January 10, 2025

SpaceX Launches Starlink 12-12 Mission From Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Florida Today)
A SpaceX Falcon 9 lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport on Friday, carrying  21 Starlink satellites, 13 with Direct-to-cell capabilities. This was the 25th launch of this booster, which landed successfully downrange. (1/10)

NASA Lab and Historic Observatory Narrowly Escape LA Fire Damage (Source: Science)
The fires that spread destruction across the Los Angeles region this week and killed at least 11 people have spared two famed scientific facilities: NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which has spearheaded planetary missions and astronomy efforts, and the historic Mount Wilson Observatory. (1/10)

Early Screening of Star Trek: Section 31 at Kennedy Space Center to Benefit Astronaut Memorial Foundation (Source: Talk of Titusville)
Science fiction enthusiasts and Star Trek fans, prepare to boldly go where few have gone before! On Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025, Paramount+ and The Astronauts Memorial Foundation are rolling out the “purple” carpet for an exclusive early screening of Star Trek: Section 31. The event will take place at The Center for Space Education, located at Kennedy Space Center, starting at 6 p.m. (1/8)

A Taller, Heavier, Smarter Version of SpaceX’s Starship is Almost Ready to Fly (Source: Ars Technica)
An upsized version of SpaceX's Starship mega-rocket rolled to the launch pad early Thursday in preparation for liftoff on a test flight next week. The two-mile transfer moved the bullet-shaped spaceship one step closer to launch Monday from SpaceX's Starbase test site in South Texas. The launch window opens at 5 pm EST (4 pm CST; 2200 UTC). This will be the seventh full-scale test flight of SpaceX's Super Heavy booster and Starship spacecraft and the first of 2025.

In the coming days, SpaceX technicians will lift the ship on top of the Super Heavy booster already emplaced on the launch mount. Then, teams will complete the final tests and preparations for the countdown on Monday. "The upcoming flight test will launch a new generation ship with significant upgrades, attempt Starship’s first payload deployment test, fly multiple reentry experiments geared towards ship catch and reuse, and launch and return the Super Heavy booster," SpaceX officials wrote. (1/9)

Rocket Lab Selected by NASA to Provide Neutron Launch Services Under VADR Launch Contract (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab USA announced a mutual agreement with NASA has been reached to include Neutron launch services to the agency through Rocket Lab’s existing VADR (Venture-Class Acquisition of Dedicated and Rideshare) contract. Neutron is tailored to deploy constellations and national security missions as well as science and exploration payloads. With its small orbital launch vehicle Electron already on-ramped for NASA’s VADR missions, Rocket Lab has demonstrated time-sensitive back-to-back launches within two weeks for the VADR PREFIRE missions and completed a similar fast turnaround of two launches in May 2023 for the VADR TROPICS missions. (1/9)

York and SpaceX Satellites Link Via Laser for SDA Network Test (Source: Space News)
Satellites built by two different companies completed the first cross-vendor laser communications test for the Space Development Agency's satellite network. York Space Systems announced Thursday that a satellite it built for the SDA's Tranche 0 constellation successfully communicated with one built by SpaceX using terminals supplied by Tesat-Spacecom. Neither the company nor SDA released any technical details of the demonstration. The test was a validation of a standardized Optical Communication Terminal protocol mandated by SDA to ensure seamless data exchange between satellites from different manufacturers. (1/10)

UN Should Focus on Space Sustainability (Source: Space News)
Space sustainability should be a goal of the United Nations, a group of researchers argue. In a paper published Thursday, the scientists from universities and NASA made the case for adding space sustainability to the list of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) the UN adopted in 2015 on topics ranging from ending poverty to mitigating climate change. They argue that a space sustainability goal could be modeled on the one for protecting the oceans to help manage debris. SDG enforcement mechanisms often rely on diplomatic pressure, public accountability and economic incentives. (1/10)

ESA's 2025 Budget Slightly Smaller Than 2024 (Source: Space News)
The European Space Agency is starting 2025 with a slightly smaller budget. At a briefing Thursday, officials outlined a budget of 7.68 billion euros ($7.91 billion) for 2025, down about 1.4% from the 7.79 billion euros the agency had for 2024. The agency did not go into details about the decline but noted that some member states may increase their contributions slightly in the coming weeks, putting the total budget closer to 8 billion euros. ESA is also developing a package of programs for the next three years to be funded at its ministerial conference in November where the agency will likely seek a significant, but undisclosed, budget increase. (1/10)

Maxar Wins Dutch Military Contract (Source: Space News)
Maxar Intelligence has won a contract from the Dutch military. The four-year agreement announced Thursday, valued at $14.4 million, provides Dutch military users with access to Maxar's satellite tasking capabilities, imagery archive and data analytics through its Geospatial Platform Pro service. The deal comes as NATO allies increasingly seek to develop independent geospatial intelligence capabilities, often through partnerships with commercial providers. (1/10)

Rubicon Delivers ASCENT Propellant for NASA Demo (Source: Space News)
Rubicon Space Systems has delivered the propulsion system for a NASA technology demonstration mission. Rubicon's propulsion system will be the first to demonstrate in space a dual-mode system that uses the same propellant for both chemical and electric thrusters. That propellant, ASCENT, is a non-toxic propellant that is safer to handle than hydrazine and offers better performance in chemical thrusters. The mission, called Green Propulsion Dual Mode, is scheduled to launch in October. (1/10)

SpaceX Launches NRO Satellites From Vandenberg SFB (Source: Space News)
SpaceX launched another set of NRO satellites Thursday night. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 10:53 p.m. Eastern on the NROL-153 mission. The launch carried an undisclosed number of satellites for NRO's proliferated LEO constellation for intelligence and surveillance. The mission is the seventh for the NRO constellation and the first NRO launch of 2025. (1/10)

Australia's Telstra Plans Direct-to-Device Service with Starlink (Source: B&T)
Australian mobile phone operator Telstra has signed a direct-to-device agreement with SpaceX. Telstra will use SpaceX's Starlink constellation to provide messaging services to mobile phones outside the reach of its terrestrial network, joining operators in several other countries, like T-Mobile in the U.S., who also have plans to use Starlink for those services. Telstra had previously signed an agreement with AST SpaceMobile to provide direct-to-device services. (1/10)

BepiColombo Completes Final Mercury Flyby (Source: ESA)
The joint European-Japanese BepiColombo spacecraft has made its final flyby of Mercury. The spacecraft passed 295 kilometers above the north pole of the planet Wednesday, returning an initial set of images a day later. The flyby is the sixth and final one for the spacecraft, which will return to Mercury in late 2026 to go into orbit for a science mission lasting at least one year. (1/10)

Earth Records Hottest Year Ever in 2024 and the Jump Was So Big it Breached a Key Threshold (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Earth recorded its hottest year ever in 2024, with such a big jump that the planet temporarily passed a major climate threshold, several weather monitoring agencies announced Friday. Last year’s global average temperature easily passed 2023’s record heat and kept pushing even higher. It surpassed the long-term warming limit of 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit since the late 1800s that was called for by the 2015 Paris climate pact.

Last year eclipsed 2023’s temperature in the European database by more than a fifth of a degree Fahrenheit. That’s an unusually large jump; until the last couple of super-hot years, global temperature records were exceeded only by hundredths of a degree, scientists said. The last 10 years are the 10 hottest on record and are likely the hottest in 125,000 years. July 10 was the hottest day recorded by humans, with the globe averaging 62.89 degrees Fahrenheit. “The (2.7 degree F) threshold isn’t just a number — it’s a red flag," said Victor Gensini.

A 2018 massive United Nations study found that keeping Earth’s temperature rise below 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit could save coral reefs from going extinct, keep massive ice sheet loss in Antarctica at bay and prevent many people’s death and suffering. But scientists remain split on whether global warming is accelerating. There’s not enough data to see an acceleration in atmospheric warming, but the heat content of the oceans seem to be not just rising but going up at a faster rate. “We are facing a very new climate and new challenges — climate challenges that our society is not prepared for,” Carlo Buontempo said.

Space Mountain Turns 50 (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Space Mountain, the roller coaster that launched Walt Disney World into a new era, turns 50 years old this month. The ride, a key part of Magic Kingdom's first major expansion, opened to the public on Jan. 15, 1975, three years and three months after the theme park's debut. (1/9)

Florida Setting the Standard for Aerospace Commerce in 2024 and the Future (Source: Space Florida)
Space Florida, the state’s aerospace finance and development authority, closes out 2024 with a 187-project pipeline valued at $6.8 billion — an approximate 24% increase from the year before — underscoring its leadership in the global aerospace economy. Click here. (12/19)

Titusville-Based Blackstar Orbital Collaborates on New Spaceport in Ecuador (Source: Talk of Titusville)
Blackstar Orbital is partnering with Leviathan Space Industries LLC of Ecuador to construct cutting-edge infrastructure supporting Ecuador’s first private spaceport. This ambitious collaboration, named “Project Latitude,” aims to establish South America as a vital hub for space exploration. The facility will support both horizontal and vertical launches, reentry operations, and the development of a specialized runway capable of hosting spaceplanes and future point-to-point Starship operations, potentially allowing global space tourists access to the Amazon. (12/10)

VC Firm tied to Trump Jr. leads new defense investment in 3D-Printed Rocket Propellant Startup (Source: Forbes)
A venture fund that works with President-elect Donald Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr, is leading a $60 million series C investment in rocket motors and propellant startup Firehawk Aerospace. It’s the first defense tech investment for 1789 Capital, which funds companies aligned with a conservative world view. The firm invested $15 million in the deal, which is expected to close this month with additional checks. The company declined to share the valuation, though a person close to the deal said it was valued at more than $200 million.

Editor's Note: Firehawk was co-founded by Ron Jones, who previously founded Space Coast-based Rocket Crafters, now known as Vaya Space. Jones and Vaya have been opposing parties in a lawsuit, which may be related to patents for additive manufacturing of solid and hybrid rocket motors. Jones left Rocket Crafters in 2018 and apparently brought his patents to Firehawk Aerospace. Details on the lawsuit are unclear in public filings. Vaya's Star 3-D rocket engine, a hybrid engine that uses liquid and solid propellant, will power the company's Dauntless rocket launching from LC-13 at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. (1/6)

ISS National Lab Enables Record-Breaking Year of Space-Based Scientific Results (Source: CASIS)
The International Space Station (ISS) National Laboratory pushed scientific boundaries and set a record in scholarly output over the past year. Results from these investigations address real-world challenges and benefit Earth’s economy. In fiscal year 2024, more than 50 peer-reviewed articles related to ISS National Lab-sponsored research were published, bringing the all-time number to nearly 450. These findings lay a robust foundation for ongoing scientific advancements that promise significant benefits for humanity. Several groundbreaking results were featured in three new issues of Upward, official magazine of the ISS National Lab, highlighting the broad impact of research in space to improve the lives of people on Earth. (1/9)

Debris Falling From the Sky: More Often, More Risk (Source: Space Daily)
It is still not clear what exactly fell onto a Kenyan village last month, but such events are likely to become increasingly common given the amount of space debris drifting above the planet. A metallic ring of roughly 2.5 meters in diameter and weighing some 500 kilograms, crashed into Mukuku village, in Makueni county, in the south of the country on December 30. The Kenya Space Agency (KSA) has opened an investigation and is examining the possibility that it might have been the separation ring from a rocket.

Other theories have already surfaced however, and a KSA spokesman has said they have not ruled out anything. It is not even certain that what crashed in Kenya came from outer space. But for Romain Lucken who runs Aldoria, a French start-up that tracks debris in space, it is "absolutely plausible" that it did. He said he thought it might be part of the upper stage of a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) developed by India's space agency. (1/8)

Japan Startup Hopeful Ahead of Second Moon Launch (Source: Space Daily)
Japanese startup ispace vowed its upcoming second unmanned Moon mission will be a success, saying Thursday that it learned from its failed attempt nearly two years ago. In April 2023, the firm's first spacecraft made an unsalvageable "hard landing", dashing its ambitions to be the first private company to touch down on the Moon. The Houston-based Intuitive Machines accomplished that feat last year with an uncrewed craft that landed at the wrong angle but was able to complete tests and send photos. (1/9)

Unlocking the Hidden Power of Boiling - for Energy, Space, and Beyond (Source: Space Daily)
Most people take boiling water for granted. For Associate Professor Matteo Bucci, uncovering the physics behind boiling has been a decade-long journey filled with unexpected challenges and new insights. The seemingly simple phenomenon is extremely hard to study in complex systems like nuclear reactors, and yet it sits at the core of a wide range of important industrial processes. Unlocking its secrets could thus enable advances in efficient energy production, electronics cooling, water desalination, medical diagnostics, and more.

"Boiling is used in 80 percent of the power plants that produce electricity. My research has implications for space propulsion, energy storage, electronics, and the increasingly important task of cooling computers," said Bucci. Bucci's lab has developed new experimental techniques to shed light on a wide range of boiling and heat transfer phenomena that have limited energy projects for decades. Chief among those is a problem caused by bubbles forming so quickly they create a band of vapor across a surface that prevents further heat transfer. (1/3)

Spaceport Company Touts 2024 Achievements (Source: Spaceport Company)
2024 was a big year. The most important news is that our sea-based hypersonic test range is now open for business. Check out the video of our inaugural launch here. Specific achievements include: we hired 7 full time employees, opened new offices in Florida and Mississippi, built a set of proprietary, containerized, marine-grade launch support equipment, bought a ship from the Navy and turned it into an operational spaceport, and increased our YoY gross revenue by over 700%, from $550k in 2023, to over $4M in 2024. In short, our pivot from orbital to suborbital is on track, and so far, it appears to be the right decision. (1/9)