July 15, 2025

China Space Dominance Strategy: Universities to Launch New Low Altitude Space Major (Source: Space Daily)
In a concerted push to support China's rapidly expanding low-altitude space sector, six leading universities will introduce an undergraduate major in the field this fall. The program, approved in April by the Ministry of Education, is part of a national strategy to cultivate professionals for an industry projected to surpass 1.5 trillion yuan ($207 billion) in value by the end of 2025. (7/14)

China's Lunar Leadership: Chang'e-6 Mission Reveals Ancient Volcanic and Magnetic Secrets From Moon's Farside (Source: Space Daily)
The Moon's near and far sides differ dramatically in terrain, crust, and volcanic history-a mystery that has long perplexed scientists. This disparity is now better understood thanks to China's Chang'e-6 mission, which launched on May 3, 2024, and returned 1,935.3 grams of lunar material from the South Pole-Aitken Basin (SPA) on June 25, 2024. The SPA, a 2,500-kilometer-wide structure, is the oldest, deepest, and largest impact basin on the Moon.

Earlier research suggested that the SPA formed about 4.25 billion years ago in a cataclysmic impact, but the broader geological implications remained elusive. Now, research teams from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics (IGG), the National Astronomical Observatories (NAOC), Nanjing University, and other institutions have made four major breakthroughs. These results, detailed in four cover stories in Nature, offer new clarity on the Moon's internal processes. (7/14)

China Launches Long March 7 with TSS Cargo, New Space Suits, Experiments (Source: Space News)
China launched a new cargo spacecraft to its Tiangong space station Monday. A Long March 7 rocket lifted off from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center at 5:34 p.m. Eastern, putting the Tianzhou-9 spacecraft into orbit. That spacecraft docked with the Tiangong space station about three hours later. The cargo craft delivered around 6,500 kilograms of supplies, breaking the record for most cargo on such a mission by 100 kilograms. The cargo on the spacecraft included two upgraded Feitian extravehicular activity suits, each rated to perform up to 20 spacewalks over four years. (7/15)

Building Europe's Space Capability: New Drop Tests Advance Space Rider Precision Landing System (Source: Space Daily)
Space Rider, ESA's reusable orbital vehicle, has taken a major step forward in validating its precision landing system. The spacecraft, roughly the size of two minivans, is designed for missions ranging from pharmaceutical production to orbital platform servicing. It can remain in orbit for up to three months before autonomously returning to Earth using a parafoil-guided descent and skid landing.

After a two-month campaign in 2024, ESA's team returned to the Salto di Quirra test range in Sardinia, Italy, in 2025 for two weeks of intensive drop tests. These latest tests focused on verifying the spacecraft's parachute system and autonomous flight-control software. (7/14)

Building Europe's Space Capability: The Mars Mission That Could Prep for a Human Landing (Source: Space Daily)
If we're to land humans on Mars in the coming decades, we'll have to know what challenges await them when they get there.
Enter M-MATISSE, a potential precursor to a crewed mission to the Red Planet which could use UK instrumentation being promoted at the Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy Meeting 2025 in Durham to revolutionize our understanding of space weather on Mars.

It would involve sending two robot orbiters to the fourth planet from the Sun to unravel the complex workings of the Martian magnetosphere (the region around a planet dominated by its magnetic field), ionosphere (a layer of ionized gas in the upper atmosphere) and thermosphere (where Mars loses its atmospheric gases to space), as well as the planet's lower atmosphere and radiation build-up. This, researchers say, could help forecast potentially hazardous situations for spacecraft and astronauts, making it an essential precursor to any future robotic and human exploration. (7/14)

Building Europe's Space Capability: EU Space Act Taking Shape (Source: Space News)
The long-awaited introduction of the EU Space Act shows that Europe is getting serious about space policy. The draft legislation, introduced last month, is intended to streamline fragmented national rules while strengthening oversight of space activities. Although the legislation is still subject to negotiations and isn’t expected to take effect until 2030, its current form marks a decisive shift in how Europe intends to shape and safeguard its growing space economy. It generates challenges, though, for non-European companies that operate in Europe, which will have to comply with the act while also regulations in their home countries. (7/15)

Space Forge and Intuitive Machines Team Up to Boost US Orbital Chip Production (Source: Space Daily)
Space Forge has entered into a strategic partnership with Intuitive Machines to deploy its semiconductor manufacturing payload aboard the Zephyr orbital return vehicle. The collaboration forms part of Intuitive Machines' Earth Reentry Program and is backed by the Texas Space Commission.

This joint effort aims to rapidly advance the U.S. domestic capacity for space-based semiconductor manufacturing. By combining Space Forge's microgravity-enabled production techniques with Intuitive Machines' Earth return systems, the partnership will enable the creation and recovery of ultra-pure semiconductor substrates from orbit. (7/14)

New Martian rock reveals clues about volcanic history on the Red Planet (Source: Space Daily)
Scientists have analyzed a newly discovered Martian meteorite that could help explain how volcanoes once shaped Mars. The meteorite is a rare type known as a gabbroic shergottite and offers a unique glimpse into the planet's deep interior and ancient volcanic systems. Research revealed that it crystallized in two stages. First, it solidified deep beneath the Martian surface under high pressure, forming magnesium-rich minerals. Later, as the magma moved closer to the surface, it cooled more slowly, creating iron-rich minerals and plagioclase in its outer layers. (7/14)

A Japanese Automaker’s Small Hop Toward Reusable Rockets (Source: Space Review)
Last month, Japanese automaker Honda successfully tested a vertical takeoff and landing rocket. Jeff Foust reports on how the company is approaching development of reusable launch vehicle technologies and how it compares to efforts elsewhere. Click here. (7/15)
 
Superman and the Skylab Rescue (Source: Space Review)
Ahead of the Skylab missions, NASA studied h (Source: Space Review)ow it would carry out a rescue mission should the Apollo spacecraft that delivered astronauts to Skylab be unable to return home. Dwayne Day provides new details about those plans, including the cameo role of a comic book character. Click here. (7/15)
 
War in Space is Not a Future Problem: it’s Happening Now (Source: Space Review)
There are growing concerns that any future conflict involving China or Russia against the US could involve attacks on satellites. Christopher Stone argues we are already seeing low-intensity conflict in orbit that shows that the US is unprepared for a bigger conflict. Click here. (7/15)
 
Taiwan’s Satellites: A Lawfare Vulnerability and an Option to Cure and Enhance Deterrence Against the PRC (Source: Space Review)
In the conclusion of this three-part article, Michael Listner examines how the US could use its own “lawfare” approach to ensure the security of Taiwanese satellites. Click here. (7/15)

Axiom Crew Returns to Earth with Pacific Splashdown (Source: Space News)
A private astronaut mission returned to Earth early this morning. A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean west of San Diego, California, at 5:31 a.m. Eastern. The spacecraft was recovered and its four-person crew exited the capsule less than an hour later. The spacecraft launched to the International Space Station nearly three weeks ago on the Ax-4 mission for Axiom Space. The crew included astronauts from Hungary, India and Poland and was commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. The group performed dozens of experiments and outreach activities while on the station. (7/15)

SES-Intelsat Acquisition Closes (Source: Space News)
The acquisition of Intelsat by SES will close this week. SES said Monday that it will complete the acquisition this Thursday after getting the necessary regulatory approvals. The last of those came from the FCC, which rejected calls by Eutelsat to further investigate the deal, claiming the combination of SES and Intelsat would dominate C-band services in the United States. SES recently estimated the cost of acquiring Intelsat to be 3.5 billion euros ($4 billion), comprising 3 billion euros in cash and 531 million euros in contingent payments tied to the potential monetization of Intelsat’s C-band spectrum. (7/15)

OpenAI Wins $200 Million for Military AI Solutions (Source: Space News)
The United States defense and aerospace establishment is taking meaningful, if measured, steps to apply artificial intelligence technologies. OpenAI recently won a $200 million contract with the Department of Defense, a deal that is significant for its size and scope, as it tasks OpenAI Public Sector with building prototype AI solutions tailored to national security needs. The Pentagon earlier this year expanded its commitment to Project Maven, a leading AI program, substantially raising the ceiling on Palantir’s contract with U.S. combatant commands from $480 million to nearly $1.3 billion through 2029. Those efforts come as the defense industrial complex, which moves slowly, grapples with AI technology evolving at much faster rates. (7/15)

Musk's Grok AI Now Available to DoD (Source: Washington Post)
The Defense Department will begin using Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot built by Elon Musk’s start-up xAI, the company said. The xAI announcement came as Grok unveiled what it called “Grok for Government,” a suite that allows agencies and federal offices to adopt its chatbots for their specific uses. President Donald Trump has encouraged more rapid adoption of artificial intelligence tools since taking office in January. The department issued similar awards to Google, Anthropic and OpenAI. (7/15)

Reversal: House Spending Bill Rejects Trump's $6 Billion NASA Cut (Source: Space News)
A draft House spending bill would keep overall NASA funding flat in 2026 but shift money to exploration programs. The House Appropriations Committee released its commerce, justice and science (CJS) spending bill Monday ahead of a subcommittee markup later today. The bill includes $24.838 billion for NASA, nearly the same as the $24.875 billion the agency received in fiscal year 2025, rejecting the administration’s proposed $6 billion cut to the agency.

However, the bill includes more than $9.7 billion in funding for NASA exploration programs. That comes at the expense of science, space technology and aeronautics, which would see their budgets cut from 2025 figures but not as severely as proposed by the White House. The bill also zeros out NASA’s “STEM Engagement” or education account, but shifts two programs that had been funded there to elsewhere in the agency.

Editor's Note: Meanwhile NASA's key scientists and engineers are being forced to leave, university and international collaborations are being canceled, and the projects that they supported are being wound down for closure. How would NASA reverse this slide if this funding is restored? (7/15)

Reversal: DoD Officials Withdraw From Security Conference (Source: Military Times)
Top Defense Department officials, including the head of U.S. Space Command, have canceled appearances at a security conference this week. The Defense Department said Monday that roughly 10 top officials will no longer speak at the Aspen Security Forum. A Pentagon spokesperson said the department withdrew from the forum, run by the Aspen Institute, “because their values do not align with the values of the DOD.” Among those who had been scheduled to appear  were Gen. Stephen Whiting, head of Space Command, and Adm. Trey Whitworth, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The Aspen Institute said its invitations to Defense Department officials to speak at the event remain open. (7/15)

Reversal: NASA to Remove Climate Assessments (Source: AP)
NASA will no longer host copies of national climate assessments on its website. The Trump administration announced earlier this month that it was shutting down a website that had provided public access to the peer-reviewed reports that examined the effects of climate change. At the time, the White House and NASA said the agency would continue to host the reports, but on Monday NASA reversed itself, with a spokesperson stating that NASA “has no legal obligations” to host the reports. Those reports are still available, for now, on a separate NOAA website. (7/15)

Florida Still Covets NASA HQ (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Florida lawmakers are not giving up on efforts to move NASA headquarters to the state. At a press conference Friday, Sen. Ashley Moody (R-FL) said she and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) were continuing to lobby officials to move the agency headquarters to the Kennedy Space Center. She said moving the agency headquarters to Florida made sense because “this is where the action is happening.” Other states, such as Texas, have also sought to host a relocated NASA Headquarters, but at a NASA town hall last month officials said they expected to maintain a smaller presence in Washington and move some functions performed at headquarters now to field centers. (7/15)

Newly Discovered Interstellar Object 'May be Oldest Comet Ever Seen' (Source: Space Review)
A mystery interstellar object discovered last week is likely to be the oldest comet ever seen - possibly predating our solar system by more than three billion years. The "water ice-rich" visitor, named 3I/ATLAS, is only the third known object from beyond our solar system ever spotted in our cosmic neighborhood and the first to reach us from a completely different region of our Milky Way galaxy. It could be more than seven billion years old. (7/14)

Astronomers Discover Giant Alien Planet 35 Times More Massive Than Earth Hiding in a Known Star System (Source: Space.com)
Scientists have detected a hidden alien planet by examining the orbits of the known worlds in the star system, known as Kepler-139. The newfound exoplanet, called Kepler-139f, is a gigantic world roughly twice the mass of Neptune and 35 times the mass of Earth, and it takes 355 days to orbit its star, astronomers reported in a study published May 2 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Despite its giant size, Kepler-139f had evaded detection. (7/15)

July 14, 2025

Earth May Have at Least 6 'Minimoons' at Any Given Time (Source: Space.com)
Half a dozen fragments of the moon may briefly orbit Earth at any given time, before moving on to circle the sun, new research suggests — but the minimoons' small size and quick pace make them challenging to spot. When objects collide with the moon, they send up a shower of material, some of which manages to escape into space. Although there may be an occasional large chunk, most are fast-moving and smaller than 6.5 feet (2 meters) in diameter. (7/13)

SpaceX Launches Israeli Satellite at Florida Spaceport (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX launched an Israeli government communications satellite early Sunday. A Falcon 9 lifted off at 1:04 a.m. Eastern from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on a mission SpaceX designated only as “Commercial GTO-1.” The payload was Dror-1, a satellite built by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the Israeli government. SpaceX did not disclose the name of the satellite or other details about the payload during the launch webcast, although the rocket had a large IAI logo on its payload fairing. Dror-1 will provide a “national strategic capability” for Israel in satellite communications, IAI said after the launch. (7/14)

Industry Doubts Effectiveness of New Launch Licensing Fees (Source: Space News)
The FAA’s new ability to charge launch licenses fees may not do much to help a budget-constrained office. A provision in the budget reconciliation bill passed earlier this month directs the FAA to charge launch and reentry license fees. The fees are intended to provide an additional revenue stream for the FAA’s commercial spaceflight office, known as AST. However, some note that fees would generate only a tiny fraction of the AST’s budget and thus would do little to address industry concerns that AST lacks resources to keep up with growing launch activity. A House spending bill released Sunday would keep AST’s budget flat at just under $42 million in fiscal year 2026. (7/14)

Taiwan's VP01 Suborbital Launch Fails at Japanese Spaceport (Source: Taipei Times)
A launch of a Taiwanese suborbital rocket from a Japanese site failed on Saturday. The VP01 rocket lifted off from the Hokkaido Spaceport but malfunctioned around separation of the first stage. The upper stage lost control but its engine continued to fire, causing the vehicle to tumble until the engine shut down and the stage fell back to earth. The rocket was developed by Taiwanese company TiSpace through a Japanese subsidiary, jtSPACE, with the goal of reaching an altitude of 100 kilometers. TiSpace had previously, and unsuccessfully, attempted launches from Australia. (7/14)

Killing TraCSS (Source: Moriba Jah)
The DoD will “take over” the civil SSA mission. But the DoD is not a civil agency. Its mission is defense, not transparency. They won’t answer to international operators or build systems designed for multilateral trust. They won’t welcome researchers, humanitarians, or commercial actors who operate outside strategic alliances. Their very structure is incompatible with the public stewardship of space.

And on the commercial side? The sharks are circling. SSA vendors claiming they can do it all, detect, track, predict, coordinate. Some have partial data. Some have none. But nearly all have pitch decks. And if you ask them whether they’re ready to manage global space traffic? They’ll say yes. Enthusiastically. Delusionally.

This is how collapse begins: not with fire, but with institutional gaslighting. Programs get starved, then blamed for underperforming. Responsibility gets handed to entities that are structurally incapable of fulfilling the mission. And all the while, orbital space becomes a casino of unaccountable actors making bets on a commons they don’t own and can’t control. We would never manage air traffic this way. Or maritime shipping. Or rail. But in orbit? Somehow it’s acceptable. (7/2)

The Biggest Piece of Mars on Earth is Up for Auction in New York (Source: ABC News)
For sale: A 54-pound (25-kilogram) rock. Estimated auction price: $2 million to $4 million. Why so expensive? It's the largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth. Sotheby's in New York will be auctioning what's known as NWA 16788 on Wednesday as part of a natural history-themed sale that also includes a juvenile Ceratosaurus dinosaur skeleton that's more than 6 feet (2 meters) tall and nearly 11 feet (3 meters) long. (7/13)

SASC Advances Defense Bill with Launch Safety, Spectrum Provisions (Source: Space News)
The Senate Armed Services Committee has advanced a defense bill that includes provisions on space launch safety protocols, spectrum protection and homeland missile defense. The committee voted 26-1 to send its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for fiscal year 2026 to the full Senate. The NDAA sets policy direction and outlines congressional priorities for the Department of Defense.

Among its provisions, the bill directs the Air Force to conduct a comprehensive study of future heavy and super heavy space launch capacity, reflecting concerns about ensuring adequate access to space as national security launch requirements expand. It also requires the Air Force to publish a blast damage assessment guide tailored to liquid oxygen and methane propellants, which are being more widely used but pose issues about their explosive potential. The bill supports work on the Golden Dome missile defense system and directs the Defense Department not to give up radio-frequency spectrum for commercial applications unless it can guarantee it won’t impact military systems. (7/14)

HASC Bill to Include Satellite Imagery Provision (Source: Space News)
The House, meanwhile, is expected to direct the Pentagon to maintain a commercial satellite imagery program. The House Armed Services Committee is expected to include language in its version of the NDAA directing the Pentagon to establish the Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Tracking (TacSRT) program as a “program of record” with annual budget funding.

The move comes after the Trump administration’s fiscal year 2026 defense budget proposal omitted funding for TacSRT, despite the Space Force touting the program as critical for filling military demands for faster access to space-based intelligence in rapidly evolving situations. Under TacSRT, companies offer unclassified analytical products derived from satellites to U.S. and allied military commanders delivered within hours of requests. (7/14)

SpaceX to Invest in xAI (Source: Wall Street Journal)
SpaceX is reportedly investing $2 billion in another Elon Musk venture, xAI. According to a report, SpaceX is providing $2 billion of capital toward a $5 billion round being raised by xAI to help that company catch up with market leaders in the artificial intelligence field like OpenAI. SpaceX currently uses xAI to power customer support services for Starlink, with the potential for additional, unspecified, partnerships between the companies in the future. (7/14)

China Accelerates Starlink Competition (Source: Space News)
China’s effort to compete with Starlink is accelerating. China’s Spacesail has deployed about 90 of a planned 14,000 satellites for its Qianfan constellation since August 2024, but the operator is counting on a sharp increase in launch cadence to add roughly 500 more satellites this year, enabling at least a limited degree of services. Unlike Starlink, Qianfan is not initially targeting mass-market consumers.

Instead, the constellation is being positioned as a state-backed space backbone, focused on telecom operators, government clients and enterprise users. In December, the country began deploying a far more secretive constellation dubbed Guowang that is projected to include 13,000 satellites. The lack of transparency surrounding Guowang has fueled speculation that it carries dual-use or national security payloads, drawing comparisons to SpaceX’s Starshield. (7/14)

Tackling Export Loopholes in Space Tech (Source: Space News)
Outer space, the new high ground, is no longer the solitary domain of state powers. The growing participation of the private sector alongside government initiatives signals a dramatic transformation in the space ecosystem. This democratization brings tremendous opportunity but, with it, alarming vulnerabilities. The growing proliferation of sensitive technologies across borders, often without proper oversight, constitutes a significant and growing risk to international stability, fueling conflict, cyberattacks and an alarming potential lack of accountability. (7/14)

Space Rider Nose Cone Passes Key Milestone (Source: European Spaceflight)
The Italian Aerospace Research Centre (CIRA) has completed the structural dynamic qualification testing campaign of the Space Rider nose cone, marking a key milestone in the development of the vehicle’s Thermal Protection System. Space Rider consists of two main sections: the expendable Service Module and the reusable Re-entry Module. The latter is designed to fly up to six missions with only minimal refurbishment between flights.

The Re-entry Module’s multi-element Thermal Protection System, a key enabler of its reusability, shields the vehicle from extreme heat and mechanical stress during atmospheric re-entry. With the structural design now validated, CIRA will move ahead with the production of the first flight-ready nose cone. (7/14)

Could Asteroid Mining Actually Work? Maybe If We Start with Impact Sites on the Moon (Source: Space.com)
In increasing number, probes are being dispatched by multiple countries that can plumb the depths of deliverables from space rocks. Metallic asteroids are made up mostly of iron and nickel, and also contain platinum group metals, or PGMs for short. Similarly, carbonaceous asteroids are known to contain hydrated minerals. AstroForge, a company based in California, sees mining asteroids as the next trillion-dollar industry and is fully engaged in trying to make space mining a real, "pick-action ready" business.

While asteroids have diverse resources, including some not found on the moon, they alone likely cannot support industrial self-sufficiency due to scarcity, dispersion, and technical complexity, Alex Ellery thinks. "If a lunar industry is able to collect deposits of asteroid-sourced materials, it would have both bulk and rare resources that would enable a closed industry in cislunar space," Ellery observes. It may be more advantageous, and therefore more lucrative, to mine asteroids that have impacted the moon rather than the ones that are zipping through space. (7/12)

TOI-1846 B Features Potential Oceans (Source: Earth.com)
TOI‑1846 is a Red Dwarf star about 40 percent the Sun’s size and mass. It glows a warm 6,000 F, making its habitable zone far closer in. Because the star is faint, each transit of exoplanet TOI‑1846 b subtracts only a few hundredths of a percent of its light. Yet TESS’s four wide‑field cameras and 30‑minute cadence keep such shallow events from slipping past. Observations suggest the planet is almost twice as wide as Earth and about four times heavier. That size and weight combination gives it a density lighter than solid rock but heavier than planets with thick, gassy envelopes. Based on this, scientists think the planet may have a layer of dense ice underneath, topped by a thin atmosphere or maybe even a shallow ocean. (7/12)

SpaceX Breaks Ground on New Mega Factory at its South Texas Starbase Site (Sources: KHOU, Austin-American Statesman)
The 30-story structure, known as a “Gigabay” in SpaceX parlance, will provide 700,000 square feet of space and is expected to be completed by the end of next year, according to a new filing with the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation. It will speed up SpaceX’s assembly, maintenance and refurbishment of Starships as the company races to launch as many as 25 a year from Starbase. (7/12)

Smithsonian Pushing Back on Plans to Relocate Space Shuttle (Source: Flying)
There is a battle brewing over ownership of a retired NASA space shuttle. The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law by President Donald Trump at the White House last week, sets aside $85 million to relocate the space shuttle Discovery from its current home at the National Air and Space Museum’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in northern Virginia to the NASA-run Johnson Space Center in Houston.

But the Smithsonian Institution, which operates the National Air and Space Museum, is fighting to keep the spacecraft. In a message sent to Congress, the organization said it would be “unprecedented” for the federal government to remove an object from its collection and send it somewhere else. “The space shuttle Discovery is not on loan to the Smithsonian from NASA,” the message read. “Ownership was transferred to the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.” (7/11)

Lockheed Martin Offers to Rescue Mars Mission From Budget Death (Source: New Atlas)
NASA's beleaguered Mars Sample Return mission may get a reprieve from an unexpected source. Lockheed Martin has proposed a streamlined, lower-cost alternative that could slash the mission’s price tag by more than half. Lockheed Martin claims that it can use its experience with previous planetary exploration missions to complete the mission for less than $3 billion on a fixed-price contract where Lockheed offers to eat any cost overruns. (7/6)

Our Universe's Origin is Indeed a Black Hole and Not the Big Bang (Source: Neowin)
A new study published in Physical Review D challenges the common idea that the Big Bang was the start of everything. Instead, researchers suggest it might have been a rebound—a bounce—after a huge gravitational collapse forming a black hole.

This “black hole universe” idea uses everyday physics to rethink cosmic origins. Instead of starting with expansion and tracing back to a mysterious singularity, the model looks at what happens when a large mass collapses under gravity, similar to how stars become black holes. But unlike the sharp singularities predicted by classical physics, this model uses quantum mechanics to show that the collapse doesn’t go on forever.

The bounce is driven by the quantum exclusion principle, which prevents identical particles, such as fermions, from being squeezed into the same quantum state. As a result, the collapse hits a limit and then reverses, causing an outward bounce. According to the research team, “the bounce is not only possible – it’s inevitable under the right conditions.” (7/12)

NASA Uses Spectrometers to Map Minerals in Nevada (Source: Military & Aerospace Electronics)
NASA is testing imaging spectroscopy technology in Cuprite, Nevada, to map minerals and understand geology. The effort involves the AVIRIS-Classic and AVIRIS-5 spectrometers, which are flown on the ER-2 aircraft. The ability to detect and map mineral deposits with precision is crucial for finding domestic sources of materials such as lithium and rare earth elements. (7/14)

Space Coast Looks to Reap Benefits of Spaceport Tax Exempt Financing (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
The nation’s spaceports can now take advantage of tax-free bonds for the first time after Trump signed the “Big, Beautiful Bill” last week, and the Space Coast looks to benefit. U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody on Friday detailed what it means for Florida from the headquarters of Space Florida, the state’s aerospace finance and development authority,

“This will apply to all spaceports, but we know that this one is the busiest and the most important,” she said of the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. “After we got this passed, we have already heard from private business entities that want to get in, that want to help, that want to be a part of the growth right here at space on the Space Coast.” The provision unlocks long-term investment tools that could help finance things such as roads and buildings that could then attract customers.

The state officially has three designated spaceports. KSC and CCSFS make up one known as Cape Canaveral Spaceport, while in nearby Titusville is the Space Coast Regional Airport and Spaceport and in Jacksonville is the Cecil Spaceport. The state also has potential future spaceports from the Panhandle to the Keys. (7/12)

July 13, 2025

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex opens new bus tour stop, The Gantry at LC-39 (Source: Florida Today)
A new stop on the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex bus tour is now open -- one which gets the public closer to the launch pad than ever before. Situated just a mere mile from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A, The Gantry at LC-39 is the latest attraction to drop at the Visitor Complex. Part of the bus tour, which is included with admission, guests will be treated to a view of the launch pad looming in the distance as they approach the new stop. (7/13)

NASA Astronaut Shannon Walker Retires (Source: NASA)
NASA astronaut Shannon Walker retired July 10, concluding a career that spanned 38 years, including 30 years of federal service and more than 21 years as an astronaut. During two spaceflights, she spent 330 days in orbit, contributing to hundreds of scientific experiments and technology demonstrations for the benefit of humanity. (7/11)

"Going to Get Worse" With NASA Job Cuts (Source: Times of India)
The exodus spans NASA’s core mission areas, with 1,818 staff from science and human space flight roles leaving, alongside others in support functions like IT and finance. “You’re losing the managerial and core technical expertise of the agency,” warned Casey Dreier. “What’s the strategy and what do we hope to achieve here?” An employee who has resigned described their decision to leave as influenced in part by fear of the proposed NASA budget cuts and the lack of a Senate-approved NASA administrator: “Things just sound like it’s going to get worse." (7/12)

Parker Solar Probe Gets Detailed Sun Data (Source: SciTech Daily)
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has captured the most detailed images ever taken near the Sun, recorded from just 3.8 million miles away from its surface. These up-close images reveal structures within the solar wind, a continuous flow of charged particles that the Sun releases into space at speeds over 1 million miles per hour. The new visuals and data are giving scientists critical insights into how the solar wind forms and behaves, which is key to understanding how it influences Earth. (7/11)

Dozens of 'Ghost Galaxies' May Be Orbiting the Milky Way (Source: Earth.com)
Our galaxy may be wrapped in a richer swarm of tiny companions than astronomers have ever seen. New calculations predict that there are dozens of ultra-faint satellite galaxies circling close to the Milky Way. They are too dim for current surveys to spot, but real enough to tip the cosmic balance sheet in favor of standard cosmology. (7/12)

Advances in NASA Imaging Changed How World Sees Mars (Source: NASA)
Sixty years ago, NASA’s Mariner 4 captured groundbreaking views of the Red Planet, leading to a steady stream of advances in the cameras used to study other worlds. In 1965, NASA’s Mariner 4 mission brought Mars into American living rooms, where TV sets showed fuzzy black-and-white images of a cratered landscape. The spacecraft took 21 complete pictures — the first ever captured of another planet — as it flew by as close as 6,118 miles (9,846 kilometers) above the surface. (7/11)

Forecasters are Concerned About Losing 3 Key Satellites Ahead of Peak Hurricane Season (Source: PBS)
About 600 miles off the west coast of Africa, large clusters of thunderstorms begin organizing into tropical storms every hurricane season. They aren’t yet in range of Hurricane Hunter flights, so forecasters at the National Hurricane Center rely on weather satellites to peer down on these storms and beam back information about their location, structure and intensity.

The satellite data helps meteorologists create weather forecasts that keep planes and ships safe and prepare countries for a potential hurricane landfall. Now, meteorologists are about to lose access to three of those satellites. On June 25, 2025, the Trump administration issued a service change notice announcing that the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, DMSP, and the Navy’s Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center would terminate data collection, processing and distribution of all DMSP data.

Three other satellites in orbit – NOAA-20, NOAA-21 and Suomi NPP – have a microwave instrument known as the advanced technology microwave sounder. The advanced technology microwave sounder, or ATMS, can provide data similar to the special sensor microwave imager/sounder, or SSMIS, but at a lower resolution. It provides a more washed-out view that is less useful than the SSMIS for pinpointing a storm’s location or estimating its intensity. (7/12)

Starbase is Elon Musk's City in Texas for SpaceX Employees (Source: Business Insider)
Now, around 500 people live in Starbase, most of whom are families of the about 260 SpaceX employees who are residents. Musk has a home in Starbase. In 2021, he said on X that his primary residence is a "~$50k house in Boca Chica / Starbase that I rent from SpaceX." He is also registered to vote in the area and posted a picture of himself voting in Cameron County ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Most of the more than 3,000 people who work out of Starbase commute each day in and drive past a nine-foot golden bust of Musk on their way into the facility. (7/12)

NASA’s Moon Rover Will Hunt for Ice, Map Minerals, and Reveal What Lies Beneath (Source: SciTech Daily)
NASA has chosen three scientific instruments for upcoming missions to the Moon. Two of these will be mounted on a Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV), while the third is planned for use in a future lunar orbiting mission. The LTV is built to carry up to two astronauts but can also function autonomously without a crew. Its design allows it to traverse a wide range of lunar landscapes, helping advance both scientific research and exploration efforts.

One of the selected tools is the Artemis Infrared Reflectance and Emission Spectrometer (AIRES), which will detect, measure, and map various minerals and volatile compounds on the Moon. Volatiles are substances that easily transition to gas, such as water, ammonia, and carbon dioxide. The Lunar Microwave Active-Passive Spectrometer (L-MAPS) will help define what is below the Moon’s surface and search for possible locations of ice. Containing both a spectrometer and a ground-penetrating radar, the instrument suite will measure temperature, density, and subsurface structures to more than 131 feet (40 meters) below the surface.

NASA also selected the Ultra-Compact Imaging Spectrometer for the Moon (UCIS-Moon) for a future orbital flight opportunity. The instrument will provide regional context to the discoveries made from the LTV. From above, UCIS-Moon will map the Moon’s geology and volatiles and measure how human activity affects those volatiles. The spectrometer also will help identify scientifically valuable areas for astronauts to collect lunar samples, while its wide-view images provide the overall context for where these samples will be collected. (7/11)

NASA KSC Memo on Workforce Reductions (Source: NASA Watch)
As of Tuesday July 8 the center has 199 deferred resignations and the agency has 1,944 including those in MSOs (Mission Serving Organizations). We expect the number to rise daily through July 25. Employees with questions regarding the current number of employees opting into the DRP should speak to their organization’s senior leadership.

NASA leaders plan to select and begin implementing a restructuring plan by the end of the fiscal year, but the specific scope of that plan will reflect what the agency knows at that time, particularly in reference to the skills and capacity the agency retains after the DRP window has closed. Click here. (7/9)

New Council Aims to Boost BRICS Space Cooperation (Source: TASS)
BRICS member states have reached a principled agreement to establish a Space Council aimed at advancing cooperation in the space sector and ensuring the balanced development of space capabilities within the group, according to the summit declaration.

"We agree, in principle, to establish the BRICS Space Council and to continue working on its Terms of Reference to facilitate further cooperation in the field of space activities within the group," the document said. The leaders of the states emphasized the importance of international cooperation in the exploration and peaceful use of outer space and reaffirmed their commitment to reducing existing asymmetries in the space capabilities of BRICS countries. (7/6)

Firefly Aerospace Files for an IPO (Source: Tech Crunch)
Firefly Aerospace is taking its orbital ambitions to the public markets. The company, which notched a string of successes this year, including a historic commercial moon landing, submitted its formal declaration to regulators Friday detailing its plans to IPO sometime this year.

The S-1 document submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission provides a wide-ranging look into the company’s finances and governance plans, though the number of shares to be offered and their price range has not been disclosed. This means the final valuation is still to be determined. (7/11)

Despite SpaceX Protests, FCC Clears AST SpaceMobile’s Massive Satellite (Source: PC Magazine)
Despite pushback from rival SpaceX, AST SpaceMobile has received FCC approval to launch the company’s massive prototype satellite for phone connectivity from space. On Friday, the FCC granted AST SpaceMobile an experimental license to essentially test FM1, a giant square-shaped satellite that the company has been aiming to launch this month.

Although the experimental license prohibits AST from “conducting any commercial operations” through the satellite, the FCC's approval brings the company a step closer to building its satellite-to-phone internet system —avoiding what could have been a prolonged delay. (7/11)

How Much Money Does Starlink Make? This Document Offers a Glimpse (Source: PC Magazine)
A new financial statement is offering a glimpse at how much money SpaceX’s Starlink business makes — and it might not be as much as you think. The company has quietly filed a 2024 financial statement for a Texas-based subsidiary called Starlink Satellite Services Corp. that covers a significant portion of the satellite internet system’s global sales, including those for North America.

The 29-page document says the Starlink subsidiary raked in $2.7 billion in revenue for 2024, a 93% increase from the $1.4 billion it earned in the previous year. In 2024, nearly $2 billion of the revenue came from Starlink subscriptions while the remainder —at over $736 million— came from Starlink hardware-related sales. (7/10)

Indian 19-Year-Old's Space Startup Raises Millions (Source: Tech Crunch)
Apolink, a Y Combinator-backed space-tech startup founded by a 19-year-old Indian-origin entrepreneur, has raised $4.3 million in an “oversubscribed” seed round at a $45 million post-money valuation to build a real-time connectivity network for satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO).

The startup is tackling a persistent problem in space communications. Satellites frequently go offline during parts of their orbit due to dead zones — periods when they are not in the line of sight of a ground station. While relay satellites and global ground station networks help reduce this downtime, they only provide partial solutions. (7/11)

Isaacman Donating $15 Million for Space Camp Programs (Source: Space.com)
Jared Isaacman is donating a big chunk of change to help inspire the astronauts and space scientists of tomorrow. The billionaire tech entrepreneur and private astronaut, who until recently was on track to become NASA administrator, announced he's gifting $15 million to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Alabama for its Space Camp programs. The money will help fund the Center's Inspiration4 Skills Training Complex. (7/11)

Starlink Profit Isn’t Enough To Fund Starship (Source: WCCF Tech)
SpaceX has aimed to use its profits to fund rocket development for interplanetary space missions. However, so far, it appears that most of the revenue generated from Starlink is going into expanding the service's global presence, as out of the $2.7 billion in revenue that the service generated in 2024, $2.5 billion was accounted for by direct costs. Since the firm is a SpaceX subsidiary, it shares a portion of its profit with the parent, and based on the 2024 figures, it appears that the profit is quite insufficient to fund the development of SpaceX's Starship program. (7/11)

July 12, 2025

NASA, International Astronauts Answer Questions from Florida Students (Source: NASA)
Students in Big Pine Key, Florida, will have the chance to have NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station answer their prerecorded questions. At 10:05 a.m. EDT on Monday, July 14, NASA astronaut Nicole Ayers and JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi will answer questions submitted by students. (7/11)

Isaacman Considers Congressional Run, as Republican (Source: The Hill)
President Trump’s former nominee to lead NASA, Jared Isaacman, said he’d be open to launching a congressional campaign after his nomination to join the second Trump administration was withdrawn. The billionaire said he’d run as a Republican and that he’d consider serving under Trump in a different capacity — or under another Republican president in the future. (7/10)

Alaska Spaceport Deal Draws Rocket Industry Interest (Source: Alaska Public Media)
The global space-launch industry is welcoming the prospect of launching rockets from Alaska’s two spaceports to relieve the backlog at larger facilities in the Lower 48. Top officials with Alaska’s two civilian launch facilities say their new partnership also will promote development of Alaska’s space-launch industry.

For years, the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute and Alaska Aerospace Corp. in Kodiak have been launching rockets from their respective ranges both for private- and public-sector customers. The institute’s director, Bob McCoy, says the goal is to share expertise and equipment to meet the growing demand for launch facilities that are increasingly monopolized by large customers like SpaceX.

In June, the institute and Alaska Aerospace formalized their partnership with a renewable five-year agreement that laid-out a plan to jointly develop the Poker Flat Research Range near Fairbanks so it can offer more services for the booming commercial rocket and satellite industry. (7/10)

Rocket Lab Selects Bollinger Shipyards to Support Modification of Neutron Landing Platform (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab has awarded a contract to Bollinger Shipyards, the largest privately owned new construction and repair shipbuilder in the United States, to support the build out of Rocket Lab’s ocean landing platform for its Neutron reusable rocket. (7/10)

SpaceX Set to Launch Israel's Dror Satellite (Source: Globes)
On Sunday morning US billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket will launch Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Dror 1 communications satellite into space from Cape Canaveral in Florida. SpaceX and IAI are joining forces in a second effort to launch a communications satellite into orbit after the fiasco of their previous attempt in 2016, when the Falcon 9 launcher exploded on the launch pad together with the Amos 6 communications satellite. (7/11)

Battle Over Colorado’s Space Command Isn’t Over, But it May Be Ending Soon (Source: Washington Examiner)
Back in 2021 Trump said: “They were looking for a home and I single-handedly said, ‘Let’s go to Alabama,’” Trump said in a phone interview. “They wanted it. I said, ‘Let’s go to Alabama.” I love Alabama.” From that point on, politics infused every aspect of the debate.

In Colorado Springs, the headquarters is operating out of four separate buildings, including two leased facilities located in commercial and residential areas. “This footprint, which is temporary pending construction of a permanent headquarters facility, allows for the command to execute its mission but presents some challenges,” the GAO notes. The “significant space restrictions … cannot fully support the dynamic information technology requirements of the command.”

“We are in the process of reviewing the final report out of the GAO,” Meink replied. “I would defer questions on the final decision for location of Space Command to White House Legislative Affairs.” So while the uncertainty continues. In a best-case scenario, construction of a new, multistory, permanent headquarters facility would begin in January 2029, be completed in January 2034, and cost approximately $1.5 billion. The outcome depends on the whims of a president known for impulsive, sometimes capricious, decisions and a notoriously short attention span. (7/11)

South Korea Secures Key Step Toward Space Partnership with Europe (Source: Chosun Daily)
“Last June, all 23 European Space Agency member states unanimously approved collaboration with South Korea. The same applies to signing the Framework Agreement, which marks the first step in our cooperation.”

That was the message from Alexander Soucek, ESA's head of External Relations. Since its establishment last year, KASA has identified ESA as a priority partner in expanding its global reach. After more than a year of steady outreach, the agency is now on the brink of formalizing its first major agreement with Europe’s top space agency. (7/11)

Space Force Developing New Cloud-Based Digital Environment for Training (Source: Defense Scoop)
As part of the Space Force’s effort to modernize its test and training infrastructure, the service is building a new digital range that will eventually connect disparate units and capabilities to allow for realistic, large-scale training.The capability — dubbed “Swarm” — is in nascent development, but envisioned as a multi-classification digital environment where guardians from various units can come together against simulated adversaries.

According to Maj. Gen. Timothy Sejba, head of the service’s Space Training and Readiness Command (STARCOM), early versions of Swarm were built for the Space Force’s primary mission planning and operational support exercise series known as Space Flag. Editor's Note: Perhaps this capability will be managed at Patrick Space Force Base after STARCOM completes its relocation to Florida. (7/10)

Sean Duffy Shouldn’t Run NASA. Its Perfect Pilot Is...Lauren Sánchez (Source: Daily Beast)
President Donald Trump missed a great opportunity when he named Sean Duffy as Interim Administrator of NASA. Duffy is already serving as Secretary of Transportation with the main qualification that the 53-year won the reality TV show Road Rules: All Stars. Like Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Duffy looks good on camera. But you know who looks better on camera and has actual aeronautic experience? Lauren Sánchez Bezos. (7/10)

Canada Continues to Strengthen (Non-US) International Space Ties, Now with Japan (Source: SpaceQ)
The latest example is a statement issued by the government following the Canadian Space Agency’s participation in the Japanese SPACETIDE conference and a meeting with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). Canada and Japan have a long history of cooperation. Together, the CSA and JAXA are working on complementary lunar exploration technologies to help establish a long-term human presence on the Moon. Looking ahead, both countries are focused on developing next-generation technologies to ensure a sustainable and secure future in space. (7/10)

Investors Appear to Like Varda's Big Space Manufacturing Ambitions (Source: Ars Technica)
After flying three missions into low-Earth orbit this year, Varda Space Industries appears to be making credible progress toward developing the nascent manufacturing-in-space industry. Investors seem to think the same, as the California-based company announced an impressive $187 million Series C round of funding on Thursday. This brings the company's total amount of money raised since its founding in 2021 to $325 million. (7/10)

Bert Ulrich, Former NASA Film Liaison, Joins Space 11 Corp, To Bring Entertainment To Space (Source: Deadline)
Bert Ulrich, former NASA film liaison, has joined Space 11 Corp, the company founded by prolific Italian producer Andrea Iervolino to create entertainment projects set in space. Ulrich, who has worked with filmmakers behind movies including The Martian, First Man, Hidden Figures, Ad Astra, Fly Me to the Moon, and the upcoming Project Hail Mary, has joined the company as EVP of Production Development and Communications. (7/10)

NASA Considering Flying Only Cargo on Next Starliner Mission (Source: Space News)
NASA officials say there is a “strong chance” that the next test flight of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle will be uncrewed as work continues to fix issues with the spacecraft. (7/11)

NASA Selects Instruments for Artemis Lunar Terrain Vehicle (Source: NASA)
NASA has selected three instruments to travel to the Moon, with two planned for integration onto an LTV (Lunar Terrain Vehicle) and one for a future orbital opportunity. The LTV is part of NASA’s efforts to explore the lunar surface as part of the Artemis campaign and is the first crew-driven vehicle to operate on the Moon in more than 50 years. Designed to hold up to two astronauts, as well as operate remotely without a crew, this surface vehicle will enable NASA to achieve more of its science and exploration goals over a wide swath of lunar terrain. (7/10)

U.S. Abandons Hunt for Signal of Cosmic Inflation (Source: Science)
The U.S. government has canceled a proposed $900 million project to study in unprecedented detail the afterglow of the Big Bang, the cosmic microwave background (CMB) radiation. Known as CMB-S4, the project envisioned new arrays of ultrasensitive microwave telescopes at the South Pole and in Chile’s Atacama Desert. Their goal: to detect patterns in the ancient light that would prove the newborn universe expanded in an exponential growth spurt called cosmic inflation.

The project, which could have delivered smoking gun evidence for a key theory in cosmology, was supposed to be a joint venture between the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy (DOE). However, yesterday, the agencies sent an unsigned statement to the leaders of the collaboration saying the project is off. “DOE and NSF have jointly decided that they can no longer support the CMB-S4 Project,” it reads. (7/10)

Europe's First Deep-Space Optical Communication Link (Source: ESA)
On 7 July 2025, ESA marked a historic milestone by establishing its first optical communication link with a spacecraft in deep space. The link was made with NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment aboard its Psyche mission, currently at a distance of 1.8 astronomical units, around 265 million km. This is the first of four planned links occurring this summer.

This achievement marks yet another milestone in the long history of cross-support between space agencies, demonstrating the potential for interoperability between ESA and NASA in the realm of optical communications, something previously only achieved with radiofrequency systems. (7/10)

Senate Spending Panel Would Rescue NSF and NASA Science Funding (Source: Science)
The Senate appropriations committee voiced its intent to ignore the request by President Trump to slash the budgets of the NSF and NASA science programs. Instead, the panel supported maintaining spending at essentially current levels. It is the latest indication that Congress doesn’t plan to simply rubber stamp Trump’s proposal to cut federal research budgets for next year. (The bill’s final passage has been temporarily stalled by a partisan fight over a new location for FBI headquarters.)

Under the bill, NSF’s budget would take a tiny $60 million hit, to $9 billion, rather than plunge by 57%, to $3.9 billion, as Trump proposed. With $9 billion, NSF would likely be able to protect a new directorate that promotes applied research partnerships with nonfederal entities, and avoid cuts to its several other research directorates. (7/10)

“It’s a Heist”: Senator Calls Out Texas for Trying to Steal Shuttle From Smithsonian (Source: Ars Technica)
A political effort to remove space shuttle Discovery from the Smithsonian and place it on display in Texas encountered some pushback on Thursday, as a US senator questioned the expense of carrying out what he described as a theft. "This is not a transfer. It's a heist," said Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) during a budget markup hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee. "A heist by Texas because they lost a competition 12 years ago." (7/10)

Nearly Everyone Opposes Trump’s Plan to Kill Space Traffic Management (Source: Ars Technica)
The Trump administration's plan to gut the Office of Space Commerce and cancel the government's first civilian-run space traffic control program is gaining plenty of detractors. Earlier this week, seven space industry trade groups representing more than 450 companies sent letters to House and Senate leaders urging them to counter the White House's proposal. A spokesperson for the military's Space Operations Command, which currently has overall responsibility for space traffic management, said it will "continue to advocate" for a civilian organization to take over the Space Force's role as orbital traffic cop. (7/10)

Cosmonauts Use Citrus Peels to Freshen Air on ISS (Source: TASS)
Cosmonauts use orange and grapefruit peels to freshen the air in the ISS Russian segment, which helps to lift the crew's spirits, Roscosmos cosmonaut Ivan Vagner said in an interview with TASS. "The air on the ISS is like a room that has not been aired out for a long time. When I first arrived at the station, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that there were actually no strong odors. Yes, the air is stale, but in reality it turned out much better than I expected." (7/10)

It’s Hunting Season in Orbit as Russia’s Killer Satellites Mystify Skywatchers (Source: Ars Technica)
Russia is a waning space power, but President Vladimir Putin has made sure he still has a saber to rattle in orbit. This has become more evident in recent weeks, when we saw a pair of rocket launches carrying top-secret military payloads, the release of a mysterious object from a Russian mothership in orbit, and a sequence of complex formation-flying maneuvers with a trio of satellites nearly 400 miles up. (7/11)

July 11, 2025

Recipients of a NOAA Climate Science Fellowship Are Put on Unpaid Leave (Source: New York Times)
A program that supports the nation’s most promising climate scientists faces delayed funding, furloughs and a canceled year of grants, according to participants in the program. It’s the latest hit climate science has taken from the Trump administration, which has been limiting funds for climate research across a number of federal agencies. (7/0)

Bryan Bedford Confirmed as New FAA Chief (Source: Politico)
The Senate has confirmed Republic Airways CEO Bryan Bedford as administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration. Bedford's leadership is crucial as the administration attempts to overhaul air traffic control, says Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. (7/9)

Space Force Opposes Cuts to Commerce Department Space Tracking Program (Source: Air & Space Forces)
The US Space Force opposes a current plan to shut down the Commerce Department Traffic Coordination System for Space program. The White House has eliminated funding for the program for 2026, with the Aerospace Industries Association and other leading groups publicly supporting the restoration of TracCSS funding. (7/9)

SATIM and Ursa Partner for Advanced Object Detection and Classification Capabilities for SAR Imagery (Source: SATIM)
SATIM has entered into a strategic collaboration with Ursa Space Systems, operator of the world’s largest virtual SAR constellation. Through this partnership, SATIM’s cutting-edge object detection and classification software will be made available via Ursa Space’s platform, enhancing the analytical capabilities accessible to Ursa Space’s global user base. (7/10)

Whiplash: Big Bill Reverses Some Trump Space Direction (Source: El Pais)
Buried in the 870 pages of the One Big Beautiful Bill, there is a concession to Republican representatives from states closely linked to the manned space exploration program, which was facing massive layoffs and unprecedented cuts. Another victim of this concession is the tycoon Elon Musk, as Trump’s decision takes away lucrative contracts for his space rockets. Europe, on the other hand, is breathing a sigh of relief.

The law recently approved by Congress revives Gateway, the future space station that will orbit the Moon. The federal government will spend $2.6 billion on this manned base, the construction of which also involves the European Space Agency (ESA) along with Canada, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. The measure is a sharp U-turn from what Trump was proposing just over a month ago: to completely cancel the project and leave all its international partners in the lurch.

Something similar is happening with the Space Launch System (SLS), with which the U.S. government aims to send the first woman astronaut to the Moon in 2027. The BBB will ultimately include more than $4 billion to fund at least two additional flights with this launch vehicle, beyond those already planned for the Artemis 2 and 3 missions. Trump’s original idea was to eliminate it after these two flights and perhaps resort to the Starship being developed by SpaceX. (7/9)

Trump Puts Reality Star Turned Fox Host (and Musk Foe) in Charge of Space (Source: Daily Beast)
Donald Trump has assigned Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy a second job as caretaker of NASA after the president dumped his original choice to lead the space agency. Duffy, who rose to fame on the reality shows The Real World and Road Rules before stints in Congress and hosting on Fox Business, has been locked in a war of words this year with Trump’s former space buddy, Elon Musk. (7/11)

CSA Accepting Space Science and Technology Applications Including for Gateway and Artemis (Source: SpaceQ)
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is accepting applications for the Research Opportunities in Space Science program, 2025 Cycle 4, and is providing up to $1.5 million. For Cycle 4 the CSA intends to fund up to six projects in two areas, including Gateway/Artemis Science and Technology Utilization; and Planetary Exploration and Space Astronomy. (7/8)

GomSpace Refinances €18M European Investment Bank Loan (Source: European Spaceflight)
Danish satellite manufacturer GomSpace has announced the refinancing of a SEK 200 million (€18 million) credit facility originally provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB). Under the new agreement, the company’s major shareholder, British billionaire investor Peter Hargreaves, will effectively take over as the lender. (7/10)

Sizing Up the 5 Companies Selected for Europe’s Launcher Challenge (Source: Ars Technica)
he European Space Agency has selected five launch startups to become eligible for up to 169 million euros ($198 million) in funding to develop alternatives to Arianespace, the continent's incumbent launch service provider.

The five companies ESA selected are Isar Aerospace, MaiaSpace, Rocket Factory Augsburg, PLD Space, and Orbex. Only one of these companies, Isar Aerospace, has attempted to launch a rocket into orbit. Isar's Spectrum rocket failed moments after liftoff from Norway on a test flight in March. Click here. (7/9)

July 10, 2025

"America First" Means New Approach to US Space Partnerships (Source: Space News)
New Trump administration policies have international partners recalibrating their approach to cooperation. After decades of working closely with international space agencies, the Trump administration is reevaluating programs through an “America First” lens, which prioritize domestic prosperity over foreign-policy considerations. That has led officials in Canada, Europe and elsewhere that have worked with the U.S. on space projects to rethink their plans, including stronger ties with each other and greater domestic spending as links with the U.S. weaken. (7/10)

Spaceport Tax-Exempt Financing Will Cost $1 Billion in Lost Tax Revenue (Source: Space News)
Spaceports now have the same ability as airports to issue tax-exempt bonds. A provision in the budget reconciliation bill enacted last week allows spaceports to issue such bonds to support investment in new infrastructure. Spaceport advocates have argued that allowing spaceports to offer tax-free bonds, like airports and seaports, will make it easier and less expensive to finance projects. While the provision, as an earlier standalone bill, had bipartisan support, some criticized it as a handout to Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimated that tax-exempt spaceport bonds will cost the government about $1 billion in lost tax revenue over the next decade. (7/10)

Japan's Space BD Partners with Gilmour for Launch Services (Source: Space News)
Japanese launch services provider Space BD is partnering with Australia’s Gilmour Space. The two companies announced Wednesday an agreement where Space BD will sell space on Gilmour’s Eris small launch vehicle, and also provide payloads and components for Gilmour’s ElaraSat smallsat bus. The agreement comes as Gilmour prepares for the first launch of Eris, now scheduled for as soon as next week after months of delays. (7/10)

UK to Invest in Eutelsat (Source: Reuters)
The British government is reportedly making an investment in Eutelsat. A French newspaper reported that Britain will invest 163.3 million euros ($191 million) in the satellite operator after French President Emmanuel Macron met with U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer this week. The investment will allow the U.K. government to retain a roughly 10% stake in Eutelsat that came from Eutelsat’s acquisition of OneWeb. A new round of investment by the French government would have diluted that stake. (7/10)

Airbus to Build Radar Imaging Sats for Spain (Source: Airbus)
Airbus has won a contract to build two radar imaging satellites for the Spanish government. Airbus Defence and Space will build two PAZ-2 satellites, providing continuity for the PAZ satellite in operation since 2018. The first of the PAZ-2 satellites is scheduled to enter service in 2031. (7/10)

NASA Loses Over 2000 Employees With Trump Realignment (Source: Politico)
More than 2,000 NASA employees plan to leave the agency through buyouts. Those totals, according to agency documents, include many senior civil servants who are taking deferred retirement or other buyout options offered by the agency. The totals, though, fall well short of the projected reduction of 6,000 civil servants, a third of its workforce, outlined in the agency’s fiscal year 2026 budget, suggesting that layoffs remain an option. (7/10)

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy Named Acting NASA Administrator (Source: Space News)
President Donald Trump announced late July 9 that he has named Sean Duffy, the transportation secretary, to take over as acting NASA administrator. A Cabinet member has never taken over leadership of NASA, even on an interim basis, in the nearly 70-year history of the space agency. NASA has been led on an acting basis since the start of the Trump administration by Janet Petro, director of the Kennedy Space Center. (7/10)

Bearings Used in Space Technologies: Engineering for the Final Frontier (Source: Space Daily)
One of the many critical systems that make satellite operations, space research, space observatories, space explorations, and space missions possible is space technology, where the need for space-qualified bearings is pivotal. These mission-critical space-grade bearings are configured to overcome the challenges of space and ensure the success and longevity of high-value missions, on which the failure of a single component would mean the end. Let's see the significance, types, considerations, and future of bearings used in space technologies and understand how they made interstellar exploration and innovation possible. (7/8)

K2 Space Validates Satellite Systems in Orbit and Fires Record-Breaking Thruster (Source: Space Daily)
K2 Space Corporation has marked two major milestones as it advances toward its first full satellite launch, the GRAVITAS mission, set for early 2026 to Medium Earth Orbit (MEO). The company executed its first in-space demonstration mission, launched in January 2025, validating numerous vertically integrated satellite components. Their successful operation in space reduces technical risk for the upcoming GRAVITAS launch. In parallel, K2 Space completed a full-power test firing of its proprietary 20kW Krypton-fed Hall-effect thruster. (7/8)

Vibration Control System Enhances Satellite Detumbling for Orbital Cleanup (Source: Space Daily)
Under mounting concerns over space debris, scientists at Northwestern Polytechnical University have developed a breakthrough method for detumbling malfunctioning satellites using a hybrid vibration suppression and control strategy. Their approach integrates a nonlinear energy sink with active variable stiffness (NES-AVS) device and a composite prescribed performance controller to improve the safety and effectiveness of on-orbit servicing operations. (7/8)

AST SpaceMobile Adds $100 Million to Support Manufacturing Expansion (Source: Space Daily)
AST SpaceMobile has secured $100 million equipment financing to accelerate manufacturing and deployment plans through 2026. The agreement marks AST SpaceMobile's first such financing deal and reflects its transition from research and development to full-scale commercial operations. (7/8)

Chinese Wave-Tested Airbag System Simulation Boosts Safety for Ocean Spacecraft Landings (Source: Space Daily)
A new study from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics offers critical insights into how reentry capsules interact with waves and airbags during maritime recovery. The team developed an advanced simulation model to analyze how airbag-cushioned capsules behave when landing in real-world ocean conditions. Their work marks the first detailed fluid-structure interaction (FSI) study that accounts for wave dynamics--an area largely overlooked in earlier recovery designs based on calm water or land impact scenarios. (7/8)

China Testing Increasingly Sophisticated In-Space Maneuvering (Source: Space News)
Chinese satellites are experimenting with increasingly sophisticated maneuvers in space. Between late 2023 and December 2024, five Chinese satellites executed a series of close approaches that space analysts called unprecedented due to the number of spacecraft and the complexity of their movements. That is making U.S. officials uneasy that these orbital behaviors could give Beijing an advantage in a future conflict. Given the growing complexity of the operations, the Pentagon is enlisting commercial firms to help decipher China’s intentions. (7/10)

SpaceX Nears Approval for Starlink Service in India (Source: Space News)
SpaceX is a step closer to beginning Starlink service in India. The Indian National Space Promotion Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) approved services for Starlink on Tuesday, two months after giving similar authorization for Eutelsat’s rival LEO network OneWeb. The nod from IN-SPACe marks one of the final major regulatory steps before Starlink can begin operations. However, SpaceX still needs spectrum and other clearances before it can provide broadband in the world’s most populous nation. If successful, India would offer Starlink access to a vast user base and a strategic foothold in Asia. (7/10)

China's Orienspace Plans 2025 Launch of Gravity-2 Rocket (Source: Space News)
Chinese commercial launch firm Orienspace is aiming for a late 2025 debut of its Gravity-2 rocket after a recent engine test. Orienspace announced Tuesday that it had successfully conducted a hot fire test of a Gravity-2 first stage engine, including gimbal and valve system evaluations. There is confusion, though, about the specific engine tested: the company had been developing its own Yuanli‑85 kerosene-liquid oxygen engines, while test footage appeared to show a YF-102 engine, developed by state space giant China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. Orienspace said Gravity-2 will achieve flight readiness by the end of 2025. (7/10)

Japan's Interstellar Raises $61.8 Million for Launcher and Satellite Tech (Source: Space News)
Japanese company Interstellar Technologies raised 8.9 billion yen ($61.8 million) for work on a launch vehicle and satellite technologies. The company said it raised 6.5 billion yen from several investors, with the remaining 2.4 billion yen in the form of debt financing. Interstellar said the Series F round would support work on its Zero launch vehicle, whose first flight has slipped to 2027. It will also aid in development of communications satellites that could be launched by that vehicle. (7/10)

EnduroSat Gets New US Chief (Source: Space News)
A former DARPA official is the new head of smallsat manufacturer EnduroSat’s US office. Paul “Rusty” Thomas is a former DARPA program manager that led Project Blackjack, a demonstration of proliferated low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite systems. He also worked for SpaceX and Amazon’s Kuiper Government Solutions business. Thomas will help EnduroSat, a Bulgarian producer of smallsats, expand its work in the United States. (7/10)

Congress Crushes Hopes for NASA Reform (Source: City-Journal)
Tucked among its hundreds of measures, the Big Beautiful Bill signed by President Trump last week includes a kind of poison pill for NASA reform. The bill allocates an extra $10 billion for SLS and related programs and stipulates that the rocket must be used for at least four more missions, a timeline that will take NASA years to achieve. Hopes for a leaner, more effective space agency will have to wait. (7/8)

NASA Mission Monitoring Air Quality from Space Extended (Source: NASA)
Since launching in 2023, NASA’s Tropospheric Emissions: Monitoring of Pollution mission, or TEMPO, has been measuring the quality of the air we breathe from 22,000 miles above the ground. June 19 marked the successful completion of TEMPO’s 20-month-long initial prime mission, and based on the quality of measurements to date, the mission has been extended through at least September 2026. The TEMPO mission is NASA’s first to use a spectrometer to gather hourly air quality data continuously over North America during daytime hours. It can see details down to just a few square miles, a significant advancement over previous satellites. (7/3)

New Horizons Conducts First-Ever Successful Deep Space Stellar Navigation Test (Source: Phys.org)
As NASA's New Horizons spacecraft traveled through the Kuiper Belt at a distance of more than 5.5 billion miles from Earth, an international team of astronomers used the far-flung probe to conduct an unprecedented experiment: the first-ever successful demonstration of deep space stellar navigation.

The researchers took advantage of the spacecraft's unique vantage point as it traveled toward interstellar space to image two of our nearest stellar neighbors, Proxima Centauri, which is 4.2 light-years from Earth, and Wolf 359, which is 7.86 light-years away. From New Horizons' perspective, the two nearby stars shifted their apparent positions in the sky as they appear to astronomers here on Earth, an effect known as stellar parallax. (7/4)

India Gets Rs 2.54 Back for Every Rupee Invested in ISRO (Source: India Today)
India’s space program is delivering an impressive economic return, with every rupee invested in the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) generating Rs 2.54 in value, according to former ISRO chairman S. Somnath. He highlighted the remarkable efficiency and impact of India’s space sector, which has achieved global recognition despite modest budgets.

“For every one rupee we spent, the return on investment is Rs 2.54. This is an indicator of our investment in the budget allocated to us, which is not much, yet we have built infrastructure, satellites, application domains, and successful missions,” Somnath said. (7/4)

A Unique Mission to Both Uranus and Neptune Could Launch in 2034 (Source: Big Think)
Many orbiting missions to Uranus and Neptune have been proposed and made it quite far in the mission submission process, but none have actually been slated to be built or fly. One of the major, flagship-class missions proposed to NASA’s planetary science decadal survey in 2011 was a Uranus probe and orbiter; it was ranked #3, but in the most recent planetary science decadal, it was ranked as the highest-priority planetary flagship mission.

Under ideal conditions, after leaving Earth, you’d get a gravity assist from Jupiter, and then you fly past Uranus, dropping off (and inserting) an orbiter and possibly an atmospheric probe as well, and then you’d continue on, assisted by Uranus’s gravity, to Neptune, where you’d then have a second orbiter and possibly an atmospheric probe, too.

What should give us all tremendous hope for a future mission is that there will be a launch window to reach both worlds with a single mission, Uranus and Neptune alike, that align at once: in 2034. That’s when the conceptual ODINUS mission would send twin orbiters to both Uranus and Neptune simultaneously: arriving at Uranus in 2047, just two years before the next (2049) Uranian equinox, and then allowing an orbiter to arrive at Neptune about three years later: in 2050. (7/3)

Inside a Utah Desert Facility Preparing Humans for Life on Mars (Source: CNBC)
Hidden among the majestic canyons of the Utah desert, about 7 miles from the nearest town, is a small research facility meant to prepare humans for life on Mars. The Mars Society, a nonprofit organization that runs the Mars Desert Research Station, or MDRS, invited CNBC to shadow one of its analog crews on a recent mission. Click here. (7/5)

NASA’s Impending Data Diaspora (Source: NASA Watch)
With the rush to spontaneously cancel a wide swath of missions, there is no transition plan for data recovery or archiving in a structured fashion in place at NASA or by the Administration. It is all chaos. Data will be lost, mangled, parsed, and scattered. So unless dedicated people go out and buy a bunch of 10 TB drives and skirt government regulations and save it on their own, this will become a data diaspora. And thus the loss of these missions will be compounded by this scattered data. This has happened before and it is happening again. (7/4)

Greece Expands Space Industry with Defense, Naval Ties (Source: Ekathimerini)
Greece’s space industry is expanding rapidly, with 60 companies now generating €500 million in 2024 revenue, up from €230 million in 2020, officials said. Athanasios Potsis, president of the Hellenic Industrial Space Association (HASI), emphasized the need to build on two decades of investment and leverage current defense-related opportunities. “The opportunities are now,” he said, citing Europe’s rearmament and the critical role of space technologies.

A new agreement was signed between EFA Ventures and the Hellenic Navy to boost aerospace collaboration, focusing on cutting-edge technologies for naval operations and transferring space tech into sectors like shipping. (7/4)

NASA Astronaut Credits Her Colorado Upbringing for Fostering a Love of Space, Exploration (Source: Scripps Media)
Major Nichole Ayers is living out her childhood dreams in outer space. She is currently aboard the International Space Station. “It never gets old to be able to hang out on the wall or go into a module and talk to somebody who's on the ceiling,” she said, demonstrating the lack of gravity aboard the station.

Originally from the Colorado Springs area, Ayers is also a U.S. Air Force pilot who has flown F-22 fighter jets. “Growing up right there in Colorado, you know, I got to see the Thunderbirds fly over every year,” said Ayers, who went to Woodland Park High School before going to the U.S. Air Force Academy. “I used to drag my family out east of Colorado Springs to get away from the city lights to watch meteor showers. And so, I was always fascinated by it.” (7/5)

Rocket Scientists Hooked Up ChatGPT to the Controls of a Spaceship (Source: Futurism)
Despite being stumped by simple children's games and uncontrollably hallucinating, AI models could perform surprisingly well when put in charge of navigating space inside a simulated spacecraft, researchers have found. They instructed OpenAI's ChatGPT to "operate as an autonomous agent controlling a pursuit spacecraft."

To their amazement, as detailed in a paper slated to be published in the Journal of Advances in Space Research, they found that the large language model exceeded expectations, scoring second place in a space simulation competition based on the popular video game Kerbal Space Program that pitted several AI agents against each other. (7/4)

Winners Announced for Florida/Israel Joint Aerospace Grant Program (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida, the state’s aerospace finance and development authority, and the Israel Innovation Authority, an independent publicly funded agency dedicated to fostering innovation ecosystems, announced the award recipients of the 12th round of funding from the Space Florida-Israel Innovation Partnership Program. 

This year’s winners are MySky Eco of Port Orange, FL and Airwayz of Tel Aviv, Israel. MySky Eco specializes in the development and manufacturing of light aircraft designed for general aviation and flight training. Their product line includes aircraft powered by both piston engines and electric propulsion, offering cost-effective solutions for aerial observation, recreational flying, flight instruction, and more. (7/9)

Starships Coming to Florida: Air Force Collecting Public Comments During Hearings (Source: Florida Today)
The U.S. Air Force seeks public comment on the potential environmental impacts of up to 76 Starship-Super Heavy launches per year from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Three public hearings are scheduled in Brevard County, along with a virtual hearing, to gather feedback. SpaceX is also seeking approvals for increased launch activity elsewhere at the Cape.

The first of a trio of Starship public hearings on Florida's Space Coast took place July 8 in Titusville. Resident Russ Hansen expressed concerns about the mega-rocket's test-flight track record thus far in Texas. "I believe out of nine launches they've had, five of them have exploded either on the launch pad or over the Caribbean," Hansen said during the formal public-comment session. "And my concerns are, are there any mitigation effects in place or planned if that were to happen ... either on the pads or over the Atlantic Ocean?" he asked.

David Botto of the Indian River Lagoon Roundtable said it must be done to guarantee no harm to the ecologically imperiled lagoon. Without establishing a centralized authority to manage rapid development across the Cape, the future of the northern lagoon is at risk — perhaps great risk, he said. "The proper analysis of topography and hydrology should be done as an area, not 100 acres at a time as it is being done now. The piecemeal development will not help us. It will actually cause danger to the lagoon," he said. Click here. (7/9)

July 9, 2025

France Opens First Military Space Air Base in Toulouse (Source: AeroTime)
France has officially inaugurated its first-ever military space air base, a landmark step in the country’s effort to assert sovereignty in an increasingly contested domain. Air Base 101 Toulouse, now reactivated as a Base Aérienne à Vocation Spatiale (BAVS), will serve as the operational hub of France’s military space activities. The ceremony took place on July 2, 2025, in Toulouse’s Place du Capitole, the symbolic heart of the city and the epicenter of French aerospace and space research. (7/6)

Space Force Publishes International Cooperation Strategy (Source: Space News)
The Space Force has published its first international cooperation strategy. The document, released Tuesday, is a blueprint for how America’s newest military branch intends to transition from sporadic global cooperation to a more deliberate and integrated space coalition with trusted allies. The 15-page document represents a shift from treating allies as customers of U.S. space tech to full partners in co-developing and co-operating systems from satellites to sensors to navigation tools.

The strategy was released the same day as the GAO published a report that concluded the Defense Department’s efforts at international cooperation in space operations are still hampered by bureaucracy, fragmentation and legacy classification systems. Among the problems cited by the GAO were overlapping roles among multiple DoD organizations involved in space security cooperation, which has left foreign partners confused and resulted in missed opportunities. (7/9)

Northrop Grumman Consolidating Golden Dome Efforts (Source: Space News)
Northrop Grumman is consolidating its efforts to win business for the Golden Dome missile defense system. With a sprawling portfolio of programs relevant to Golden Dome, including space sensors, interceptors and command systems, Northrop opted to consolidate its campaign in Huntsville, Alabama, where the company maintains deep ties with the Missile Defense Agency. That work will be led by Raymond Sharp, vice president of Northrop Grumman’s missile defense solutions business unit. (7/9)

Japan's Synspective Signs with Exolaunch for (Likely) SpaceX Transporter Rides (Source: Space News)
Japanese radar imaging company Synspective signed a contract with Exolaunch for launches of 10 satellites. The companies signed a launch agreement Wednesday at the Spacetide conference in Tokyo, with Exolaunch agreeing to launch 10 Synspective SAR satellites starting in 2027. Exolaunch arranges launch services with several vehicles, including on SpaceX Transporter rideshare missions. Synspective signed a contract last year for 10 Rocket Lab Electron launches, but the company said it needs additional launch capacity to build out its constellation. (7/9)

Neuraspace Developing AI-Assisted Satellite Navigation (Source: Space News)
Neuraspace is developing AI-powered software to allow satellite operators to make better use of navigation signals. A 12-month project funded by ESA aims to demonstrate a computationally efficient way to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of onboard GPS and other satellite navigation signals. The technology is intended to improve satellite tracking and collision avoidance capabilities. (7/9)

Change May Be Needed to Expand Europe's Space Programs (Source: Space News)
Europe’s distributed approach to space, spreading funding across multiple agencies and a wide range of companies, may need to change. European governments are showing a willingness to invest more in space, linked to growing defense needs as Europe notes the lessons of the war in Ukraine. The perception of weakening ties with the United States, including budget cuts at NASA that could hinder ESA programs, is also a factor. But if Europe is going to spend more, leaders said governments will need to cooperate more closely on space and that some companies may feel pressure to consolidate. (7/9)

Honda Has No Immediate Commercial Plans for Launch Tech It is Developing (Source: Space News)
While Honda performed a successful launch and landing test of a rocket, the company has yet to decide whether to commercialize the technology. In a test last month, a small rocket lifted off, flew to an altitude of nearly 300 meters and landed back on its launch pad. The test demonstrated key technologies that could be used for a future reusable rocket, a Honda executive said. However, the company says the technology is still in the “elemental research stage” with no decision on whether to develop a commercial vehicle. Honda plans additional tests, including a full suborbital flight by 2029. (7/9)

SpaceX Prepares Another Stock Sale, Valuing Company at $400 Billion (Source: Financial Times)
SpaceX is preparing a stock sale that would value the company at $400 billion. The company will offer $1 billion in shares in a tender offer, which allows company employees to sell their stock to outside investors, at a share price of $212. That would value SpaceX at $400 billion, up from $350 billion in a tender offer last December. (7/9)

India Tests Propulsion System for Crewed Spacecraft (Source: PTI)
India has tested the propulsion system for its Gaganyaan crewed spacecraft. The Indian space agency ISRO said ground tests confirmed the performance of thrusters used for attitude control and adjusting its orbit. ISRO is continuing such tests ahead of uncrewed orbital flights of the vehicle set to begin later this year. (7/9)

Radar Leakage at Airports May Reveal Humanity's Presence Light-Years Away (Source: Space.com)
Airport radars may be giving our presence away to any interstellar neighbors. A study presented Tuesday at the U.K.’s National Astronomy Meeting found that emissions that “leak” from radars used at civilian and military airports could be detected as far as 200 light-years away by a radio telescope similar to the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia, one of the largest such telescopes. The emissions, astronomers said, would be distinct from natural phenomena. The lack of such detections from nearby stars suggests they are not home to intelligent life — or just have better air traffic control technologies. (7/9)

Canadian Companies Pursue Commercial Rocket Production (Source: Space.com)
At a coastal site on the southeastern tip of Newfoundland, a brand-new rocket is nearly ready for flight. It was built entirely in Canada, fueled by kerosene and ambition, and spearheaded by a startup with its eyes on orbit. NordSpace is on track to conduct the first commercial liquid-fueled rocket launch in Canadian history — a suborbital shot scheduled for mid-August.

Rooting for the company behind the scenes is ProtoSpace, an aerospace manufacturing arm of Canadian firm Protocase, boasting "high-velocity" production and delivery of specialized space-grade components within two to three days, compared to industry norms of weeks or months. Together, NordSpace and ProtoSpace represent a growing push to establish a domestic space industry in Canada that supports its own launch infrastructure, source manufacturing and orbital launch capability. (7/8)

Spaceport Municipal Financing Provision Tucked Into Big Beautiful Bill (Source: Political Wire)
“Private space companies, including SpaceX and Blue Origin, stand to benefit from a preferential tax treatment tucked into Donald Trump’s signature spending plan,” the Financial Times reports. “The bill, which Trump signed last week, includes a provision that will allow spaceports to be financed in the municipal debt market through so-called private activity bonds, which fund non-governmental projects that have some public benefit.”

Editor's Note: This appears to be language long sought by Space Florida and other spaceport proponents to enable tax-exempt financing for spaceport infrastructure. (7/8)

CSA Invests $3.9 Million in Five smartEarth Proposals (Source: SpaceQ)
The Canadian Space Agency (CSA) has selected five proposals in the next stage of its smartEarth program awarding each company $780k. The CSA said that the proposals selected focus “on advancing projects that monitor the Arctic, improve wildfire response, and protect marine life and sensitive coastal ecosystems.”

The proposals include: C-CORE – Mitigating Arctic challenges through the use of multi-mission satellite data and artificial intelligence; Mission Control – Demonstrating a machine learning application for use onboard satellites to deliver wildfire detection products for wildfire managers in near real time; Hatfield Consultants – Developing an eelgrass mapping system to support aquatic biodiversity; AltaML – Leveraging generative artificial intelligence to improve systems that detect and protect North Atlantic right whales; and Fluvial Systems Research – Detecting and monitoring North Atlantic right whales through satellite data to inform and strengthen protection measures. (7/7)

China Jumps Ahead in the Race to Achieve a New kind of Reuse in Space (Source: Ars Technica)
Two Chinese satellites have rendezvoused with one another more than 20,000 miles above the Earth in what analysts believe is the first high-altitude attempt at orbital refueling. China's Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 satellites, known as SJ-21 and SJ-25 for short, likely docked together in geosynchronous orbit sometime last week. This is the conclusion of multiple civilian satellite trackers using open source imagery showing the two satellites coming together, then becoming indistinguishable as a single object. (7/8)

Embry‑Riddle Student Team Earns First Place in NASA Human Lander Challenge (Source: ERAU)
An Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University student team took first place in the NASA 2025 Human Lander Challenge (HuLC) for developing an innovative spacecraft fuel gauge system to tackle a propellant issue critical to the success of space exploration missions.

NASA experts who judged the competing teams’ presentations selected the team of student researchers from Embry‑Riddle’s Prescott, Arizona, campus as the overall winner among 12 finalists, awarding the team the challenge’s grand prize of $10,000. Old Dominion University placed second, receiving a $5,000 prize. MIT came in third, receiving $3,000. The final competition was held in Huntsville, Alabama, near NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, from June 24 to 26. (7/2)

Embry‑Riddle Professor, Undergrads Unlock Secrets of Cosmic Dust With the Webb Telescope (Source: ERAU)
Cosmic dust does far more than float through space. It’s the raw material from which stars, planets and possibly even life emerge. Yet astronomers have long puzzled over where this vast amount of dust comes from and what it’s made of. Dr. Noel Richardson, an associate professor of Physics and Astronomy at Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University, and his students are answering these questions by studying an unusual class of aging stars known as Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars.

“Wolf-Rayet stars are essentially highly evolved massive stars that don’t show hydrogen at all,” said Richardson. “They’ve lost their hydrogen in the outer part of the star, fusing helium in their core, which means they are nearing the end of their life cycle.” (7/7)

Scientists Behind Threatened NASA Missions Explain What’s at Stake (Source: Planetary Society)
The Planetary Society interviewed some of the scientists behind these missions and their discoveries. These are world-class experts who are speaking from personal experience. In many cases, they have devoted decades of their lives to these missions. Here is what they have to say, in their own words. (7/7)

Space Force Cancels SATCOM Program (Source: Air & Space Forces)
The US Space Force has decided to cancel the $2 billion Protected Tactical SATCOM-Resilient (PTS-R) competition, which was initially intended to build on the Wideband Global SATCOM constellation. Instead, the focus will shift to rapidly operationalizing two existing PTS-P prototypes, aiming to bring new, jam-resistant tactical communications capabilities into service sooner. This move is aligned with a broader strategy to implement faster and more robust SATCOM solutions while controlling costs and reducing technical risks. (7/7)

Skynopy and SpaceLocker Team to Make Space More Accessible, Sustainable and Connected (Source: Skynopy)
One offers an “Airbnb” for ground stations, the other makes orbital hosting plug-and-play. Startups Skynopy and SpaceLocker are joining forces to simplify and accelerate access to space and space data. During the Assises du NewSpace, SpaceLocker officially announces it has selected Skynopy to provide ground connectivity for its “Out of the Box” mission—its third mission and the first satellite fully operated by the company, set to launch into low Earth orbit in February 2026. (7/8)

Manly Bands Launches Collection of NASA Inspired Wedding Rings (Source: CollectSpace)
A custom ring maker that has infused millions of men's wedding bands with super heroes, the Second Age and fine spirits has taken a new leap ... with NASA. Manly Bands has launched its NASA Collection with three ring designs inspired by different aspects of spaceflight. The NASA bands join the company's other rings inspired by DC comic book characters, Lord of the Rings and Jack Daniels, among others like Jeep and Fender. (7/7)

Air Force Stops Study of Using a Wildlife Refuge for SpaceX Tests (Source: E&E News)
The Air Force has stopped evaluating a unique wildlife refuge in the Pacific Ocean for possible use by Elon Musk’s SpaceX in testing cargo-carrying rockets. In a move welcomed by conservationists, the Air Force now says it will consider locations other than the Johnston Atoll National Wildlife Refuge for a facility capable of handling up to 10 rockets a year.

“The Department of the Air Force has elected to hold the preparation of the Johnston Atoll Environmental Assessment for a proposed rocket cargo landing demonstration on Johnston Atoll in abeyance while the service explores alternative options for implementation of the rocket cargo Vanguard program at a location other than Johnston Atoll,” Air Force spokesperson Laurel Falls said in an email statement. (7/7)

Floating to Space a Giant Leap Closer as Zero 2 Infinity Opens South Korea (Source: JoongAng Daily)
Space tourism could become a reality in Korea within the next two years, with the cost per flight priced at 80 million won ($58,300) — part of Spain-based aerospace company Zero 2 Infinity’s vision to make space travel accessible beyond just the ultra-wealthy. Headquartered in Barcelona, Zero 2 Infinity is a privately-held company founded in 2009 by aerospace engineer José Mariano that develops high-altitude balloons that can travel to near space and low Earth orbit.

Zero 2 Infinity Korea’s CEO, Lee Jong-ho commemorated the establishment of the company’s Korean entity at Incheon on Monday. “I believe that if the launch were to take place in Korea, we could potentially cut that cost by half.” Bloon, still in the development phase, is a near-space tourism experience that uses a high-altitude helium balloon to carry a pressurized capsule and passengers to the stratosphere. (7/7)