September 25, 2026

Command and Control Technologies Continues Support for the Northrop-Grumman Eclipse Launch Vehicle at Virginia Spaceport (Source: CCT)
Space Coast-based CCT continues to support pad control system and launch control system upgrades at the Mid-Atlantic Regional spaceport in support of the new Northrop-Grumman Eclipse launch vehicle. Explore our capabilities in the space launch and range domains. The Orbital Commodity Control System (OCCS) for the new Antares 330 (Eclipse) and Medium Lift Launch Vehicle runs on CCT's Command and Control Toolkit, which manages the entire pre-launch sequence. (9/25)

EU Projects Ariane 6 and Vega Launch Requirements Will Soon Exceed Capacity (Source: AA.com)
European Commissioner for Defense and Space Andrius Kubilius stated that European institutional missions will require 14 Ariane 6 launches annually by 2031. The EU will need 62 launches by 2034 for programs including Galileo, Copernicus and IRIS², he said, adding that European launch demand is expected to increase nearly sixfold. “Ariane is set to launch 10 times a year, but we will need 14 launches in 2031 alone,” Kubilius said. “Vega will launch six times a year, but we will need eight Vega launches in 2030 alone.” (9/25)

Callisto Reusable Rocket Demonstrator Takes Shape Ahead of 2027 Hop Test (Source: European Spaceflight)
The German Aerospace Center (DLR) has completed final testing of the nose cone for the Callisto reusable rocket demonstrator, with the hardware now set to be transferred to France for final integration. DLR has also confirmed that the demonstrator’s initial hop test has slipped to 2027. (9/25)

SpaceX’s Starship Aces Rehearsal Ahead of 1st Orbital Test Flight (Source: Space.com)
Starship just cleared a major hurdle ahead of its first orbital flight. SpaceX announced this afternoon (Sept. 24) that it has completed a wet dress rehearsal (WDR) for the next flight of Starship, the huge, fully reusable rocket it's developing to help humanity settle the moon and Mars. (9/25)

Space Force Expands Commercial Satellite Monitoring of GPS Jamming to Global, Standing Operation (Source: Inside GNSS)
The Space Force is turning a prototype effort to detect GPS jamming and spoofing using commercial satellites into a permanent, worldwide monitoring operation, according to the official who leads the program. Barbara Golf said the cell has established a dedicated electromagnetic spectrum operations section that continuously monitors the GPS L1 frequency worldwide and is expanding into additional GPS bands. (9/24)

Space Force Seeks Industry Support for Satellite Expansion (Source: Air & Space Forces)
The US Space Force is considering multiyear procurement deals and production framework agreements to encourage companies to invest in infrastructure and production capacity for a possible fivefold increase in satellites over the next five years. "Space programs often lack the volume predictability and multiyear commitments required to support large capital investments, reinforcing a conservative approach among suppliers," according to a report by the Aerospace Industries Association. (9/23)

Space Development Agency Opens $369 Million Competition for Missile-Tracking Ground Network (Source: Space News)
The Space Development Agency is seeking industry proposals for a contract worth up to $369 million to expand the worldwide ground infrastructure supporting its constellation of low Earth orbit missile-warning and tracking satellites. (9/24)

Panel Tackles Space Past and Future at Orlando Science Center (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
As part of the Orlando Sentinel’s series of special events celebrating the paper’s 150th anniversary, the Orlando Science Center hosted a panel about space on Wednesday night. The event brought together representatives from Kennedy Space Center, the Space Force and UCF as well as current and former journalists to talk about Central Florida’s vital role in the nation’s space endeavors. One of the highlights of the panel was the displays of former Sentinel photographer Red Huber’s photo retrospective titled, “The Cape Chronicles.” (9/25)
 
America Must Restore its Space Power at War Speed (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Following Trump’s new space policies, the FAA stated that federal ranges are already strained and warned that launch-site availability could become a bottleneck. Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Kennedy Space Center and Vandenberg Space Force Base account for 83% of U.S. launches, concentrating activity at just three locations. Furthermore, the FAA says efficiency improvements can accommodate higher cadence in the short term, but reaching the administration’s 1,000-launch goal will require additional spaceport capacity, launch sites, and support infrastructure.

Allies can expand our access. The strategic bargain is straightforward: allies give Washington more places to launch from, more satellites to draw on, and more pathways to keep missions running if U.S. systems are disrupted. The White House has rightly identified space as a driver of military power and rapid access to orbit as essential to national security. America will preserve its space superiority by creating enough launch capacity, commercial alternatives, and allied pathways that attacks become less consequential and system recovery becomes faster. (9/25)

China Launches Recon Satellites on Long March 6 (Source: Xinhua)
China launched a new set of reconnaissance satellites Thursday. A Long March 6 lifted off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center, placing into orbit the Yaogan-40 04 cluster of satellites. The satellites are thought to be used for signals intelligence. (9/25)

Starfish Space Prepares for Otter Satellite Servicing Mission (Source: Space News)
Another company is preparing to launch its own satellite servicing mission. Starfish Space said Thursday its first Otter spacecraft will launch on SpaceX's Transporter-18 mission next week. Otter is flying a NASA-funded mission called Small Spacecraft Propulsion and Inspection Capability, or SSPICY, where Otter will approach several objects in low Earth orbit. The mission has the option to attempt to dock with an object, and Starfish said that once the NASA mission is over it could use the spacecraft for other customers. SSPICY is the first in a series of Otter missions that Starfish Space is under contract to develop for both commercial and government customers. (9/25)

Space Force Clears Designs for Tranche 3 Tracking Satellites (Source: Space News)
Three missile-tracking satellite programs for the Space Force have cleared key design reviews. The Space Development Agency is moving ahead with its Tranche 3 Tracking Layer, a 72-satellite procurement for low Earth orbit worth about $3.5 billion. It completed reviews of separate groups of 18 satellites being built by L3Harris and Rocket Lab.

BAE Systems said this week it completed a critical design review for the 10-satellite Resilient Missile Warning and Tracking Medium Earth Orbit Epoch 2 program for Space Systems Command that will operate in MEO. The LEO and MEO programs are part of the Space Force's broader shift toward a multilayered missile-warning and tracking architecture, with different orbital layers providing overlapping coverage and greater resilience than an architecture centered largely on a small number of satellites in geostationary orbit. (9/25)

Rocket Lab Doesn't Rely on NASA Business (Source: Space News)
Even as it pursues a protest of a NASA Mars mission award, Rocket Lab is downplaying the importance of the agency as a customer. Rocket Lab announced earlier this month it filed a protest with the GAO for NASA's selection of Blue Origin for a $700 million Mars communications orbiter, claiming that the award was inconsistent with criteria for the program and that the agency performed a "punitive review" of Rocket Lab's own proposal.

Rocket Lab CFO Adam Spice said the company filed the protest because it felt it had not been treated fairly, but did not go into specifics about the protest. He added, though, that while NASA projects can be interesting for the company to pursue, NASA work "really doesn't move the needle financially" for the company compared to its business with national security and commercial customers. (9/25)

Côte d'Ivoire Signs Artemis Accords (Source: NASA)
For the third time this week, a country has signed the Artemis Accords. The African nation of Côte d'Ivoire signed the accords Thursday in a ceremony in the capital city of Abidjan. The country's minister of higher education and science signed the accords as part of the Africa Space Expo ASPEX 2026 conference. Côte d'Ivoire is the 75th country to sign the Artemis Accords since 2020 and third to do so this week, after Albania on Monday and Croatia on Wednesday. (9/25)

SpaceX Begins Hiring for Louisiana Spaceport (Source: Arcadia Advocate)
SpaceX has started the hiring process for the massive spaceport planned for Vermilion Parish near Pecan Island. On Aug. 25, Gov. Jeff Landry along with other officials and SpaceX representatives announced plans to build a $100 billion rocket launch and recovery facility along a stretch of the Gulf coast about 45 miles south/southwest of Lafayette. SpaceX acquired around 125,000 acres of land in Vermilion Parish as part of the recent settlement of lawsuit against ExxonMobil over the destruction of coastal wetlands.

Four weeks after the announcement, the company is seeking applicants for four positions: Senior construction project manager; Civil engineer, land development; Government affairs manager; and Senior counsel, real estate and infrastructure. The Vermilion Parish spaceport is expected to include five launch pads and create at least 3,000 jobs. (9/24)

China's Moon Plans: Beijing Moving Fast, Preps to Set Up Lunar Training Ground (Source: India Today)
China is moving into a new phase of its human spaceflight program as it prepares for one of its most ambitious goals of sending astronauts to the Moon by 2030. The country is setting up a lunar analog training ground in Xinjiang to help prepare a new generation of astronauts that will embark on a journey to the Moon by 2030. China recently added an unusual tool to that training: caves. In late 2025, 28 astronauts completed China's first dedicated astronaut cave training in Chongqing's Wulong district.

Divided into four groups, they spent six days and five nights inside a natural cave, where conditions included darkness, high humidity and restricted movement. The training involved cave exploration and mapping, scientific work, managing supplies, simulated communication with the outside world and psychological and teamwork exercises. Astronauts also had to move through narrow passages, climb and rappel and cope with prolonged cold and damp conditions. The idea was not to recreate the Moon itself, but to train astronauts to function when they are isolated, resources are limited and unexpected problems arise. (9/22)

Signaling Displeasure with DoD Policy, GOP Senators Hold Up Key Trump Pentagon Nominees (Source: FNN_
Senate Republicans are holding up President Donald Trump’s nominees for key Pentagon jobs to signal their continued displeasure with the Defense Department’s policy shop. Two of the White House’s picks have sat in limbo for more than a year: Alex Velez-Green, tapped to become deputy undersecretary of defense for policy; and Austin Dahmer, the nominee for assistant secretary of defense for strategy, plans and capabilities.

Both nominations were announced in June 2025; the men appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee for confirmation hearings that November. Lawmakers chose not to vote them out of committee, forcing the White House to resubmit the picks when a new session of Congress began in January 2026. But the nominations haven’t budged. (9/23)

NASA Assigns Four Astronauts From Three Space Agencies to SpaceX Crew-14 ISS Mission in Spring 2027 (Source: NSF)
NASA has announced four crew members from three space agencies for SpaceX’s Crew-14 mission to the International Space Station, targeted for no earlier than spring 2027. The long-duration expedition will conduct scientific research and support ongoing station operations, following the current crew’s work and preparations for new arrivals. (9/24)

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin Is Fueled With $30 Billion of His Fortune (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Jeff Bezos has invested $30 billion in Blue Origin since founding it in 2000, including his latest infusion of $2 billion, as the Amazon.com founder tries to build a company to rival SpaceX. Documents reviewed by The Wall Street Journal discuss his investments, which represent an extraordinary commitment that has helped Blue Origin become a large space company with around 15,000 employees and an ambitious growth plan. (9/24)

HawkEye 360 Secures About $18 million in Middle East Contracts (Source: Space News)
HawkEye 360 announced multiple contracts worth approximately $18 million with customers in the Middle East. The agreements expand the commercial satellite company’s regional business, underscoring continued demand for space-based capabilities among customers in the region. (9/24)

Belgian Space Applications Services Secures Blue Origin Lunar Mission Ride for LUVMI-M Rover (Source: European Spaceflight)
Belgian company Space Applications Services has secured a flight opportunity for its LUVMI-M lunar rover aboard an upcoming Blue Origin Blue Moon lander mission. The agreement advances European participation in commercial lunar exploration and adds another payload to Blue Origin’s developing lunar transportation offering. (9/24)

SaxaVord Dops Shared Suborbital Rail, Requiring HyImpulse to Provide its Own for Second SR75 Launch (Source: European Spaceflight)
SaxaVord has abandoned plans for a shared suborbital launch rail, leaving HyImpulse to bring and operate its own launch system for the second flight of its SR75 rocket. The change adds infrastructure responsibility to HyImpulse’s launch campaign and alters the planned operating model at the spaceport. (9/22)

Starfish Space Completes First Full-Size Otter Servicing Vehicle for NASA-Backed Orbital Debut (Source: Space News)
Starfish Space has completed its first full-scale Otter spacecraft and assigned it to a customer mission, slated for launch on Transporter-18. The Seattle-area company says the vehicle will demonstrate close inspection and docking technologies, marking its transition from scaled technology demonstrations toward operational satellite servicing. (9/24)

Google to Launch Project Suncatcher Satellites for First In-Orbit AI Computing Test (Source: Interesting Engineering)
Google plans to launch two experimental satellites with Planet by early 2027, including a prototype mission on SpaceX’s Transporter-18 rideshare flight. Project Suncatcher will test the performance of Google’s AI tensor processing units in low Earth orbit, including their resilience to launch forces, radiation and extreme temperatures. (9/24)

Saab Seeks Broader Space Role Through Partnerships with SSC Space, OHB Sweden and Ericsson (Source: Reuters)
Saab is pursuing a larger role in the space sector by integrating technologies and services from multiple companies into complete systems. The Swedish defense group signed cooperation agreements with SSC Space, OHB Sweden and Ericsson, extending its aerospace ambitions beyond traditional defense activities. (9/24)

Stanford Engineers Teach Spacecraft to “Dream” Their Way to the ISS (Source: Universe Today)
Stanford engineers are developing a spacecraft guidance approach modeled on “dreaming” to help vehicles rendezvous and dock with the International Space Station. The work addresses the precision of matching velocity and trajectory with a laboratory traveling at roughly 28,000 km/h. (9/24)

Black Hole 'Burps' are the Same, No Matter How Supermassive the Source is (Source: Space.com)
Black holes come in a vast array of sizes. There are the stellar-mass black holes with a few times the mass of the sun — and then there are the supermassive black holes with billions of times the mass of our star that dominate the hearts of all large galaxies. However, new research suggests the "burps" that black holes emit when feeding on unfortunate stars seem to be remarkably similar — no matter their size. (9/24)

Northrop Grumman Says Solid Rocket Motor Output Will Reach 25,000 a Year by 2029 (Source: Defense Industry Europe)
Northrop Grumman plans to raise annual solid rocket motor production from more than 13,000 units to 25,000 by 2029. The expansion is aimed at meeting higher demand for U.S. and allied missile systems while adding capacity to a strained defense supply chain. The company said it has invested more than $2 billion in solid rocket motor and munition technologies over the past several years. That spending has funded modernized facilities and manufacturing capacity that Northrop Grumman says is available to support production growth. (9/24)

NASA to Develop Next Billion-Dollar Space Telescope (Source: Space News)
NASA announced Wednesday it will pursue development of a billion-dollar far-infrared space telescope. NASA said it selected the Probe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics, or PRIMA, as its first Probe Explorer mission for launch in 2033. PRIMA will fly a 1.8-meter telescope with instruments sensitive to far-infrared light, enabling studies of black holes and exoplanets.

The mission has a cost cap of $1.2 billion, excluding launch. PRIMA was one of two finalists to be the first probe-class mission, although NASA earlier this year said it had disqualified the other finalist, an X-ray telescope called AXIS, for not meeting cost and schedule requirements. A NASA official said earlier this week that current budget profiles could mean delaying calls for future smaller astrophysics missions in order to fund a probe-class mission. (9/24)

After Critical Workforce Cuts, Can Goddard Still Build Multi-Billion Dollar Space Telescopes (Source: Scientific American)
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center officially maintains that it can still build flagship telescopes, but recent workforce cuts, layoffs, and facility reorganizations have left many employees and experts doubting that capability. Goddard successfully led the construction and assembly of the $4.3-billion Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which recently launched from Florida.

NASA officials state that conceiving, developing, and operating large flagship missions remains a core, unchanged capability of the Maryland-based NASA center. But internal cuts, rapid reorganizations, and sudden facility relocations displaced scientists from specialized labs—costing millions in equipment and delaying projects. Current and former workers have warned that the loss of experienced personnel and specialized clean-room space means Goddard may struggle or lack the capacity to repeat a multi-billion-dollar build today. (9/24)

Former NASA Chief Sounds Alarm on China’s Lunar “Exploration” Plans (Source: Ars Technica)
In a forthcoming memoir, former US politician and NASA Administrator Bill Nelson offers a blistering assessment of China, saying the United States must do all it can to retain its leadership in space exploration. “Beijing’s intended strategy is to dominate the high ground of the twenty-first century,” writes Nelson. (9/23)

Current NASA Chief Says NASA ‘Dodged a Bullet’ with Chinese Lunar Mission Delay (Source: Space News)
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency "dodged a bullet" when a Chinese lunar mission was unexpectedly postponed. He said that both NASA and China are interested in south polar regions of the moon thought to have water ice, including Shackleton Crater. That crater is the destination of China's Chang'e-7 robotic mission, which was supposed to launch last month but was abruptly postponed until sometime next year.

Isaacman said that a Chang'e-7 landing there "would have potentially denied access to some of the most interesting spots" at the lunar south pole. Isaacman has increasingly emphasized the national security implications of Artemis, warning that a Chinese crewed landing before NASA's return could call into question American leadership more generally. He said NASA will provide an update on efforts to accelerate Artemis in early October. (9/24)

Moog Expands in New York to Grow Thruster Production (Source: Space News)
Moog Inc. announced the completion and commissioning of a new ISO Class 8 certified clean room at its Niagara Falls facility. This advanced manufacturing environment is now fully operational and will accelerate Moog’s assembly, integration, and testing of thrusters to support a growing portfolio of defense and commercial spaceflight programs.

Completed on schedule, the expansion increases dedicated clean room capacity by more than 80% and is specifically designed for continuous, multi-shift operations for thrusters and propulsion systems. (9/23)

Astrolab, Interstellar Mapping Hunt Lunar Water (Source: Payload)
A new partnership between Astrolab and Interstellar Mapping is one giant leap for mapkind. Interstellar Mapping will support Astrolab’s mission to hunt for water on the lunar surface later this year as part of NASA’s mission to build the Moon Base, the companies exclusively told Payload. It’s Interstellar Mapping’s first time working on a US commercial rover mission. (9/23)

ESA Awards RFA €2.7 Million in New Funding for SaxaVord Operations (Source: European Spaceflight)
The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) a contract amendment that will provide the company with €2.7 million in additional co-funding to support the build-out of the company’s launch and testing infrastructure at SaxaVord in Scotland. According to the agency, RFA is expected to resume preparations for static fire tests of its first RFA ONE rocket “soon.”

Announced on 23 September, the contract extension will fund the development of testing facilities at SaxaVord that will allow for hot-fire tests of individual Helix 1.0 rocket engines and fully integrated RFA ONE second stages. ESA added that the funding would also support additional ground infrastructure at the spaceport, although it did not specify what infrastructure this would include. (9/24)

NASA Wants to Revive X-Plane Program for Faster, Higher Experimental Flights (Source: Air Data News)
NASA wants to rebuild its X-plane portfolio with experimental aircraft designed to explore higher speeds, altitudes and new propulsion technologies, according to agency Administrator Jared Isaacman. He outlined the plans during a presentation that attracted attention for another reason: a slide titled “Rebuilding our X-plane portfolio” showed a dark, unidentified aircraft with a configuration reminiscent of the SR-71 Blackbird .

NASA has not identified the aircraft or confirmed that the image represents an actual program under development. The agency instead says it intends to expand experimental aviation beyond the X-59, its current piloted X-plane. He pointed to NASA’s intention to pursue aircraft capable of flying higher and faster than its recent experimental designs. (9/24)

Viasat Awarded $42M Task Order Under Marine Corp Managed Services Contract (Source: Via Satellite)
Viasat has received a $42 million task order under its contract to provide managed satcom services to the U.S. Marine Corps. Viasat has a background in providing managed satcom to the Marines and was awarded a contract worth up to $307 million in May for global communication connectivity on the USMC Enterprise Commercial Satellite Services (MECS2) Contract. Viasat will deliver satcom services across L-, Ku-, and Ka-bands through terminal solutions and satellites across orbits from the company and multiple partner providers. (9/23)

Where Will the European Crew Vehicle Go? (Source: Douglas Messier)
During the recent International Space Summit in Paris, all 23 member nations of the European Space Agency’s (ESA) and associate member Canada endorsed a proposal for an independent European human spaceflight program. The declaration tasked ESA with developing a proposal in time for the Intermediate Ministerial Meeting in December. French President Emmanuel Macron said he wants to see a crewed vehicle launch from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana by 2036.

Since we don’t know exactly what the space agency will propose, we have to make a few assumptions for this analysis. Let’s assume the spacecraft will be initially designed for trips to low Earth orbit (LEO). Voyages to Moon might follow later. And let’s go with 2036 as a reasonable date for the first crewed launch. It might fly soon, it might fly later. There is only so much astronauts in a single spacecraft can accomplish during an orbital flight that might last a couple of weeks at most. (9/24)

How ULA’s 2.4 million-square-foot Alabama plant builds the Vulcan Centaur (Source: Washington Times)
United Launch Alliance is ramping up production of its Vulcan Centaur rocket at a 2.4-million-square-foot factory in Decatur, Alabama, aiming to build 20 to 25 vehicles annually to meet growing demand from the Space Force and commercial clients like Amazon. Click here for a rare look at how the Vulcan Centaur rocket comes together. (9/15)

NSF Funds ISS National Lab-Sponsored Projects to Advance Applications in Electronics Cooling and Drug Delivery (Source: CASIS)
The ISS National Laboratory and the National Science Foundation announced the selection of two new research projects that will leverage the unique microgravity. The investigations will build on more than 10 years of collaboration between the ISS National Lab and NSF to support fundamental science that can deliver tangible benefits for life on Earth.

Since the partnership began, NSF has funded nearly 100 projects seeking to leverage the ISS National Lab in research areas spanning biotechnology, fluid dynamics, combustion related to safety and wildfires, and other transport phenomena. These projects have advanced scientific knowledge and led to more than 350 peer-reviewed publications.

The two newly selected projects will investigate fundamental processes that influence advanced manufacturing, energy systems, healthcare technologies, and other critical fields. The include: "The Role of Non-Gravitational Transport Phenomena on the Melting Dynamics of Small Particles," and "An Experimental Study of Slip Ratio in Microgravity Two-Phase Flows." (9/24)

Space Force Plans Two Commercial Satellite Servicing Missions (Source: Space News)
The U.S. Space Force is preparing two commercial satellite servicing missions for 2027 to test how to give military satellites more ability to maneuver after launch. Col. Scott Carstetter, director of servicing, mobility and logistics at Space Systems Command, said during a webinar Wednesday that one mission, led by Astroscale U.S., will attempt to refuel a military satellite in geosynchronous orbit and then replenish the servicing spacecraft from an orbiting fuel depot.

The second, by Starfish Space, will use a commercial space tug to dock with and move multiple national security satellites. Space Systems Command also wants to learn how the military can buy servicing from commercial operators, how much infrastructure would be needed to make those services routinely available and whether refueling or life extension could in some cases be more economical than replacing satellites. (9/24)

China Launches Broadband Satellites on Long March 8A (Source: Xinhua)
China launched a set of broadband constellation satellites Wednesday. A Long March 8A lifted off from the Wenchang spaceport at 9:32 a.m. Eastern and placed into orbit the 26th group of SatNet LEO, or Guowang, satellites. Reports did not disclose how many satellites were on board but similar launches previously carried nine satellites each. (9/24)

Croatia Signs Artemis Accords (Source: NASA)
Croatia has signed the Artemis Accords. Croatia's science minister signed the accords Wednesday in Zagreb with NASA and State Department officials in attendance. Croatia is the 74th country to sign the accords and the second to do so this week, after Albania did so on Monday at NASA Headquarters. The Artemis Accords outline best practices for space exploration, and NASA plans to use them to coordinate cooperation on the Artemis program. (9/24)

Poland Investigating Starlink Gateway (Source: TVP World)
Polish officials are investigating a fire at a Starlink gateway in the country. The fire at the gateway station near Warsaw damaged power units at the facility, which supports communications for the Starlink constellation in the region. Polish government officials said they cannot rule out arson as the cause for the fire, suggesting it may have been part of "hybrid warfare" intended to impede Ukraine's use of Starlink during its war with Russia. (9/24)

September 24, 2026

KSC Issues RFI to Bolster Research Portfolio (Source: NASA)
Under longstanding NASA policy, Kennedy Space Center through the 1990s and early 2000s was officially relegated to launch operations, with a few minor exceptions for launch and Space Station-oriented topics. Much to the chagrin of state officials seeking to diversify its role beyond launch operations, the Center had to be very careful about straying from its launch-only mandate, with other NASA centers objecting when they thought their research turf was being encroached. Basically, KSC was an "operational" center while most of the others were "R&D" centers.

It was controversial when KSC and Florida Space Research Institute conspired to build the Space Life Sciences Lab (where I now sit) at the spaceport (during the GW Bush administration), and a big victory when KSC was allowed to establish its "Swamp Works" innovation lab in 2013, under President Obama. The Center was evolving to acquire broader flavors of research funding within the agency's budget. That trend continues today, as KSC has released an RFI for "KSC Research and Collaboration".

"The KSC Research and Technology (R&T) vision is to establish KSC as a leading hub for space technology innovation to align with the NASA Human Space Mission Directorate (HSMD) Artemis Mission. Central to this vision is the expansion of partnerships with academia, private industry, and other government agencies, particularly with institutions whose technical expertise complements KSC’s existing capabilities." Click here. (9/23)

Corps of Engineers Seeks Collaborations for Future Infrastructure at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Corps of Engineers)
The US Army Corps of Engineers  is seeking industry partners to support the Space Port of the Future Infrastructure (SPOTFi) Campus at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. The opportunity is designed to advance infrastructure supporting the nation’s growing space enterprise and invites qualified businesses to submit innovative solutions. Click here. (9/23)

Unprecedented: SpaceX Given Unique Access to Classified DoD Space Tracking Data to Support Company's Stargaze Project (Source: Breaking Defense)
In an unprecedented move, the Defense Department has agreed to give SpaceX exclusive access to the government’s most classified space tracking data, according to a dozen government and industry sources. One of the sources, a Space Force official, said a “contractual agreement” has been signed between SpaceX and the Space Force’s Joint Commercial Operations Cell (JCO), trading company access to US Space Command’s (SPACECOM) most detailed version of its High Accuracy Catalog (HAC) of on-orbit objects in exchange for SpaceX giving the JCO data from its Stargaze star-tracking cameras. (9/23)

Space Force Relaunches Commercial Accelerator, Prepares to Welcome New Cohort (Source: Aerospace America)
The U.S. Space Force’s commercial software laboratory is preparing to host its first participants since undergoing an extensive overhaul. The changes — which include a new name, longer program timelines and rotating focus areas — are intended to create a more effective pipeline for bringing participants’ software into operational use. Under the old model, the SDA TAP Lab — short for Space Domain Awareness Tools, Applications and Processing Lab — ran three-month programs, during which companies developed products, ideas and research to address specific Space Force software challenges. The last cohort concluded its work in March.

Under the new model, first announced in July, the BMC3I TAP Lab has a broader focus on finding innovative software for battle management, command, control, communications and space intelligence capabilities. It sits within the Space Force’s Kronos program, which focuses on these same topics and is also led by Lt. Col. Collin Greiser. (9/23)

Astronomers Detect Radio Signals Coming From an Exoplanet (Source: Phys.org)
Exoplanets are exotic worlds orbiting distant stars far beyond our solar system. Ever since the first ones were discovered in the 1990s, astronomers have turned their attention to these distant worlds to understand more about them. Now, for the first time, scientists have detected radio signals coming directly from one of these planets, a massive gas giant named β Pictoris b.

Previous radio detections from exoplanetary systems couldn't be traced directly to the planet itself because astronomers couldn't tell whether the signal came from the star or the planet. And no, this isn't evidence of alien life communicating with each other. The radio waves come from auroras linked to the planet's powerful magnetic field. (9/22)

Can Startups Turn India Into a Global Space Power? (Source: DW News)
India’s space program was once almost entirely led by the government. Now, a new generation of private companies is building rockets, satellites and other space technology. Click here. (9/23)

Boeing, GoGo Test Satellite-Linked Military Drone in Challenge to Starlink (Source: Reuters)
Boeing's ​drone subsidiary Insitu and aviation Wi-Fi provider Gogo have successfully ‌tested a military drone using satellite communications, the companies said on Tuesday, underscoring growing efforts by governments and defense firms to reduce reliance on Elon Musk's Starlink.
Gogo Special Missions, ​the military and government arm of Gogo and Insitu integrated a ​modified version of Gogo's Galileo HDX antenna onto Insitu's Integrator ⁠drone, a mid-sized uncrewed aircraft used by military customers for surveillance and ​reconnaissance missions. (9/22)

UK Military Jamming Other Nations' Satellites to Defend Itself (Source: BBC)
The British military has been jamming or blocking satellites from other countries in order to defend itself from hostile threats, the BBC has been told. The RAF has been using a ground-based system for the past year, which a defense source said had already been used "to deter our adversaries". It is understood the system could be used to prevent a hostile nation's satellites from tracking the movement of the UK's nuclear armed submarines or other sensitive military operations, such as those involving special forces. (9/23)

Firefly Just Quadrupled Its Ability to Build Moon Landers (Source: CBS Austin)
It was a giant leap for the new commercial space race in Texas. Firefly Aerospace just opened a new cleanroom at its Cedar Park campus to build lunar landers and orbiters — four times bigger than its existing one. "This is a really exciting day for Cedar Park," said Mayor Jim Penniman-Morin. Combined with its original cleanroom, Firefly can now build and test 12 spacecraft at the same time. (9/23)

NASA Selects Far-Infrared Telescope as First in New Mission Class (Source: NASA)
NASA announced Wednesday a mission to explore the history and evolution of the universe, PRIMA (PRobe far-Infrared Mission for Astrophysics), is advancing to the next phase of development. This space telescope is the first in a new class of NASA astrophysics missions, called Probe Explorers, within the agency’s longstanding Explorers Program. (9/23)

Unmanned Systems: Without PNT, They’re Not Going Anywhere (Source: Inside GNSS)
Before unmanned systems can realize their full potential, we must know what PNT systems will be available across the nation and how reliable they’ll be. A small pilotless craft races through the surf and delivers flotation to a swimmer in trouble. Drones inspect and spray cleaning fluid on high tension electrical lines more quickly and safely than a conventional helicopter. Driverless trucks travel farther and safer than when a human is behind the wheel.

Unmanned systems have nearly limitless potential to benefit society. But they must know where and when they are. It’s clear unmanned systems have created a new paradigm. While they support existing, sometimes ancient, modes of transportation and functions, remotely controlled and autonomous systems demand new approaches to ensure safe, secure and efficient operations. One of the most significant is their need for robust and resilient positioning, navigation and timing (PNT). (9/22)

ClearSpace Signs ESA Contract to Advance Phoenix GEO Life Extension Mission (Source: Space News)
Luxembourg-based in-orbit servicing venture ClearSpace signed a contract Sept. 23 with the European Space Agency to help mature technologies for Phoenix, a mission aiming to extend the life of a geostationary satellite due to retire between 2028 and 2030. (9/23)

China's Space Epoch Raises $343 Million for Reusable Launcher (Source: Space News)
Chinese launch startup Space Epoch has raised $343 million as it prepares for the first launch of a reusable rocket. The company recently announced it had completed a B++ funding round, bringing the total raised across its B series to more than $343 million (2.3 billion yuan) over the past half year.  Space Epoch said the financing will be primarily used for mission support for the first flight of the Yuanxingzhe-1 rocket, verification of recovery and reuse, and development of commercial delivery capabilities. The company says the rocket will be ready for its first flight by the end of the year. The reusable Yuanxingzhe-1 is a 4.2-meter-diameter, stainless steel methane-liquid oxygen rocket and is designed to place up to 13,800 kilograms into low Earth orbit. (9/23)

Vast Establishes Lunar Division (Source: Space News)
Commercial space station developer Vast has plans for the moon. The company announced Wednesday it has created a lunar program division that will offer infrastructure to support NASA's lunar base plans. Vast plans leverage capabilities for its Haven series of commercial space stations for a lunar power system, airlock and lunar habitation modules. Vast announced in May plans to develop high-power satellites and the company now says it wants to use those satellites to provide communications and navigation services at the moon. Several other companies working on commercial space stations, including Axiom Space, Blue Origin and Voyager Technologies, are also developing lunar systems. (9/23)

Impulse Space to Fly Domain Awareness Satellite for Space Force (Source: Space News)
Impulse Space won a contract from the U.S. Space Force for a mission using its Mira spacecraft. The $31.2 million contract is for a 2029 space domain awareness mission using an optical sensor in low Earth orbit to monitor objects as far away as geosynchronous orbit. Mira will carry a government-furnished optical payload built by MIT Lincoln Laboratory. The award is the latest expansion of an existing Space Systems Command contract that began with two tactically responsive space demonstrations and has grown to cover five Mira spacecraft for several military missions. Mira is a small spacecraft powered by chemical thrusters and designed to host or deploy payloads while making relatively rapid changes to its orbit. (9/23)

Chamber Supports Space Force Acquisition Reform (Source: Space News)
A business group is advocating for Space Force acquisition reform. A report released Wednesday by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce calls for multiyear funding for major space programs, a strategic reserve of critical satellite components, more launch providers and infrastructure, and procurement rules that make the Pentagon justify building capabilities that are already available commercially. The Chamber report, though, questions whether bringing organizations such as the Space Development Agency into a more centralized Space Force acquisition structure will spread their faster buying practices across the service, or instead smother what made them different in the first place. (9/23)

NASA Moves Crew Mission to Oct. 1 (Source: NASA)
NASA has rescheduled the next crewed mission to the International Space Station to next week. The agency said Tuesday it is targeting no earlier than 11:10 a.m. Eastern on Oct. 1 for the launch of the Crew-13 mission. That Crew Dragon mission was scheduled to fly in mid-September but postponed because of oxidizer leak in the spacecraft. The mission will deliver a crew from NASA, Roscosmos and the Canadian Space Agency to the station for a six-month mission. (9/23)

European Regulator Pledges Fairness for Proposed Megamerger (Source: Bloomberg)
A European antitrust regulator says the proposed joint venture of three European space companies will not get special treatment. Teresa Ribera, an executive vice president of the European Commission who oversees antitrust regulations, said the proposed Project Bromo will still be subject to reviews even after the commission's president, Ursula von der Leyen, endorsed the joint venture in a speech earlier this month. Von der Leyen's comments prompted criticism from other European politicians who feared the commission would be "rubber-stamping" the merger. Bromo would combine the space divisions of Airbus, Leonardo and Thales Alenia Space. (9/23)

ESA's JUICE Flies By Earth En Route to Jupiter (Source: ESA)
ESA's JUICE mission will swing by Earth next week on its way to Jupiter. JUICE, or the Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer, will pass 8,640 kilometers from the Earth's surface during the Sept. 28 flyby, part of a series of gravity-assist maneuvers to send the spacecraft to Jupiter. One more Earth flyby will take place in early 2029 before JUICE makes it to Jupiter, entering orbit in 2031. (9/23)

TMT Decides Against Canary Island Location (Source: Science)
A proposed large observatory has rejected an offer to build the telescope in the Canary Islands. The Spanish government offered 1 billion euros ($1.15 billion) in incentives for the Thirty Meter Telescope (TMT) if the consortium planning the observatory built it atop La Palma in the Canary Islands. However, the Astrophysics Institute of the Canaries said the consortium, which includes several universities and national agencies, could not reach the consensus needed to accept the proposal. TMT was planned for Mauna Kea in Hawaii but has faced opposition there from native Hawaiians, and the project has also struggled to raise the money needed to build the massive telescope. (9/23)

China Continues Rapid Launch Cadence with Long March 2D, Kinetica-1 Launches (Source: Space News)
China launched 13 satellites across two missions over the weekend, including commercial radar satellites and a nine-satellite rideshare featuring on-orbit computing and communications testbeds. (9/23)

Starcloud Wants to Mine Bitcoin in Space, if it Can Figure Out How to Cool the Hardware (Source: TechSpot)
Bitcoin miners have spent years chasing cheap electricity around the planet, but will leaving our atmosphere reap better results? Nvidia-backed Starcloud wants to take cryptomining into orbit, putting dedicated mining hardware aboard its second spacecraft. The startup believes abundant solar power could make space an attractive home for an industry notorious for its energy consumption. CEO Philip Johnston says Starcloud will be the first company to mine Bitcoin in space, with ASICs riding aboard Starcloud-2 when it's expected to launch in early 2027. (9/22)

Artemis 2 Set Out to Prove Orion Could Handle Deep Space. Here’s How It Delivered (Source: Gizmodo)
On April 1, NASA’s Space Launch System rocket lifted off from Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, propelling the Orion spacecraft to orbit. The capsule carried the most precious cargo any spacecraft can harbor: human lives—the first astronauts charged with returning to the Moon in over 50 years. This mission, Artemis 2, was Orion’s first crewed test flight. The stakes couldn’t have been higher.

Orion had never flown with full life support and human-rated systems, and the capsule needed to keep its crew alive for 10 days as it journeyed around the Moon and back again. Over the course of the flight, Orion successfully performed all of its deep-space operations, life support checks, and its manual proximity operations demonstration, but there would be one last test before its mission came to an end. (9/23)

Air, Space Forces Pick Up Research Pace for Orbital Cargo Delivery, Shifting Focus From Rockets to Reentry Vehicles (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Air and Space Forces over the past year have been picking up the pace of their multi-tiered research initiative aimed at developing an unusual idea seemingly straight from science fiction: the capability to rapidly deliver cargo into global hot zones by launching it through space. But while the Pentagon was originally looking primarily at using large, reusable rockets for the delivery of goods, the military is now shifting its attention towards smaller reentry capsules.

The bi-service effort to leverage commercial capabilities for point-to-point delivery via space is somewhat confusing because it encompasses different programs with money in different budget pots — some funded jointly and some through service-specific spending. The mother of them all, however, was the Air Force Research Laboratory’s (AFRL) high-priority Vanguard program called Rocket Cargo, which began in June 2021 and focused on launching rockets filled with 30 tons of logistical supplies from the United States, into space, and down on far-flung bases and battlefields.

While that program is being phased down — the Air Force zeroed out funds in its fiscal 2026 budget and the Space Force gave it only a few million dollars in FY26 and FY27 — the children of Rocket Cargo live on and prosper today. An AFRL spokesperson revealed that reason for the shift in focus towards reentry capsules is because of several promising advantages. (9/23)

NASA Chief: I’m Only Interested in “Good Deals” from International Partners (Source: Ars Technica)
NASA must be more selective in the way it forges international partnerships as the race to the Moon transforms from a battle for national prestige between the United States and China into a high-stakes competition for extraterrestrial real estate and resources, the agency’s administrator said.

Jared Isaacman, now in his 10th month at the helm of the world’s largest civilian space agency, told a gathering of military leaders and defense contractors last week near Washington, DC, that the 21st-century race to the Moon is more than a battle of ideologies. The sweet spot for a Moon base, Isaacman said, is a relatively small region near the lunar south pole, and there are tangible implications for who gets there first. (9/22)

Italy to Spend Over $5 Billion to Send Two Astronauts to the Moon (Source: European Spaceflight)
According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, Italy has committed more than $5 billion to the development of a lunar habitat for the agency’s Moon Base program. In return, the country has secured spots for two Italian astronauts on future missions to the surface of the Moon. Isaacman cited Italy’s contribution to NASA’s lunar exploration program as an example of what he described as a “good deal” with an international partner.

The centerpiece of that contribution is the Multi-Purpose Habitat (MPH), a pressurized lunar habitat module being developed by Thales Alenia Space under an Italian Space Agency (ASI) contract for future long-duration missions to the Moon. The MPH module is expected to measure three meters in width and six meters in length, with a mass of roughly 15 tonnes. It was designed to accommodate two astronauts for missions lasting between seven and 30 days. It will be equipped with wheels for precise positioning on the lunar surface. (9/23)

September 23, 2026

Public Trust in Government Down to 27% (Source: FNN)
While Americans’ trust in government remains persistently low, public approval ratings of federal employees are showing some positive signs. In its latest research on public trust in government, the Partnership for Public Service found that for 2026, just 27% of Americans said they trust the federal government, down six percentage points since this time last year. At the same time, public trust in civil servants is at 44%, considerably higher than trust in government overall. (9/22)

Europe’s Ariane 6 Targets Annual Flight Rates of 12, Then 15 and Beyond (Source: Space Intel Report)
Europe’s launch sector will convene in Brussels on Sept. 23 for the second EU Access to Space Conference, where Ariane 6’s path to higher annual flight rates is expected to take center stage. The meeting highlights the policy and industrial decisions needed to expand Europe’s launch capacity. (9/23)

CybExer to Test Security of EU’s IRIS² Satellite Connectivity System (Source: Via Satellite)
Estonian cybersecurity company CybExer will play a key role in testing the security of IRIS², the European Union’s future secure satellite connectivity system. The appointment highlights the cybersecurity requirements attached to the EU’s planned space-based communications infrastructure as the program moves toward implementation. (9/23)

ClearSpace Signs ESA Contract To Mature Phoenix Geostationary Satellite Life-Extension Mission (Source: Space News)
Luxembourg-based ClearSpace will help the European Space Agency mature technologies for Phoenix, an in-orbit servicing mission designed to extend the operating life of a geostationary satellite otherwise due to retire between 2028 and 2030. The contract marks a development step for commercial satellite servicing capabilities. (9/23)

Astrolab and Interstellar Mapping Partner to Hunt Lunar Water (Source: Payload)
Astrolab and Interstellar Mapping are partnering to identify and map water resources on the Moon. The collaboration highlights growing commercial efforts to characterize lunar resources, information that could support future exploration and surface operations. (9/23)

Outpost to Launch In-Space Manufacturing Service, Targeting 2028 StarFiber Mission (Source: Payload)
Outpost plans to make its Space Factory platform the first dedicated user of the company’s in-space manufacturing service. The platform is expected to produce StarFiber, a next-generation metal fluoride optical fiber, during a mission targeted for no earlier than 2028. (9/23)

AstroForge Plans Fully Autonomous Asteroid-Mining Mission for 2027 (Source: Space.com)
AstroForge plans to launch what it describes as the first fully autonomous asteroid-mining mission in 2027. The mission could mark a significant step for commercial space exploration by demonstrating whether spacecraft can independently conduct an asteroid-focused operation without direct human control. (9/23)

Refocused Sentinel ICBM Program Advances (Source: Aviation Week)
The US Air Force's Sentinel program is nearing completion of a two-year restructuring to address program cost overruns. The restructuring, expected to conclude within three months, has clarified the program's scope and importance, said Northrop Grumman Vice President Amanda Davis. The program has made progress in testing, including a vertical stacking of the inert missile and a structural trial of the payload re-entry system. (9/23)

RAF Forms Space Squadron to Counter Orbital Threats (Source: AeroTime)
The Royal Air Force has established its first space squadron, the No. III Space Effects Squadron, to counter hostile activities in orbit and protect satellites crucial to national security. The squadron will utilize advanced technology to disrupt enemy activities. Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Harv Smith emphasized the increasing dangers in space and the need to protect UK interests. (9/23)

Retired NASA Launch Director Explains Weight Behind "Go or No Go" Decisions (Source: Florida Today)
In the U.S. human spaceflight program, the final launch decision rests with one person: the launch director. I wanted to know what it feels like to be that person. The one who decides when a rocket can fly and commits people to the most dangerous thing they’ll ever do. During his 11 years as shuttle launch director from August 2000 through the final liftoff on July 8, 2011, Mike Leinbach launched 37 crewed missions and more than 240 astronauts into orbit. Seven of those astronauts never came home.

“You’re not bound to launch this vehicle on a particular day,” said Leinbach, who retired from NASA in 2011. “You have to be convinced, as an individual, that you’ve done everything possible for the safety of that crew — and don’t give a go until you’re convinced.” A launch director might seem like the ultimate engineering job, and engineering helped get Leinbach to the Firing Room's top seat. But it was judgment that kept him there. (9/23)

Navy Plans Rail Hub for Missile Components at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Florida Today)
A U.S. Navy railhead transfer facility for shipments of missile motors and components is slated for construction at NASA's Kennedy Space Center, improving transport access for final delivery to the Naval Ordnance Test Unit at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Missile motors and components arrive at KSC via Florida East Coast Railway.

Beginning in early 2030, the Navy's new transfer facility would begin receiving rail shipments inside Department of War-approved boxcars. Workers would offload cargo into specialized road vehicles for final delivery to NOTU, about a 22-mile drive away at the southern reaches of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. (9/23)

From a Turkey Vulture to a Boat: What Could Scrub a Rocket Launch (Source: Florida Today)
A ballpoint pen. A turkey vulture. And a boat. Those aren't the beginning of a joke. They're the kinds of things that can scrub a rocket launch. Retired Shuttle Launch Director Mike Leinbach encountered all three while working in Kennedy Space Center's Firing Room.

He oversaw 37 space shuttle launches from August 2000 until the program's end in 2011. Before that, as a NASA test director, he was responsible for everything happening on the launch pad. Some — like the pen — were one-time launch-day surprises. Others, including weather and boats, remain familiar challenges for Florida launches today.

As NASA prepared to launch a space shuttle mission, the launch team discovered a ballpoint pen had been dropped on top of one of the ground support structures — the tail service mast — near the orbiter. Any kind of debris on the launch pad was never good. Immediately, the team began to consider: when the shuttle roared to life, what would happen to the pen? Could it be blown somewhere, causing damage? (9/23)

Space Force Could Utilize Lasers to Take Down Drones Over Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Florida Today)
One day soon, the Space Force could use lasers to down unauthorized drones over Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Col. Brian Chatman, who commands Space Launch Delta 45, said to expect upcoming increased drone security, as the government invests millions of dollars into counter-drone technology. 

Lattice is an AI-powered software platform that combines data from military radars and sensors into one 3D picture, helping detect, track and respond to unauthorized drones automatically. "We’re also bringing on a directed-energy system that can do a kinetic kill against UASs (Unmanned Aircraft Systems) that are coming into the area that are having nefarious intent," he said. (9/22)

SpaceX Falcon 9 Sets Fairing Reuse Record On 40th Flight During Starlink Mission (Source: Tesla North)
SpaceX set another reuse record on Saturday night, and this time it belongs to the humble nose cone. Hours after a Falcon 9 lifted off from California carrying 27 Starlink satellites, the company announced that one of the flight’s two fairing halves had just completed its 40th trip to space and back, the first time any fairing half has reached that mark.

The record-setting hardware is fairing half SN155, an active half that first flew in February 2024, according to tracking by the spaceflight community. In roughly two and a half years of Starlink launches, it has worked its way from newcomer to fleet leader, passing earlier record holders along the way. At 40 flights, it is now the most reflown piece of rocket hardware ever to reach space. (9/20)

Musk Says Each Gen3 Starlink Satellite Will Carry a Vera Rubin NVL72 (Source: Mach 33)
Elon Musk said on X on September 19, 2026 that each Gen3 Starlink satellite will draw 250 kW of power and carry a SpaceXAI-designed Nvidia Vera Rubin NVL72 computer. He put the connectivity of each satellite at about 10 Tbps in both directions, with a path to more than 100 Tbps. (9/18)

Hubble Network Raises $200 Million at $1.6 Billion Valuation for Space-Based Bluetooth (Source: Geekwire)
Satellite startup Hubble Network raised $200 million, reaching a $1.6 billion valuation as it develops a spacecraft network designed to provide global Bluetooth connectivity. The funding makes Hubble the latest commercial space company to attract significant capital for satellite-enabled communications services. (9/23)

A Rocket Supply Crunch Is Making It Harder to Hitch a Ride to Space (Source: Wall Street Journal)
There is a rush to secure flights as SpaceX winds down its flagship vehicle and rivals try to ramp up. Companies are hunting for new ways to get satellites and spacecraft deployed, while many rockets under development are behind schedule. Some executives are pursuing costly strategies to ensure they can fly, like building their own rockets or potentially acquiring a rocket company. Prices for many missions are rising. (9/21)

The James Webb Space Telescope is Helping Astronomers Become Alien Weather Forecasters (Source: Space.com)
Before astronomers can issue weather forecasts for worlds beyond our solar system, they need to know what drives the atmospheres of those planets and whether their weather follows recognizable patterns. And in a new study based on James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) data, researchers studied SIMP 0136, a world about 20 light-years away, and traced much of its atmospheric variability to two factors: temperature differences and changes in the vertical structure of its clouds. (9/22)

Coming to Terms With the End of the Falcon 9 (Source: Space Review)
The Falcon 9 has been one the most successful launch vehicles in the history of the Space Age, but it won’t fly forever. Jeff Foust reports on how the space industry is coming to grips with the looming end of that rocket for commercial missions, even as demand for launch continues to grow. Click here. (9/22)
 
To E-3 or not to E-3: the Liminal Samos E-3 Program (Source: Space Review)
In the early 1960s, the US Air Force launched nearly a dozen Samos satellites with varying designations. Dwayne Day examines what happened to one class of satellite, Samos E-3, that never launched. Click here. (9/22)
 
The Orbit is the Territory: Rethinking Spacepower in a Domain Where Nothing Stays Still (Source: Space Review)
Strategists have tried to apply concepts from the theories of air power and sea power to space. Michael Uhall discusses why spacepower requires rethinking concepts like territory in a regime where everything is in motion. Click here. (9/22)
 
A Crater of Our Own Making: What the SpaceX Lunar Impact Reveals About the Future of Moon Governance (Source: Space Review)
A Falcon 9 upper stage hit the Moon last month, creating a small crater. Rachita Agrawal says the bigger impact of the incident should be thinking about how to prevent similar incidents in the future as activity on the Moon increases. Click here. (9/22)
 
The Gulf States Did Not Buy Imagery Independence (Source: Space Review)
The conflict in the Persian Gulf has caused some countries there to take steps to improve access to satellite imagery. Kelevitch argues that those measures fall short of what is needed for true satellite imagery independence. Click here. (9/22)
 
The Letters Tsiolkovsky Asked For (Source: Space Review)
An archive of letters and manuscripts belonging to Konstantin Tsiolkovsky was digitized years ago, but not easily searchable. Vladimir Beskorovainyi describes his project to create a machine readable version of the archive. Click here. (9/22)

September 22, 2026

Space Force Starts to Craft Satellite Communications Integration Contract (Source: Washington Technology)
Space Force has begun to study the market landscape for informing its work on a new contract to hire a system integrator that can help the service branch operate an enterprise satellite communications management platform. That platform supports functions such as satellite mission planning, satellite resource management, electromagnetic interference tracking, terminal and service provider management, and operational status monitoring. (9/21)

Republicans Push $1.5 Trillion Defense Budget (Source: Breaking Defense)
Republican lawmakers continue their campaign for a historic $1.5 trillion defense budget, but the legislative path remains uncertain. With the House having adjourned until after the 2026 midterm elections, Pentagon leaders are left navigating an unpredictable timeline for securing future funding. Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg and Pentagon Comptroller Jay Hurst have met with the House Armed Services Committee to discuss future funding. (9/21

The Era of Cheap, Price-Per-Kilo Launch is Over, Launchers Say (Source: Via Satellite)
Space launch competitors think it’s time for a new model of pricing in the launch market. Against the backdrop of SpaceX winding down the Falcon 9 launch program, other launchers say the market is on the verge of a reset. “The customer got comfortable with a high reliability and a low price, that frankly did not support the launch market,” Firefly Aerospace Vice President of Strategy Michael Creech said. “You’re seeing launchers move away to developing solutions with better revenue. This tells you this subsidized cost-per-kilo model wasn’t supporting launch companies, which led to the current day crisis of a supply shortage.

Creech said the industry will “reset” over the next six months to two years. “Hopefully the new normal will be a growth environment for launch technologies and not another race to the bottom on price,” he added. “If and when our cadence aspirations come true, the players on this stage 10 years from now [we] won’t be talking about price-per-kilogram — they’ll be talking about a whole different orbital logistics model,” said Jordan Charles of Blue Origin. (9/17)

Judge Declines to Block Texas Starbase Land Swap to Benefit SpaceX (Source: New York Times)
A federal judge has declined to block a land swap between SpaceX and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service involving the company's Starbase, Texas, site. A district court judge ruled Monday that the swap can proceed, rejecting a request for a preliminary injunction filed by environmental groups. The transfer would give SpaceX 715 acres of land in the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge adjacent to Starbase, while SpaceX would hand over 683 acres of land elsewhere in south Texas, some of which would be added to a separate wildlife refuge. The judge concluded that the environmental groups would not suffer irreparable harm if the exchange goes forward. Those groups said they may appeal the ruling. (9/22)

Roscosmos Sees Record Interest in Cosmonaut Recruitment (Source: TASS)
The head of Roscosmos says the agency has seen record interest in its latest cosmonaut class. Dmitry Bakanov, CEO of Roscosmos, said Monday that the agency received 12,000 applications in its latest call for candidates to join the Roscosmos cosmonaut corps, of which 350 have passed through an initial screening. He did not disclose how many cosmonauts Roscosmos plans to eventually select but said the new cosmonauts would be announced later this year. (9/22)

ESA and ISRO Agree on Space Collaboration, Including Human Spaceflight (Source: ESA)
ESA is expanding its cooperation with the Indian space agency ISRO. ESA announced Monday it signed a new cooperative agreement with ISRO earlier this month during the International Space Summit. The latest agreement, which runs to the beginning of 2032, adds human space exploration and space weather studies as topics of collaboration, in addition to existing cooperation in Earth and space science, navigation and mission support. (9/22)

SDA Invites Industry Proposals for Ground Stations (Source: Space News)
The Space Development Agency is seeking industry proposals for a contract worth up to $369 million for ground stations. SDA issued a request for proposals last week for what it calls Resilient Missile Warning and Tracking LEO Ground Entry Points, or GEPs. The contractor would develop, install, integrate, test and maintain ground sites at multiple locations around the world, according to the solicitation. SDA envisions five to eight new GEP locations and upgrades to one to four existing sites to support its missile-warning and tracking satellite constellation. SDA already has a sizable ground systems contract with General Dynamics Mission Systems, which has served as the primary integrator of the ground architecture serving the constellation. (9/22)

Australia's HEO Raises $25 Million for Space Object Imaging (Source: Space News)
HEO, an Australian company that uses satellites to take images of other space objects, has raised $25 million. The company announced the Series B round Monday led by Beaten Zone Venture Partners, an Australian venture fund that supports defense and space companies. HEO leases capacity on Earth imaging satellites operated by other companies, using them for observing spacecraft and debris. HEO plans to use the funding to expand its system, currently focused on low Earth orbit, to geostationary orbit. HEO said it had booked its first two GEO launches, beginning later this year, that would provide "reliable, repeatable GEO imaging coverage" starting in 2027. (9/22)

Space Force Considers Short-Notice Satellites for In-Space Inspection Missions (Source: Space News)
The Space Force is studying satellites that could be launched on short notice to inspect other spacecraft. Space Systems Command's Space Safari office issued a request for information Friday seeking spacecraft that could be stored and called up for missions beginning in fiscal year 2029. The vehicles would need to maneuver extensively after launch and conduct rendezvous and proximity operations, including potentially docking with other objects in orbit. The market research follows Victus Haze, the Space Force's most ambitious test to date of what it calls tactically responsive space, with a spacecraft launched on less than 24 hours' notice to rendezvous with another spacecraft. The new request suggests the Space Force is looking beyond individual Victus demonstrations toward having maneuverable spacecraft available when an unexpected military need arises. (9/22)

European Teams Get ESA Study Contracts for Dual-Use Earth Observation (Source: Space News)
Two teams of European companies have received study contracts for a dual-use Earth observation satellite system. Iceye and Leonardo each signed contracts valued at 5 million euros ($5.7 million) last week for studies of the proposed Earth Observation Governmental Service, or EOGS, system. The companies are leading separate consortia of firms that will study the architecture of the proposed system. EOGS would include optical and radar imaging satellites designed for civil and security applications. The studies will be part of ESA's European Resilience from Space–Earth Observation, or ERS-EO, initiative approved by ESA member states at the agency's ministerial conference in November 2025. ERS-EO is intended to help prepare for EOGS, which will be led by the European Union. (9/22)

Albania Joins Artemis Accords (Source: Space News)
Albania is the latest country to sign the Artemis Accords. The country's minister for European and foreign affairs signed the accords Monday at NASA Headquarters. Albania is the 73rd country to sign the Artemis Accords and the 14th so far this year. Artemis Accords signatories will meet next month at the International Astronautical Congress to discuss implementing aspects of the accords as well as NASA's interest in using the accords to coordinate international cooperation in its lunar exploration plans. (9/22)

Louisiana Residents Worried About SpaceX Plans (Source: NPR)
Residents in the area of nearby Pecan Island are concerned. Kim Nehrbass, who has a hunting and fishing camp on Pecan Island, said the coastal marsh is a "paradise." ... "[Landry] is thanking everybody for making it happen. He didn't ask anybody if they wanted to do it, the people of the state," Nehrbass said. "He just ramrodded it through."

Outdoor educator Gabe Giffin said he's worried about the environmental impact of the rocket launches, especially on the millions of migratory birds on the Mississippi Flyway, the migration path south for the winter. "Where we're at, this is the last ledge before they leap off, if you will," Giffin said, looking out over the coastal wetlands. "They're going to feed up, power up on those beaches, and fly to Central or South America next." (9/20)

ESA Acknowledges Ariane 6 Delays Following Reports of Turbopump Issue (Source: European Spaceflight)
ESA has confirmed that it is aware of delays affecting the Ariane 6 launch schedule following reports of an engine turbopump anomaly. La Tribune first reported an issue with an unspecified Ariane 6 component on 17 September. According to the report, the additional checks were expected to disrupt Arianespace’s planned Ariane 6 launch cadence for the remainder of 2026. Reporting from Peter de Selding later identified the component as an engine turbopump, with the anomaly reportedly discovered during ground evaluations in August. (9/21)

Trump’s Questionable Social Media Posts on Space Deserve Context (Source: The Hill)
Two recent social media posts by Trump have been perplexing. The first was a graphic of proposed uniforms for members of the U.S. Space Force. The problem with the proposal is that the uniforms resembled something worn in “Star Wars” by the crew of the evil Galactic Empire’s Death Star — obviously not a good look for an American military service.

The post has sparked a lot of mockery on social media. It also suggests that science fiction may not be the appropriate model for fashioning a look for America’s space military service. Some may think that it detracts from the Space Force’s role as a serious military branch that operates in a realm increasingly important to the defense of the U.S. and the free world.

The other Trump space social media post that has caused consternation is a graphic of the moon with the Earth in the distance, bearing the caption, “The Moon is Ours” with an American flag. The post is being widely interpreted as Trump declaring the moon to be sovereign American territory, an act prohibited by the Outer Space Treaty of 1967. On the other hand, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-GA) proposed making the moon a U.S. state during his 2012 campaign for the presidency. (9/20)

China Cultivates 14 Plant Species Aboard Space Station (Source: Xinhua)
China has now cultivated more than 20 varieties spanning 14 plant species in orbit -- a milestone that lays the groundwork for large-scale crop production aboard the space station, according to the Astronaut Center of China. The breakthrough was highlighted at an aerospace medical engineering conference in Tianjin Municipality in north China, where Zhang Hongzhang, an astronaut from the Shenzhou-21 crewed mission, shared photos and videos of a flourishing "space garden" aboard China's Tiangong space station, featuring crops such as lettuce, carrot, sunflower, potato and wheat. (9/20)

Traditional Chinese Medicine Supports China's Crewed Space Missions (Source: Xinhua)
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has played a significant role in supporting China's crewed space missions over the past decade and could offer comprehensive health protection for astronauts in the future, experts said at an aerospace medical engineering conference in Tianjin Municipality in north China. The conference brought together experts and scholars from fields including aerospace medicine, human factors engineering and life sciences to discuss the medical engineering challenges of future deep space exploration. (9/22)

India Wants to Launch 50 Rockets a Year to Space by 2030 (Source: India Today)
India has set itself an ambitious space target: 50 launches every year by 2030. But with just three Indian orbital launches so far in 2026, two by Isro and one by private company Skyroot, the scale of expansion required over the next four years is enormous. The target was set out by ISRO Chief Dr V Narayanan and supported by IN-SPACe Chairman Pawan Goenka, who said India would need government and private industry to build launch capacity together because the scale cannot be achieved by one organization alone. (9/21)

Explore Spaceport America During its Free Open House (Source: KTSM)
Spaceport America, the world’s first purpose-built commercial spaceport, will have an open house this coming weekend. The event will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sep. 26. Attendees can learn about the site, its tenants and its operations. Spaceport America is located about 20 miles southeast of Truth or Consequences. (9/20)

HEO Raises $25 Million to Expand Satellite Imaging Capabilities to GEO (Source: Via Satellite)
HEO has raised $25 million to expand its satellite imaging capabilities into geostationary orbit, increasing the company’s ability to collect and deliver imagery from a strategically important orbital regime. (9/21)

Katalyst to Demonstrate Orbital Power-Beaming System Under Pentagon’s ASGARD Program (Source: Via Satellite)
Katalyst will develop and launch a robotic spacecraft under the Pentagon’s Advanced Scalable Growth Architecture for Robotic Deployment program. The spacecraft is intended to assemble a large-format power-beaming system in orbit and transmit energy back to Earth, testing a defense-backed approach to space-based power delivery. (9/21)

Europe Pushes Faster Space-Defense Procurement as Ukraine Raises Institutional Urgency (Source: Via Satellite)
European space and defense leaders say Ukraine has accelerated efforts to strengthen the region’s space-defense capabilities, but consensus-building, procurement reform and integration of dual-use systems remain significant obstacles to moving from strategic urgency to deployable capability. (9/21)

Aerospacelab Reaches Profitability Ahead of $2.75 Billion Iris2 Contract (Source: Space Intel Report)
Belgian satellite manufacturer Aerospacelab returned to profitability early this year after reporting a €17.75 million loss on €14.6 million in 2025 sales. CEO Benoit Deper attributed the improvement to diverse component contracts and limited production of complete satellites, ahead of its potential role in the €2.5 billion Iris2 program. (9/21)

Deloitte Projects a $566 Billion Lunar Economy by 2050, but Infrastructure Must Come First (Source: Payload)
The return to the Moon could support a lunar economy worth $566 billion by 2050, according to Deloitte. Reaching that figure will require building the transportation, surface systems and other infrastructure needed to make sustained lunar activity commercially viable. (9/21)

Canada and France Task Agencies with Developing Shared Space-Launch Infrastructure (Source: Bloomberg)
Canada and France will ask their space agencies and defense departments to develop and share infrastructure, including space-launch systems, Prime Minister Mark Carney said during a visit to French territory near Newfoundland and Labrador. The initiative signals closer bilateral cooperation spanning civil space and defense capabilities. (9/20)

Cape Canaveral Study Shows Launches Feel Louder Than Decibel Readings Show (Source: Palm Beach Post)
Mere decibel readings don't tell the whole story about how loud — or rumbly — a rocket launch sounds to people living on Florida's Space Coast, said Whitney Coyle, who chairs the Rollins College physics department. Coyle and a team of student researchers from the Winter Park university set up sensors at five sites within the city of Cape Canaveral to collect sound-energy data from 34 launches and sonic booms from booster landings between October 2025 and May 2026.

The team produced an 85-page report packed with acoustical statistics and graphs detailing sound levels, rooftop-structural vibration, window and window-frame acceleration, and outdoor air quality. "The City is one of the first to independently commission a study of this type before any rule required it. Published launch-noise research is drawn mostly from instruments at the pad; measurements taken where people live are rare, and researchers studying Starship have called for exactly this kind of data," a community handout said.

On a decibel scale, the Rollins College researchers found launches are not especially “loud” within the city — a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is perceived like a conversation, while a bigger Blue Origin New Glenn rocket is like a busy road. But Coyle said that does not match what residents feel. (9/21)

Ohio Makes Pitch for New Space Force Academy (Source: Cincinnati Enquirer)
Ohio, the birthplace of aviation and astronauts, is making a bid to land the yet-to-be created United States Space Force Academy. Ohio is currently home to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland and NASA's Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky. Ohio is expecting competition from other states with clout and experience in space exploration, such as Alabama, Florida and Texas. (9/21)

September 21, 2026

USDOT Unveils New Intradepartmental ‘SPACE’ Task Force (Source: AASHTO)
Sean Duffy, secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation, recently launched the Space Policy Administration, Coordination, and Execution or “SPACE” Task Force – an intradepartmental body that will coordinate a “unified commercial space transportation strategy” to strengthen national security, bolster American economic competitiveness, and spur technological innovation.

The SPACE Task Force – chaired by Ryan McCormack, USDOT undersecretary – will also bring together experts from the several USDOT offices, including: the Federal Aviation Administration, Office of General Counsel, Office of Research and Technology, Office of Transportation Policy, Office of Multimodal Freight Policy, and Office of Aviation and International Affairs. (9/18)

Expanding Europe’s Access to Space with Offshore Launch (Source: GSA)
Europe’s next launch site may not be on land at all. For countries with geographic, population, or safety constraints, building a traditional terrestrial spaceport can present significant challenges. Offshore launch offers another possibility: move the launch infrastructure to the sea and position it where the mission needs it. For Italy, that possibility carries strategic importance.

Andrea Lorenzoni  is working within  the Italian industrial consortium, named Maritime Blue Launch Spaceport, to develop a mobile maritime launch platform designed to support small orbital launch vehicles. The concept could provide Italy with a path toward more independent access to space while introducing a new type of launch infrastructure for Europe. (9/21)

Canadian Rocket Startup Plans Engine Component Hot-Fire Tests in December (Source: Aerospace America)
Toronto-based Canada Rocket Company is readying this year for hot-fire testing of engine components for its R-2 rocket. The startup is one of three Canadian companies that earlier this year received $8.3 million from the government for launch vehicle development, as part of an effort to establish a domestic launch capability. CRC is targeting a medium-lift design, capable of launching up to 15,000 kilograms to low-Earth orbit. The others, Nordspace of the Toronto area and Reaction Dynamics of the Montreal area, are pursuing small-lift designs of under 1,100-kg. The first CRC test, planned for December, will focus on a gas generator for turbine ignition. (9/21)

ESA Acknowledges Ariane 6 Delays Following Reports of Turbopump Issue (Source: European Spaceflight)
The European Space Agency (ESA) has confirmed that it is aware of delays affecting the Ariane 6 launch schedule following reports of an engine turbopump anomaly. French news outlet La Tribune first reported an issue with an unspecified Ariane 6 component on 17 September. (9/21)

FAA Tees Up $875M AI Tool to Help Manage Air Traffic Congestion (Source: Ars Technica)
An AI tool is set to start advising air traffic controllers on managing air traffic in the congested airspace above the Washington, DC, area. The expected launch would be the first step toward a planned nationwide rollout covering the 29 million square miles of US national airspace overseen by the Federal Aviation Administration. (9/21)

SiriusXM Commissions SXM-11 Satellite into Commercial Service as Fleet’s Most Powerful Broadcast Platform (Source: SatNews)
On Sep. 15, 2026, satellite audio operator SiriusXM confirmed that its SXM-11 geostationary communications satellite completed in-orbit testing and entered full commercial service. (9/21)

Space Force to Prototype New Software to Fuse Commercial, Military Space Tracking Data (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Force is planning to develop new prototype software designed to automate the integration of commercial and military space tracking data to provide more timely and more accurate information. Col. Barry Croker, who heads up the service’s Mission Delta 2, said Thursday that the plan is to launch the prototype “software environment” later this fall and to build a “minimum viable product” that can be up and running quickly.

Mission Delta 2 is responsible for organizing, training and equipping Guardians to undertake space domain awareness operations. (9/18)

Cape Canaveral is Building up its Counter-Drone Defenses, Space Force Says (Source: Defense One)
Cape Canaveral Space Force Station will get new defenses against small drones in coming weeks, part of a “whole-of-government” effort to better protect the nation’s spaceports as the White House pushes for hundreds more launches per year. The new gear will come from Joint Interagency Task Force 401, the Pentagon’s counterdrone task force, Space Force Col. Brian Chatman told Defense One on the sidelines of the annual Air, Space and Cyber Conference here. Chatman commands Space Launch Delta 45, which oversees all East Coast launch missions. (9/18)

GEO Comsats See Increase (Source: Space News)
There are early signs of a resurgence in communications satellites destined for commercial customers in GEO. A total of 14 orders have been announced this year, according to Novaspace, more than the 10 recorded for all of 2025. That is the highest level in a decade other than the 18 ordered in 2020 as part of a C-band replacement cycle in the United States. Three of the 14 ordered this year are likely tied to a separate plan to auction upper C-band next year as SES plans seven satellites total for the transition. While the resurgence is welcomed by manufacturers, they said they don't expect the market to return to levels from more than a decade ago when 20 or more satellite orders per year was the norm. (9/21)

Canada's GHGSat Plans More-Sensitive Methane Monitoring Satellite (Source: Space News)
Canadian company GHGSat says a second-generation methane-monitoring satellite will be twice as sensitive as earlier spacecraft. GHGSat's Gen2 satellite, scheduled for launch in early 2028, will be able to detect methane emissions at a rate of 50 kilograms per hour compared to the 100 kilograms per hour of its current satellites. With the second generation, GHGSat's daily coverage per satellite will double from 10,000 to 20,000 square kilometers. Data will continue to be delivered to customers within 24 hours. (9/21)

Trump Political Committee Planned to Approve/Veto Research (Source: New York Times)
The White House has begun drafting a new executive order that could further cement President Trump’s ability to control billions of dollars in scientific grants and expand the administration’s pressure campaign against elite universities. Discussed at a highly contentious meeting at the White House on Friday, the order aims to create a new external committee with the power to veto awards in the National Institutes of Health’s vast research portfolio that do not conform to Mr. Trump’s political agenda, according to people with knowledge of the effort.

During the meeting, Mr. Trump repeatedly complained about his administration’s failure to bring Harvard University in particular to heel. The administration has been unable to hammer out a deal with the nation’s oldest and wealthiest university, a central plank of his broader push against “woke” ideology in higher education. The White House has also lost a pair of lawsuits to Harvard, including one ruling that blocked cuts to the university’s existing federal research grants. The government has said it plans to appeal. Some of Mr. Trump’s top lieutenants have expressed frustration about a perceived slowdown in the administration’s attempt to force conservative cultural changes on academia. (9/20)

Political Appointee Turnover at Unprecedented Levels Under Trump Administration (Source: FNN)
Political appointments made under the Trump administration have reached unprecedented levels, while at the same time those appointees are leaving in record numbers, and often after short tenures. Nearly 1,000 political appointees who don’t require Senate confirmation left their posts within the first 18 months of the administration, new research from the Partnership for Public Service shows. That represents about 25% of all non-Senate-confirmed appointees during President Donald Trump’s second term so far.

Close to half of political appointees who have already separated from government served less than one year, and about a quarter served for under six months, creating high levels of turnover governmentwide. Editor's Note: Claude tells me NASA has 29 political appointee positions, while the FAA has eight. (9/18)

New Details on Testosterone Screening for Space Force Men (Source: FNN)
The Defense Health Agency rolled out the clinical guidelines military medical providers will use to begin screening men for low testosterone each year. The guidance directs medical professionals to ask male troops over age 30, as well as new recruits, about symptoms and risk factors that could be linked to testosterone deficiency. If their answers raise red flags, medical providers can move on to blood tests and possible diagnosis and hormone therapy.

It offers the first concrete details of how the new policy would work, two months after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced it in July in a brief video titled “The High T Department of War” that raised eyebrows inside the military and beyond. “By proactively identifying and treating suboptimal hormone levels, the department continues to invest in the health of its warfighters, strengthen their performance and maximize force readiness,” Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said. (9/18)

NASA’s New $4 Billion Space Telescope Just Saw Starlight for the First Time (Source: Gizmodo)
The road to launch was long and arduous, but NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Telescope finally got to space in late August. While Roman is still on its way to its final destination, it reached a major milestone on Thursday: first light. NASA reported that Roman’s technical team successfully activated the telescope’s Wide Field Instrument, the 300-megapixel infrared camera slated to take wide, high-res images of the deep cosmos. As a treat to the public, the team shared the first several test images taken by the camera, which show the first photons of starlight to reach Roman’s extremely sensitive sensor. (9/17)

Hop Aero Plans Point-to-Point Launches for Cargo Delivery (Source: Hop Aero)
Operating from California and Oklahoma's Infinity One Spaceport, Hop Aero intends deliver cargo via rocket to austere places on Earth within minutes — point-to-point, at hypersonic speed. "The next conflict will be decided by who can move fastest. We are building the future logistics backbone for the U.S. and our allies: for the situations when minutes decide outcomes." (9/20)

ArtPrize Top Winner Will be Sent to Space (Source: WOOD)
The piece that wins the ArtPrize 2026 public vote grand prize will go to space. Not the entire physical work: Rather, it will be digitized, placed on a laser-engraved plaque and sent into low-Earth orbit with California-based aerospace startup Reflect Orbital. After a Reflect satellite launches sometime next year, it will spin through the sky 500 kilometers above Earth at 18,000 mph. (9/18)

Where Do Paso Robles Candidates Stand on City’s Spaceport Push? (Source: The Tribune)
Paso Robles is taking major steps to transform its Airport Road area into a major technology and aerospace hub. With its pending application to be one of the nation’s 15 spaceports and nearly approved renderings for an $800 million community hub build, the Paso Robles region might soon be known not only for its world-class wine, but also its advances in space exploration. Click here. (9/19)

China Advances Lunar Spacesuit, Bed Rest Research for 2030 Moon Landing Mission (Source: Xinhua)
China has advanced its push for a crewed moon landing by 2030, with its lunar spacesuit and a bed rest experiment for long-term space stays both progressing, the country's astronaut center said. The development of China's moon-landing spacesuit Wangyu, meaning "gazing into the cosmos," is progressing smoothly, with dozens of key technologies now in place, said Zhang Wanxin, an expert at the Astronaut Center of China, at an aerospace medical engineering conference in Tianjin.

Since the development began in 2020, efforts on Wangyu have focused on meeting the demands of complex lunar-surface operations and extreme environmental challenges, Zhang said, noting that the lunar spacesuit is designed to be lightweight, miniaturized, highly efficient and safe. Beyond spacesuit development, China is also advancing astronaut health research, having completed the "Dixing-3" bed rest experiment to address physiological protection challenges for long-term space stays and crewed lunar landing missions. (9/19)