December 17, 2025

Max Space Plans Thunderbird Space Station (Source: Space News)
Another company is entering the commercial space station market. Max Space, a startup that has been working on expandable module technologies, announced Wednesday its plans for Thunderbird Station. The station would feature a single module that could launch on a Falcon 9 but expand to a volume of 350 cubic meters, one-third the size of the entire International Space Station, once in orbit. The company plans to launch a small prototype, called Mission Evolution, on a SpaceX rideshare mission in early 2027. The company sees its design as providing an advantage both in lower launch costs and with an internal layout that can be easily reconfigured. Former NASA astronaut Nicole Stott is working for Max Space as its lead astronaut to aid in the station’s design. (12/17)

India's Digantara Raises $50 Million for Missile Defense (Source: Space News)
Indian space situational awareness (SSA) company Digantara has raised $50 million as it expands into missile defense. The company said Tuesday it raised the Series B round from several new and existing investors. Digantara has a network of ground-based sensors for tracking space objects and launched earlier this year the first satellite in a planned constellation to provide space-based tracking. The company has opened a U.S. office and is proposing to use its technologies to develop satellites for missile-tracking applications. (12/17)

Luxembourg's OQ Technology Connects IoT Chipset to LEO Satellite (Source: Space News)
OQ Technology says it has connected a commercial Internet of Things (IoT) chipset directly to one of its low Earth orbit satellites. The Luxembourg company said Wednesday it used an unmodified, low-power cellular module from Norway’s Nordic Semiconductor called nRF9151, which is typically used in tracking and monitoring sensors, to communicate with one of its satellites. The company said the test shows that existing commercial IoT sensors can use its satellite network for communications without the need for hardware or software modifications. (12/17)

Vantor Partners with Niantic Spatial for Navigation Tech (Source: Space News)
Vantor, the former Maxar Intelligence, is partnering with Niantic Spatial to develop navigation technology for military platforms operating in GPS-denied environments. The collaboration will focus on enabling air and ground platforms to navigate and coordinate when satellite-based positioning is unavailable due to jamming or spoofing, a growing concern for military operators. The partnership combines Vantor’s visual-based navigation software for aerial platforms with Niantic Spatial’s ground-focused Visual Positioning System, enabling drones, vehicles and others to navigate without using GPS. (12/17)

Ariane 6 Launches Galileo Navsats (Source: Space News)
An Ariane 6 launched two Galileo navigation satellites overnight. The Ariane 62 lifted off from French Guiana at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Wednesday and deployed the two Galileo satellites into medium Earth orbit nearly four hours later. The launch was the first time Ariane 6 launched Galileo satellites and marks a return to using European rockets for the network after Ariane 6 delays forced Europe to launch four Galileo satellites last year on Falcon 9 rockets. The satellites were the last two built for the first-generation Galileo system, although four that were manufactured earlier are in storage for launches planned in the next 12 to 16 months. Airbus Defence and Space and Thales Alenia Space have contracts to build larger, more advanced second-generation Galileo satellites. (12/17)

Japanese Navsat Launch on H3 Rocket Scrubbed (Source: Japan Times)
A Japanese navigation satellite is stuck on the pad after a last-second scrub Tuesday night. The Japanese space agency JAXA said it scrubbed the H3 launch of the Michibiki 5 satellite because of a problem with ground equipment found seconds before the scheduled 9:11 p.m. Eastern liftoff. A sensor detected insufficient water levels in a sound suppression system at the pad, triggering the abort. JAXA did not announce a new launch date for the mission, which will place into orbit the latest satellite for Japan’s Quasi-Zenith Satellite System that augments GPS. (12/17)

Rocket Lab to Launch DiskSats on Virginia Electron Mission (Source: Space News)
The Space Force and Rocket Lab have confirmed plans to launch experimental “DiskSats” on an Electron rocket this week. Four flat, disk-shaped satellites known as DiskSats are scheduled to launch no earlier than 12 a.m. Eastern Thursday from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 2 in Virginia. The mission, part of the Defense Department’s Space Test Program and designated STP-S30, was accelerated from an initial target of spring 2026. DiskSat was developed by the Aerospace Corp. with NASA funding as a potential alternative to the cubesat standard. Each spacecraft is roughly three feet in diameter and shaped like a flat plate, optimized to fly in a low-drag orientation through the upper reaches of Earth’s atmosphere. (12/17)

US Army Reveals Details About Hypersonic Missile Program (Source: Interesting Engineering)
US Army officials have disclosed details about the Long Range Hypersonic Weapon, also known as Dark Eagle, during Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's visit to Redstone Arsenal. Dark Eagle is a ground-based, trailer-launched hypersonic weapon with a range of about 2,175 miles and can reach speeds exceeding Mach 5. (12/15)

Air Force Plans Contracts for Space-Based Target Tracking (Source: Aviation Week)
The US Air Force is expediting contracts for the capability to track targets from space, focusing first on ground moving target indication followed by air moving target indication. The initiative, in partnership with the National Reconnaissance Office, has faced budget challenges, with funding for the projects coming from various authorization and appropriations packages. (12/15)
 
Analyzing the Next Stage of the Lunar Space Economy (Source: PitchBook)
The cislunar economy is gaining traction as reduced launch costs and more than 100 planned lunar missions drive investment in infrastructure such as transportation and communications, according to a PitchBook analyst note. Venture activity is continuing, with startups raising $1.9 billion this year, but technology readiness gaps and dependence on government contracts remain challenges. (12/12)

Blue Origin's Wastewater Treatment Plan Flagged by Florida Lawmakers (Source: WESH)
Several Florida lawmakers have flagged a permit renewal for Blue Origin's wastewater treatment plan, citing concerns. Blue Origin is asking to renew an existing agreement that allows the rocket company to continue operating a wastewater treatment plan. The company said it's been doing this for the last five years. "[They said] we’re not doing anything different, we’re just renewing the current permit," Rep. Anna Eskamani said. "Well, the current permit wasn’t good enough.” Eight Florida lawmakers are now urging the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to take a closer look before reissuing this permit, saying Blue Origin was cited in the past. (12/15)

UK Company Wins European Backing to Advance its Thruster Tech (Source: Insider Media)
A UK-based aerospace company dedicated to developing propulsion engines for space exploration has won the backing of ESA. Pulsar Fusion, based in Bletchley, has won an 18-month contract from the ESA to advance its Hall-effect thruster (HET) technology in preparation for future space missions. The investment follows recent confirmation that Nasdaq-listed Momentus Inc. will be performing a demonstration mission showcasing Pulsar's HET technology, scheduled for launch in late 2026. (12/16)

VSA Board of Directors Announces Two-Year Extension to CEO Contract (Source: Virginia Spaceport Authority)
The Virginia Spaceport Authority’s Board of Directors today announced it has approved a two-year extension of the contract for Chief Executive Officer Roosevelt Mercer Jr., Maj. Gen., USAF (ret.) ensuring continued leadership and strategic direction for the organization into 2028. Since assuming the role in 2021, Mercer has overseen significant organizational progress and has been instrumental in advancing the mission of the Virginia Spaceport Authority (VSA). (12/15)

MAVEN Mars Orbiter Suffers Anomaly (Source: Space News)
Problems with a NASA Mars orbiter that has been out of contact for 10 days may be more serious than first thought. NASA said Monday it has yet to restore contact with the MAVEN spacecraft, which did not resume communications after going behind Mars as seen from Earth on Dec. 6. In an update Monday, NASA said that a “brief fragment of tracking data” received as part of a radio science experiment the day contact was lost showed that the spacecraft appeared to be spinning and was not in its planned orbit. That has led to speculation that the spacecraft suffered an “energetic event” of some kind, like a burst tank or propellant line, that could spin the spacecraft and impart thrust. NASA said it is continuing efforts to restore contact, but that will be hampered by a solar conjunction in early January when Mars goes behind the sun as seen from Earth, disrupting communications. (12/16)

Space Force Plans Competition for AI Use (Source: Space News)
The Space Force is using a competition to encourage new uses of AI within the service. An AI-powered onboarding assistant designed to help new Space Force members navigate the earliest stages of the service won the U.S. Space Force’s annual AI Challenge, officials announced last week. The Space Force AI Challenge is an annual competition intended to accelerate the development and adoption of AI tools that address concrete problems facing the service, with 29 teams participating in this year’s competition. Speaking at the Spacepower Conference last week, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink called on the service to build AI literacy inside the force, rather than relying primarily on contractors for AI-driven solutions. (12/16)

GomSpace to Provide RF Subsystem for Apolink Satellite (Source: Space News)
GomSpace won a contract from a startup to provide a key subsystem for a planned data relay satellite. GomSpace will provide the radio-frequency subsystem for Interoperability Protocol over Satellite – Technology Demonstration Mission (IPoS-TDsM), a 3U cubesat being built by Apolink for launch next year. The cubesat will test how signals can be received from other low Earth orbit spacecraft and forwarded to the ground, and is a precursor of a constellation of larger spacecraft to provide data relay services. (12/16)

ULA Launches Amazon Leo Satellites From Florida on Tuesday (Source: Space.com)
United Launch Alliance launched another set of satellites for Amazon’s broadband constellation early Tuesday. An Atlas 5 lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 3:28 a.m. Eastern and put 27 Amazon Leo satellites into orbit. This was the fourth Atlas launch of operational satellites for Amazon Leo, the constellation formerly known as Project Kuiper. There are now 180 Amazon Leo satellites in orbit, just over 5% of the planned constellation of more than 3,200 satellites. (12/16)

China launches Remote Sensing Satellite (Source: Space News)
China launched a remote sensing satellite late Monday. A Long March 4B lifted off at 10:17 p.m. Eastern from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center. It placed into orbit Ziyuan-3 (04), a satellite part of a long-standing national civil space infrastructure program. It carries a stereo mapping camera, a multispectral camera and a laser altimeter for use in natural resource applications. (12/16)

Rocket Lab Scrubs New Zealand NEONSAT Launch (Source: Spaceflight Now)
Rocket Lab announced, and then scrubbed, an Electron launch Monday. The company called off the Electron launch of the NEONSAT-1A spacecraft on an Electron from New Zealand after aborting the liftoff immediately after engine ignition. Rocket Lab said that “out of family” data from a sensor triggered the abort, and did not announce a new launch date. Rocket Lab announced the launch earlier in the day after calling off a first launch attempt last week. (12/16)

Vast Seeks Research to Host on Proposed Station (Source: Vast)
Vast is seeking research proposals for its first commercial space station. The company announced Monday a request for proposals for ground- and space-based research projects for the Haven-1 station, set to launch next year. The company says the lab on Haven-1 can support research in areas ranging from pharmaceutical development to plant growth and human health. The company recently hired as its principal scientist Meghan Everett, former NASA ISS deputy program scientist, to develop “a robust multi-disciplinary research portfolio” for Haven-1 and future stations. (12/16)

Virgin Galactic and Lawrence Livermore Lab Explore Collaboration (Source: Virgin Galactic)
Virgin Galactic plans to work with Lawrence Livermore National Lab (LLNL) on additional uses of the company’s aircraft. Virgin said Monday it will study how to incorporate LLNL sensors on its launch vehicles, the term the company uses for the aircraft that take its suborbital spaceplanes aloft. Virgin has previously said it is exploring other uses for such aircraft, noting their capabilities to take heavy payloads to high altitudes for potentially long-endurance flights. (12/16)

U.S., France Conduct Second Dynamic Space Operations Demo (Source: Aviation Week)
The U.S. and France have completed a second bilateral, on-orbit operation related to dynamic space operations, U.S. Space Command (Spacecom) Commander Gen. Stephen Whiting said Dec. 11. The command has disclosed two rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) demonstrations. (12/15)

Space Force Will Not Partner with NRO for Next-Generation Surveillance Satellites (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Force intends to go solo in developing a follow-on to the classified SILENTBARKER space surveillance constellation currently operated in tandem with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), according to a senior service official. (12/15)

South Korea Plans Mars Mission in 10 Years with Domestic Launch Vehicle (Source: Business Korea)
The government has set a goal to challenge Mars exploration like the United States and China by advancing the next-generation space launch vehicle currently under development for lunar landing missions. Simultaneously, the administration is pursuing plans to jump into deep space exploration competition early by collaborating with U.S. SpaceX to build a space base on Mars even before achieving independent Mars missions.

Kang Kyung-in, director of the Space Science Exploration Division at the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA), announced the Mars exploration strategy at a conference room in Jongno-gu, Seoul on Dec. 16. KASA has set goals to send landing missions to the Moon in 2032, followed by Mars in 2045. This announcement presented specific implementation plans to achieve these objectives. (12/16)

12 Satellites Launched in 2025 with Canadian Payloads (Source: SpaceQ)
With possibly more than 4000 satellites launched in 2025, mostly by SpaceX followed China, Canada’s total is quite modest at 12. However, for Canada it is the second highest total ever, with 2023 only higher at 23. Is it fair to compare Canada’s output to SpaceX and China? No, of course not. SpaceX has launched 3113 Starlinks satellites as of this morning for the year along with 89 Starshield satellites. The 3202 launched by SpaceX is a staggering number and is their highest total yet for any year. (12/15)

Oh Look, Yet Another Starship Clone Has Popped Up in China (Source: Ars Technica)
Every other week, it seems, a new Chinese launch company pops up with a rocket design and a plan to reach orbit within a few years. For a long time, the majority of these companies revealed designs that looked a lot like SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Doubtless there will be more Chinese Falcon 9-like rockets making their debut in the near future.

But wait, there’s more. In June a company called Astronstone said it too was developing a stainless steel, methane-fueled rocket that would also use a chopstick-style system for first stage recovery. Astronstone didn’t even pretend to not copy SpaceX, saying it was “fully aligning its technical approach with Elon Musk’s SpaceX.” (12/15)

NASA Plans Study Of Microgravity Manufacturing Of ‘Quantum Glass’ (Source: Aviation Week)
NASA plans to study the manufacturing of exotic glass fibers in the microgravity of space for use in quantum sensing and communications applications. NASA noted that quantum technologies are a national research and development priority. Heavy metal fluoride glasses are prioritized because they are highly prone to crystallization when processed in Earth's gravity. In microgravity, the elimination of convection and sedimentation allows for the production of much clearer fibers with fewer imperfections that scatter light signals. (12/15)

Spaceports: The Strategic Infrastructure Europe’s Overlooking (Source: Sifted)
Europe is on the cusp of its first mainland satellite launch from either Shetland or Andøya, Norway; a milestone that represents far more than just access to space. Spaceports are no longer mere markers of engineering or commercial experiments; they are critical instruments of sovereignty, resilience and geopolitical influence.

Yet, currently, Europe’s patchwork of spaceports are run by a combination of intergovernmental organizations, national space agencies and private commercial companies, each operating with its own objectives. Without proper coordination between stakeholders, there’s a risk that spaceports become isolated initiatives rather than forming a coherent European launch network.

Governments need to treat spaceports as strategic infrastructure, much like airports and seaports, and guide their early development to ensure stability and coordination. Doing so will allow Europe’s space economy to scale, strengthen resilience through multiple launch sites and reduce reliance on non-European providers such as SpaceX. (12/16)

Brazil’s Anatel Telecom Regulator: Change ITU Rules to Allow All Nations Access to LEO Broadband (Source: Space Intel Report)
The president of Brazil’s telecommunications regulator, Anatel, said current international regulations on registering global satellite communications constellations need to be scrapped to allow for later entry by less-developed countries. Brazil has been working for several years to win support among International Telecommunication Union (ITU) nations to do away with the “first-come, first served” rules, saying they are a de facto violation of the right of all nations to access orbit. (12/16)

Trump’s National Security Strategy Ignores Space (Source: Space News)
The Trump administration’s new national security strategy has rightly drawn criticism for presuming to tell our European allies how to arrange their domestic affairs. Equally as baffling is its near silence on a genuine United States national security concern — bolstering our offensive and defensive capabilities in space. (12/16)

Space Florida and Seraphim Launch Program to Fast-Track SpaceTech Startups to Investment Readiness (Source: Seraphim)
Space Florida and Seraphim Space announced the launch of the SpaceTech Investor Readiness Program, a partnership designed to accelerate innovation and investment across Florida’s growing SpaceTech ecosystem. Seraphim has a portfolio of 148 companies across 32 countries, including five unicorns, collectively raising over $8.2 billion in funding. With Florida’s rich space heritage, home to launch innovation, research, and world-leading aerospace infrastructure, the state is uniquely positioned to lead the next wave of SpaceTech growth.

Leveraging its global network and expertise, Seraphim together with Space Florida will help connect Florida-based startups with investors and key partners to drive growth and investment readiness. The pilot program brings experienced investors together with seven high-potential Florida-based SpaceTech startups. (12/16)