December 4, 2025

Attacks on Space Systems Rose During Gaza Conflict (Source: Euronews)
Space satellites and communications systems are under threat from cyber warfare, a new report warns, which said there were 237 cyber operations that targeted the space sector between January 2023 and July 2025 during the conflict in Gaza. The most dramatic increase in space cyberattacks occurred during the Israel-Iran in June 2025, when 72 operations were recorded in a single month. This represents nearly one-third of all incidents identified during the study period, the author of the report, Clémence Poirier, said. (11/30)

Renowned Astronomers Push to Protect Chile’s Cherished Night Sky From Industrial Project (Source: AP)
Chile’s Atacama Desert is one of the darkest spots on Earth, a crown jewel for astronomers who flock to study the origins of the universe in this inhospitable desert along the Pacific coast. “It’s a perfect cocktail for astronomy,” said Daniela González, executive director of the Skies of Chile Foundation, a nonprofit that defends the quality of the country’s night skies.

But that may not be the case for much longer, a group of leading scientists warned in an open letter to Chile’s government released Tuesday. A private company is pressing ahead with plans to construct a giant renewable energy complex in sight of one of Earth’s most productive astronomical facilities — the Paranal Observatory, operated by an international consortium known as the European Southern Observatory, or ESO. (12/3)

Why Rockets Fail Despite Perfect Engineering (Source: WION)
Rocket launches still fail more often than most realize. From engine faults to software glitches and tiny material flaws, even small mistakes can destroy missions. Hidden risks inside modern rockets reveal why reliability is far harder than it looks. Despite advances, global rocket failure rates remain 5-10 per cent annually. Even with 95 per cent average success, one mission fails every 20 launches, costing billions and halting programs.​

Propulsion causes 58-72 per cent of rocket failures. ISRO's 2025 PSLV-C61 failed due to pressure drop in the third-stage engine, exemplifying how fuel and engine systems remain vulnerability.​ Software is also a cause. Boeing's Starliner spacecraft wasted $500 million due to undetected software errors causing incorrect fuel timing. Modern rockets depend on thousands of interconnected software systems, each a potential failure point.​

Thirty-six percent of failures involve attitude control and stage separation systems. Spectrum Rocket tumbled 25 seconds after launch when control systems failed despite nominal initial ascent in 2025.​ Fuel pressure resonance too. SpaceX Starship Flight 8 suffered fuel pressure fluctuations resonating with mechanical vibrations, creating destructive oscillations. This damaged fuel lines, caused methane leaks, and triggered cascading engine failures.​ Click here. (11/27)

Reusable Rockets: Who has Achieved What So Far? (Source: Reuters)
Here's the state of play on reusable rocket technology. Click here. (12/3)

Northrop Grumman Collaborates to Rapidly Develop, Test Solid Rocket Motor Components (Source: Northrop Grumman)
In less than six months, Northrop Grumman and Titomic Limited designed and tested cold sprayed, additively manufactured metal components for solid rocket motors. With this collaboration, and other industry-leading initiatives such as the Solid Motor Annual Rocket Technology (SMART) Demo, Northrop Grumman is demonstrating and qualifying new processes, technologies and materials to rapidly advance solid rocket motor innovations for current and future production programs.

Northrop Grumman has invested over $1 billion in the past seven years to significantly increase production capacity for solid rocket motors and deliver with speed and at scale. To date, the company has delivered 1.3 million motors. (12/1)

Time Travels Faster on Mars Than on Earth (Source: Space.com)
Time passes, on average, 477 millionths of a second faster per day on Mars than on Earth thanks to the impact of Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. Scientists say this will have repercussions for future navigation and communication networks that may span the inner solar system. National Institute of Standards and Technology scientists calculated the time discrepancy between by considering the strength of gravity on Mars (which is five times weaker than on Earth), the velocity and eccentricity of the Red Planet's orbit around the sun. (12/2)

Blue Origin Unveils Space Part Made Entirely by AI (Source: CNBC)
Blue Origin showed off a device that turns moon dust into energy at Amazon’s re:Invent 2025 conference in Las Vegas that was built with startup Istari Digital and created by AI. Istari CEO Will Roper said the company’s platform creates guardrails out of rules and parameters that allows AI to generate ideas with defined restrictions. Istari is backed by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and is a prime contractor with Lockheed Martin on the x-56A unmanned aircraft. (12/3)

Struck by a Cosmic Ray: Galactic Particles May Have Forced a Passenger Jet to Make an Emergency Landing (Source: Space News)
A stream of high-energy particles from a distant supernova explosion may have caused a packed passenger jet to suddenly lose altitude in late October, forcing an emergency landing. The incident took place on Oct. 30 and involved a JetBlue Airbus A320 aircraft heading from Cancun, Mexico, to Newark in New Jersey. According to available reports, the aircraft suddenly dropped down in the air without an obvious reason while cruising above Florida.

Earlier this week, Airbus issued a statement attributing the incident to "intense solar radiation" which may have corrupted "data critical to the functioning of flight controls." The manufacturer subsequently grounded 6,000 A320s to roll out software updates to fix the vulnerability.

But there is a catch: Solar radiation levels on Oct. 30 were unremarkable and nowhere near levels that could affect aircraft electronics, says Clive Dyer, a space weather and radiation expert. Instead, Dyer, who has studied effects of solar radiation on aircraft electronics for decades, thinks the onboard computer of the affected jet could have been struck by a cosmic ray, a stream of high-energy particles from a distant star explosion that may have travelled millions of years before reaching Earth. (12/3)

Liquid Propulsion for Hypersonics Provides Flight Capabilities Not Ween Before (Source: Breaking Defense)
Hypersonics is an area where the US potentially lags behind Russia and China, and current propulsion methods such as solid-fuel rockets and air-breathing engines have limitations.

Ursa Major’s American-made storable liquid rocket engine technology offers advantages over traditional liquid and solid rocket propulsion, including: ability to start, stop, and throttle the engine for improved maneuverability and survivability; liquid propellants that can be handled more easily than cryogenic or toxic fuels and stored for years; the ability to operate endo- and exo-atmospherically; and a modular and affordable design using advanced 3D printing techniques. (12/3)

JAXA Contract and Record Launches Might Change The Case For Investing In Rocket Lab (Source: Simply Wall Street)
Rocket Lab recently achieved a record 18 successful Electron launches in 2025, accompanied by its first direct contract with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for two dedicated missions, the first of which will deploy JAXA’s RAISE-4 technology demonstration satellite from New Zealand. This partnership signals Rocket Lab’s increasing reliability for international space agencies and highlights its capacity for rapid, consecutive mission execution across multiple continents. (12/1)

Giant Rotating String of 14 Galaxies is 'Probably the Largest Spinning Object' in the Known Universe (Source: Live Science)
Astronomers have spotted what is likely the largest spinning object ever discovered, and its rotation could hold important clues about how galaxies develop. The whirling structure, 140 million light-years from Earth, is a long threadlike string of gas that's about 5.5 million light-yeas long and 117,000 light-years wide -- wider than our Milky Way galaxy. (12/3)

Orion Hatch ‘Blemish’ Delays Launch Day Rehearsal for Artemis 2 Astronauts (Source: Spaceflight Now)
The four astronauts who are to fly a loop around the Moon next year on the Artemis 2 mission were supposed to board their Orion capsule on Nov. 19 for a launch day rehearsal, but a problem with the spacecraft’s hatch delayed the practice run. Similar countdown practice runs for astronauts and launch controllers took place during the Apollo and Shuttle programs and continue to this day for SpaceX Crew Dragon crews. For those rehearsals, the astronauts boarded their spaceships at the launch pad, but the Artemis 2 plan is different.

"This demonstration was paused when a blemish was found on the crew module thermal barrier, preventing hatch closure until it could be addressed,” the statement read. “A repair was completed on Nov. 18 allowing the closeout demo to successfully complete on Nov. 19. To allow lessons learned from the closeout demo to be incorporated into the planning for the countdown demonstration test, the decision was made to proceed into water servicing next and place the countdown demonstration test after this servicing completes.” (12/4)

Europe to Spy on Drug Traffickers From Space Using Satellites and Drones (Source: Politico)
The EU will start using high-resolution satellites and the latest drone technology to crack down on drugs smuggled through its borders, as cocaine and synthetic drugs swarm European capitals and the bloc grapples with growing drug trafficking violence. (12/4)

Portugal Procures Iceye SAR Satellite, as Company Launches Five More (Source: Janes)
The Portuguese Air Force and Finnish synthetic aperture radar (SAR) company Iceye signed a contract on 2 December for Portugal's first fully owned SAR satellite. Iceye said direct ownership of the satellite would provide the Portuguese Air Force full control over data acquisition and planning for missions including maritime security, such as safeguarding its economic exclusive zone (EEZ) and natural resources.

While requiring specific processing and interpretation, SAR imagery provides all-weather day-and-night imaging, with Iceye saying its rapid revisit rates provide persistent monitoring capability. Portugal also uses another Iceye SAR satellite, but does not own it. (12/3)

CASA to Work More Closely with Australian Space Agency (Source: Australian Aviation)
The Australian Space Agency and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) have signed an agreement designed to tighten coordination between the nation’s space and aviation regulators and bolster safety across both sectors. The agreement sets out a formal framework for closer cooperation, improved information sharing and clearer alignment between spaceflight and air navigation rules, a move officials say will build industry confidence as Australia’s space sector continues to expand.

Head of the Australian Space Agency Enrico Palermo said a unified regulatory approach was essential as space activity becomes increasingly integrated with traditional airspace. (12/4)

Space Force Awards Early Golden Dome Contracts (Source: Flying)
The U.S. Space Force has reportedly selected a handful of private firms to build and test missile defense prototypes for the Pentagon and President Donald Trump’s Golden Dome effort. Two sources told Reuters that Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Anduril, and startup True Anomaly are among the recipients of initial funding to develop space-based interceptors (SBIs) that are intended to destroy enemy missiles minutes after launch, during the boost phase.

The funding will also cover control stations required to help the SBIs track and hit their targets. Both are key components of Golden Dome, which the Pentagon hopes will come online within three years. According to a July Pentagon presentation viewed by Reuters, the boost-phase SBI contracts are only worth about $120,000 each. But the companies that successfully demonstrate prototypes will compete for more robust, post-2028 production contracts. Per the presentation, they could be worth $1.8 billion to $3.4 billion annually. (12/2)

Purdy: Private Sector Innovation Supports Space Force (Source: Space News)
Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, the US Space Force's top acquisition officer, emphasized the importance of private-sector innovation for the Pentagon's future in orbit during a speech at the 2025 SpaceNews Icon Awards. Purdy highlighted the rapid pace of commercial progress and the Space Force's reliance on the Small Business Innovation Research program, which has recently expired. He also discussed efforts to replicate the success of the National Security Space Launch program in other mission areas. (12/3)

Senators Aim for December Isaacman Confirmation (Source: Space News)
Leaders of the Senate Commerce Committee said they hope to confirm Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator this month. At a confirmation hearing Wednesday, committee chair Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and ranking member Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-WA) said they supported Isaacman’s second bid to be NASA administrator and would work to get him confirmed before the end of the month. At the hearing, Isaacman emphasized the urgency of returning NASA astronauts to the moon before China lands its first astronauts there by the end of the decade.

He expressed his support for provisions of the budget reconciliation act that funded elements of Artemis such as SLS and Gateway despite efforts by the administration to cancel those programs in its 2026 budget proposal. Isaacman dodged other questions about that budget proposal and continued to state that his relationship with SpaceX founder Elon Musk is solely one as a customer of his earlier private astronaut missions. (12/4)

SLI to Buy Two GEO Sats From AscendArc (Source: Space News)
Asset-financing specialist Space Leasing International (SLI) plans to buy two GEO communications satellites from startup AscendArc. The deal, valued at more than $200 million, will be for small GEO satellites planned for launch in late 2028. SLI will lease the spacecraft to satellite operators, betting that those companies will prefer to lease spacecraft rather than buy them, in much the same way that many airlines lease rather than buy their aircraft. SLI believes leasing could help unlock demand from operators struggling to finance space missions up front. (12/4)

China and US Compete to Implement Satellite Servicing (Source: Space News)
There is a different space race emerging between China and the United States involving satellite servicing. China demonstrated earlier this year the ability to refuel spacecraft in GEO when the Shijian-25 spacecraft docked with and transferred fuel to Shijian-21. While the U.S. military had earlier tested satellite refueling technologies, it had shelved those efforts until recently. U.S. Space Command’s push for “dynamic space operations,” the ability to maneuver in orbit without worrying about running dry, demands refueling and potentially other capabilities to service spacecraft. A report published last month by the Mitchell Institute argues that logistics will determine whether the U.S. can operate effectively in orbit during a prolonged confrontation. (12/4)

OpenAI's Altman Considers Stake in Stoke (Source: Wall Street Journal)
OpenAI founder Sam Altman wants to get into the launch business. Altman reportedly held discussions with Stoke Space, a startup developing a fully reusable rocket, about investing in the company and potentially taking a controlling stake. Those talks have ended, according to a report, and Altman was not mentioned among the investors in Stoke’s latest round in October that raised half a billion dollars. Altman’s interest in launch is said to be linked to supporting future orbital data centers that could be used by OpenAI. Both SpaceX’s Elon Musk and Blue Origin’s Jeff Bezos have also expressed interest in orbital data centers, as well as former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who invested in and became CEO of launch company Relativity Space earlier this year. (12/4)

New Shepard Crew Includes Disabled Person and Former SpaceX Exec (Source: Blue Origin)
The crew for the next New Shepard suborbital spaceflight includes a former SpaceX executive and a woman with a spinal cord injury. Blue Origin announced Wednesday the six people who will fly on the NS-37 mission in the near future. They include Michaela Benthaus, an engineer who uses a wheelchair after a spinal cord injury sustained in a mountain biking accident. She would be the first person with that condition to go to space. Accompanying her is Hans Koenigsmann, who was one of the first employees at SpaceX and served as a vice president there. (12/4)

SpaceX Miniseries Ditched by HBO (Source: Entertainment Weekly)
One Elon Musk project has failed to achieve liftoff: a miniseries. HBO had been working since 2020 on a series dramatizing the early years of SpaceX, based on Ashlee Vance’s biography of Musk. However, Vance said Wednesday that HBO is no longer pursuing the series, saying the network “went through too many gyrations for this one to keep the requisite energy” needed to produce the show. Vance said the television rights for the show have reverted to him and he is interested in pursuing other options for producing a show about Musk and SpaceX. (12/4)

Sidus Space LizzieSat to Host MobLobSpace SBIR Payload (Source: Sidus Space)
Sidus Space announced its role as a subcontractor supporting MobLobSpace under a NASA Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award. The six-month design study will focus on designing and planning a mission to host an advanced space-based 4D radar system onboard Sidus’ LizzieSat satellite platform.

Under the $173,000 NASA SBIR award, MobLobSpace will develop an adaptive electronically scanned array radar as part of NASA’s Space Sustainability Strategy programs. Sidus Space will provide input on host spacecraft specifications, including power and Guidance, Navigation, and Control (GNC) systems, to ensure seamless integration of the radar payload aboard LizzieSat. (12/4)

Chinese Team Runs Long Term Martian Dust Cycle Simulation with GoMars Model (Source: Space Daily)
Chinese researchers have used a self-developed next generation Mars general circulation model, known as GoMars, to carry out a comprehensive simulation of the Martian dust cycle spanning 50 Martian years. The work aims to capture how airborne dust evolves over time and to provide a basis for more reliable Martian weather forecasts and climate projections. (12/4)

China Consolidates Commercial Space Regulatory Environment (Source: Space Daily)
The China National Space Administration has set up a Commercial Space Department to serve as a dedicated regulator for the country's expanding private space sector. The new office is responsible for overseeing commercial launches, satellite operations, and related services while coordinating policy and planning for non-state space activities.

Officials have tied the move to the Action Plan for Promoting the High-Quality and Safe Development of Commercial Space covering the years 2025 to 2027. The plan formally incorporates commercial operators into China's national space development strategy and sets targets for industry scale, safety management, and the use of space infrastructure by the end of the period.

China's commercial space industry has expanded quickly, with more than 600 private enterprises active across launch services, satellite manufacturing, ground systems, and downstream applications such as communications and remote sensing. Authorities expect the Commercial Space Department to streamline approvals, unify technical and safety standards, and improve coordination along supply chains that link private firms, research institutes, and state-owned aerospace groups. (12/3)

ESA Space Safety Program Gains Major Funding Increase (Source: Space Daily)
European Space Agency member states have approved 955 million euros for the agency's Space Safety program for the next three years, about 30 percent more than the previous funding level and above the amount requested in the CM25 proposal. The allocation represents roughly 4 percent of ESA's total budget over the same period and fully finances the program's planned activities, including the Ramses asteroid mission, the Vigil space weather observatory and new debris-removal and in-orbit servicing projects.

Holger Krag, Head of Space Safety at ESA, described the outcome as a strong signal that member states see space safety capabilities as essential under current geopolitical conditions. He said the new subscriptions allow the program to plan the coming three years with confidence and to push European capabilities in areas such as debris mitigation, planetary defense and secure access to critical space data. (11/28)

Space Force Wants AI and Cybersecurity for Space Command and Control (Source: Military Aerospace)
U.S. Space Force battle-management experts are reaching out to industry for enabling technologies that range from cloud computing infrastructure, to software applications, artificial intelligence (AI), and software development services. Officials of the U.S. Space Systems Command in El Segundo, Calif., issued a commercial solutions opening (CSO) announcement last month for the Kronos Family of Systems Commercial Solutions Opening project. (12/2)

Equal1’s Bell-1 Quantum Computer Heading to ESA’s Φ-Lab (Source: Electronics Weekly)
Irish quantum computing startup Equal1 has been selected by ESA to install one of its computers – the Bell-1 Quantum Computer – at the agency’s facilities. The novel computer, to support Hybrid Quantum Computing (HQC), will work at ESA’s Φ-lab in Frascati, Italy. It will be as part of its Quantum Computing for Earth Observation (QC4EO) initiative. (12/1)