO satellite refueling exist, COSMIC concluded, and recommended focused investment, early demonstrations and coordinated policy work to bring the capability into routine use. (12/11)

Voyager Wins AFRL Contract for AI-Enabled Intel Processing (Source: Space News)
Voyager Technologies won a contract to develop AI-enabled signals processing tools. The $21 million Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) contract, announced Wednesday, enters on software and computing techniques that can interpret raw intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data collected by sensors. AFRL is investing in technologies that can push more processing to the “edge,” a term for computing performed on board a satellite, aircraft or other deployed system rather than at a distant ground station. (12/11)

L3Harris to Sell Satellite Jamming System to Allied Militaries (Source: Space News)
L3Harris received approval to sell a satellite-jamming system to U.S. allies. The system, known as Meadowlands, has been added to the list of technologies eligible for sale through the U.S. government’s Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program, allowing it to be sold to America’s closest intelligence partners, such as the Five Eyes nations. Meadowlands is designed to detect, identify, disrupt or jam adversary satellite communications, a capability the Space Force classifies as a counter-space function intended to deny an opponent the use of key space assets such as communications or intelligence satellites. (12/11)

Helsing and Kongsberg Team for LEO Operations (Source: Space News)
Two defense technology companies from Norway and Germany have joined forces to bolster Europe’s sovereign intelligence and communications capabilities. Germany’s Helsing and Norway’s Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace (KDA) said they will work together on a “substantial number” of LEO satellites for collecting intelligence data along with communications and space situational awareness. German defense firm Hensoldt plans to provide sensors for the effort, and German launch startup Isar Aerospace would launch the satellites. The companies declined to disclose financial details, including funding plans or any customer commitments. (12/11)

Space Firms Join NATO Accelerator (Source: Space News)
More than two dozen space companies are among those joining a NATO accelerator program. NATO selected 150 companies from 24 of its member countries to join its Defence Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic (DIANA), each receiving 100,000 euros ($117,000) and access to more than 200 test centers to develop their dual-use defense and commercial technologies. The program includes “Resilient Space Operations” as one area of interest, and picked 15 companies in this area; multiple space-related firms appear in other categories. (12/11)

SpaceX Launches Wednesday Starlink Mission From California (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX launched another set of Starlink satellites early Wednesday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and placed 27 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch was the 160th flight of a Falcon 9 so far this year. (12/11)

Rocket Lab Scrubs New Zealand Launch of South Korean Satellite (Source: ChosunBiz)
Rocket Lab scrubbed the launch of a South Korean imaging satellite late Wednesday. Rocket Lab called off the launch Wednesday evening (U.S. time) saying it needed to assess sensor data from the vehicle. The company did not immediately announce a new launch date. Rocket Lab announced the launch, carrying an imaging satellite for the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, just Tuesday, moving ahead of a launch for the Japanese space agency JAXA. (12/11)

Blue Origin Investing Toward Orbital Data Centers (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Blue Origin is among the companies interested in orbital data centers. The company has reportedly been investing the technology for AI data centers in orbit for more than a year, although the company declined to comment on any efforts there. Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos said in October he believed data centers would eventually move to orbit, a process that he said might take 20 years. Data centers in orbit offer the promise of using solar power, but face various technical challenges, including radiating excess heat and protection from radiation. (12/11)

UK's Odin Space Raises $3 Million for Debris Sensors (Source: Space News)
British startup Odin Space raised $3 million in a seed round to begin commercializing space debris sensors. The company has developed sensors to map and analyze sub-centimeter orbital debris, which is too small to reliably track from the ground but can still damage spacecraft. Odin tested its first sensor as a hosted payload on a D-Orbit ION spacecraft in 2023 and plans to start flying the first commercial version of that sensor in 2026. With data gathered by its network of sensors, Odin plans to map the location of sub-centimeter debris and help customers select the safest orbits. (12/11)

Benchmark Tests Green Propellant Thruster (Source: Space News)
Benchmark Space Systems has tested a thruster using a green propellant in a long-duration test. The company’s Macaw thruster fired for 10 minutes in the test conducted in cooperation with the AFRL Aerospace Systems Directorate. The thruster uses ASCENT, a non-toxic propellant with greater performance than other monopropellants, and produces 22 newtons of thrust. Benchmark is now preparing to qualify Macaw for on-orbit demonstration missions. (12/11)

Israel and NASA Agree on Space Collaboration (Source: Jerusalem Post)
Israel signed an agreement with NASA on space cooperation. The 10-year agreement, signed Wednesday at NASA Headquarters, covers cooperation on the Artemis lunar exploration campaign as well as experiments on the ISS and Ultrasat, a joint astrophysics satellite mission. Gila Gamliel, Israel’s science and technology minister, said the agreement was a key part of the country’s “next national vision in space” that includes flying the country’s first female astronaut. (12/11)

BAE Systems Wins $16 Million DARPA Award to Advance Autonomous Satellite Tasking (Source: Space News)
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency has awarded BAE Systems a $16 million contract to continue work on software that aims to keep “constant custody” of large numbers of ground targets by automatically retasking sensors across government and commercial satellite constellations. (12/11)

ECAPS Gets Financing to Develop Technologies for Space and Defense (Source: Spacewatch Global)
The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending Swedish aerospace company ECAPS AB €20 million to accelerate the development of high-performance rocket engines and propulsion capabilities. The financing will also support advances in dual-use technologies, which can be deployed for both civilian and defense purposes. (12/11)

Space42 Plans $600M in Capex for its Equatys D2D Venture with Viasat (Source: Space Intel Report)
Satellite operator Space42 said it plans to invest $600 million in its Equatys direct-to-device joint venture with Viasat in 2026 and 2027 as it seeks to establish a LEO D2D constellation that other operators will seek to join. Abu Dhabi-based Space42 outlined a strategy that includes partnering with LEO broadband constellation operator to deploy its own broadband service to complement its future Al Yah 4 and Al Yah 5 geostationary-orbit satellites. (12/10)

Results From the JWST Suggest that TRAPPIST-1e Might Have a Methane Atmosphere (Source: Universe Today)
In 2017, astronomers using the TRAnsiting Planets and PlanetesImals Small Telescope (TRAPPIST) in Chile and NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope confirmed the presence of seven rocky planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1, an M-type red dwarf star located about 39 light-years from Earth. What made the system especially intriguing was that three of these planets orbited within (or straddled) the system's habitable zone. Since then, scientists have been busy conducting follow-up observations of this system to learn as much as possible about its seven planets and whether they could be habitable.

Thanks to observations made with Spitzer's successor, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), scientists believe they are getting closer to determining whether TRAPPIST-1e can support an atmosphere and maintain liquid water on its surface. A team observed TRAPPIST-1e during four transits. As they indicated, the spectra they observed hinted at the presence of methane. However, they also acknowledge that the level of stellar contamination was consistent with previous studies of other planets in the system (but over a wider wavelength range). (12/10)

Reading the "Light Fingerprints" of Dead Satellites (Source: Universe Today)
One of the most dangerous parts of dealing with out-of-control debris is figuring out how it is “tumbling”. This feature is particularly hard to resolve from the ground, since most space telescopes aren’t able to pick up more than a single pixel of even the largest pieces of debris. Therefore, researcher rely on another familiar astronomical feature - a light curve. Click here. (12/11)

Fortastra Lands $8M Seed to Develop Orbital Defense Sats (Source: Payload)
A new startup out of California—called Fortastra—today announced it closed an $8M seed round to develop spacecraft aiming to provide physical security to government and commercial sats for when that day inevitably comes. SpaceX veteran and Hermeus cofounder Mike Smayda founded Fortastra this year with a goal of developing and integrating a “multidisciplinary” set of tech to guard the growing number of critical payloads on orbit. (12/11)

Map of Old Mars River Basins Aid Search for Life Exploration Sites (Source: Space.com)
For the first time, scientists have mapped vast, continent-scale river drainage systems on Mars — ancient networks that may also be among the most promising places to search for signs of past life. For decades, Mars has tempted scientists with whispered clues of that watery past, long-dry rivers that carved valleys and spilled through crater rims into deep canyons, hinting at a world that once looked far more like Earth.

But although scientists had cataloged thousands of these ancient waterways, they didn't know how they fit together, or whether Mars once hosted large, integrated river systems similar to those that support some of Earth's most biodiverse environments. In a new study, researchers compiled decades of orbital observations and previously published maps of valleys, lakebeds and outlet canyons, drawing on datasets from NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft, which has mapped more than 90% of the planet. The team then traced how these features once connected, revealing which belonged to cohesive, basin-spanning drainage networks. (12/11)

The Exploration Company is Developing an In-Orbit Serving Vehicle (Source: European Spaceflight)
The Exploration Company is developing a spacecraft designed to dock with and refuel satellites in orbit as part of ESA's In-Space Proof-of-Concepts (InSPoC) initiative. The Exploration Company is primarily developing a modular capsule called Nyx, which will be capable of delivering cargo and, later, crew to and from destinations in LEO, lunar orbit, and the surface of the Moon.The company has revealed that it is also working on a spacecraft called Oura, designed to refuel satellites in orbit, thereby extending their operational lifespan. (12/11)

Space Shuttle Design Study Maps Path to Breakthrough Inventions (Source: Space Daily)
Researchers examining NASA's space shuttle development argue that the agency's design approach offers a template for creating breakthrough products that combine many interdependent features, from launch systems to smartphones and pharmaceuticals. They focus on how NASA generated internal knowledge for the shuttle program between 1969 and 1971, when engineers had to balance performance, cost, and reusability without an existing design blueprint. (12/5)

NASA Prepares New Lunar Dust and Seismic Studies for Artemis IV (Source: Space Daily)
NASA has selected two science instruments for astronauts to deploy on the lunar surface during the Artemis IV mission to the Moon's south polar region, with the goal of improving understanding of the local environment to support future human and robotic exploration to the Moon and on to Mars. One of the selected investigations is DUSTER, short for DUst and plaSma environmenT survEyoR, which will fly as a suite of instruments on the Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform, or MAPP, a small rover to be provided by Lunar Outpost, a company based in Colorado. (12/11)

Gravitational Wave Signals Reveal Dark Matter Around Black Holes (Source: Space Daily)
A research team at the University of Amsterdam has developed a new general-relativistic model that shows how gravitational waves from black holes can be used to reveal dark matter and constrain its properties. The model follows in detail how a massive black hole interacts with its surrounding matter and how this interaction alters the emitted gravitational-wave signal. (12/5)

Slovakia Looking to Make ESA’s Space Debris Vision Reality (Source: Slovak Spectator)
Slovakian startup Space scAvengers was established in 2020 with two solutions in mind. One involves in-house attachment technology that allows a robotic arms to capture a piece of debris. The other uses operational software based on multi-agent collaboration that allows a swarm of satellites to cooperate and communicate in order to capture and remove a piece of debris. For example, three satellites attach themselves to the piece, 9 more will gradually join them over the course of the mission, with two more observing and coordinating the effort. (12/10)

Starlab Space Station Mockup Astronauts Will Test at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (Source: Houston Chronicle)
A new commercial space station mockup is ready for astronauts to test the kitchen layout, develop emergency procedures and train for future missions. Starlab Space recently completed a three-story, white cylindrical mockup at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Its space station is set to launch in 2029, and each floor of the mockup is a near-exact replica of the station’s habitable levels – with some minor earthly necessities.

Starlab Space is a joint venture based in Houston. Its partners – the primary partners are Voyager Technologies, a defense and space technology company based in Denver, Colo., and Airbus, the largest aeronautics and space company in Europe – are spread across the U.S., Europe, Japan and Canada. Starlab Space has received $217.5 million from NASA through Phase One of the Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Destination program and $15 million from the Texas Space Commission. It’s also backed by commitments from its joint venture partners and will compete for additional NASA funding. (12/10)

Macron’s Warning, Bremen’s Wallet: Europe’s New Space-Defense Era (Source: Modern Diplomacy)
When French President Emmanuel Macron inaugurated France’s Space Command in Toulouse on 12 November 2025 and declared that “space is no longer a sanctuary; it has become a battlefield,” few expected such swift validation. Two weeks later, at the ESA Ministerial Council in Bremen on 26–27 November, member states delivered the largest budget in the agency’s history—€22.1 billion for 2026–2028, a 30% increase over the previous cycle—with an unprecedented focus on security, defense, and strategic autonomy.

The Bremen decision has transformed Macron’s stark warning from rhetoric into funded reality and confirmed that Europe is finally awakening to the fact that the next decisive domain of great-power competition lies far above the Earth’s atmosphere. Paris is preparing to invest about €4.2 billion in military space activities from 2026 to 2030 and around €16 billion in civilian and dual-use programs by the end of the decade. The ambition is to strengthen Europe’s resilience in orbit, reduce dependence on non-European systems, and create an industrial base capable of supporting long-term security objectives. (12/11)

Space Force Ramps Up Counter-Drone Defense at Cape Canaveral, Eastern Range (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Force is upgrading defenses for Cape Canaveral to counter unmanned aerial systems (UAS) without endangering air traffic, the commander of Space Launch Delta 45 said. Driven in large part by drone-threat lessons from Ukraine, Col. Brian Chatman told last week’s SCSP AI + Space conference that the Eastern Range is “installing a multi-million dollar counter-UAS system that helps detect UAS flying into the airspace beyond capabilities that we have today — which are pretty good [already]. This is going to take it to the next level and allows them to engage those capabilities.” (12/10)

Blue Origin’s Cape Campus Continues to Expand Ahead of New Glenn Ramp-up (Source: NSF)
Blue Origin’s rocket factory in Florida’s Exploration Park is undergoing rapid transformation as the company ramps up production of its heavy-lift New Glenn rocket and prepares for significant vehicle upgrades, including a more powerful future variant. Recent aerial imagery from the NSF team that flew over the Cape reveals a New Glenn second-stage tank now installed inside the company’s 2CAT (Second Stage Cleaning and Testing) building.

The appearance of the tank signals continued progress in second-stage manufacturing, with Blue Origin having produced multiple units over the past twelve months – a pace that is critical for achieving a sustainable launch cadence. Click here. (12/10)

After Years of Resisting it, SpaceX Now Plans to Go Public. Why? (Source: Ars Technica)
Why would Musk take SpaceX public now, at a time when the company’s revenues are surging thanks to the growth of the Starlink Internet constellation? The decision is surprising because Musk has, for so long, resisted going public with SpaceX. He has not enjoyed the public scrutiny of Tesla, and feared that shareholder desires for financial return were not consistent with his ultimate goal of settling Mars. Ars spoke with multiple people familiar with Musk and his thinking to understand why he would want to take SpaceX public.

A significant shift in recent years has been the rise of artificial intelligence, which Musk has been involved in since 2015, when he co-founded OpenAI. He later had a falling out with his cofounders and started his own company, xAI, in 2023. At Tesla, he has been pushing smart-driving technology forward and more recently focused on robotics. Musk sees a convergence of these technologies in the near future, which he believes will profoundly change civilization.

Raising large amounts of money in the next 18 months would allow Musk to have significant capital to deploy at SpaceX as he influences and partakes in this convergence of technology. How can SpaceX play in this space? In the near term, the company plans to develop a modified version of the Starlink satellite to serve as a foundation for building data centers in space. (12/10)

Washington State Will Provide $350K to Support Portal Space System’s Satellite Factory (Source: Geekwire)
Washington Gov. Bob Ferguson is setting aside $350,000 from an economic development fund to support Portal Space Systems’ expansion into a new 50,000-square-foot satellite manufacturing facility. Ferguson is directing the state Department of Commerce to award funds from the Governor’s Economic Development Strategic Reserve Fund to Economic Alliance Snohomish County. The funding will help Portal transition from testing and development to scalable production, with a goal of building four spacecraft a month by 2027. The expansion is expected to create more than 100 jobs in the next two years, and more than 700 jobs by 2030. (12/10)

Global Consortium Develops ‘Roadmap’ for Harnessing Plant Science in Space Exploration (Source: Florida Tech)
While astronauts on NASA’s Artemis III mission may spend less than 10 days on the lunar surface, scientists around the world are already preparing the next steps: how to live, grow food and thrive beyond Earth. A global consortium of more than 40 scientists from 11 countries and seven space agencies has developed a new roadmap for the plant science and technology breakthroughs needed to make possible long-term human life on the Moon, and later Mars.

And those steps may make a difference closer to home, as well. Published Nov. 24 in New Phytologist, the article “Expanding frontiers: harnessing plant biology for space exploration and planetary sustainability” presents a shared global vision for using plants to sustain life in space and to advance sustainable agriculture on Earth. (11/4)

Kuva Space, WWF-Indonesia Team Up to Test Hyperspectral Blue Carbon Mapping (Source: Payload)
Finland’s Kuva Space and World Wildlife Fund (WWF)-Indonesia have launched a first-of-its-kind effort to test whether hyperspectral satellite data can reliably measure how much carbon is stored in Indonesia’s mangrove and seagrass ecosystems. The collaboration, announced today, positions Indonesia—home to roughly one-fifth of the world’s mangroves—as a high-stakes proving ground for replacing time and labor intensive field surveys with satellite monitoring. The partnership is also among the earliest efforts to determine whether space-based measurements can meet the rigorous standards required for national climate reporting and climate finance markets. (12/11)

Alphabet’s SpaceX Investment Could Yield $111B at $1.5T IPO in 2026 (Source: WPN)
In the high-stakes world of venture capital and space exploration, few bets have paid off as spectacularly as Alphabet Inc.’s early investment in SpaceX. What began as a $900 million infusion into Elon Musk’s ambitious rocket company back in 2015 could soon translate into one of the most lucrative startup windfalls in history, potentially netting Google—Alphabet’s core subsidiary—a staggering $111 billion if SpaceX proceeds with its rumored initial public offering at a $1.5 trillion valuation. This development underscores the transformative power of strategic tech investments, where moonshot ideas can yield astronomical returns. (12/11)

K2 Space Raises $250 Million to Scale High-Power Satellite Line (Source: Space News)
K2 Space said Dec. 11 it raised $250 million in new funding that values the satellite manufacturing startup at $3 billion. (12/11)

AI Helps Pilot Free-Flying Robot Around the ISS for 1st Time Ever (Source: Space.com)
Navigating in a microgravity environment is a challenge even for trained human astronauts, but it is even more challenging for autonomous robots, limiting their use in places like a space station. Now, however, Stanford researchers have used artificial intelligence to steer a free-flying robot aboard the ISS, potentially paving the way for more autonomous space missions in the future. (12/11)

What’s in a Name? For Provisioner, a Whole New Era of In-Space Logistics (Source: Astroscale)
During America’s frontier era, explorers pushed into new territory with the help of a steady but essential partner: the provisioner — the resourceful supplier who ensured they had food, water, and other needs to keep moving toward the next horizon. At Astroscale U.S., that same pioneering spirit defines our work to accelerate on-orbit servicing as part of American space operations.

That’s why we’ve named the Astroscale U.S. Refueler Provisioner — to capture its purpose and role in advancing American leadership in space. Just as provisioners once empowered explorers to go farther, this servicer will supply the critical resources satellites need to operate longer, maneuver freely, and strengthen resilience on orbit. (12/4)

Kulasekarapattinam Spaceport In Tamil Nadu Targeted For Commissioning In FY27 (Source: Swarajya)
The Union Government has stated that the upcoming Kulasekarapattinam spaceport in Tamil Nadu is targeted for commissioning in FY 2026–27, marking a key step toward expanding India’s small-satellite launch capacity. According to details submitted in a written reply in the Lok Sabha, land acquisition for the project has been completed except for a stretch required for the rerouting of the East-Coast Road. Site development works have been finished, and construction of technical facilities is currently underway. (12/11)