October 4, 2025

UK Boosts Satellite Security with £500,00 Investment in New Laser Detection Technology (Source: Forces News)
The UK government has today announced a new £500,000 investment in cutting-edge detection technology that spots lasers that adversaries may use to dazzle satellites and intercept communications. Currently under development, the new sensors will determine the characteristics of lasers based in space or on the ground and whether they pose a threat to the satellite, providing the military with crucial information to protect and defend the UK and allied space systems and assets. (10/3)

Vandenberg Space Force Base Breaks Annual Launch Record with SpaceX Rocket (Source: KTLA)
Vandenberg Space Force Base reached a milestone Friday morning as SpaceX set a new annual launch record for the site. The rocket launched from the Santa Barbara County base carrying 28 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit. It marked Vandenberg’s 52nd launch of the year. (10/3)

Jeff Bezos Predicts We'll Have Gigawatt Data Centers in Space in 20 Years (Source: PC Mag)
The Amazon founder says placing data centers into orbit will allow them to harness the abundant solar energy, making them more cost-effective than their Earth-bound counterparts. Bezos was asked to predict what the world might look like in the years to come. In response, the billionaire discussed his rocket company, Blue Origin, before talking about the construction of data centers in Earth’s orbit. (10/3)

SpaceX and ULA Contracted for USSF/NRO Launches in FY 2026 (Source: Via Satellite)
Under the National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program, SpaceX is to launch five NSSL Phase 3, Lane 2 missions through September 2026 for the Space Force and National Reconnaissance Office, while ULA is to launch two. Blue Origin did not receive any missions but may in fiscal 2027. The SpaceX assigned missions have a total price of $714 million and the ULA assigned missions have a total price of $428 million. (10/3)

SpaceX Sets Date for Next Starship Launch in South Texas (Source: San Antonio Express-News)
SpaceX has set a date for the 11th launch of its Starship megarocket from South Texas — Oct. 13. A 30-minute launch window opens at 6:15 p.m., according to the commercial space company which announced the plans this week along with a hype video for the giant spacecraft that’s in development at the Starbase complex outside Brownsville. It will be the 11th flight of the 400-foot-tall rocket. (10/3)

Embry‑Riddle Faculty Create a New Forum for U.S.-Japan Space Security Collaboration (Source: ERAU)
Security Studies and International Affairs faculty member Dr. Alice Dell’Era, with Drs. Elisabeth Hope Murray and Teha Cooks, recently won Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University’s first grant funded by the Japan Foundation to launch an ongoing speaker series addressing the importance of international diplomacy in space policy. The project aims to advance understanding of how the U.S. and Japan work together to strengthen space security and will provide Embry‑Riddle students and faculty with the opportunity to engage directly with leading American and Japanese space security experts. (10/3)

University of Colorado Endowed Professorship in Space Policy and Law to Expand Global Collaboration (Source: University of Colorado)
Through a generous investment in the future of space governance, CU Boulder donors Dale and Patricia Hatfield have given $2.5 million to establish the Hatfield Endowed Professorship in Space Policy & Law. Underscoring the university’s commitment to leadership in this fast-evolving field, the professorship will drive teaching and research on space policy and law, with broad implications for national security, global communications, navigation, weather forecasting and international collaboration. (10/3)

Female Astronauts on Key Role in Space Exploration (Source: CGTN)
At the 76th International Astronautical Congress in Sydney, CGTN's Wu Lei spoke with pioneering astronauts - including South Korea's first astronaut, Dr. Yi So-yeon, and veteran Canadian astronaut Julie Payette. He asked for their insights on the growing role of women in space. Click here. (10/4)

Iran to Launch “Zafar-2” and “Paya” Satellites Using Foreign Launch Vehicle, Support China Lunar Efforts (Source: Borna News)
In line with Iran’s 10-year space roadmap and the Seventh Development Plan, various programs led by research centers and universities are underway in the field of space science and exploration. This includes the development of biological capsules and reusable research platforms with precise control and guidance systems — effectively serving as space laboratories for sub-orbital and orbital tests related to living in space, radiation effects, and environmental changes on biological species.

Following the launch of a 500-kilogram recoverable capsule in 2023, the research and development of a new generation of these platforms has begun, with significant progress achieved in design and manufacturing. Iran will also participate in China's international lunar research, the Chang’e-8 project. (10/4)

Iran Prepares Chabahar Spaceport for First Solid-Fuel Launch (Source: Wanaen)
The head of the Iranian Space Agency (ISA) has announced that preparations are underway for the first solid-fuel launch from the Chabahar National Spaceport, while also revealing new details about upcoming satellite launches and international collaborations. Speaking at World Space Week 2025, ISA chief Dr. Hassan Salarieh highlighted the strategic role of the Chabahar National Spaceport, located in southeastern Iran. (10/4)

NASA Research Balloon Lands Unexpectedly on Texas Farmland (Source: KXAN)
It was an ordinary morning on the farm until it wasn’t. While getting ready for the day, Ann Walter was told that, floating high above them, was a massive parachute-like balloon gliding silently across the sky. They stood there in awe, snapping photos and videos before carrying on with their morning routine. The research balloon landed in a farmland in Hale County on Thursday morning. (10/3)

Malaysia Formalizes Participation in International Space Treaty (Source: Malaysian Reserve)
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI) announced that Malaysia has formalised its participation in the international space treaty, the Convention on Registration of Objects Launched into Outer Space (REG 1975), by depositing its instrument of accession with the United Nations on Sep. 26. (10/4)

Surprise Asteroid Flies by Earth at Only 250 Miles Away (Source: Space.com)
A small asteroid just gave the Earth a close buzz. The little space rock, called 2025 TF, safely passed within roughly 250 miles of our planet on Tuesday (Sep. 30) at 8:49 p.m. EDT. That flyby puts the asteroid at the same approximate altitude as the International Space Station. (10/3)

SpaceForest Aims to Capture 70% of European Demand for Suborbital Flights (Source: European Spaceflight)
Polish rocket builder SpaceForest has set an ambitious goal of capturing up to 70% of the European demand for suborbital flights. SpaceForest conducted the first two flights of its 11.5-meter-tall suborbital PERUN rocket in 2023, both of which were aborted mid-flight after encountering anomalies. In October 2024, the company received €2.4 million in co-funding from the European Space Agency’s Boost! program to upgrade the combustion chamber of its in-house developed SF-1000 hybrid rocket engines. The company aims to return the rocket to flight later this month. (10/4)

Peter Beck Discusses Neutron Development as Maiden Flight Nears (Source: NSF)
Rocket Lab’s ambitious push to launch its Neutron medium-lift rocket before the end of the year is entering the home stretch, with CEO Sir Peter Beck telling NSF that his team is “literally sleeping in the factories” to meet the aggressive timeline. “We’ll be there on the last day of December until the last hour trying to get a launch away,” Beck said in a recent interview. “We run green light schedules, meaning there is no fat in everything. Nobody’s waving the white flag yet.”

The 141-foot-tall reusable launch vehicle has passed several critical milestones in recent months. In April, Rocket Lab qualified Neutron’s carbon composite second stage by applying 1.3 million pounds of tensile force — 125% of its maximum operating pressure — while testing flight software, avionics, and guidance systems under cryogenic conditions. The first stage top section, including the distinctive “Hungry Hippo” reusable fairings and aerodynamic canards, completed qualification in May. (10/3)

Gilmour Space Plans Return to Flight Next Year (Source: Space News)
Gilmour Space expects to return its Eris rocket to flight next year (2026) Gilmour Space plans return to flight next year This follows the company's inaugural launch attempt in July 2025, which unfortunately ended in failure. The maiden flight of the Eris Block 1 rocket took place on July 30, 2025, from Bowen Orbital Spaceport in Queensland, Australia, but failed after just 14 seconds of flight. (10/3)

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex's Taste of Space to Offer Fall 'Galaxy of Flavors' (Source: Florida Today)
Attention fall foodies: get ready to snack on seasonal comfort dishes while exploring the cosmos. For the fifth year, Taste of Space: Fall Bites! will return to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Guests can experience a "galaxy of flavors" with fall comfort dishes landing on the menu from Oct. 3 to Nov. 16. (10/3)

Arkisys Awarded Astrobee Sustainer Contract! (Source: Arksys)
Arkisys is proud to continue the groundbreaking NASA Astrobee mission through an unfunded Space Act Agreement (SAA), ensuring the robotic platform aboard the International Space Station (ISS) remains sustained and maintained. Astrobee now becomes part of our customer services portfolio, offering a vital bridge between ground-based testing for Rendezvous & Proximity Operations (RPO) and fully space-qualified orbital testing. (10/3)

Shutdown Exception Allows Continued Work on Artemis (Source: CNN)
A document recently posted to NASA’s website shows that more than 3,000 employees will continue showing up to work during the government shutdown. That’s 2,000 more people than under a previous shutdown plan that did not include the Artemis exemption. Much of the ongoing work will revolve around Artemis II, a crewed test flight around the moon set to take off as soon as February.

With four astronauts slated to fly on that mission, work on the project “is obviously very safety critical,” said Lakiesha Hawkins, NASA’s acting deputy associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, during a September 23 news briefing. “We anticipate being able to request (and) being able to continue to move forward on Artemis II in the event of shutdown,” Hawkins said then.

But the exceptions spelled out in NASA’s shutdown plans this week go even further, allowing work to continue on Artemis III — the landmark moon-landing mission currently slated for mid-2027 — as well as Artemis missions expected to fly later this decade or next. The roughly $100 billion Artemis program is well over budget and running behind the ambitious schedule mapped out during President Donald Trump’s first term. (10/3)

Surveying Io's Surface with the UNAGI Lander (Source: Phys.org)
What type of lander could touch down on Jupiter's volcanic moon, Io? This is what a recent paper presented at the AIAA 2025 Regional Student Conference hopes to address. This study has the potential to help scientists and engineers develop new mission concepts from all levels of academia and industry. The researchers introduced UNAGI, which is a unique mission concept that is designed to use Jupiter's magnetic field as "propellant" to lower it to Io's surface without the need for actual propellant for its descent.

The team refers to this landing method as the electrodynamic tether (EDT) propulsion system that uses Jupiter's powerful magnetic field to interact with the lander's 50-kilometer (31-mile) tether, thus enabling corrections during the lander's descent and will deploy airbags upon touchdown. Once this occurs, the scientific payloads will begin their mission of examining Io's internal composition, surface changes from volcanic activity, outgassing and plume activity, tectonic activity, Io's interactions with Jupiter's magnetic field, and comparing Io's processes with the other Galilean moons (Europa, Ganymede, and Callisto). (9/30)

The 5 Worst Things To Ever Happen On The ISS (Source: BGR)
The ISS has faced its share of close calls, technical malfunctions, and sudden emergencies. Any of these could have spiraled into a catastrophe, from thrusters that spun the entire outpost uncontrollably to flying space junk that barely missed the ISS. These incidents remind us how fragile life can be beyond Earth's atmosphere. Click here. (10/2) 

The US Wants an Inhabited Lunar Village Within 10 years, While Other Space Agencies Prioritize Earth (Source: Union Rayo)
The United States, through NASA administrator Sean Duffy, announced at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC 2025) in Sydney that within 10 years it plans to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon. Not just an outpost, but a ‘’lunar village’’ powered by nuclear energy. This ambitious statement underscores the determination of the United States to lead global space exploration and expand humanity’s reach beyond Earth. (10/2)

Scientists Discover First Evidence of Lava Tubes on Venus (Source: Universe Today)
Venus and Earth both are geologically active and have been shaped by volcanism. Venus's surface is dominated by vast volcanic plains, enormous shield volcanoes and vast lava flows. Like Earth, Venus has been resurfaced by molten rock erupting from its interior, creating landscapes that bear striking resemblances to volcanic regions on our own planet. Understanding these volcanic features, including the underground structures they create, offers a window into the geological processes that have shaped both worlds and provides clues about why they took such different evolutionary paths.

An international team has been studying radar images and topographic data from earlier Venus missions. They focused their attention on the planet's large shield volcanoes, those exceeding 100 kilometers in diameter to search for signs of collapsed lava tubes. They identified four clear curving chains of pits that appear to mark where sections of underground tubes have collapsed. These tubes have been found on the Moon and Earth, but until now, their existence on Venus remained purely theoretical. (9/29)

Tata's Nelco Adopts New Path to Satellite Internet Ambition (Source: Live Mint)
Tata Group-owned Nelco LTD has received the government's preliminary approval to resell satellite internet services to consumers by partnering with companies like Starlink, OneWeb, Kuiper, and Jio Satellite. The company applied for a virtual network operator license to provide global mobile personal communications by satellite service and has received a 'letter of intent' from one of these companies. (10/2)

China’s Rocket Factories Aim to Beat SpaceX with Car-Style Mass Production (Source: Interesting Engineering)
Scientists in China claim the country is transitioning into a revolutionary new era of aerospace manufacturing. The new form of manufacturing will produce rockets and satellites as efficiently as auto plants make cars. This new method, which requires vast structural reform across the nation’s aerospace industry, is known as “final assembly pull”. It is inspired by lean manufacturing principles utilized in the automotive industry. (9/29)

Extreme Battery Tech Powers One-of-a-Kind Rover (Source: New Atlas)
It’s hard to think of a more challenging environment for an automotive battery than the surface of the Moon. For Artemis V, planned for 2030 or later, astronauts are to have on hand an open buggy that can carry them across the lunar surface while suited up. Three consortiums are competing to supply the buggy, dubbed the Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV).

One, Lunar Outpost, is drawing on automotive giant GM for its battery, chassis and autonomous control elements, and GM recently previewed how it will meet NASA’s battery demands. It's eye-opening to recognize that the battery powering the original Lunar Rover was a throwaway item, not rechargeable when it ran down. That limited the Rover to a 57-mile (92-km) total range, which the Apollo 15 crew shared with the two missions that followed it.

The LTV will bring a much better return for the effort expended in getting it to the Moon, offering astronauts the sort of utility you’d expect from a terrestrial car. Its rechargeable battery pack is expected to serve for 10 years and give it a lifetime range of at least 19,000 miles (30,000 km). (10/2)

Space Rapid Capabilities Office to Put Radars on Sats to Warn of Space-Bound Threats (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Rapid Capabilities Office (SpRCO) intends to award two vendors contracts by the end of the year to demonstrate that Space Force satellites can be equipped with small, inexpensive on-board radar systems to warn of potential threats from nearby satellites. While small — worth $3 million each for 24 months — the planned SBIR awards are part of a larger effort to promote what the SpRCO calls real-time “own-ship awareness” for US national security satellites. (10/2)

Europe Teams with Japan on Asteroid Mission, Beefs Up Space Cooperation with South Korea (Source: Space.com)
Europe is deepening cooperation with South Korea and Japan as it looks to expand its international cooperation activities on Earth and in space. ESA and the Korea AeroSpace Administration (KASA) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for enhanced cooperation. The agreement will allow the agencies to use each others' ground stations for telemetry, tracking and command functions. The MoU also covers future areas of cooperation including space science, exploration, human spaceflight, in-space infrastructure and beyond. There is also an intention to work together on space weather. (10/3)

1 to 2 Starlink Satellites are Falling Back to Earth Each Day (Source: EarthSky)
It might not be long before you look up and see a fiery, slow-moving object streaking across your night sky and, clearly, breaking into pieces. That’s if you haven’t seen such a thing already. There are currently one to two Starlink satellites falling back to Earth every day, according to retired Harvard astrophysicist Jonathan McDowell. (10/3)

New Approach to Gravitational Wave Detection Opens the Milli-Hz Frontier (Source: Phys.org)
Scientists have unveiled a new approach to detecting gravitational waves in the milli-Hertz frequency range, providing access to astrophysical and cosmological phenomena that are not detectable with current instruments. The new detector concept uses cutting-edge optical cavity and atomic clock technologies to sense gravitational waves in the elusive milli-Hertz frequency band (10⁻⁵–1 Hz). (10/2)

Space Force Eyes Aggressor Satellites to Add Realism to Test and Training (Source: Air & Space Forces)
In a push to make testing and training more realistic, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said he wants to put live aggressor satellites in orbit to mimic adversary tactics. The concept is comparable to the Air Force’s practice of using aggressor or “red air” platforms to train pilots; in this case, an operator acting as the enemy would be operating a real satellite as a training asset. (9/30)

Planet Y? Astronomers Find Fresh Clues of Hidden World in Our Solar System (Source: CNN)
The search for an unknown planet in our solar system has inspired astronomers for more than a century. Now, a recent study suggests a potential new candidate, which the paper’s authors have dubbed Planet Y. The planet has not been detected but merely inferred by the tilted orbits of some distant objects in the Kuiper Belt — a large ring of icy bodies beyond Neptune’s orbit. Something, the researchers said, must be disturbing these orbits and tilting them.

Planet Nine and Planet Y aren’t mutually exclusive, and they could both exist, he said. Planet Y search started about a year ago when he was trying to find out whether the shape of the Kuiper Belt is flat. “The planets of the solar system have slight tilts up and down, but overall, they kind of almost etch out grooves on a record,” Amir Siraj said, referring to the orbits of the solar system’s planets being on nearly the same plane. (10/3)

Electron: The Quiet Workhorse Powering Momentum (Source: MarketBeat)
Rocket Lab’s stock is consolidating in a bullish base, with investors eyeing the critical $55 resistance as anticipation builds for Neutron’s maiden launch. Despite Neutron grabbing the headlines, Electron remains the company’s backbone, with 70 launches to date and expanding multi-launch contracts. Q2 results showed launch revenue up 58.5% YOY, as Electron’s reliability, flexibility, and growing cadence continue to drive momentum and validate Rocket Lab’s execution. (10/2)

October 3, 2025

Space Force Considers Ranges in Texas, Virginia, and More for Future Launches (Source: Air and Space Forces)
To ease the strain at Vandenberg and the Cape, the Space Force is exploring partnerships with spaceports in other states, said Lt. Gen. Phillip Garrant. The goal, he said, would be to prioritize flying heavy and super heavy rockets out of Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg and then look for other locations that have the capacity to support smaller vehicles.

Texas and Virginia are two options USSF is considering, Garrant said. Texas state leaders have been “very aggressive” in wanting to expand launch access beyond SpaceX’s Starbase site in Boca Chica, Garrant said. In Virginia, NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility supports a number of small launch companies and is growing to support larger vehicles like Rocket Lab’s Neutron. (10/2)

Shutdown Cancels FAA Public Meeting on Starship Expansion in Texas (Source: FAA)
The FAA is cancelling this virtual public meeting on the draft Tiered Environmental Assessment for Updates to Airspace Closures for Additional Launch Trajectories and Starship Boca Chica Landings of the SpaceX Starship-Super Heavy Vehicle at the SpaceX Boca Chica Launch Site in Cameron County, Texas (Draft Tiered EA) due to the lapse in government funding. Interested parties are encouraged to submit written comments on or before October 20. (10/3)

Agencies Go Overtly Political with Shutdown Messaging. Not NASA (Source: FNN)
NASA's website currently includes the following message: "NASA is currently closed due to a lapse in government funding. Employees can visit nasa.gov/shutdown for additional information." Other agencies' websites are posting overtly political messages during the shutdown, like this one from the Treasury Department: “The radical left has chosen to shut down the United States government in the name of reckless spending and obstructionism. As a result, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s websites will only be sporadically updated until this shutdown concludes.”

Also, at least one agency has amended their personnel's email auto-replies, like this one from the Dept. of Education: “Thank you for contacting me. On September 19, 2025, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5371, a clean continuing resolution. Unfortunately, Democrat Senators are blocking passage of H.R. 5371 in the Senate which has led to a lapse in appropriations. Due to the lapse in appropriations I am currently on furlough status.” ... “Those were not my words,” the employee said. (10/3)

Australia's HEO Plans GEO Belt Imaging (Source: Space News)
An Australian company that has become a leader in imaging spacecraft in low Earth orbit is setting its sights higher. HEO announced this week that it is aiming to move beyond its current work using remote sensing satellites to perform “non-Earth imaging” of other spacecraft in low Earth orbit. That includes plans to place cameras on spacecraft in the geostationary belt to observe objects there. The company said it will also pursue efforts to image asteroids as they pass close to Earth, using GEO spacecraft. (10/3)

Analyst Backs Up Trillion Dollar Golden Dome Estimate with Data (Source: Space News)
An analyst who projected trillion-dollar costs for the Golden Dome missile defense system has provided new details about his assessment. Todd Harrison, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said he is making available his “Defense Future Simulator,” a tool he developed to create cost estimates for Golden Dome.

He used the simulator to estimate in a recent report that Golden Dome could cost $3.6 trillion over two decades, far higher than government figures. Those higher costs, he said, come from space-based interceptors that Golden Dome will need to counter hypersonic missiles. As many as 250,000 are thought to be required to provide global coverage at any given moment. (10/3)

Starlab Space Displays Space Station Mockup at IAC (Source: Space News)
Starlab Space used IAC to show off a mockup of its proposed station. The model in its booth showed the full eight-meter diameter of the proposed station but only a fraction of its full height. Starlab, a joint venture of Voyager Space and several other companies, recently announced new partnerships and plans to manufacture the module in New Orleans. (10/3)

SERVIR Earth Observation Finds Alternative Support After NASA and USAID Funding Cut (Source: Space News)
A program to use Earth observation data to address global challenges continues despite the loss of support from NASA and others. As SERVIR marked its 20th anniversary earlier this year, the program officials learned that NASA was dropping its support. That move came after USAID, which had provided the bulk of SERVIR funding, pulled out. Regional institutions, universities, foundations and government agencies from around the world then came together to establish the SERVIR Global Collaborative, allowing the program to continue despite the lack of U.S. government funding. Financial support, much of which is undisclosed, is coming from public and private organizations. (10/3)

Russians Jam UK Satcomms (Source: BBC)
Russians are attempting to jam British military satellite communications on a regular basis. Maj. Gen. Paul Tedman, head of U.K. Space Command, said in an interview that Russian satellites are flying close to British satellites in an attempt to capture transmissions being sent to them. He added that Russia is also trying to jam those communications on a weekly basis. (10/3)

NASA Smallsat to Ride on Vulcan Launch (Source: NASA)
A NASA smallsat space science mission will hitch a ride on a Vulcan Centaur rocket. NASA said this week that the SunRISE mission, featuring six cubesats to study radio bursts from the sun, will fly as a secondary payload on a Vulcan launch for the Space Force in 2026. NASA did not disclose the cost of the launch services. (10/3)

Mars Orbiters to Observe Interstellar Comet (Source: Sky & Telescope)
Spacecraft orbiting Mars will turn their attention to a passing interstellar object. The comet, called 3I/ATLAS, arrived from interstellar space and, as it passes through our solar system, will come within about 29 million kilometers of Mars on Friday. Both NASA and ESA spacecraft orbiting Mars will make observations of the comet during that close approach. Scientists hope to get better images of the comet and other data about its composition. (10/3)

China Launches New Fengyun Meteorological Satellite (Source: GCTN)
China launched a new Fengyun meteorological satellite, which will also contribute to a global green mission, from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Saturday. A Long March-4C rocket, carrying the Fengyun-3 08 satellite into the preset orbit. (9/27)

What’s Open at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center? (Source: AL.com)
Huntsville’s Marshall Space Flight Center – one of the agency’s largest field centers – manages parts of the programs that will remain in operation. The center employs about 6,000 people and also oversees an annual budget of about $5 billion worth of human spaceflight, science and technology development efforts for NASA.

Although satellite operations will continue, the shutdown could cause delays or cancellations of future launches. Activities that will cease during the shutdown include public access to NASA centers and facilities. Tours and public education visits to NASA Centers will be canceled. The U.S. Space & Rocket Center serves as the visitor’s center for Marshall. Tours from the Space & Rocket Center to Marshall have been canceled but other Space & Rocket Center activities, including a camp this week for visually impaired students, are not affected, since it is a state agency. (10/2)

Orbital Traffic Surges: 13,026 Active Satellites as of October 1, 2025 (Source: Look Up)
The past year set yet another record with 3,664 satellites launched. As of October 1, 2025, there are 15,965 satellites catalogued around Earth, including 13,026 active satellites, a 23% year-on-year increase (+2,477 net new satellites, i.e., launches minus deorbiting). This surge illustrates the accelerating deployment of commercial constellations delivering telecommunications and Earth-observation services. It continues a long-term trend: just six years ago, fewer than 2,000 satellites were operational. (10/2)

Six Billion Tons a Second: Rogue Planet Found Growing at Record Rate (Source: Phys.org)
Astronomers have identified an enormous "growth spurt" in a so-called rogue planet. Unlike the planets in our solar system, these objects do not orbit stars, free-floating on their own instead. The new observations, made with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT), reveal that this free-floating planet is eating up gas and dust from its surroundings at a rate of six billion tons a second. This is the strongest growth rate ever recorded for a rogue planet, or a planet of any kind, providing valuable insights into how they form and grow. (10/2)

Unknown Bacteria Has Developed in the Chinese Space Station (Source: Evidence Network)
An unknown bacterium, never before seen on our planet, has been discovered in the Chinese space station Tiangong. This discovery, worthy of science-fiction scenarios, raises new questions about life in orbit and microbiological risks. Named Niallia tiangongensis, after the station where it was born, this species intrigues scientists because of its unique characteristics and its adaptation to the space environment.

According to the study carried out as part of the China Space Station Habitation Area Microbiome Program (CHAMP), the microbiome of the Tiangong station differs markedly from that of the International Space Station (ISS). The researchers found a dominance of microbes associated with humans, but also marked functional and genetic diversity, with mutations probably linked to adaptation to the extreme conditions of space: microgravity, increased radiation, confinement and strict cleaning cycles. (9/30)

Patrick Space Force Base Library Celebrates 75 Years of Service to the Community (Source: Space Coast Daily)
The Patrick Space Force Base Library marked its 75th anniversary last month, celebrating decades of learning, innovation, and community connection with an event that brought together Airmen, Guardians, families, and retirees to honor the library’s legacy. On September 4, more than 80 people attended the 75th anniversary celebration, transforming the library into a historic gallery with decades of photographs and scrapbooks on display. Guests enjoyed food, drinks, and entertainment, including face painting for children. (10/2)

Senators Cruz and Cornyn Want To Chop Up Space Shuttle Discovery (Source: NASA Watch)
OMB wants NASA and the Smithsonian to figure out how to cut Space Shuttle Discovery apart into pieces to move it. As you will recall that option was ruled out when Space Shuttle Endeavour was moved to Los Angeles on the now-defunct 747 carrier and then moved through the streets where utilities were moved and trees were cut down. Every effort was taken to preserve the integrity of this historic space ship. Now Texas Senators Ted Cruz and John Cornyn are only interested in snagging a tourist attraction – not a precious historic relic that deserves to be preserved – and certainly not chopped up like a leftover exhibit from a state fair and tossed on a flatbed. (10/1)

From Inner to Outer Space (Source: ESA)
For four days, an international crew of astronauts descended underground to live and work together, cut off from the outside world. Marco Sieber shared the expedition with NASA’s Jasmin “Jaws” Moghbeli, Makoto Suwa from Japan’s space agency JAXA and Mohammad Al Mulla from MBRSC, the Emirati space agency.

Marco’s role for the first two days and nights was to scout the 3.5 km long cave in the Italian Apennines, staying focused for hours on end under real exploration conditions. He was the first one into the unknown. The use of artificial light in constant darkness alters the perception of time and of color. (10/1)

An Asteroid Might Be Heading for the Moon. Should We Nuke It? (Source: NBC)
If an asteroid is on a collision course with the moon, what should humanity do? Try to nudge the space rock out of the way before it strikes? Obliterate it with a nuclear explosion? Those are the questions explored in a recent paper from more than a dozen researchers, including several NASA scientists. And they're not purely hypothetical: An asteroid known as 2024 YR4 is estimated to have a 4% chance of hitting the moon in 2032.

Various key characteristics about asteroid 2024 YR4 aren’t known, including its mass, which would be critical in figuring out how to properly “disrupt” it without creating more problems. “If the explosion is not enough, you’re just going to create a debris field anyway,” said Julie Brisset, interim director of the Florida Space Institute, who wasn’t involved with the paper. (10/1)

Portal Space Systems Brings Solar Thermal Propulsion System Up to Full Power During Test (Source: Geekwire)
Portal Space Systems says it has successfully tested its solar thermal propulsion system at operational temperatures inside a vacuum chamber, marking a first for the commercial space industry. The test marks a key step in the development of Portal’s 3D-printed heat exchanger thruster, known as Flare. The thruster is part of a propulsion system that converts concentrated sunlight into heat. That heat would, in turn, warm up an ammonia-based propellant to produce thrust and send Portal’s Supernova satellite platform where it needs to go. (9/30)

Our Solar System's Asteroid Belt is Slowly Disappearing (Source: Live Science)
The asteroid belt is slowly disappearing because asteroids are being ground into dust by mutual collisions and ejected from the belt by gravitational resonances with Jupiter, Saturn, and Mars. A new analysis published on October 2 estimates the belt is losing mass by about 0.0088% each year, a rate that was significantly higher in the past when the belt was much more massive. This ongoing loss has reduced the overall bombardment of Earth and the Moon over billions of years, a process supported by geological evidence. (10/2)

China Works to Improve Orbital Coordination with US (Source: Space News)
China is improving communications with the United States on space safety. Alvin Drew, NASA’s director of space sustainability, said the agency heard from its Chinese counterpart, the China National Space Administration (CNSA), recently about a potential close approach of their spacecraft. CNSA informed NASA it would maneuver to avoid a close approach. That is a change from past interactions, he said, which primarily involved one-way communications from NASA to CNSA with little or no acknowledgement from China. Others at the conference said that Chinese constellation operators have contacted OneWeb and SpaceX about conjunctions, suggesting a change in policy in China about such interactions. (10/2)

DoD Wants Closer Coordination with Space Startups (Source: Space News)
The U.S. military is taking steps to better understand how startups can fit into its plans. In recent weeks, Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, who leads procurement for the Space Force, paid visits to Northwood Space, a startup building next-generation antennas, as well as commercial space station developer Vast. These visits by Purdy and other military officials are meant to size up the commercial space sector’s progress firsthand, and how their work might fit national security needs as the Pentagon works to improve procurement. A mix of executive orders, new contracting approaches and closer ties between defense leaders and investors has some experts believing this latest reform drive may be different from the past. (10/2)

Starlink-Compatible Radios Sought for Golden Dome Interceptor Satellite Demo (Source: Space News)
The Space Force is seeking proposals for satellite antennas that can communicate directly with SpaceX’s Starlink constellation. Space Systems Command (SSC), through its spectrum warfare office, said the project is in support of the Golden Dome missile defense initiative. The planned demonstration would use radio-frequency communications terminals to establish satellite-to-satellite links between a Starlink payload and a mock space-based interceptor. SSC is seeking low size, weight and power radios that can be demonstrated on-orbit within 12 months. (10/2)

Germany's Massive Space Investment Could Change the Game in Europe (Source: Space News)
Germany’s planned massive investment in military space systems could be a game-changing moment for the German and European space industry. German defense minister Boris Pistorius said last week that the country would spend 35 billion euros ($41 billion) on military space projects over the next five years. While details about the projects that will be funded remain scarce, space industry officials in Europe say the program could be a watershed moment for the industry and encourage other European countries to invest more in space. (10/2)

Lockheed Martin Studying Orion Use Alternatives (Source: Space News)
Lockheed Martin is studying what it would take to offer the Orion spacecraft as a service, including to non-NASA customers. Lockheed announced an agreement with a nonprofit, BioAstra, to study a concept for a deep space biomedical research mission using Orion. Lockheed intends to use the study to see what is required to offer Orion to customers other than NASA. The company announced in July it was exploring a shift from traditional contracts to a service-based approach for Orion in response to NASA policy changes on Artemis. Lockheed believes that it can move gradually towards a services model, taking over capabilities currently provided by NASA. (10/2)

The Exploration Company Still Studying Reentry Failure (Source: Space News)
The Exploration Company is still investigating what went wrong in the final phases of a test flight of a reentry capsule in June. The Mission Possible spacecraft successfully operated in orbit after launch on a SpaceX Transporter rideshare mission and survived reentry, but controllers lost contact soon after reentry and the capsule’s parachutes did not deploy. An executive with The Exploration Company said the firm is still working to figure out what happened during that final phase of the mission. The European company is pressing ahead with its Nyx capsule, slated to make a flight to the International Space Station in 2028, and the company doesn’t expect what happened to Mission Possible to have a major effect on those plans. (10/2)

Blue Origin's Next New Glenn On Track (Source: Space News)
Blue Origin says it is making good progress toward its second New Glenn launch. A company executive said processing of the rocket and its payload, NASA’s ESCAPADE Mars mission, is going well. The company has not disclosed a specific launch date, although a NASA official said last week that the launch would likely take place in late October or early November. (10/2)

Nations Have a Responsibility to Inform of Potential Space Cyber Threats (Source: Space News)
A former White House official says states have a responsibility to inform citizens, including commercial spacecraft operators, of cyber threats. Diane Howard, former commercial space policy director for the National Space Council, said states have a responsibility to “share credible threat intelligence proactively” to provide warnings of cyber threats, including to space systems. That is based on the experience from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, which included cyberattacks on ViaSat’s KA-SAT network and SpaceX’s Starlink. Government action to help satellite operators ward off cyberthreats could also help stabilize markets, she noted. (10/2)

ExLabs Wins Space Force Contract for Reconfigurable Satellites (Source: Space News)
Startup ExLabs won a Space Force contract to support work on its reconfigurable satellites. The $1.9 million “direct to phase 2” SBIR award from Space Systems Command will allow ExLabs to advance development of SERVSAM, a “heavy-class” reconfigurable spacecraft. SERVSAM will be based on the company’s Space Exploration and Resource Vehicle that it has been developing for deep space missions, such as to the asteroid Apophis. (10/2)

Southern Hemisphere's First Optical Ground Stations are Ready (Source: Space News)
The University of Western Australia has completed what it calls the first optical ground station network in the Southern Hemisphere. TeraNet, announced Thursday, includes two ground stations in Western Australia and a third, mobile ground station. The network is designed to support high-speed laser communications with satellites. (10/2)

Blue Origin's Next New Shepard Passengers Named, One Remains Anonymous (Source: Blue Origin)
The manifest for Blue Origin’s next New Shepard flight includes both a repeat customer and an anonymous one. The company announced Wednesday five of the six people who will fly on the NS-36 mission in the near future. They include Clint Kelly III, who flew on the NS-22 mission in 2022. Four others are executives and entrepreneurs. Blue Origin said a sixth person elected to remain anonymous until after the flight. (10/2)

October 2, 2025

Orlando's NAWCTSD Awards Contracts to Support Space Force’s VJETTS Program (Source: Team Orlando)
The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) has completed a contracting action to provide initial infrastructure for the U.S. Space Force’s Virtual Joint Environment for Tactical Training Systems (VJETTS). VJETTS enables joint services for on-site developmental test (DT) training system capabilities by creating a System of Systems (SoS) Virtual and Constructive (VC) environment. This allows the services to rehearse operations in a networked, joint context. The program is an entry point into large-scale simulation environments that already link air, sea and land components for the Space Force. (10/1)

Space Force Opens Door to Foreign Military Sales with SSA Satellite Program (Source: Aviation Week)
Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy of the US Space Force has revealed plans to make the next generation of space situational awareness satellites refuelable and accessible through the Foreign Military Sales program, marking a significant shift from the secretive Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program. The RG-XX program aims for maximum flexibility in contracting, potentially allowing international partners to purchase systems before they are fully funded by the US. (10/1)

Germany Pledges ~$41 Billion for Space Defense Against Russia, China (Source: Space Daily)
Germany will spend 35 billion euros ($41 billion) on outer space defence by 2030, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Thursday, citing the threat posed by Russia and China. "Russia and China have in recent years rapidly expanded their capabilities for conducting warfare in space," he said. "They can disrupt, jam, manipulate or even physically destroy satellites. In space, there are no borders or continents. Russia and China are our immediate neighbours there." Germany has strongly backed Ukraine in its war against Russia and, under Chancellor Friedrich Merz, vowed to massively step up military spending to help boost NATO's European capabilities. (9/25)

Lunar Challenge Winner Tests Technology in NASA Thermal Vacuum Chamber (Source: Space Daily)
One year after winning second place in NASA's Break the Ice Lunar Challenge, members of the small business Starpath visited NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, as part of their prize opportunity to test their upgraded lunar regolith excavation and transportation rover in the center's 20-foot thermal vacuum chamber.

The technology startup headquartered in Hawthorne, California, won second place overall at the Break the Ice Lunar Challenge's live demonstration and finale in June 2024. This competition, one of NASA's Centennial Challenges, tasked competitors to design, build, and demonstrate robotic technologies that could excavate and transport the icy, rocky dirt - otherwise known as regolith - found on the Moon. (9/30)

Lunar Soil Melted Into Construction Bricks by Chinese Research Team (Source: Space Daily)
At the 2025 World Manufacturing Convention in Hefei, researchers from China's Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL) presented a prototype machine capable of transforming lunar soil into construction bricks. The solar-powered system is the first proof-of-concept device designed to fabricate building materials directly on the Moon. The machine concentrates sunlight using a parabolic reflector, transmitting the energy through a fiber optic bundle. At the output end, the solar flux can reach over 3,000 times normal intensity, producing temperatures above 1,300 degrees Celsius. These conditions allow lunar regolith to melt and be molded into solid bricks suitable for roads and structures. (9/25)

Moonquakes Drive Most New Lunar Landslides Since 2009 (Source: Space Daily)
A Chinese-led research team has identified 41 new landslides on the Moon since 2009, concluding that endogenic moonquakes, not fresh impacts, are the primary trigger. The finding redefines understanding of active surface processes and highlights geohazard risks for future lunar bases. For decades, scientists debated whether lunar landslides stem mainly from internal seismic activity, impacts, or thermal rock breakdown. By analyzing 562 pairs of high-resolution images covering 74 globally distributed sites, they found most recent slope failures lacked any connection to impacts or exposed rocks. (9/30)

Potential Smoking Gun Signature of Supermassive Dark Stars Found in JWST Data (Source: Phys.org)
The first stars in the universe formed out of pristine hydrogen and helium clouds, in the first few hundred million years after the Big Bang. New James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations reveal that some of the first stars in the universe could have been very different from regular (nuclear fusion-powered) stars, which have been observed and cataloged by astronomers for millennia.

A recent study identifies four extremely distant objects which are consistent, both from the point of view of their observed spectra and morphology, with being supermassive dark stars. "Supermassive dark stars are extremely bright, giant, yet puffy clouds made primarily out of hydrogen and helium, which are supported against gravitational collapse by the minute amounts of self-annihilating dark matter inside them." (10/1)

Europe Moves Ahead With Strategies to Take On Starlink (Source: Light Reading)
Europe has made some progress in its efforts to ensure greater sovereignty in the satellite connectivity space in the past couple of weeks, although it is widely acknowledged that much work lies ahead if it is to counter the growing worldwide dominance of the Starlink system. Last week, for instance, the SpaceRise consortium that is leading the European Union's IRIS² satellite program kicked off the procurement process for the ground segment. ESA has now published the RFI announcement in addition to the previously released procurement plan. (10/2)

Indians Can Now Compete for a Seat on a Suborbital Flight (Source: The Print)
If you are a healthy adult, an Indian citizen, and have thousands of people willing to vote for you online, you have a shot at going to space. And it will be almost like a reality TV show.

Space Exploration and Research Agency (SERA), a US-based space agency, is partnering with Blue Origin, the spaceflight company founded by Jeff Bezos, to make your dream come true. No hard-set educational background, no long-duration astronaut training — all you need to be is a healthy adult, an Indian citizen, pay roughly USD 2.5 for registration, and build a campaign so that people are willing to vote for you. (10/2)

How America Fell Behind China in the Lunar Space Race—and How it Can Catch Back Up (Source: Ars Technica)
SpaceX and its complex Starship lander are getting the lion's share of the blame for Artemis delays. But the company and its lunar version of Starship are just the final steps on a long, winding path that got the US where it is today. Sean Duffy's continued public insistence that he will not let China beat the United States back to the Moon rings hollow. The shrewd people in the industry I've spoken with say Duffy is an intelligent person and is starting to realize that betting the entire farm on SpaceX at this point would be a mistake.

It would be nice to have a plan B. But please, stop gaslighting us. Stop blustering about how we're going to beat China while losing a quarter of NASA's workforce and watching your key contractors struggle with growing pains. Let's have an honest discussion about the challenges and how we'll solve them. Solutions include a stubby Starship, surged CLPS funding, and having NASA build its own lunar module. Click here. (10/2)

China Deploys Robot Dogs in Simulated Moon Conditions Ahead of Lunar Mission (Source: SCMP)
Chinese researchers are testing and training robotic dogs in preparation for future exploration beneath the moon’s surface, an area that is considered ideal for establishing human lunar bases. A team from the Peking University’s school of computer science has developed two specialised robotic dogs for the exploration mission, and tested them in a cave in northeastern China. (10/2)

Scalable Lunar Power Study Launched by Honda and Astrobotic (Source: Space Daily)
Honda Motor Co. and Astrobotic Technology have entered a joint development agreement to investigate scalable lunar power solutions that combine Honda's regenerative fuel cell (RFC) system with Astrobotic's Vertical Solar Array Technology (VSAT) and LunaGrid service. The collaboration aims to deliver continuous and reliable power for extended lunar surface operations, particularly during the two-week lunar night.

Honda's RFC system, a circulative renewable energy cycle, uses solar energy and water to produce oxygen, hydrogen, and electricity. During the lunar day, solar power is stored as hydrogen, which the system converts back to electricity at night. The process yields water as the sole byproduct, which is recycled into Honda's high-pressure electrolysis system to close the energy loop. (9/30)

NASA Employees on Artemis Missions with SpaceX, Blue Origin to Work Through Shutdown (Source: CNBC)
NASA employees were informed that those working on Artemis missions with SpaceX and Blue Origin would need to continue working through the shutdown. Their work will be unpaid “during the shutdown furlough,” but employees should record their time, NASA Chief Human Capital Officer Kelly Elliott wrote in an email to staffers. The U.S. government shut down early Wednesday morning, setting the stage for the furlough of hundreds of thousands of federal workers. (10/1)

Space Center Houston Remains Open During Government Shutdown; NASA Tours Paused (Source: Houston Chronicle)
Space Center Houston will remain open despite a government shutdown, but some operations such as specialty tours will be affected, representatives with the museum said Wednesday. The museum serves as the official visitor center of NASA's Johnson Space Center, but operates independently from the space agency. (10/2)

KSC Visitor Complex Remains Open During Shutdown; NASA Tours Not Paused (Source: KSCVC)
The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is open during the U.S. government shutdown. All exhibits and attractions, including the Kennedy Space Center Bus Tour remain open for guests to explore. The Explore Tour and other special interest tours will operate as normal. (10/2)

Introducing Arc – the World’s First Space-Based Delivery Vehicle (Sources: Inversion, Ars Technica)
A relatively new spacecraft company, Inversion, revealed its new "on demand" delivery vehicle. Arc enables the on-demand delivery of cargo and effects to anywhere on Earth in under an hour, and offers unparalleled hypersonic testing capabilities. Arc reshapes defense readiness by enabling access to anywhere on Earth in under an hour – allowing for the rapid delivery of mission-critical cargo and effects to austere, infrastructure-limited, or denied environments.

This capability establishes space as a new global logistics domain, introducing unprecedented speed, reach, and resiliency for national security. Arc features a versatile payload bay designed to accommodate a wide range of mission-critical cargo and effects. When launched to low-Earth orbit, Arc vehicles will form constellations of varying sizes and locations tailored to each customer’s needs. When called down on demand, Arc spacecraft descend from orbit, maneuver through hypersonic reentry, and touch down safely under parachutes – all autonomously. (10/1)

OpenAI Valuation Soars to $500 Billion, Topping Musk’s SpaceX (Source: Bloomberg)
OpenAI has completed a deal to help employees sell shares in the company at a $500 billion valuation, propelling the ChatGPT owner past Elon Musk’s SpaceX to become the world’s largest startup. (10/2)

Will the Shutdown Impact US Launches? (Source: Space News)
The impact on launch operations at Cape Canaveral and Vandenberg Space Force Base could be significant if there is a protracted shutdown. Military ranges depend heavily on civilian employees and contractors for everything from safety protocols to technical coordination. Mission-critical defense launches would get priority with skeleton crews, but everything else — commercial launches, non-emergency military missions, static fire tests, pre-launch operations — risks delay or cancellation if the shutdown drags on. (10/1)

As California Glaciers Disappear, People Will See Ice-Free Peaks Exposed for the First Time in Millennia (Source: LA Times)
The glaciers in California’s Sierra Nevada are shrinking and expected to disappear this century. New research shows the glaciers have probably existed since the last Ice Age. The remnants of these glaciers, which have already shrunk dramatically since the late 1800s, are retreating year after year, and are projected to melt completely this century as global temperatures continue to rise. When the last of the glaciers melts, scientists say, the mountains will be ice-free for the first time in millennia. (10/1)

NASA Closes Doors to 15,000 Employees as US Government Shutdown Begins (Source: Space.com)
More than 15,000 NASA civil servants have been furloughed as the U.S. federal government enters a shutdown. The grinding halt forces NASA and other agencies to scale back nearly all of their day-to-day operations after lawmakers in Washington D.C. failed to pass a government funding bill by the deadline. Only a fraction of NASA's workforce remains on duty, assigned to missions that cannot be paused without risking astronaut safety, critical hardware, or the Trump administration’s highest priorities.

With most science programs and public-facing activities frozen, the shutdown leaves NASA in a holding pattern until Congress approves new funding. NASA's updated shutdown plan, released Sept. 29, outlines how the agency will operate during the funding lapse, and confirms the scale of furloughs now underway. Out of NASA's 18,218 civil servants, 15,094 have been sent home, while a little more than 3,100 are classified as "excepted" and remain on the job.

By comparison, NASA's August 2023 continuity plan projected 17,007 furloughs and just 1,300 excepted employees. The smaller furlough number this year likely reflects newly expanded exemptions for Artemis, which now cover the entire program, rather than only operations necessary for "safety and protection of life and property." (10/1)

Could China Return the Perseverance Rover's Possible Biosignature Sample From Mars? (Source: Space.com)
NASA may have discovered a biosignature on Mars, but could China be in position to get crucial samples back to Earth first to make a definitive analysis? China's Tianwen 3 mission aims to launch in late 2028 and return Mars material to Earth in 2031. Landing site selection is still ongoing, but could the mission target Jezero Crater, where Perseverance is active, and attempt to collect similar samples?

Tianwen 3 plans to collect Martian samples using a drill, a scoop and a small drone, grabbing a total of around 1.1 pounds (500 grams) of material. Where it can land, however, depends on a number of engineering constraints. A landing site for Tianwen 3 will be selected between 17 and 30 degrees North latitude. Jezero Crater lies at 18 degrees North, meaning it fits that criteria. Jezero's altitude rules it out as a target, however. Jezero's floor is around 8,350 feet (2,600 meters) below Martian "sea level." But Tianwen 3 needs to land even lower down, with the criteria being at least 9,840 feet (3,000 m) below notional sea level. (10/1)

NASA Lasers Confirm Earth is Losing Landmass to Rising Seas Much More Quickly Than Thought (Source: Earth.com)
Lasers have confirmed the big driver behind today’s rapidly rising sea levels. A new study reports that global mean sea level (GMSL) has climbed about 3.5 inches since 1993. What’s even more concerning is that the pace has increased dramatically in the last two decades.

Roughly 60 percent of the rise coming from added water mass, and more than four fifths of that added mass came from melting land ice. Sea level changes for two reasons, seawater warms and expands, and new water flows from land into the ocean. The oceans take up about 90 percent of the extra heat trapped by greenhouse gases, according to the IPCC report.

Three and a half inches over three decades might sound small, yet it stacks on top of tides, storms, and land motion. Local sea level can move faster or slower than the global average because ice loss from warming waters and changing gravity redistribute water unevenly. The pace is not steady either. The global rate today is higher than it was in the 1990s, which lines up with faster ice loss seen in Greenland and Antarctica. (10/1)

Northwest Airports Are Sinking, National Satellite Analysis Shows (Source: OPB)
Airport runways need to be smooth and flat so planes can take-off and land safely. But if the ground under the runways is sinking, that surface can dip and crack, requiring expensive repairs. Researchers at Virginia Tech did a satellite analysis of 15 of the country’s busiest airports and found that Portland’s runways are subsiding. The analysis shows the rate varies along the runways, but at its highest, PDX is sinking relatively quickly — second only (of the airports studied) to San Francisco. (10/1)

California's Coastline Is a Public Trust, Not Elon Musk's Private Launchpad (Source: Independent)
Californians have already invested in SpaceX; now Musk seeks to evade oversight while putting our environment, our health, and our coastline at risk. This is an example of a billionaire’s corporation leveraging federal authority to pursue projects that harm the public. Our coastline is a shared public trust, not Elon Musk’s private launchpad. Rocket fuels like RP-1 kerosene, and perchlorates are highly toxic, contaminate air, soil, and water — and are especially dangerous for children and pregnant women. Methane fuel is also a dangerous greenhouse gas.

SpaceX’s endangerment of wildlife goes beyond California. Musk’s launches from Starbase, Texas, are documented to have caused mass death for 900 endangered sea turtles in the impact zone in Mexico. Musk, and Gov. Newsom, should not forget that Earth is life. Whales, birds, turtles, seals, and wildlife all need our protection. Here in California, if the Air Force continues to green-light SpaceX launching 100 or more rockets a year plus re-entries, we will be experiencing sonic booms every two to three days. The effects will feel akin to living in constant war.

In response to the Coastal Commission’s decision last October to deny the Air Force and SpaceX project until they provide more data on environmental impacts, Governor Newsom also said, “I didn’t like that.” Governor Newsom: Californians don’t like that the Air Force is ignoring the California Coastal Commission’s ruling and allowing SpaceX, a private corporation, to launch a goal of 40,000 Starlink satellites into our sky. They will not only desecrate the planet but threaten the Earth with space junk under the guise of “National Security.” In actuality, this is for private profit to SpaceX, too. (9/30)

Firefly Aerospace Stock Tanks 20% After Test Rocket Explosion (Source: CNBC)
Firefly Aerospace shares sank nearly 21% after its rocket exploded during a ground test on Monday. The explosion occurred during a first-stage test of the satellite-launching Alpha Flight 7 rocket at its facility in Briggs, Texas, Firefly wrote in an update. (9/30)

What’s Next for Direct-to-Device After SpaceX’s Blockbuster Spectrum Deal (Source: Space News)
The SpaceX spectrum deal is worth “more than the market cap of half of the satellite companies combined,” giving the clearest indication yet of just how much the company values an emerging market it has set out to dominate. “D2D was considered quite a long-term prospect, and now it’s a shorter and shorter horizon,” said Pacôme Révillon, CEO of Novaspace.

Novaspace estimates there will be roughly 300 million monthly D2D users by 2030, when service revenues are forecasted to climb from around $400 million today to $5.7 billion. SpaceX is moving quickly to capture those users as rivals ramp up their own plans. Until recently, the D2D landscape was distinctly divided into two camps: The first sought out terrestrial wireless partnerships.

Think of companies such as SpaceX, AST SpaceMobile and Lynk Global focused on teaming up with mobile network operators (MNOs) to use their terrestrial spectrum from space. The second focused on satellite spectrum strategies. Viasat, Globalstar and other legacy MSS providers could previously only use their space-licensed frequencies to connect specialized devices, but are now adapting mobile industry standards to reach the mass market. AST, which has partnered with AT&T and Verizon in the U.S., was the first to blur that distinction. (10/1)

Heavy Traffic Ahead (Source: Aerospace America)
SpaceX has proven that thousands of satellites can be operated without collisions in low-Earth orbit, but that task could become more difficult as Amazon and others deploy their own megaconstellations. If even a few of the proposed megaconstellations come to fruition, managing their operations in close proximity will be “the next big challenge,” says Brian Weeden of Aerospace Corp.

Among the concerns is how the two main U.S. operators, SpaceX and Amazon, will coordinate with in-development Chinese megaconstellations. Further complicating the issue, in Weeden’s view, is that these broadband constellations are more than just commercial endeavors. They’re “seen as an important national capability” increasingly relied upon for security and military use, Weeden says, making it all the more important that operators have a way to communicate with one another to deconflict and avoid potential collisions.

And that’s perhaps the biggest hurdle, given how little the U.S. and China have historically communicated about space assets. Even with safeguards, the cumulative chance that a constellation the size of Starlink experiences at least one collision per year is greater than 10%. Even a single collision can create thousands of new debris fragments. In 2009, the active American Iridium-33 satellite and the defunct Russian Kosmos-2251 collided over Siberia, generating 2,000 trackable pieces of debris bigger than a smartphone, about half of which remain in orbit. (10/1)

A Closer Look at SpaceX’s Mars Plan (Source: Aerospace America)
Five uncrewed Starships would lift off in 2026, the next time the orbits of Earth and Mars are aligned. If all goes well, the craft would touch down on Mars in 2027, carrying an unspecified number of the bipedal Optimus robot made by Musk’s electric car company, Tesla. Another 20 Starships would lift off during the next transfer window in 2028. Most of them would carry additional Optimuses to set up Martian ground infrastructure and survey for resources, such as water ice, but at least one of the Starships would carry an unspecified number of human passengers.

Plans then call for steadily increasing the number of flights every 26 months, in each subsequent launch opportunity: 100 Starships in 2031, 500 in 2033, working up to the eventual target of “1,000 or 2,000 ships per Mars rendezvous,” Musk said, with each crewed Starship carrying 100 to 200 passengers.

The general plan is sound, according to the 10 experts I spoke with for this piece, several of whom were retired NASA employees who oversaw previous Mars missions and contributed to the agency’s plans for sending its own astronauts to the red planet. What’s less certain is whether SpaceX can stick to the launch targets. Even Musk acknowledges that 2026 is ambitious, tweeting in early August that it was “more likely” the first uncrewed Starships would launch “in ~3.5 years, next flight ~5.5 years with humans.” (10/1)

October 1, 2025

Port Canaveral Preps for More Rocket Recoveries with 3rd Crane (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Port Canaveral has had such a busy year supporting SpaceX’s rocket recovery efforts, it brought in a new crane to assist in the launch parade on the Space Coast. Port CEO Capt. John Murray said the third mobile harbor crane operated by the port arrived on Aug. 3.

“We had this crane modified somewhat to accommodate Relativity Space’s rocket that they may be modifying and it may not work as we originally intended.” he said. “They may have a different booster now.” Murray did note that all of the port’s cranes, two of which top 320 feet tall, had been modified for the space industry. (10/1)

Midland City Council Approves AST SpaceMobile Footprint Expansion (Source: Mach 33)
The Midland, Texas, City Council unanimously approved amendments to AST’s economic development agreement, allowing expansion into the full MDC facility, renewing leases, and adding ~50 jobs on top of ~200 existing. This boosts AST’s production and operational capacity for its satellite / communications hardware. It signals strong local government support, which may smooth permitting and scale execution. However, the expansion must be matched by capital and revenue to pay off scaling risk. (9/26)

Space Force Declares ATLAS Operational for Space Monitoring (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Force has declared the Advanced Tracking and Launch Analysis System operational, marking a significant upgrade from the outdated Space Defense Operations Center. ATLAS, developed by L3Harris, will enhance the Space Force's ability to monitor satellites and space debris. (9/30)

Beyond Gravity Wins Order to Build Robotic Thruster Mechanisms for HummingSat Satellites (Source: Space Daily)
Beyond Gravity has secured a contract to supply robotic thruster pointing mechanisms for five HummingSat geostationary telecommunications satellites being developed by Swiss satellite manufacturer SWISSto12. The multi-axis robotic arms will control the satellites' electric propulsion systems, keeping them on station 35,786 kilometers above Earth. (9/30)

Themis Reusable Rocket Demonstrator Stands Ready in Sweden (Source: Space Daily)
The European Space Agency's first full-scale reusable rocket demonstrator, Themis, is now positioned on its launch pad at the Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden. The milestone marks the start of preparations for low-altitude flight tests designed to validate vertical take-off and landing operations using cryogenic propulsion.

The vehicle incorporates the Prometheus engine, a restartable liquid oxygen and methane engine that can throttle thrust to ensure controlled landings. Comparable in power to Ariane 6's main engine, Prometheus is a key step in Europe's effort to develop cost-effective and reusable launch technologies. (9/25)

Venus' Cloud Aerosols Contain Reservoirs of Water and Iron (Source: Space Daily)
A new analysis of the aerosols in Venus' clouds, from data originally collected in 1978 during the Pioneer Venus mission, has found evidence for substantial water and iron. (9/30)

Technique Could Reveal Hidden Habitats on Moon and Mars (Source: Space Daily)
With repeated strikes of a 10-pound sledgehammer, a team of NASA-supported researchers has demonstrated a low-tech but powerful method to locate caves that may one day provide shelter for astronauts on the Moon and Mars. The experiments, conducted in Arizona and California, used terrain with geologic features similar to those of planetary lava fields. By hitting a metal plate on the surface, the team generated seismic vibrations, then measured how those waves bounced back from underground structures. The approach mimics a medical CT scan, revealing hidden voids beneath the ground. (9/30)

Arianespace Partners with BULL to Advance Space Debris Prevention Measures on Ariane 6 (Source: Space Daily)
Arianespace and French start-up BULL are strengthening their cooperation on sustainable spaceflight through joint work on space debris mitigation technology for the Ariane 6 launcher. The two companies signed a memorandum of understanding in 2024 to explore the integration of BULL's HORN Post Mission Disposal (PMD) device onto the Ariane 6 Dual Launch System. 

Initial feasibility studies confirmed the effectiveness of deploying the system on Ariane 6. The HORN PMD features a large deployable sail that accelerates atmospheric re-entry once missions are complete, thereby preventing the creation of orbital debris. Arianespace and BULL are now preparing a flight demonstration of the system, with potential launch slots from 2027. (9/30)

Canadian Space Agency Offers Funding for Dual-Use Technologies (Source: Space News)
Canada’s recently announced defense industrial strategy provides funding for space technologies with civil and military applications, Canadian Space Agency President Lisa Campbell said at the International Astronautical Congress.

“Satellite servicing, refueling, sustainable access to orbit, advanced robotics, artificial intelligence applications, critical deep space systems and cybersecurity have applications for defense but also on the civil side,” Campbell said. “In many of these areas, civil and defense needs naturally converge.” (10/1)

Satellite Operators Seek Help From ITU to Improve Coordination for Space Safety (Source: Space News)
Satellite operators are looking to an international regulator for help in avoiding collisions in orbit. American and Chinese satellite operators said one of their biggest problems is finding contact information for operators of satellites that approach their fleets. While the major operators work well with each other, in many cases smaller operators are difficult to contact. They said that the ITU could help by asking member states and operators to submit contact information to them, serving as a trusted third party to facilitate those communications. The ITU plans to discuss the issue at a space sustainability forum it is hosting next week. (10/1)

Australia and UK Commit to Space Cooperation (Source: Space News)
Australia and the United Kingdom renewed their commitment to space-related cooperation. The two countries signed at the IAC Wednesday an extension of the Space Bridge Framework Arrangement. That agreement, first signed in 2021, supports investment, research and cooperation between the two countries in space. One example of that cooperation is AquaWatch, a space and ground-based initiative focused on water-quality monitoring that includes companies and organizations in both countries. (10/1)

New Study Suggests Enceladus Could Host Life (Source: Scientific American)
A new study boosts the chances that Saturn’s moon Enceladus could host life. The study, published Wednesday, reanalyzed data from the Cassini mission to Saturn, looking for organic compounds in plumes ejected from the icy surface of Enceladus. The data showed evidence of complex organic molecules that, on Earth, are associated with life. Scientists said the research suggests there is complex chemistry taking place in the subsurface oceans of Enceladus that are worth examining in greater detail on any future missions there. (10/1)

Australian and Japanese Organizations Join Forces on Optical Communications (Source: Space News)
The University of South Australia is partnering with Australian and Japanese companies on laser communications systems for space. Japan’s Warpspace will integrate its optical modem with the Australasian Optical Ground Station Network, led by the university, while Warpspace expands other work in Australia. The network is designed to support space-to-ground high-speed communications. (10/1)

OQ Technology Expands Satellite IoT Services to Australia (Source: Space News)
OQ Technology has expanded its satellite connectivity services for remote Internet of Things (IoT) devices to Australia, the Luxembourg-based low Earth orbit operator announced Sept. 30. OQ Technology founder and CEO Omar Qaise said the company has also opened an office in the country after securing a license to use S-band spectrum for non-terrestrial 5G IoT services from its constellation of 10 small satellites. (10/1)

Japan Plans Power Beaming Demo (Source: Power Info Today)
Japan is preparing to beam solar power from space to Earth in 2025 with a demonstration mission called OHISAMA. The purpose is to demonstrate the feasibility of solar power beam technology. Thirteen ground receivers covering a 600-square-meter area will capture a satellite's microwaves beamed down. The project is led by Japan Space Systems, with support from Japanese researchers. The small satellite, weighing about 180 kg (≈400 lbs) and equipped with a 2-square-meter solar panel, will be launched into low Earth orbit at about 400 km altitude.

It will collect sunlight in space—unaffected by weather or clouds—convert it into electricity, and then into microwaves. These microwaves will beam about 1 kilowatt of power (enough to run a small appliance like a coffee maker) to receiving antennas in Japan, such as those planned in Suwa. (9/24)

Varda Space and Southern Launch Agree to More Capsule Landings in Australia (Source: Space News)
Varda Space Industries has signed a new agreement with an Australian range for capsule landings. Varda and Southern Launch announced a deal Tuesday to allow Varda to reenter up to 20 capsules at Southern Launch’s Koonibba Test Range through 2030. Varda landed its W-2 and W-3 capsules there earlier this year, with two more reentries planned before the end of the year. Varda said the Australian site can support the higher cadence of missions it has planned after the company struggled to win approvals last year to land a capsule in Utah. (10/1)

Maldives Plots $50 Million Fund for Sovereign Space Capabilities (Source: Space News)
The Maldives is looking to raise $50 million for a space agency fund that will address climate and security challenges. The Maldives Space Fund (MSF), based in the United Arab Emirates for regulatory oversight, was announced Wednesday during the IAC. The $50 million fund represents an initial phase designed to support the Maldives Space Research Organization on its priorities, which include marine conservation, illegal fishing detection and broader support for small island developing states. The fund will invest in infrastructure, applications and “frontier innovation” areas. (10/1)

ViaSat-3 in Florida for ULA Launch After Antenna Fixes (Source: Space News)
The second ViaSat-3 satellite has arrived in Florida for launch preparations. The Boeing-built ViaSat-3 F2 satellite is scheduled to launch later this month on a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5. The satellite was to launch in 2023 but was delayed after an antenna deployment problem on ViaSat-3 F1. The companies have not detailed the corrective actions that have been taken to avoid repeating the issue with the ViaSat-3 F1 antenna supplied by Northrop Grumman. (10/1)

Maxar Units Change Names to Vantor and Lantaris (Source: Space News)
The two Maxar businesses in geospatial intelligence and space systems are changing their names. Maxar Intelligence is now known as Vantor while Maxar Space Systems has become Lantaris, name changes that took effect Wednesday. The two companies were created from Maxar Technologies after private equity firm Advent International acquired it for $6.4 billion in 2023. The name changes are intended to help make clear that the two companies are separate, as many assumed they were divisions within the same company rather than distinct entities. For Vantor, the new name also signals a strategic pivot from primarily providing Earth imagery from satellites and data analytics to becoming what executives describe as a software and data-focused company centered on intelligence solutions.  (10/1)

China's 4th Quarter Includes Launches and Testing Toward Lunar Crewed Mission (Source: Space News)
China is preparing a series of tests and launches in the final quarter of 2025 that are crucial to its crewed moon program and commercial rocket plans. This includes new tests of the Long March 10, the launch vehicle China is developing for sending astronauts to the moon. Another expected test is an in-flight escape test at maximum dynamic pressure of the Mengzhou crew spacecraft. Chinese launch will also enter a crucial period in the final months of 2025, with multiple new rockets close to debut flights including the Long March 12A, Zhuque-3, Tianlong-3 and Gravity-2. (10/1)

Gravitino Emerges as Contender in Dark Matter Search (Source: Space Daily)
Dark matter continues to puzzle physicists, despite decades of experiments and many competing theories. A recent study introduces a striking alternative candidate: supermassive charged gravitinos. Their findings suggest that new underground neutrino detectors may be uniquely equipped to spot these elusive particles.

Traditionally, dark matter candidates have been neutral, such as axions or weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs). Yet none have been found. In contrast, gravitinos are predicted to be extraordinarily heavy, close to the Planck mass-around a billion billion times heavier than a proton-and, unusually, electrically charged. Although extremely rare, their sheer mass and stability make them viable dark matter candidates. (9/22)

New Mars Research Reveals Multiple Episodes of Habitability in Jezero Crater (Source: Space Daily)
New research using NASA's Perseverance rover has uncovered strong evidence that Mars' Jezero Crater experienced multiple episodes of fluid activity - each with conditions that could have supported life. By analyzing high-resolution geochemical data from the rover, scientists have identified two dozen types of minerals, the building blocks of rocks, that help reveal a dynamic history of volcanic rocks that were altered during interactions with liquid water on Mars. (9/19)

Taiwan Running Out of Time for Satellite Communications (Source: Space Daily)
Taiwan's space chief Wu Jong-shinn says the "clock is ticking" for the democratic island to launch its own satellites to secure internet and phone services during a potential conflict with China. The island faces the constant threat of an invasion by Beijing, which claims the island is part of its territory and in recent years has intensified military pressure. Taiwan needs 150 of its own low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites for "basic communication resilience" in case the subsea telecoms cables connecting the island with the rest of the world are damaged or cut, Wu said. It currently has none. (9/19)

Rocket Lab Test Flight to Aid US Hypersonic Research (Source: Astronomy)
Rocket Lab is set to launch the Justin mission using its Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron rocket, a modified version of the Electron, from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The mission aims to test advanced hypersonic technologies for the US military, including air-breathing engines and thermal protection systems. (9/29)

Rocket Lab and Synspective Strike Another 10-Launch Deal, Boosting Contracted Missions to 21 Electron Launches (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab announced it has secured a second multi-launch contract with Synspective, a leading Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) satellite data and analytics company from Japan. The new contract for a further 10 dedicated Electron launches brings the total number of upcoming Synspective missions to 21 – marking the largest order of dedicated Electron missions with a single customer to date.

Following the first launch agreement announced in June 2024, this second multi-launch contract within 18 months further solidifies Electron’s international expansion. Rocket Lab has been Synspective’s sole launch provider to-date, successfully deploying six StriX satellites across six dedicated launches from Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. (9/30)

Eutelsat Needs to Close Funding Gap to Gain Ground on Starlink (Source: Reuters)
Satellite operator Eutelsat must secure investment from more European countries to bolster its efforts to challenge Starlink, EU lawmakers and analysts say following a commitment by France. The debt-laden Franco-British company has gained unprecedented attention this year from European governments as the policies of President Donald Trump have raised concern about their reliance on U.S. satellite companies. (9/30)

New Florida Investment Matches Blue Origin's Ambitious Growth Plans (Source: Blue Origin)
Blue Origin now employs nearly 4,000 people in Brevard County and has invested over $2.3 billion with 500 suppliers in Florida, generating significant economic growth and employment in the region. We're currently the only company manufacturing and launching rockets in Cape Canaveral, contributing to the development of additional skillsets in the growing technical workforce of Florida.

Our manufacturing and operations footprint has more than doubled in eight years to 11 sites across Brevard and Orange Counties, including Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral, Titusville, Melbourne, and Orlando, as we build a road to space for the benefit of Earth. This represents an investment of more than $3 billion in facilities and infrastructure, including rebuilding historic Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Click here. (9/29)

Blue Origin Plans "New Armstrong" to Counter SpaceX's Starship Super-Heavy Rocket (Source: Geekwire)
Blue Origin is already planning something to rival Starship, the super-rocket built by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Bezos simply isn’t ready to share those plans yet. A super-heavy-lift rocket concept known as New Armstrong has been talked about for almost as long as New Glenn. Bezos mentioned the idea way back in 2016. (9/26)

NASA Tweaks Artemis II Reentry To Address Heatshield Concerns (Source: Aviation Week)
NASA is opting for a new flight trajectory for the next Artemis mission to reduce risks to astronauts as the agency gears up to return to the lunar surface in 2027. To address the concern, managers for next year's Artemis II mission have changed the Orion crew capsule's reentry profile. (9/29)

Whistleblowers: NASA Cuts Having Safety Impacts (Source: Geekwire)
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-WA, released a report that quotes NASA whistleblowers as saying they’ve “already seen safety impacts” affecting the space agency, due to budget cuts that are canceling out previously appropriated funding. One whistleblower is quoted as voicing concern “that we’re going to see an astronaut death within a few years” because of the Trump administration’s “chainsaw approach.”

“Like other premier science agencies, NASA has thrived on consistent, bipartisan investments, which are essential to America’s economic prosperity and technological supremacy. But today, NASA faces an existential threat under the Trump administration,” the report says. The report, titled “The Destruction of NASA’s Mission,” says the White House Office of Management and Budget directed NASA in early summer to begin implementing cutbacks called for in President Trump’s proposed budget for the 2026 fiscal year — even though those proposed cuts go far beyond what’s in effect for the fiscal year that’s about to end. (9/26)

Axiom Space Taps Portuguese Physiologist as First ‘Project Astronaut’ (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
Axiom Space is gearing up to launch the first module of its commercial space station as soon as next year, but it is also refining how it will train future crews to head into low Earth orbit. Axiom Space announced that Emiliano Ventura, a Portuguese physiologist and director of the Motor & Sport Institute (MSI) Bio Performance Center, will be spearheading a new training program for Axiom Space called “Project Astronaut.” This pilot program is designed to test out a six-month astronaut training protocol, stemming from his background in physiology and sports science. (9/30)

Mystery of Dark Matter Can Be Unraveled Using Radio Telescopes (Source: Tel Aviv University)
A new study has predicted, for the first time, the groundbreaking results that can be obtained from detecting radio waves coming to us from the early Universe. The findings show that during the cosmic dark ages, dark matter formed dense clumps throughout the Universe, which pulled in hydrogen gas and caused it to emit intense radio waves. This leads to a novel method to use the measured radio signals to help resolve the mystery of dark matter. (9/29)

ESA Will Pay an Italy's Avio Nearly $50 Million to Design a Mini-Starship (Source: Ars Technica)
The European Space Agency signed a contract Monday with Avio, the Italian company behind the small Vega rocket, to begin designing a reusable upper stage capable of flying into orbit, returning to Earth, and launching again. This is a feat more difficult than recovering and reusing a rocket's booster stage, something European industry has also yet to accomplish. SpaceX's workhorse Falcon 9 rocket has a recoverable booster, and several companies in the United States, China, and Europe are trying to replicate SpaceX's success with the partially reusable Falcon 9.

At the end of the two-year contract, Avio will deliver a preliminary design for the reusable upper stage and the ground infrastructure needed to make it a reality. The preliminary design review is a milestone in the early phases of an aerospace project, typically occurring many years before completion. For example, Europe's flagship Ariane 6 rocket passed its preliminary design review in 2016, eight years before its first launch. (9/29)

How Would a Government Shutdown Affect NASA? (Source: Space.com)
A government shutdown would force NASA to scale back most of its activities, sending the majority of its workforce home without pay. Only a small number of essential personnel would remain, tasked with protecting mission-critical assets such as spacecraft in orbit, astronauts aboard the ISS and other safety operations, while most research and development would come to a halt.

NASA’s contingency plan, as outlined in its shutdown FAQs from 2018, emphasizes that only "activities which are necessary to prevent harm to life or property" are exempt from being affected. So, without a funding bill by the end of Sep. 30 — the end of the current fiscal year — agency offices will close, labs will go quiet and most of NASA's employees will find themselves facing a furlough.

In addition to keeping the ISS operational and monitoring satellites that provide things like weather and climate data, the agency can also request exceptions for other activities deemed critical. Lakiesha Hawkins, NASA’s acting deputy administrator for exploration systems, said the agency expects to win such exceptions for Artemis 2. (9/29)

CASIS and NSS Pool $3.6 Million for ISS Research Projects (Source: CASIS)
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and the ISS National Laboratory announce up to $3.6 million in total funding available for multiple projects to advance transport phenomena research using the orbiting laboratory. Since the partnership began in 2015, NSF has allocated more than $40 million in funding to support projects leveraging the ISS National Lab. Forty-five of these investigations have already launched to the space station, with dozens more slated for future missions. More than 200 peer-reviewed articles related to these studies have been published, furthering scientific knowledge for the research community, with dozens more slated for future missions. (9/30)

Astronaut-Senator to Appropriators: Leave Discovery in Smithsonian (Source: CollectSpace)
A former NASA astronaut-turned-U.S. Senator has joined with other lawmakers to insist that his twice ride to space remain grounded and on display in the Smithsonian. Mark Kelly, who today represents the state of Arizona, has joined with fellow Democrat Senators Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, both of Virginia, and Dick Durbin of Illinois to try to halt the move of space shuttle Discovery to Houston, as enacted into law earlier this year. Kelly flew two of his four missions aboard Discovery. (9/29)

Agency Layoffs, Shutdown Create ‘Perfect Storm’ for Contractors (Source: FNN)
Amid federal staffing reductions, a looming shutdown and the threat of more mass firings, contractors are wondering who will be left to answer the phone. Federal contractors are preparing for a particularly difficult government shutdown if Congress doesn’t pass a funding agreement, with agency staffing reductions compounding the usual strains during a lapse in appropriations. If a shutdown were to happen Wednesday, the Professional Services Council is advising companies to continue working until they receive a stop work order from the government. (9/29)