November 4, 2026

NASA Outlines Artemis IV Starship Refueling Architecture as Launch Estimates Vary (Source: SatNews)
NASA has outlined the operational order of operations for fueling SpaceX’s Starship Human Landing System (HLS) in Earth orbit ahead of Artemis IV, the program’s scheduled first crewed lunar landing. Presented during an agency briefing in late October 2026, the updated flight sequence illustrates the multi-phase choreography required to stage and gas up the upper-stage lander in space before it departs for the Moon.

The operational blueprint arrives amid ongoing debate over how many preliminary tanker flights will be necessary to execute a crewed lunar sortie. While a 2021 GAO audit estimated that the lunar architecture could require up to 16 launches, recent panel assessments presented higher estimates. Charlie Precourt, a member of NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP), cautioned that fueling the lander could require as many as 22 launches. Elon Musk disputed that projection, stating the actual number of refueling flights will be closer to six or eight.

The disparity reflects varying engineering assumptions regarding Starship payload capacity, propellant boil-off rates during orbital loiter, and the operational efficiency of cryogenic fluid transfer between vehicles in low Earth orbit. NASA’s concept shows multiple Starship tanker variants will lift off from Earth to deliver liquid methane and liquid oxygen to a dedicated propellant depot loitering in low Earth orbit. Once the depot tanks are filled, the uncrewed Starship HLS upper stage will launch, dock with the orbital depot to receive its full propellant load, and initiate its trans-lunar injection burn toward lunar orbit. (11/3)

Globalstar Questions Supplier Relationship With Rocket Lab When Iridium Acquisition Closes (Source: Via Satellite)
Globalstar asked the FCC to take a close look at how its relationship with supplier Rocket Lab could be impacted after Rocket Lab acquires Globalstar competitor Iridium. Globalstar submitted an FCC filing in the agency’s review of the Rocket Lab/Iridium acquisition, detailing what it called repeated attempts by Iridium to “capture” its licensed mobile satellite service (MSS) spectrum through regulatory filings, and raising questions about the competitive implications of the deal. (11/3)

Space Force Weighs Proliferated Cislunar Satellite Constellation (Source: Air & Space Forces)
The Space Force is considering launching up to five satellites to cislunar space as soon as 2029 to help lay the foundation for a future proliferated constellation between Earth and the moon. In a Nov. 2 industry notice, the service said it is “notionally interested” in launching a handful of satellites to inform a future acquisition strategy for a Cislunar Space System to operate beyond geosynchronous orbit. The spacecraft should be ready to launch by late 2029 for initial operations by 2031. (11/2)

Starfish Space's First Otter Spacecraft Fails in Orbit (Source: Space News)
Starfish Space's first Otter spacecraft has failed in orbit just weeks after its launch. The satellite servicing company said Tuesday that it lost contact with the Otter spacecraft, launched Oct. 1 on a rideshare mission. The company concluded that the fault protection system on the spacecraft bus turned off the radio and kept it from reestablishing communications, and that the Otter is "not recoverable." The spacecraft was flying a mission for NASA called Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability (SSPICY), where it planned to approach several other space objects and potentially dock with one as a demonstration of its satellite servicing capabilities. Starfish said it is working with Astro Digital, which produced the bus, to correct the problem on several other Otter spacecraft in production. (11/4)

China's Star Vision to Develop AI-Enabled Constellation for Oman (Source: Space News)
Chinese company Star Vision signed agreements to develop an "AI-enabled" satellite constellation for the government of Oman. The agreement with Omani company Oman Lens was signed Monday in Beijing during a state visit by the sultan of Oman. Star Vision says the deal covers 20 satellites for space computing, although reports in Omani media state that the satellite agreement covers two phases beginning with seven satellites, with a second phase contingent on the success of the first. The constellation deal builds on the OL-1 Omani remote sensing and AI demo satellite, developed in part by Star Vision, with an onboard AI processing payload, that launched two years ago. (11/4)

Astrolab Expands From Lunar Rovers Toward Power and Comms (Source: Space News)
Lunar rover developer Astrolab is expanding into power and communications. The company announced Wednesday the Lunar Utility Module for Industrial Services (LUMIS), which will include a vertical solar array and batteries along with local and direct-to-Earth communications. LUMIS is designed to be deployed on the moon by Astrolab's FLEX cargo rover. A network of LUMIS nodes could provide power and communications for NASA's lunar base as well as commercial users. The company plans to fly an initial LUMIS demonstration node, capable of producing 2 kilowatts of power, on a commercial Starship lander mission as soon as 2028. (11/4)

Voyager Acquisition of Astrobotic Going Well (Source: Space News)
Voyager Technologies is pleased so far with its acquisition of lunar lander company Astrobotic. In an earnings call Tuesday, Voyager executives said the acquisition this summer "meaningfully expanded" its lunar capabilities. Astrobotic provided $31 million in revenue to Voyager in the third quarter, more than expected, although executives said that was primarily a shift in timing of planned revenue from the fourth quarter. The Griffin-1 lander Astrobotic developed is being prepared for launch, although officials on the call did not give a specific launch date or commit to flying the mission by the end of the year as previously planned. Voyager executives also said on the call they felt confident about the position of Starlab Space, the commercial space station joint venture that Voyager owns a majority stake in, for NASA's Commercial LEO Destinations competition. (11/4)

Voice Commands Now Can Operate Satellites (Source: Space News)
Controllers successfully operated a satellite in orbit using only voice commands. In July, Oslo-based amateur radio operators sent a voice command to the European Space Agency's three-year-old CubeSat OPS-SAT PRETTY. Engineers say that while operating satellites with voice commands is unlikely to become a standard practice, there is potential for training satellites to recognize and respond to the "unstructured and unpredictable" patterns of the human voice versus just predefined patterns and formats in radio signals. (11/4)

Midterm Swing Means Changes Likely for DoD and NASA Space (Sources: Space News, Washington Post)
Democrats will have control of both houses of Congress next year after sweeping wins in midterm elections Tuesday. Democrats will have at least 54 seats in the Senate and 228 in the House, with a number of races yet to be called. Democratic control of Congress could have implications for both NASA's space science and exploration programs as well as plans to increase military space spending and fund the Golden Dome missile defense system. (11/4)

A Critical Two Years for Golden Dome (Source: Space News)
The next two years will be critical for Golden Dome and other military space programs. When President Trump unveiled Golden Dome in May 2025, he said it should be fully operational before his term ends in January 2029. The Pentagon has since laid out a more limited near-term objective, with initial capabilities targeted for 2028, including work on space-based interceptors. By 2028, the Pentagon also expects to have made significant progress shifting surveillance missions traditionally performed by aircraft into space, while the Space Development Agency completes deployment of the first generations of the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a network of communications and missile-tracking satellites linked by lasers in LEO. (11/4)

2028 Will be Key Year for Artemis (Source: Space News)
2028 will be a critical year for NASA's space exploration ambitions. The agency continues to plan to have the first Artemis crewed landing in 2028 even as the architecture for those missions is adjusted. NASA is also expecting to launch a nuclear propulsion demonstration mission in late 2028, although NASA has provided limited details about progress on the mission and its schedule. Multiple robotic lunar lander missions are also scheduled for 2028, even as companies struggle to launch and successfully land such spacecraft. (11/4)

NOAA Budget Key to Commercial Weather Satellite Providers (Source: Space News)
Companies offering commercial weather services are waiting to see what NOAA's budgets will look like over the next two years for buying such services. Although NOAA's Commercial Data Program (CDP) budget has grown in recent years, industry executives say a substantial increase in the administration's 2028 budget request is needed to persuade investors to finance additional commercial weather satellites. Recent comments by NOAA officials have raised hopes among industry leaders that funding will increase. NOAA selected 14 companies in September for its Space-Based Environmental Monitoring (SBEM) IDIQ contract, with a ceiling of $2.35 billion over 10 years. (11/4)

This Space Company Is Betting Its Future on a Propellant Available Everywhere (Source: Ars Technica)
Robert, Ryan and Kirby Carlisle are engineers who worked at SpaceX during the Falcon 9 era, seeing the revolution in the global launch industry from the inside. The brothers launched rockets, refurbished rockets, and sold rockets. But when it came time for them to leave SpaceX and start their own space company—a lifetime dream for the Carlisle brothers—they chose not to build rockets. Rather, they focused on spacecraft.

In late 2022, the three Carlisles founded Argo Space to build infrastructure in space. Their vision was not just in-space transportation but also removing the need to use propellants from Earth to move around the heavens. They chose water, which is potentially harvestable on the Moon and found all over the Solar System, as a means of propulsion. (11/3)

DIU Looks to Award Deorbit Demonstration Contract Next Month (Source: Defense Daily)
The Pentagon is to make a downselect decision next month for a company's orbital demonstration under the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU)/Space Development Agency (SDA) Deorbit-as-a-Service (DaaS) program after a preliminary design review on Nov. 16. In August, DIU and SDA said they had awarded D-Orbit, Firefly Aerospace and Katalyst Space $8.4 million in contracts for DaaS. The goal is to have a prototype de-orbiting system in space by mid-2028. (11/3)

Federal Watchdogs File Project Meridian Lawsuit (Source: Defense Daily)
The two most prominent defense industry board members of the Pentagon's Project Meridian are SpaceX [SPCX] founder and CEO Elon Musk and Anduril Industries' co-founder Palmer Luckey. A federal watchdogs' lawsuit filed against the Pentagon on Monday suggests that DoD will be more inclined to steer contracts to SpaceX, Anduril, and other companies with executives on the Project Meridian board. Co-defendants on the lawsuit are Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Undersecretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Emil Michael. (11/3)

Space-Grown Brain Tumor Models Mimic Advanced Glioblastoma More Closely (Source: Beyond LEO)
Miniature brain tumors grown for 40 days on the International Space Station turned out to resemble advanced human glioblastoma more closely than the same kind of models grown on Earth. Researchers used three-dimensional organoids made from glioblastoma (GBM) cells and innate immune cells. These are laboratory models of a tumor, not treatments, and no patient was involved. Their value lies in giving researchers a more realistic stand-in for a cancer that is notoriously hard to study and to treat. (11/2)

AT&T and AST SpaceMobile Switch a Phone Connection From Ground Network to Satellite (Source: Beyond LEO)
AT&T and AST SpaceMobile say they have passed a phone connection from a ground-based cellular network to a satellite network that talks directly to handsets, in what they believe is the first successful handoff of its kind in the industry. The test took place outside Granite Falls, Washington, at 8:15 a.m. PT on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, using ground-based technology from Ericsson and Nokia. (11/2)

Europe Looks at Post-ISS Options (Source: Space News)
Europe is examining its options for life after the International Space Station. The agency has outlined three possible paths: relying largely on commercial space stations developed by others, using those commercial platforms while contributing European infrastructure and transportation, or pursuing a European-led orbital outpost. ESA has made progress on all three, including agreements with commercial space station developers and awarding study contracts to examine the feasibility of a European-led station. Member states are expected to debate those plans at an intermediate ministerial meeting in Rome in mid-December. (11/3)

Cygnus Cargo Mission to ISS will Honor James Lovell (Source: Collect Space)
The next Cygnus mission to the ISS will be named after James Lovell. Northrop Grumman said last week that the Cygnus spacecraft for its NG-25 mission to the ISS, scheduled to launch later this month on a Falcon 9, will be named the S.S. James A. Lovell after the former NASA astronaut who died last year. Lovell is best known as the commander of the Apollo 13 mission in 1970, but also flew on Gemini 7, Gemini 12 and Apollo 8. The announcement continues a company tradition of naming Cygnus spacecraft primarily after deceased astronauts. (11/3)

Rocket Lab Launches Another Japanese SAR Satellite From New Zealand (Source: Space News)
An Electron launched a Japanese radar-imaging satellite Monday on the rocket's last double-digit launch. The Electron lifted off from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand at 11:41 a.m. Eastern and placed into orbit the QPS-SAR-20 satellite for Japanese company iQPS. This was the 10th launch for iQPS with eight more Electron launches under contract. The next Electron launch will be the 100th for the vehicle since its introduction in 2017. That launch, also for iQPS, is scheduled for no earlier than Nov. 14. (11/3)

China's Kinetica-2 Rocket Launches Qianfan Satellites (Source: Xinhua)
A commercial Chinese rocket launched a set of Qianfan satellites Monday. The Lijian-2, or Kinetica-2, lifted off from the Dongfeng commercial launch complex at Jiuquan at 7:15 p.m. Eastern. It carried 18 satellites for the Spacesail constellation. This was the second flight of the rocket, which is capable of placing up to 8 metric tons into sun-synchronous orbit. (11/3)

Amazon Anticipates Accelerated Leo Deployment with Rockets Returning to Service (Source: Space News)
Amazon is betting that the deployment of its broadband constellation will soon accelerate. The company has launched less than 400 Amazon Leo satellites because of delays and setbacks with the Ariane 6, New Glenn and Vulcan Centaur rockets. The company is expecting that deployment pace to speed up as New Glenn and Vulcan return to flight, with Vulcan launching a set of Amazon Leo satellites as soon as Nov. 13. Analysts say 2027 could be an "inflection point" for Amazon Leo if those vehicles can increase their flight rates. (11/3)

Space Force Should Move Faster on New Surveillance Satellites (Source: Space News)
The Space Force is not moving quickly enough on a program to develop a new series of space surveillance satellites, industry claims. At a conference last week, companies criticized the Space Force for its management of the Geosynchronous Reconnaissance and Surveillance program, known as RG-XX, where the service aims to replace a small fleet of expensive, custom-built surveillance satellites with a larger network of commercially derived spacecraft operating in geosynchronous orbit. Companies say the first orders under the program may be considerably smaller than industry had hoped, reducing the economies of scale they had expected. They also criticized the pace of the program, with the Space Force expected to order the next RG-XX satellites in 2027 for delivery in 2030. (11/3)

Vantor Can Deliver Imagery Within 7 Minutes of Request (Source: Space News)
Vantor says it has demonstrated the ability to deliver satellite imagery to Ukrainian troops within just seven minutes of a request. The company completed a demonstration in which imagery was delivered directly to a handheld tablet on the battlefield seven minutes after the satellite was tasked, the geospatial intelligence company said last week. The company has previously reported delivery times of approximately 12 to 15 minutes under favorable conditions, although imagery can take several hours to reach users depending on circumstances. (11/3)

Future Intel Sat Designs May Cater to AI Users (Source: Space News)
Intelligence agencies may design future satellites around the needs of AI rather than human analysts. Didi Kuo, principal deputy director for geospatial intelligence at the NRO, said advances in AI could challenge longstanding assumptions about the image quality required from intelligence satellites. The NRO, which builds and operates U.S. intelligence satellites, has demanding image-quality requirements intended to support human analysts that affect the design and cost of satellites. Designing around AI needs could alter those designs, resulting in cost savings. (11/3)

Computer Glitch and Gyro Fault Likely Doomed Mars Orbiter (Source: Space News)
A combination of a computer glitch and a faulty gyro likely caused the demise of a NASA Mars orbiter last year. NASA lost contact with the MAVEN spacecraft last December and declared the mission over in June after failing to restore contact. The final report of an anomaly review board, recently released by NASA with no fanfare, said the most likely cause was a single-event upset in the spacecraft's flight computer or a software issue that caused the computer to reboot. When it rebooted, it relied on data from a gyro that had previously been turned off because of degrading performance. The gyro provided faulty information to the computer, causing it to fire thrusters and spin up. Investigators said they could not definitively prove this was the root cause of the failure but noted that other possibilities, like an impact from a micrometeoroid or debris, were far less likely. (11/3)

Saltzman Joins Voyager Board (Source: Space News)
The recently retired commanding general of the Space Force is joining a Voyager Technologies board. The company announced Monday that Chance Saltzman will chair its board of advisers, providing strategic advice on Voyager's space and defense programs, customer needs and the changing security environment. The appointment comes two months after Saltzman stepped down as chief of space operations, the Space Force's highest-ranking uniformed position. For Voyager, Saltzman's appointment comes as the firm expands into military space and defense markets. (11/3)

New X-Plane To Be Announced At Max Power Airshow (Source: TWZ)
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman says a new X-plane will be announced at the Max Power exhibition at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida this coming weekend. He insisted, however, that this is unrelated to an SR-71 Blackbird that mysteriously disappeared from public display earlier this year. Isaacman also deflected a direct question about that SR-71 and the possibility that it could fly again, quipping that “we’re just cleaning it, man.”

“Since I didn’t answer your question that you asked before, I will give you some insight that we will announce a new X-plane at it [Max Power], and it is not the one you’re thinking about,” the NASA director said in an ensuing discussion on the podcast about that event, which is set to kick off on Saturday. “I am gonna deliver on the promise there will be more X-planes.” (11/2)

Should Utah’s Spaceport Launch Rockets or Catch Them? Experts Are Split (Source: Deseret News)
Recent momentum has brought Utah's spaceport project nearer to reality. However, a core debate has emerged regarding its primary function: whether the facility should serve as a launch site, a recovery location or combination of both. The Legislature formed the Spaceport Exploration Committee aiming to assess the feasibility of a Utah-based facility that could play a potential role as a place to launch, land and even develop the next generation of space vehicles.

The committee completed its work last week, issuing a final report identifying two locations, Delta and Green River, for a potential new multimodal space facility and encouraging lawmakers to move forward with development efforts. Their report concludes that both launch and reentry services are feasible in Utah and identifies launch and reentry routes that meet FAA safety requirements at both preferred locations. But some industry experts and at least one committee member say Utah should set different priorities. They believe the most viable route for Utah to elevate its standing in the newspace sector is to focus on reentry and recovery and, for the time being, deprioritize the pursuit of a launch facility. (11/2)

Trump Vows to Protect Musk, Floats Pre-Emptive Staff Pardons (Source: Axios)
President Trump said Monday he'd move to protect Elon Musk if Democrats investigate the SpaceX and Tesla CEO after the midterm elections. He also suggested the possibility of pre-emptive pardons for staff and others around him if Democrats pursue investigations. Trump is positioning himself for a combative final two years in the White House, as polls increasingly point to the prospect of a significant blue wave. (11/2)

SpaceX’s Starfall Just Went From Secret to Storefront (Source: Reuters)
SpaceX has put up a dedicated commercial page for Starfall, its disk shaped reentry capsule, laying out for the first time what customers actually get when they book a flight. The page, live at spacex.com/starfall, pitches “affordable, routine access to microgravity” and invites companies to get in touch about flying manufacturing, research or testing payloads.

The specs are short and specific. Each Starfall mission carries up to 1,000 kg of payload, supplies 1 kW of power and connects through an Ethernet interface. Mission length is tailored to the customer, and the payload stays online the entire time through Starlink, which means researchers can pull data from an experiment while it is still in orbit instead of waiting for splashdown. (11/2)

China Publicly Discloses Plan for a Lunar Landing Within Three Years (Source: Ars Technica)
Chinese space officials confirmed this weekend that the Asian nation plans to land its astronauts on the Moon within three years. At the Seventh Manned Spaceflight Conference in Beijing, officials, including Wang Xiang, chief designer for the lunar exploration program, laid out the country’s most publicly detailed plans yet for a series of missions leading up to a crewed lunar landing “before 2030.” (11/3)

Space Force Cislunar Space System Under Consideration (Source: Defense Daily)
The U.S. Space Force is exploring a future Cislunar Space System (CSS) with plans to award up to five preliminary design study contracts for a constellation of up to five satellites operating beyond geosynchronous orbit. The spacecraft are targeted to be ready for launch by late 2029, with initial operational capability slated for 2031. The system will consist of up to five space vehicles, each carrying a payload of more than 2.2 tons and designed to serve as seed vehicles for a future proliferated cislunar network.

Key interest areas include space domain awareness (SDA), communications, and positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) between Earth and the Moon. The service is prioritizing existing commercial, non-developmental hardware, propulsion for station-keeping and orbital transfers, and artificial intelligence/compute capabilities for long-duration autonomous operations. (11/2)

What is Starshield? (Source: Space.com)
SpaceX is building and operating two satellite networks at the moment, Starlink and Starshield. What’s the difference between the two, and who uses them? Starshield is SpaceX’s network for serving national security customers. The company announced the program in December 2022, stating it would apply Starlink technology and SpaceX's launch capability to government needs, initially in three areas: Earth observation, communications and hosted payloads.

"They are using the same satellite buses," says Bleddyn Bowen, associate professor of astropolitics at Durham University in the U.K. “They look the same, but they have a lot more kit on them that allows them to do more things. They provide similar broadband internet, but with more secure hardware and software and hardened systems.” The company says it has won multi-billion-dollar, multiyear contracts from the U.S. military in 2026 for Starshield-related services. (11/2)

November 3, 2026

The Moon May Have Squeezed Earth’s First Continents Into Existence (Source: Science)
Simon Lock studies the time, some 4.5 billion years ago, when a Mars-size object struck Earth in a collision that formed the Moon, and set our planet spinning in days that were just a few hours long. Those short days also changed Earth’s shape. Rapid rotation squashed Earth into a flattened sphere, bulging at the equator. As the Moon moved away from Earth, the planet began to slow and its crust—freshly crystallized out of a magma ocean—came under immense strain. The resulting deformation may have driven melting and volcanism that helped produce the seeds of Earth’s first continents, setting the stage for the beginning of plate tectonics. (11/2)

UW Scientists Build Whole-Earth Simulation To Help Find Life on Other Planets (Source: U of Washington)
To date, astronomers have cataloged more than 6,000 planets beyond our solar system and are searching the atmospheres of the most promising worlds for chemicals that might be byproducts of life. Astrobiologists are particularly interested in atmospheres like Earth’s that trap enough heat to support liquid water on the planet’s surface, which scientists consider the key factor in determining whether a planet can support life as we know it.

But scientists also want to distinguish between habitable and inhabited worlds. To do that, they need to know what sorts of atmospheric conditions on a planet can be explained without life, so that they can identify planets with atmospheres that can only be explained by life’s influence. To provide that planetary baseline, University of Washington researchers built a complex virtual Earth with one crucial tweak: no life.

The researchers simulated the Earth’s geochemical systems for 5 billion years — from its formation 4.5 billion years ago through roughly 500 million years in the future. The simulation modeled the exchange of chemicals between the core, mantle, crust, surface and atmosphere over time. It accurately predicted 19 planetary properties like heat flow through the mantle, but left out the influence of life on those systems. The simulation can be generalized to predict how an atmosphere might evolve on any rocky planet, and can help pinpoint evidence of life in atmospheres that don’t fit the model. (11/2)

U.S. Space Academy Belongs in Colorado (Source: The Gazette)
The U.S. Space Academy — a new academy to train America’s future military and civilian space leaders — is looking for a home. Colorado is the obvious choice. And Colorado Springs is the right locale. Gov. Jared Polis, wisely leading the state’s pitch, understands why Colorado and Colorado Springs stand out. “We have the full picture to make this decision easy for the feds,” Polis said at a Colorado Springs news conference. (11/2)

Maritime Launch Services Gets Final Approval to List on the TSX (Source: SpaceQ)
Maritime Launch Services has won final approval from the Toronto Stock Exchange and its shares will begin trading on the exchange at the market open on Tuesday, Nov. 3, under the symbol MAXQ. The Halifax-based company and developer of Spaceport Nova Scotia received conditional approval in mid-October. Its shares will stop trading on Cboe Canada at the close on Monday. (11/2)

JAXA Backs Interstellar Zero Launcher (Source: Aviation Week)
Japanese launcher startup Interstellar Technologies has secured Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) backing for its Zero rocket program. The company said JAXA has selected it as part of its Acceleration of Commercial Rocket Launch Demonstration program, under the Space Strategic Fund. (11/3)

China Plans “Two Launches, Lunar Orbit Rendezvous” to Land Taikonauts on Moon (Source: Space Policy Online)
China is sharing more information about how it plans to land taikonauts on the Moon by 2030. Development of the Long March-10 rocket, Mengzhou crew spacecraft, and Lanyue lunar lander have been underway for some time, but how they expect to execute the landing is just being shared now.

The overall plan was explained at the 7th Manned Space Symposium in Beijing this weekend by Wang Xiang, chief designer of the lunar exploration program and reported by Chinese news outlets including Xinhua and CCTV and on social media.

They’ll use a “two launches, lunar orbit rendezvous” strategy where Mengzhou (“dream vessel”) and Lanyue (“embracing the Moon”) will be launched separately and dock in lunar orbit. Two of the three taikonauts will transfer from Mengzhou into Lanyue for the trip down to and back from the surface and transfer back into Mengzhou for the return to Earth. (11/2)

Hidden in Plain Sight in Ryugu and Meteorites (Source: Kanazawa University)
Asteroid Ryugu and some carbonaceous meteorites, which are thought to have similar origins in the early Solar System, are known as chemically “primitive” materials because they preserve the chemical composition of the early Solar System remarkably well. Yet these rocks also reacted extensively with water after they formed, transforming many of their original minerals into new ones. When rocks react with water, elements can dissolve into the fluid or move from one place to another, potentially altering the original chemical composition.

This seemingly contradictory combination — extensive reaction with water while preserving the chemical composition of the early Solar System — has long been one of the puzzles of cosmochemistry. A research team led by Kanazawa University and The University of Tokyo used powerful X-rays at the large-scale synchrotron facilities KEK-PF and SPring-8 to examine these extraterrestrial materials in detail. They identified a previously overlooked material that may provide an important clue to this long-standing puzzle. (11/2)

UAE Space Agency on Track for Asteroid Belt Mission in Q1 2028 (Source: WAM)
The Emirates Mission to the Asteroid Belt (EMA) is on track for launch in the first quarter of 2028, representing a long-term strategic investment in the UAE's space sector, developing national talent, strengthening space industries and creating new economic opportunities. The mission has made significant progress, including the development of the EMA Lander, designed, developed, assembled and tested entirely in the UAE in less than two years. (11/2)

As Picard, Patrick Steward Had Life-Changing Effects on Generations (Source: New York Times)
Patrick Stewart, who died on Wednesday, was many things to many people: a world-renowned actor, a knight of the realm, a patron of the arts, a tireless fighter for raising awareness of domestic abuse. And for millions, Mr. Stewart will chiefly be remembered as Jean-Luc Picard, the stoic, pacifist captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise who first appeared in “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” Mr. Stewart’s iconic character was also a source of inspiration for thousands of space scientists. (11/2)

Is the South Pole the Right Place for a Lunar Base? (Source: Space Review)
With its Moon Base program, NASA is increasingly focused on landing astronauts in the south polar regions of the Moon. Jeff Foust reports some people, ranging from astronauts to scientists, think the risks of landing there outweigh the benefits, at least for initial missions. Click here. (11/3)
 
The Space Code: How China Uses Culture to Build its Space Soft Power (Source: Space Review)
Chinese space programs once used revolutionary themes for their names, but have more recently turned to Chinese mythology. Krzysztof Karwowski examines the reasons for this naming approach. Click here. (11/3)
 
A Reusable Rocket Alone is Not a Resilient Launch System (Source: Space Review)
Much of the focus on launch has been developing reusable vehicles. Burak Oktenli argues that just as important as reusability is the ability of customers to easily change launch vehicles when something goes wrong. Click here. (11/3)
 
A Long-Distance Look at SPACEHAB (Source: Space Review)
For those who handled payload processing for SPACEHAB missions on the shuttle, the missions themselves were supposed to be break. James Behling recalls what happened on one mission when, by chance, he spotted something unusual. Click here. (11/3)
 
Slaying Snakes, Claiming Freedom: Susan Still Kilrain’s Unconventional Astronaut Career (Source: Space Review)
Susan Still Kilrain achieved many firsts in her career as a military test pilot and NASA astronaut. Emily Carney reviews an autobiography of the astronaut that discusses the challenges she overcame and why her astronaut career was relatively short. Click here. (11/3)

Europe Picks 8 Teams for to Build with Lunar Regolith (Source: ESA)
ESA and European Space Resources Innovation Center (ESRIC) selected 8 teams for Phase 2 of the 3rd Space Resources Challenge, "Building with Lunar Regolith". The teams were chosen from 38 submissions. Next, five of the eight teams will qualify for a field test at the LUNA facility of ESA and DLR in Cologne in summer 2027. Each of the five will receive a €50,000 ESA Cooperative Agreement to prepare its technology. The winner will receive a €500,000 ESA Cooperative Agreement to move towards commercialization and a possible in-space demonstration. The Luxembourg Space Agency offers an additional €500,000 prize. Only Luxembourgish companies are eligible to receive it. (11/2)

South Korea's Air Force to Participate in U.S.-Led Space War Game (Source: Yonhap)
The South Korean Air Force will take part in a U.S.-led multinational space war game for the first time this week, a tabletop exercise designed to strengthen joint operational capabilities in the space domain, officials said Monday. The Air Force is scheduled to participate in the war game, dubbed Partner to Win, from Monday through Friday (local time) in Florida, alongside the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Brazil and the United States, according to the armed service. (11/2)

New Zealand Global Space Company Won't Write Down Military Policy (Source: Southland App)
The brains behind a burgeoning Southland space company says workers would walk off the job if he went down a military route, but has no plans of drawing up a firm policy. SpaceOps runs a ground station at Awarua, south of Invercargill, plus Warkworth Space Center, north of Auckland. Its core business is hosting antennas for clients connecting to spacecraft, with big name users including aerospace and defense giant Lockheed Martin, Norway’s KSAT, and Italy’s Leaf Space.

But company chief executive and founder Robin McNeill has revealed there is no policy in place for accepting or undertaking work connected to military activity – despite the company being a subsidiary of regional development agency Great South. “We’ve got enough other things to do without spending ages developing a policy that we don’t need,” he said. McNeill is the brains behind SpaceOps and the 2024 recipient of the inaugural Prime Minister’s Space Prize for Professional Excellence. (11/1)

NASA Wants a Commercial Space Economy. Here’s How it Can Enable One (Source: Fortune)
Taken together, the ISS’s retirement and the squeeze on launch availability creates a real problem for many “new space” startups that built their venture business plans on continued cheap rides to orbit. For a startup space economy that scaled around frequent, inexpensive rideshare slots from one company, the challenge now is how soon the alternatives can deliver dependable access to orbit at comparable scale.

While developing new rockets and replacing the ISS present different operational hurdles, both run into the same underlying market gap: building for space is extraordinarily capital-intensive, and the industry lacks a discovery mechanism to turn existing global demand into the committed orders and upfront capital needed to bring new capacity online. Global government demand is not the issue. The main problem is pretending a self-sustaining commercial market exists when space companies are relying on the U.S. government to be the anchor tenant.

NASA doesn’t need a bigger budget; it needs to push for acquisition strategies that connect a station’s supply chain directly to its future customers and financing. First, the agency can streamline the supplier vetting process to incorporate suppliers from allied and partner nations from the get-go, cutting hardware and service costs immediately. More than just vendors, these companies and their governments are the very ecosystem partners—and commercial and sovereign tenants—that future stations will rely upon for revenue. Second, NASA should place a premium on binding, reciprocal commitments from those partners to use the stations once on orbit. Finally, the agency should consider partnering with market infrastructure providers who can underwrite those day-one supplier costs against committed customer revenues. (11/2)

SciTec Reaches a Major Space Force Missile-Warning Milestone (Source: Aerospace Colorado)
Boulder-based SciTec, a Firefly Aerospace company, announced an operational milestone for the U.S. Space Force's FORGE system. The latest integration incorporates data from a Wide Field of View sensor in geostationary orbit, expanding the system's missile-warning and tracking capabilities. FORGE uses AI and machine learning to process large volumes of sensor data and provide actionable information to Space Force operators. This demonstrates the growing importance of mission software, sensor integration, and data processing alongside traditional satellite hardware. (11/2)

Amentum Expands Defense and Space Operations in Colorado Springs (Source: Aerospace Colorado)
Amentum expanded its presence at Catalyst Campus in Colorado Springs, establishing a facility designed for secure collaboration on sensitive defense and space programs. The expansion supports work involving missile defense, artificial intelligence, cyber operations, and space mission support. (11/2)

Catalyst Accelerator Supports Five Emerging Space and Defense Startups (Source: Aerospace Colorado)
Catalyst Accelerator's first Investment Readiness Boot Camp concluded with a showcase for five early-stage companies developing space and space-supporting technologies. The program was designed to help pre-Series A companies prepare for investment and scale within the space and defense ecosystem. This is especially relevant to Colorado's startup community. Investment readiness, access to government customers, and connections with strategic partners can help smaller companies move from promising technology to sustainable businesses. (11/2)

Space Investment Summit held Oct. 30 in Golden, Colorado (Source: Aerospace Colorado)
The third annual Space Investment Summit was held Oct. 30 in Golden. Produced by @Space Venture Studio, this event focused on space-company formation and investment, with startup pitches, investor feedback, and industry discussion. The opening framing was provided by Aerospace Colorado Board Chair and Advanced Space CEO Bradley Cheetham as well as space economist Jeffrey Cleveland of the Colorado School of Mines. This event series brings together founders, investors, operators, and industry experts for a full day of startup pitches, fundraising insights, practical workshops, and networking focused on building successful space businesses. (11/2)

ESA to Support Industry-Led Reusable Booster Flight Demonstrations (Source: European Spaceflight)
The European Space Agency has announced plans to support industry-led flight demonstrations of reusable rocket first stages and boosters as part of a new phase of its Boosters for European Space Transportation (BEST!) initiative.

On 27 October, ESA published a call for its BEST!2 Flight Demonstrations initiative, which is intended to “accelerate the development and in-flight demonstration of reusable first-stage/booster technologies.” According to the notice, the activity will support system-level demonstrations addressing first-stage recovery and re-flight, aiming to reduce technical and operational risks and accelerate the introduction of these technologies into operational launch systems. (11/2)

Springs’ Space Future is Bright Without Space Command (Source: The Gazette)
While Colorado Springs navigates a changing space environment, and one without a major combatant command that used to call the city home, it is in a good position to benefit from increasing federal investments in national security space. During the 30th annual Economic Forum at the University of Colorado, business leaders shared how the city and the region are squarely ready and perhaps even benefiting from Space Command’s ongoing departure. (11/1)

Lawfare Against Elon Musk Could Affect the Artemis Program (Source: The Hill)
If the Democrats win one or both houses of Congress, Politico is reporting that on top of their agenda is to wage lawfare against Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and the world’s richest man. The gavels are warming up for a myriad of investigations into Musk and his businesses. Such a move could have profound effects on American space policy and politics, particularly the Artemis return to the moon program.

SpaceX is one of the businesses that the Democrats would like to delve into. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), a ranking member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, claims that the “The sheer number of conflicts of interest are astounding.” The problem is that the next two years are going to be crucial for the Artemis return to the moon program. (11/1)

The Growing Threats That Make the Space Force Essential (Source: Washington Examiner)
A Defense Intelligence Agency report released last week underlines the rapidly growing threat to U.S. interests in space. It offers yet another reminder of the Space Force’s rising importance. The War Department‘s intelligence service, the DIA, is responsible for operations and analysis related to national defense. So, while this new report employs careful analytical language, its assessment clearly relies upon extensive classified intelligence. The document focuses on China and Russia.

A Defense Intelligence Agency report released last week underlines the rapidly growing threat to U.S. interests in space. It offers yet another reminder of the Space Force’s rising importance. The War Department‘s intelligence service, the DIA, is responsible for operations and analysis related to national defense. So, while this new report employs careful analytical language, its assessment clearly relies upon extensive classified intelligence. The document focuses on China and Russia. (11/2)

Europe Space Chief Heads to Gulf as Bloc Looks Beyond US (Source: Reuters)
The head of the European Space Agency will meet officials in the ‌United Arab Emirates this week as Europe seeks new partners and aims to reduce its reliance on the United States for space exploration. The rise of Elon Musk's SpaceX has laid bare Europe's reliance on American space technology.

"Number one, we should strengthen our capability, become ​a stronger player in the global ecosystem, but one that uses its strength to still work with ​other partners," Josef Aschbacher, director general of the ESA, told Reuters. He will attend ⁠meetings in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. "We realized that in exploration, Europe is very exposed to the United States," Aschbacher ​added, saying that European political leaders had told him that the region needed "more autonomy and more strength". (11/2)

Midterm Election to Test Bipartisan Support for NASA (Source: Space News)
A change in party control of Congress after the midterm elections could challenge the longstanding bipartisan consensus behind civil space policy, putting NASA’s legislative and funding environment in focus. The outcome may shape how reliably the agency can pursue priorities across shifting political control. (11/2)

ESA Member States to Decide Future of Europe’s Human and Robotic Exploration Program (Source: Space News)
European Space Agency member states are scheduled to meet in Rome on Dec. 15 to decide the future of Europe’s human and robotic exploration program. The decision will set the direction for the agency’s exploration agenda as Europe looks beyond the International Space Station. (11/2)

NASA Says Computer Glitch and Faulty Gyro Likely Caused Loss of MAVEN Mars Orbiter (Source: Space News)
An agency investigation concluded that a computer glitch and a faulty gyro likely led to the loss of NASA’s MAVEN orbiter nearly a year ago. The finding identifies the probable technical causes of the spacecraft’s loss, though the provided report summary gives no further detail on the failure sequence or mission impact. (11/2)

Swiss Startup Stellar Alpina Unveils Monarch Orbiter and Morpho Lunar Lander (Source: Payload)
Stellar Alpina is introducing two spacecraft: Monarch, described as a high-performance orbiter, and Morpho, a lunar lander. The announcement puts the Swiss startup’s ambitions in both orbital and lunar transportation in focus, though the available details do not specify mission timelines, customers or technical capabilities. (11/2)

ispace Appoints Anas Al-Shuwayer to Lead Saudi Subsidiary (Source: Spacewatch Global)
The lunar exploration company has named Anas Al-Shuwayer to lead its Saudi subsidiary as it expands local partnerships and operations. The appointment signals a stronger on-the-ground presence in Saudi Arabia, though the available report does not detail the subsidiary’s remit, partnerships or specific exploration plans. (11/1)

November 2, 2026

Oklahoma Aims to Become Top Aerospace, Defense Hub (Source: Air Cargo Week)
Oklahoma is aiming to become a leading aerospace and defense hub by leveraging its established aviation base to attract investment in advanced manufacturing, drones and commercial space. The state boasts some 1,100 aerospace entities, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs and has a $44 billion economic impact. The Oklahoma Advanced Space Initiative and the Infinity One spaceport are part of the state's strategy to extend its capabilities into new markets. (11/2)

Rocket Lab Backs Alaska Launch Pads with $22M Investment (Source: Advanced Television)
Rocket Lab is supporting the refurbishment and construction of two launch pads in Alaska with a $22 million investment from the US government. The first pad at the Pacific Spaceport Complex on Kodiak Island is set for completion by January, while construction of the second will begin soon. This project aims to enhance Rocket Lab's capacity for missile defense testing under a $266 million US Air Force contract, as well as its regular Electron launches and development of the Neutron rocket. (11/2)

Hydrosat Announces Nyktòs Program to Provide Tactical ISR for Sovereign Customers From New Facility in Europe (Source: Hydrosat)
Hydrosat announced today its high-resolution mid-wave infrared (MWIR) program named Nyktòs. Nyktòs will deliver high-resolution thermal imaging for tactical ISR. The day-and-night imaging capability can be tasked by customers and is complementary to the wide-area monitoring provided by Hydrosat’s Osiris constellation. The development of the new capability will be supported by Hydrosat’s expanded technology and manufacturing footprint in Europe and is intended for sovereign mission applications for NATO and allied customers. (11/2)

Voyager 1 Completes Power-Saving Swap and Regains Contact After Two-Day Silence (Source: Beyond LEO)
Voyager 1 has come through two tests in quick succession. In September, engineers finished a months-long effort to stretch the spacecraft's shrinking power supply. Then, in October, the probe fell silent for two days before its signal returned on its own, before the team had sent any commands to troubleshoot. (11/2)

China Unveils Two AI Models Built on Fengyun Satellite Data for Typhoons and Storms (Source: Sky Nightly)
China has introduced two artificial intelligence models that draw on data from its Fengyun meteorological satellites to help forecasters track extreme weather, the state-run China Daily reported. One reads cloud images of typhoons. The other is meant to give short-term warnings of severe convective weather. (10/30)

GalaxySpace Test Satellite Takes a 5G Core Network and Onboard AI Into Orbit (Source: Beyond LEO)
A Chinese test satellite carrying a 5G base station, a mobile core network and onboard AI computing has reached its planned orbit, the state-run China Daily reported on 30 October 2026, describing the launch as recent. The satellite, PEGA-SUS1, also carries satellite-to-ground laser communication and microwave communication. China Daily said this is the first time in China that all of these systems have been carried together on a single technology verification satellite. (10/30)

United CEO Says Boom Supersonic Airliner Won't Be Ready This Decade (Source: Air Data News)
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby no longer expects Boom Supersonic 's Overture airliner to enter service before the end of the decade, casting doubt on a timeline that has already changed significantly since the airline became one of the project's first major customers. His assessment is significant because United was the first US airline to commit to the Overture. In 2021, the carrier announced an agreement for 15 aircraft, subject to safety, operating and sustainability requirements, with options for another 35. (11/2)

Eutelsat Q1 LEO Revenue Rises 30% to €70.9M as OneWeb Offsets Video Decline (Source: SatNews)
Eutelsat Group reported total first-quarter revenues of €286 million following the close of market trading on Oct. 29, 2026, driven by expanding low Earth orbit (LEO) operations that helped cushion ongoing declines across its legacy geostationary orbit (GEO) video business. (11/1)

Capacity Limits Approaching at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: SPACErePORT)
Col. Chatman's briefing at UCF Space Week revealed that, from a real-estate perspective, we're not far from reaching a maximum capacity situation at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Chatman showed an updated chart identifying which launch pads are assigned to the various companies and programs at the spaceport. As SpaceX and Blue Origin gobble up available pads for their heavy-lift rockets, there are now only a few locations that can be assigned to new users, with some old unused pads no longer available due to "blast arcs" from nearby launch pads.

New smaller rockets might find a home south of LC-46, which used to be off-limits due to proximity to Port Canaveral. There are four small-medium launchers working their way to orbit, including Relativity (LC-16), Stoke (LC-14), and Phantom and Vaya (LC-13). Of these, Phantom and Vaya appear to be making less progress, so Stoke's plans for a second launch pad could displace them, as could Blue Origin's northward expansion. A bit further north, LC-20 is currently labeled for "DOW testing", which means missile testing and other stuff. This pad could be reassigned for a new small-medium orbital launcher (including Firefly or Rocket Lab?). And small air-launch rockets (Starfighters, etc.) would operate from the Launch & Landing Facility.

What about a new large rocket (like Cowboy Space)? Chatman's map shows an un-labeled site between LC-37 (SpaceX) and LC-40 (SpaceX) that might be for Starship, but might also accommodate a new large rocket. LC-48, between LC-41 (ULA) and LC-39A (SpaceX), is labeled as a "NASA Multi-User" pad and seems suitable for a new heavy-lifter or smaller rockets. Further north, NASA had planned long ago for an LC-39C that would be the northernmost pad on KSC. Whether that remains feasible I don't know, as it would surely prevent public access to the popular federally protected Playalinda beaches. Heavy-lift cadence is also a factor, with huge blast arcs potentially shutting down nearby pads more than just occasionally. (11/2)

Construction Underway on Kīhei Space Force Facility as South Maui Leader Calls for Resource Transparency (Source: Maui Now)
Construction is underway on the US Space Force’s new Secure Integration Support Laboratory (SISL) in Kīhei at Līpoa on Maui, formerly known as the Maui Research and Technology Park. The 56,000-square-foot, two-story facility has drawn both defense of its operational stability and community scrutiny regarding resource usage and impacts. Military officials say that the administrative, research, and collaborative workspace will not function as a commercial data center. The Department of the Air Force and the US Space Force maintain that they remain committed to open dialogue and environmental stewardship as construction progresses. (10/31)

Apple Maps Begins Blurring NASA, Space Force, and Air Force Bases (Source: Space Explored)
You’re not a real space or aviation nerd unless you’ve taken to a map service and zoomed on the historic NASA launch pads or your local Air Force Bases, just for fun, you know? However, a recent change to Apple Maps now has some of those locations blurred from view, blocking anyone from seeing fighters on tarmacs or rockets on launch pads. It probably makes sense as a reasonable security measure, why should some of the most sensitive locations to the United States be easily seen from commercial services on anyone’s phone?

What we have discovered are now blurred are a lot of NASA and US Space Force locations, including Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida, and Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. This change looks to have been rather recent, with no announcement by Apple for the change. On the contrary, Google Maps, has not blurred any of these military locations. It is presumed that Apple will continue to role out blurred map changes to more bases in the future. (10/30)

Military and Civil Satellites are Watching Fireballs to Help Keep Earth Safe From Space Rocks (Source: Space.com)
It came from outer space, exploding high above the South Atlantic off the coast of Argentina. That April 1 event — an incoming meteor, also termed a bolide — was observed by both U.S. space-based military and civil sensors. Hush-hush U.S. government satellite sensors detected the speedy fireball cutting through our atmosphere. The object's brightness peaked at an altitude of nearly 60 miles (90.5 kilometers) over the South Atlantic.

That dazzling spectacle was also caught by NOAA's GOES-E and Europe's Meteosat Third Generation (MTG) Imager-1 satellite. This skyfall show is among a number of recent episodes that spotlight the value of combining multi-sensor data to not only portray fireball dynamics but also to help appreciate human-caused space debris impacts, as well as strengthening planetary defense knowhow.

An April 2025 fireball over south-central Alaska yielded one of the most densely recorded "seismoacoustic" datasets ever obtained for a nature-made bolide en route to busting up. A network of 37 seismic stations, 16 single infrasound sensors, and four infrasound arrays recorded 30 ballistic and multiple fragmentation arrivals. All this was complemented by Doppler weather radar detections of falling meteorites and independent optical video observations. (11/1)

Chinese Reusable Rocket Developers Reach Structural and Propulsion Milestones (Source: Space News)
Two Chinese commercial launch companies, Deep Blue Aerospace and LandSpace, have achieved major hardware and production milestones as they push toward full reusability. Deep Blue Aerospace completed a 5-meter-diameter stainless-steel first-stage propellant tank for its upcoming Nebula-2 reusable rocket outside its base in Wuxi. LandSpace rolled out its 100th TQ-series methane-liquid rocket engine at its production facility in Huzhou, Zhejiang Province, hitting a triple-digit manufacturing scale for its Zhuque-3 (ZQ-3) reusable launch vehicle. (10/30)

Golden Dome Uncertainty with Political Shifts in Congress (Source: Space News)
Companies are growing cautious about betting on the Pentagon's $185 billion Golden Dome missile defense initiative. Executives said last week that uncertainty over future congressional funding and unresolved acquisition challenges are making it difficult for companies to justify investments in manufacturing capacity and technologies. Golden Dome faces political risks because it has not secured broad bipartisan support and much of its initial funding came through budget reconciliation rather than the regular appropriations process. The comments highlight a challenge for Golden Dome as the Pentagon tries to turn a major national security initiative into a sustained industrial effort. (11/2)

Northwood Space Raises $375 Million for Ground Systems (Source: Space News)
Northwood Space raised $375 million to advance development of ground systems for satellites. The company announced its Series C round Monday led by Andreessen Horowitz and DFJ Growth, with participation from several other investors. The round values the company at $2 billion. Northwood's network combines antennas with software that schedules satellite contacts and routes data, allowing commercial and government operators to buy access to shared ground capacity. The funding will allow the company to scale up that network. Northwood says it is seeing strong government and commercial interest in its ground station network, but did not disclose how its business is divided between the two markets. (11/2)

China Gives Lunar Plan Details (Source: Space News)
China has provided more details about its plans to land astronauts on the moon by 2030. Wang Xiang, deputy chief designer of China's human spaceflight program and chief designer of the lunar exploration program, set out the latest sequence of missions for the country's crewed lunar plans in a keynote at the 7th Manned Space Symposium on Saturday. The single-stick Long March 10A rocket will first launch the Mengzhou crew spacecraft on cargo missions to the Tiangong space station to accumulate data and demonstrate reliability.

The Lanyue lander will separately carry out a test flight on a tri-core, three-stage Long March 10 to land on and ascend from the lunar surface. Lanyue and Mengzhou will then launch on separate Long March 10 rockets and dock in lunar orbit in an uncrewed, full-system landing rehearsal mission. The outlined sequence appears to include no crewed lunar flyby or orbital test, suggesting the landing mission would be Mengzhou's first crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit. (11/2)

Florida Spaceport Upgrades Progress Despite Near-Term Launch Downturn (Source: Space News)
The Space Force is pushing ahead with upgrades to Cape Canaveral's launch facilities despite a near-term downturn in launches. The Eastern Range has hosted 60 orbital launch attempts so far this year, well off the pace of 2025 when it had a record 109 orbital launches. Speaking at a conference last week, Space Force Col. Brian Chatman said the spaceport was continuing upgrade efforts, citing projections of more than 600 launches annually there by 2035. That work includes new infrastructure for the spaceport, such as propellant pipelines and power systems, and finding sites for new launch vehicles.

A chart he showed linked Blue Origin to Space Launch Complex 46, a site previously used by small launch vehicles and for missile testing. The Space Force put out a request for information about using that site for "super-heavy" launch vehicles but had not formally announced assigning the site to Blue Origin. Editor's Note: Blue Origin's near-term expansion seems to be focused on a new pad to the north of their existing one. LC-46 would come into play for them only if the Navy is able to relocate to the proposed LC-51. Meanwhile, Blue Origin had also been considering a launch facility in Puerto Rico, and their plan was provisionally approved by Puerto Rico officials. (10/31)

November 1, 2026

SpaceX Plans County-Crossing Pipeline for Starship Fuel (Source: Florida Today)
A natural gas pipeline dedicated for SpaceX operations at Cape Canaveral could extend 32.4 miles across Brevard County, leading from uninhabited country about 1½ miles east of the St. Johns River northward up the State Road 407 corridor past Space Coast Regional Airport to the NASA Causeway. SpaceX would liquify the natural gas for use as rocket fuel. The proposed steel pipeline, slated to measure 16 inches in diameter, would transport natural gas from a Florida Gas Transmission Co. interstate transmission pipeline to the Cape. (10/30)

The Staggering $446 Million Elon Musk has Spent on the US Midterms (Source: The Guardian)
Elon Musk has poured so much money into US politics this midterms election cycle that his donations could fund half a dozen SpaceX rocket launches. Musk, the world’s richest person, has funneled at least $445.77m into Republican-aligned political action committees and groups since last year. The contributions have made him the Republicans’ most prominent financial backer and the largest single-cycle political donor in modern US history.

Musk’s spending is a staggering example of the SpaceX CEO’s political influence, as he seeks to help Donald Trump’s administration retain control of Congress in the upcoming midterm elections, though current polls predict Democrats achieving a majority. The contributions are at a scale that is difficult to fathom and dwarf efforts from big name megadonors like George Soros or Michael Bloomberg, setting a new precedent for how the rich and powerful attempt to shape politics. (10/31)

Where is Artemis' Apollo 10? (Source: CelestiQ)
Artemis II was, roughly speaking, the equivalent of Apollo 8. Apollo 8 entered lunar orbit in 1968; Artemis II followed a different lunar trajectory. Then comes Artemis III, which increasingly looks like Apollo 9. Apollo 9 stayed in Earth orbit and tested the complete Apollo spacecraft configuration. Artemis III will do something conceptually similar in 2027.

Orion will operate in low Earth orbit and rendezvous with test articles representing both commercial lunar landers. The crew is expected to enter Blue Origin's Blue Moon test article and spend significant time inside it. Orion will later dock with SpaceX's Starship HLS test article, although the crew is not currently planned to enter Starship during that demonstration. NASA will instead evaluate docking dynamics, controllability, communications, and integrated software.

After Apollo 9 came Apollo 10, a dress rehearsal. The entire crewed Apollo landing architecture went to the Moon. It tested every component required for a lunar landing mission, except the landing itself. Artemis does not have an Apollo 10. NASA currently plans Artemis IV as the first crewed Artemis lunar landing, targeted for early 2028. (10/27)

NASA Is Forfeiting Its Global Astrobiology Leadership (Source: NASA Watch)
NASA presentations at a National Academies of Science on Tuesday left the panel confused and concerned about what NASA plans to do with its Astrobiology research. NASA did not communicate well – at all. The emergent impression is that Astrobiology will now be spread across all of what Science Mission Directorate does (good) but that Astrobiology’s higher profile will now recede such that it is just another thing that missions do. (10/6)

Russia’s Starlink Rival, Rassvet, Draws Ukrainian Sanctions Against Its Developers (Source: United 24)
Ukraine has imposed new sanctions on Russian companies and individuals involved in developing the Rassvet satellite communications system, which Moscow intends to use in its war against Ukraine, as well as dozens of vessels operating as part of Russia’s shadow fleet. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed the corresponding decrees. The sanctions targeting the Rassvet project cover 10 companies and 19 Russian nationals associated with their activities. (10/30)

Russia’s Starlink Dream Goes Up in Flames as Second Satellite Burns Up (Source: United 24)
Russia’s attempt to build its own alternative to Elon Musk’s Starlink has suffered another setback, with a second Rassvet-3 satellite burning up in Earth’s atmosphere after failing to reach its intended orbit. The satellite, designated Rassvet-3 No. 17 (NORAD 100083), reentered the atmosphere on October 30, just three months and 11 days after its launch aboard a Soyuz-2.1b rocket on July 19. (10/31)

Texas Parks Department Fights to Withhold Draft Agenda Amid fears of Boca Chica Sale to SpaceX (Source: Texas Tribune)
Texas officials tasked with managing and conserving state parks were gearing up this month to cede control of more than 1,000 acres of public land that’s treasured for its natural habitat and beaches along the Gulf coast in Cameron County. An agenda to discuss the issue behind closed doors, which was shared with The Texas Tribune, was drafted for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s commission meeting to be held in early November.

But after the item was pulled from the final agenda, the commission is staying silent on the issue and fighting to prevent a record of that planned discussion from reaching the public’s eyes. Elon Musk’s rocket company has increasingly acquired more land near the park over the last decade. This has stoked fears among locals and environmentalists that the richest man in the world will seize more — or full — control of a place that the community sees as their own. (10/31)

Government Spending on Civil Space Topped $42 Billion in FY2026 (Source: Space Policy Online)
Government spending on civil space activities is more than just NASA. A new Aerospace Corporation report details the $42.6 billion allocated for civil space in FY2026 and compares it to FY2025 and the still-pending request for FY2027. NASA is the largest share, but only 55 percent of the total. Overall, the report characterizes the civil space budget as going through tumultuous times with the White House and Congress out of sync and the FY2027 outcome uncertain. (10/30)

China Plans Standalone Lanyue Lunar Lander Mission and Uncrewed Rehearsal Ahead of Crewed Landing Attempt Before 2030 (Source: Bastille Post)
Uncrewed test flights of the Mengzhou crewed spacecraft and the Lanyue lunar lander are planned ahead of the crewed moon landing mission. Under the previously announced plan, two Long March-10 carrier rockets will launch the Lanyue lunar lander and the Mengzhou spaceship in succession, then the two will conduct a rendezvous and docking in lunar orbit.

The Mengzhou can carry three astronauts between Earth and lunar orbit, with two of them riding the Lanyue lunar lander between lunar orbit and the lunar surface. Aiming at the set goal of landing Chinese astronauts on the Moon, the program will subsequently carry out, as planned, the Long March-10 carrier rocket technology verification flight, the first flights of the Mengzhou spaceship and the Lanyue lunar lander, and important missions such as Chang'e-7. (10/31)

Kenya Appoints Consortium to Study Kipini Spaceport Plan (Source: Africa Business)
The Kenya Space Agency (KSA) has appointed a three-firm consortium to assess the feasibility of building a commercial spaceport on the country’s coast. The facility would allow satellites to be launched from Kenyan soil for the first time in nearly four decades. Salience Consulting, the UAE-based infrastructure advisory firm, will lead the consortium and handle the financial, legal, environmental and social work. French space engineering firm SpaceDreamS will lead technical feasibility and systems engineering, while Gauff Consultants Africa will cover civil and infrastructure engineering. (10/29)

Google in Talks with Pentagon on Data Security for $185B Golden Dome Missile Defense Program (Source: Yahoo! Finance)
Alphabet’s Google is discussing a new data-security effort with the US Defense Department to support Golden Dome, a proposed missile-defense program valued at $185 billion. The talks could bring a major technology company into the program’s security architecture, though the available reports provide no details on scope, contract value or timing. (10/30)

NASA Reopens Search for Commercial Hubble Servicing and Reboost Concepts (Source: Ars Technica)
NASA is seeking ideas for commercial missions to reboost or service the Hubble Space Telescope, reviving an effort more than two years after it rejected similar concepts. The agency’s renewed solicitation puts private providers back in consideration for extending the observatory’s operational life. (10/30)

Justice Department Again Seeks Dismissal of Ligado’s $50 Billion L-band Lawsuit (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Department of Justice argues that Ligado Networks’ L-band license does not grant protected property rights, asking a federal judge to dismiss the bankrupt satellite operator’s roughly $50 billion lawsuit over its derailed wireless network plans. The filing marks another effort by the government to end the case. (10/30)

UK Policy Raises Stakes for Foreign Bidders in Military Space Market (Source: Space News)
A new UK policy is changing the terms for foreign companies seeking business in the country’s military space market. The available report does not specify the policy’s requirements or which bidders and programs are affected, but signals a shift in the conditions governing access to defense-related space opportunities. (10/31)

IRIS², OneWeb and Lightspeed Put Europe’s LEO Ambitions Under Scrutiny on Contracts, Returns and Schedules (Source: Via Satellite)
MDA Space won an initial antenna contract for 66 IRIS² satellites Thales Alenia Space aims to deliver in 2029, as Eutelsat forecasts $11 billion in IRIS² revenue for 2032–40 and OneWeb approaches EBITDA break-even. Telesat, meanwhile, pushed global Lightspeed service back three months to mid-2028 amid falling revenue and looming debt maturities. (10/30)

Turkey Aims for first Moon-Orbiting Mission in 2027 (Source: Spaceflight Now)
Turkey aims to launch its first mission to the Moon in next year, the first in a planned two-mission series, which includes an orbiter and a lander. The First Turkish Lunar Mission (TLM-1) is contracted to launch onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket between April and June with mission managers aiming for an April flight. A launcher for TLM-2 has yet to be selected. If successful, Turkey would become the ninth sovereign nation (or collection of nations as is the case with the European Space Agency) to operate a payload in the lunar environment, following China, ESA, India, Israel, Japan, Russia, South Korea, and the United States. (10/30)

ULA Wins Major NASA Contract as Vulcan Nears Return to Flight (Source: Ars Technica)
NASA confirmed it will contract with United Launch Alliance to develop an upgraded version of its Centaur V upper stage to fly on the Space Launch System rocket. The “extended” Centaur V is a larger version of the upper stage that flies on ULA’s Vulcan rocket. Incorporating the extended Centaur onto the SLS rocket will allow the Orion spacecraft to reach low-lunar orbit, a capability it does not have with the current SLS upper stage. NASA officials said the extended Centaur will be higher-performing than the costly Exploration Upper Stage the agency originally planned to develop as an SLS enhancement. (10/30)

EU Partnership for Orbital Sustainability Welcomes New Member States (Source: EU)
With the signature of the Grant Agreement extension, the EU SST Partnership and DG DEFIS concluded the onboarding of Belgium, Bulgaria, Lithuania and Luxembourg into the EU SST Partnership which now counts a total of 19 Member States. This is another major milestone for the EU SST subcomponent, an important initiative to keep space assets safe from in-orbit collisions in light of increasing space activities.

In cooperation with the SST Front Desk at the EU Agency for the Space Program (EUSPA), they provide three services: Collision Avoidance (CA) assesses risk of collision between satellites or between satellites and space debris and generates collision avoidance alerts. Re-entry Analysis (RE) assesses risk of uncontrolled re-entry of space objects into the Earth’s atmosphere and generates related information. Fragmentation Analysis (FG) detects and characterizes in-orbit fragmentations, break-ups or collisions, and analyses all available information regarding the object(s) involved in the event. (10/29)

October 31, 2026

ESA and Norway Agree on Projects for Resilient Satellite Navigation (Source: ESA)
On 27 October at Spaceport Norway in Oslo, the European Space Agency (ESA) signed new contracts with three Norwegian companies under ESA’s Navigation Innovation and Support Program (NAVISP). The projects follow a call for projects via NAVISP funding by the Norwegian Space Agency to support the development of resilient positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) solutions. (10/28)

Blue Origin Launches Earth's First Space Manufacturing Apprenticeship Program (Source: Blue Origin)
Blue Origin announced the launch of ATLAS (Advanced Training & Learning Academy for Space), the first registered apprenticeship program designed specifically for space manufacturing. The program addresses a fundamental challenge facing the space industry: the skilled workforce needed to build flight-ready space hardware does not exist in traditional manufacturing training.

In partnership from Apprenti, the nation’s leading apprenticeship intermediary, ATLAS launches this month in Alabama with 10 machinist apprentices, creating direct career pathways into space manufacturing without requiring a four-year degree. Apprentices earn competitive full-time salaries and benefits from day one while mastering the precision skills needed to build the vehicles that will take humanity to the Moon and beyond. (10/29)

Space Tourism Is Dead — Or Is It? Virgin Galactic To Fly Again In 2027 (Source: Forbes)
The company aims to resume flying paying passengers in early Q2 2027, after its new Delta-class spaceplane, Spaceship Apeiron. The planned comeback comes almost three years after Virgin Galactic’s last commercial flight in June 2024, while rival Blue Origin has also suspended its suborbital tourist flights to focus on developing a lunar lander for NASA, as well as NASA’s Moon Base and a mission to Mars. (10/29)

UCF Astronomer Selected by NASA to Explore Virtual Super Telescope Concept (Source: UCF)
Damodaran is one of 18 researchers selected for Phase I of NASA’s 2026 NIAC program, receiving $175,000 to study the PHOENIX concept. Damodaran collaborated with strategic partners from UCF’s College of Optics and Photonics (CREOL), Florida Space Institute (FSI), Department of Physics and NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory on the project. PHOENIX would use advanced photonic technologies developed in collaboration with researchers from CREOL to connect up to 25 spacecraft that could work together as a powerful virtual telescope. (10/29)

UCF Loses Annual "Space Game" in Baylor Blowout (Source: ESPN)
Baylor's interim head coach Joe Klanderman earned his first career win in his debut guiding Baylor, bouncing back from a previous two-game skid. Baylor quarterback DJ Lagway starred in the 41-9 blowout in Orlando throwing for 319 yards and four touchdowns while adding 23 rushing yards.

Fresh off one of the season's biggest upsets last Saturday, UCF kept the good vibes around Orlando rolling in Week 9 -- through the use of uniforms. Once a year for the past decade, the Golden Knights have marked one of their home games as the season's "Space Game," a special event where the school pays homage to its connection to the spacefaring industry. UCF is a longtime partner with NASA, whose Kennedy Space Center is just a 45-minute drive from the Golden Knights' stadium.

This year's "Mission X" uniforms are another strong entry into the annual alternate uniform series. The uniforms have a base white color, with a clean light blue and red trim accenting the jersey, pants and helmets. The look -- which is based upon the 1960s NASA -- contains a number of notable details paying tribute to three foundational programs of that decade: Project Mercury, Project Gemini and the Apollo Program. (10/30)

Mayo Clinic: How Going to Space Ages Astronaut Bones (Source: CBC)
Astronauts on long space missions lose about one to two per cent of their bone mass for every month they spend in microgravity. In a recent study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, Jean Sibonga, a biomedical scientist at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, and her colleagues found that astronauts who spent more than 90 days in space faced a greater risk of hip fracture after they were back on Earth. On average, astronaut hip fractures occurred at a younger age and at a rate that would typically be observed in non-astronauts 8-16 years older. (10/30)

Supersonic Airliner in Doubt as Company Shifts to Powering AI Data Centers (Source: Ars Technica)
Boom Supersonic CEO Blake Scholl recently declared “it’s time for a renaissance in energy and in supersonic flight” as the supersonic airliner company unveiled a Colorado factory dedicated to making gas turbines for AI data centers. But Boom may be facing turbulence after early backers for both ventures have questioned the company’s delivery timeline or backed out entirely.

One of the company’s first customers, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, has expressed doubts about Boom’s original plan to deliver the first Overture supersonic airliner in 2029. Kirby’s latest frank assessment came during an interview with the Office Hours: Business Edition podcast that appeared on October 28, 2026. (10/30)

UK Considers Restoring Use of EGNOS GNSS Overlay (Source: ARPAS)
The Department for Transport is seeking stakeholder input as part of a review assessing the potential costs and benefits of restoring UK access to the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS) Safety of Life service. The review will help inform a decision on whether the UK should seek to rejoin EGNOS, with a primary focus on aviation, alongside potential implications for rail, maritime and road transport. (10/22)

Google’s Satellite AI Server Transmits its First Response to Earth (Source: The Verge)
Google’s AI chip-equipped satellite has generated its first response from space. In a blog post on Friday, Google says it successfully booted up the satellite’s Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), allowing the on-board Gemma 4 model to follow through on a prompt to create a haiku about being in space: "Blue marble below. Data streams in silent grace. Starlight feeds my core."

Google says it tried out other space-themed limericks and telemetry prompts as well. The test is part of Google’s Project Suncatcher, an experimental initiative that could eventually put AI data centers in space. Google launched the satellite into orbit earlier this month. “Next, we will continue with a series of tests to evaluate how TPUs perform under thermal stress and radiation exposure in orbit,” Google says. “Verifying our TPUs can reliably execute workloads in space paves the way for our next milestone of twin interconnected satellites in 2027.” (10/30)

Planetary Collisions May Help young Worlds Hold Onto Their Atmospheres (Source: Phys.org)
A new study lets some of the air out of a long-held theory that growing, rocky planets will lose their atmosphere if they smash into a large object in space. In fact, these kinds of collisions often help protoplanets hold on to their hydrogen-rich primordial atmosphere, say researchers.

The new research also sheds light on the predominance of two types of planets beyond Earth's solar system: "super-Earths," exoplanets that are slightly larger than Earth and have no primordial atmosphere, and "sub-Neptunes," which are even larger and do have a primordial atmosphere. (10/29)

South Korea to Select Lunar Landing Sites This Year for 2032 Missions (Source: Arirang)
Korea plans to finalize its lunar landing sites by the end of this year, ahead of two planned missions to the Moon in 2032. The Korea AeroSpace Administration released an analysis of 29 potential landing sites during a conference on Friday. Nine sites are being considered for the test landing planned for the first half of 2032, where the institution will test soft-landing technology and observe the lunar environment. An additional 20 sites are being evaluated for a second landing, set to launch later that year to explore lunar resources. Officials say the final locations will be chosen based on scientific value, landing safety, and mission feasibility. (10/30)

Shotwell’s 2M SpaceX Share Gift to Kids' Trump Accounts Is Underway (Source: Not a Tesla App)
Over 2 million American kids are about to become SpaceX shareholders. SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell said on X that the SpaceX stock she and her husband Robert pledged will be distributed to children’s Trump Accounts starting in December, with the shares “transferring to escrow as we speak.” At today’s price of about $135 per share, the gift is worth roughly $270 million. When Shotwell first announced it in July, SpaceX shares had closed at $162, valuing the pledge at over $324 million. (10/30)

Building the Aerospace Workforce, Region by Region, with Community Partners (Source: GE Aerospace)
In its inaugural year, the GE Aerospace Foundation, through Lifting Futures, is supporting local partners in Dallas-Fort Worth, Southwest Ohio and Alabama’s I-85 corridor. Together, they will add training capacity, build awareness of aerospace careers, and strengthen coordination across each region.  These partners are the first of many, as the program aims to train 10,000 workers across multiple communities by 2030, building a stronger workforce for the entire aerospace industry. (10/27)

Satlyt Takes Another Step Toward Turning Satellites Into Space Data Centers (Source: TechCrunch)
Satlyt is building software to turn existing satellites into data processing networks, similar to the orbital data center concept. After 13 months of work, the company had a successful test earlier this month. Working with the University of Houston on a NASA-funded research project, the test showed how the startup’s software can spread out tasks among computers while in orbit based on communication and available compute. (10/30)

MDA Space Gets Initial Contract to Supply Antennas for 66 IRIS² Satellites (Source: Space News)
Canada’s MDA Space has an initial contract to provide antennas for the first 66 low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites Thales Alenia Space aims to help deliver in 2029 for IRIS², Europe’s planned multi-orbit sovereign broadband network. (10/30)

Promotions for Space Force’s Second-Highest Enlisted Rank Explode (Source: Air & Space Forces)
Promotions to the Space Force’s second-highest enlisted grade, senior master sergeant, have surged to the highest level in the young service’s history, bolstering the senior NCO corps. Over the next few years, service officials plan to aggressively expand the force and particularly the enlisted corps. The Air Force Personnel Center released the 2026 promotion lists and statistics for both chief master sergeant and senior master sergeant in the Space Force on Oct. 29: For chief master sergeant, 13 Guardians were selected out of 60 eligible, a 21.67 percent race. For senior master sergeant, 56 Guardians were selected out of 396 eligible, a 14.14 percent rate. (10/30)

Moon Landing 2028: Simulations From NASA Ames Help Prepare for Artemis Mission (Source: ABC 11)
As NASA prepares for the first crewed mission to the Moon since 1972, researchers at NASA Ames Research Center are helping develop and test systems that could shape future lunar missions under the Artemis program. Inside the Flight and Guidance Simulation Laboratories at NASA Ames in Mountain View, California, engineers and researchers are using advanced simulators to recreate conditions astronauts could experience during a Moon landing. One of the center's key tools is the Vertical Motion Simulator, which NASA says is the largest simulator of its kind in the world. (10/30)

Not Everything Is Solid In the Solid Rocket Motor Boom (Source: Aviation Week)
It is now a given that solid rocket motor (SRM) demand remains far ahead of supply. What is not certain is that companies can deliver. Companies face major questions regarding whether they can actually fulfill their huge backlogs and what their long-term financial returns will look like. L3Harris acquired Aerojet Rocketdyne for $4.7 billion to establish itself as a major merchant supplier in the SRM market. The Pentagon has heavily backed expansion, including major capital investments and plans to spin off or IPO missile solutions businesses.

Traditional high-cadence or legacy manufacturing is being challenged by new tech-focused players. For instance, Firehawk Defense raised a $150+ million Series D to scale continuous thermoplastic propellant processes that form rocket motors in hours instead of weeks. Other competitors like X-Bow Systems and Ursa Major are also vying for low-cost, alternative SRM production contracts. : Analysts note that while solid rocket motors are ideal for long shelf-life storage and instant-readiness military boosters, they face inherent economic and scaling limits compared to liquid-propellant architectures for high-cadence space launch. (10/29)

UK Ceramics Firm Takes 'Giant Leap' Toward Building on the Moon (Source: BBC)
A company says it has turned Moon dust into "solid pellets", which could pave the way to produce bricks on the Moon's surface. Scientific consultancy firm Lucideon, based in Staffordshire, said the process involved firing electricity directly at the dust, which solidified it. The innovation would help to "lay the foundations for humanity's next giant leap," said the company. "It's not quite bricks yet, but it's on the way," said the company's chief executive, Tony Kinsella. (10/29)

America Needs a Space Academy for the Space Age (Source: Space News)
The United States is moving its space activity outward, from low Earth orbit to the moon, cislunar space and beyond. Rockets and spacecraft are the visible part of that expansion. The harder problem is people. The country needs leaders who can run an enterprise that grows more complicated every year, and a U.S. Space Academy would help supply them. (10/30)

Analysts Say Launch-Capacity Crisis is More Severe Than Anticipated, with No Evidence Starship Will Launch Traditional Satellites (Source: Ars Technica)
Analysts warn that the looming launch crisis is worse than previously understood. They also find no evidence that SpaceX’s Starship will be used to launch traditional satellites, challenging assumptions that the vehicle will soon provide additional capacity for conventional satellite deployment. At a time when the supply of commercial rockets is contracting, demand for satellite launch is soaring, from megaconstellation operators such as Amazon to a flurry of small satellite startups. The report estimates the crunch will become most acute in 2028 but should then slowly improve. (10/30)

Shanghai Plan Targets More Than 3,000 Satellites in Orbit by 2030 (Source: Beyond LEO)
Shanghai has set a target of more than 3,000 satellites in orbit by 2030 under a new action plan to build the city into a satellite internet innovation hub. The plan, unveiled on 27 October, also targets core industry output of more than 80 billion yuan ($11.9 billion) by 2030. The Shanghai Municipal Commission of Economy and Informatization released the document, the Shanghai satellite internet industry innovation and development action plan (2027-2030). (10/30)

CAS Space Aims to Fly Lihong 2 Reusable Spacecraft in First Quarter of 2027 (Source: Beyond LEO)
CAS Space plans to make the first flight of its Lihong 2 reusable spacecraft in the first quarter of 2027, a test meant to show whether the vehicle can climb to about 100 kilometers and land safely back on the ground. Lihong 2 is about 18 meters long and 3.35 meters in diameter and weighs about 60 metric tons at liftoff. It has two parts: a booster rocket and a payload module. Each flight is designed to carry at least 3 tons of payload or up to seven passengers. (10/30)

GalaxySpace Test Satellite Takes a 5G Core Network and Onboard AI Into Orbit (Source: Beyond LEO)
A Chinese test satellite carrying a 5G base station, a mobile core network and onboard AI computing has reached its planned orbit. The satellite, PEGA-SUS1, also carries satellite-to-ground laser communication and microwave communication. China Daily said this is the first time in China that all of these systems have been carried together on a single technology verification satellite. (10/30)

India Launches GSLV Navigation Satellite to Bolster Location-Tracking System (Source: Space.com)
India’s space agency launched a navigation satellite aboard its GSLV rocket, aiming to strengthen the country’s location-tracking system. The available report does not identify the satellite, launch date or technical specifications, limiting assessment of the mission’s specific capabilities and contribution to the existing system. (10/30)

AFRL Targets New Hypersonic Engine Tech Prototypes Within 4 Years (Source: Air & Space Forces Magazine)
The Air Force Research Laboratory wants industry to advance concepts for affordable hypersonic munition engines to prototype demonstrations within three to four years. AFRL released a request for information early this month, seeking white papers on technical requirements by Nov. 16. The notice is one of the first updates in months on its push for affordable rocket engines for hypersonic munitions. (10/26)

AFRL Plans to Award $30M for Cislunar Project Starting Next Spring (Source: Air & Space Forces Magazine)
The Air Force Research Laboratory plans to launch its latest technology challenge next month—a project meant to speed up development of systems that can operate beyond geosynchronous orbit. SpaceWERX is leading the effort, dubbed Cislunar Prime. The space innovation hub is looking for commercial capabilities that could put the Space Force on a faster path toward cislunar operations in three focus areas: space domain awareness; cislunar communications; and positioning, navigation, and timing. The tentative plan, according to an AFRL spokesperson, is to officially announce Cislunar Prime in December, solicit proposals in January, and begin awarding contracts next spring. The program has $30 million to fund 15 direct-to-phase-two Small Business Innovation Research contracts worth $2 million each. (10/29)

Bill Nelson Warns if War Makes it to Space, Everyone Loses (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Retired from his role as the head of NASA for more than 18 months, former U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson still champions the agency’s accomplishments  — but warns that the world’s access to space is threatened by choices by the likes of Russia and China.

“I have for years, as senator, as NASA administrator, warned people and the Department of Defense that the next major war may begin in space,” Nelson said. He noted our society is becoming increasingly reliant on orbital infrastructure such as GPS, communications, banking transactions and missile warning systems. “If those systems were ever targeted, the consequences would ricochet across every sector of American life,” he said. (10/29)

Smithsonian Scientists Recreated the First 2 Billion Years of the Universe (Source: Science Daily)
Scientists have created one of the largest and most detailed simulations of the early universe ever made, offering an extraordinary new glimpse into the cosmos shortly after the Big Bang. Called Lumina, the groundbreaking simulation recreates the universe’s first 2 billion years, showing how dark matter, gas, and radiation interacted to give rise to the earliest stars, galaxies, and black holes. (10/27)

NASA Welcomes Vietnam as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory (Source: NASA)
The Socialist Republic of Vietnam became the 78th nation to sign the Artemis Accords, joining a growing coalition of like-minded nations committed to the peaceful, transparent, and responsible exploration of space. Vietnam’s Minister of Science and Technology Vũ Hải Quân signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of the country during the Vietnam International Digital Week in Ha Long. The United States Ambassador to Vietnam Jennifer Wicks also participated in the signing event. (10/28)