January 11, 2025

BlackSky Wins Space Force Rapid Procurement Contracts Supporting Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Tracking (Source: BlackSky)
BlackSky Technology won multiple rapid procurement contracts for its high-margin, core analytics services through the U.S. Space Force’s online Global Data Marketplace (GDM) supporting a variety of Tactical Surveillance, Reconnaissance and Tracking (TacSRT) missions. The GDM has supported Space Systems Command’s TacSRT pilot program and is designed to rapidly provide U.S. military combatant commands with access to insights for critical areas of interest worldwide. (1/10)

Heavy Traffic in Texas for SpaceX Super-Heavy Launch (Source: Valley Central)
SpaceX’s seventh launch is scheduled to occur at 4 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 12. While many are excited, others are not looking forward to the traffic congestion following the launch. Cameron County Park Ranger Chief Horacio Zamora said they are prepared for the traffic that is coming next week. Many people have reported either getting stuck on the causeway or as they get into Port Isabel. Cameron County Park Ranger Chief Zamora said they already have coordinated with the cities of South Padre Island and Port Isabel to have extra police officers in the expected heavily congested areas to direct traffic. (1/10)

Incident Closes Roadway at Patrick Space Force Base (Source: Florida Today)
An investigation into an unknown incident that shut down a portion of State Road A1A and a Patrick Space Force Base entrance Thursday was ongoing Friday. A portion of State Road A1A was closed off for several hours Thursday as law enforcement — including the Brevard County Sheriff's Office — investigated an unspecified situation that also forced the closure of an entrance to Patrick Space Force Base. The road was open in both directions as of 9:15 p.m. Thursday. Editor's Note: This came after reported bomb threats at SpaceX's Texas launch site, and after the Space Force tightened entry restrictions at Patrick SFB and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. (1/9)

Cosmic Chili: José Andrés Group is Helping Pioneer Cooking in Space (Source: Axios)
Forget Michelin stars — José Andrés Group is shooting for the moon, teaming up with an aerospace engineer to pioneer cooking in space. A first-of-its-kind culinary device aims to revolutionize space food and bring its flavors closer to home. José Andrés Group (JAG) is working with engineer Jim Sears of Ascent Technology to research and develop recipes for SATED Space, a cooking device designed to prepare food in zero gravity. SATED, which stands for "Safe Appliance, Tidy, Efficient and Delicious," won honors and funding in last year's NASA Deep Space Food Challenge, an international competition where teams create innovative food solutions with long-term missions in mind. (1/10)

ESA Set to Sign Major Argonaut Lunar Lander Contract in Q1 (Source: European Spaceflight)
The European Space Agency expects to award a contract to build the main element of its Argonaut lunar lander in the first quarter of 2025. Funding for the Argonaut lunar lander project was approved by ESA Member States in November 2022 at the agency’s Ministerial Council meeting in Paris. Argonaut will be a multi-role lunar lander capable of delivering up to 1,600 kilograms of cargo to the surface of the Moon. It will consist of three main elements: the lunar descent element, the cargo platform element, and, finally, the payload itself. (1/11)

How Star Trek Fans Changed the Name of NASA’s First Space Shuttle (Source: Popular Science)
These are the voyages of the space shuttle Enterprise, boldly renamed by former President Gerald Ford after a massive letter-writing campaign from Star Trek fans. In 1974, construction of the world’s first space shuttle, known then as Orbital Vehicle-101 (OV-101), began at Rockwell Corporation’s plant in Downey, California. With the debut of the spacecraft set for 1976, it was rechristened the Constitution in honor of the U.S. bicentennial. But, as Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy, joked at a ceremony for the shuttle decades later, “Star Trek fans can be very persuasive.”

In a now declassified memo, Ford’s advisors asked the president for approval to change the name of the Constitution to the Enterprise. “NASA has received hundreds of thousands of letters from the space-oriented ‘Star Trek’ group asking that the name ‘Enterprise’ be given to the craft,” wrote William Gorog, noting that use “of the name would provide a substantial human interest appeal. (1/11)

Does India Need More Funds to Fuel its Cosmic Dreams? (Source: Economic Times)
India’s space ambitions are soaring, with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) positioning itself as a critical player on the global stage. However, as the nation charts its path to becoming a global space superpower, the question remains: Does India need a higher space budget to achieve its ambitious dreams? The answer may be found soon as India gets ready to present its Union Budget for the next fiscal year.

Over the past decade, the space sector has generated $60 billion for India’s GDP, creating 4.7 million jobs, including 96,000 in the public and private sectors, according to Socio-Economic Impact Analysis of Indian Space Program. However, India currently holds merely 2%-3% of the global space economy. Looking ahead, India’s space economy is expected to reach $13 billion by 2025, with the country aiming for a 10% share of the global space market by 2033. ISRO expects a 20%-30% rise in its budget over the long term, former ISRO Chairman S. Somanath said.

In 2023, India’s space sector received a record $130 million in funding, marking a 32.9% increase over the previous year. However, despite this positive momentum, a recent report by market intelligence platform Tracxn revealed that overall funding in India’s space sector plummeted by 55% in 2024, reflecting a broader 20% decline in global space investment. (1/11)

Orbital Launch Cadence Spikes in 2024, New Countries Joining the Club in 2025 (Source: SpaceQ)
In 2025 SpaceX’s Gwynne Shotwell, President and Chief Operating Officer, said the company is aiming for 175 – 180 Falcon launches. China is planning more launches with new variants of the Long March planned as well as entrants from the commercial sector. There are currently 12 countries in recent years who’ve demonstrated the ability to launch payloads to orbit. This includes the U.S., China, Russia, Japan, India, Iran, Europe/French Guyana, North Korea, South Korea, New Zealand, and Israel.

Attempting to join them this year are multiple efforts from Australia, Germany and the United Kingdom. While there will be no orbital launch attempts in Canada this year, Montreal area Reaction Dynamics is expected to perform a suborbital launch test from Australia. Canada’s other launch company that is actively discussing their efforts in public, NordSpace, could attempt a test of its launch vehicle Taiga in 2025, trying to reach the 100km Karman line, the edge of space. Canada’s only spaceport in development, Spaceport Nova Scotia, being developed by Maritime Launch Services, is still looking for international customers as it slowly builds infrastructure. (1/10)

The Future Of The Spacesuit; What NASA’s Artemis Astronauts Will Wear (Source: Forbes)
Would spacesuits intended for a space station work on the moon? Would a suit designed for the moon work on Mars? Or do all these drastically different environments require gear specific to whatever environment? “You could make a Mars suit that would work on the Moon,” Doten explained. “But starting with the Moon, in my opinion, would be the wrong spot. Because we will definitely need a new suit for Mars. They're both dry and dusty, but the terrain is different. While you're not as heavy on Earth, you're a lot heavier on Mars than you are on the Moon. So your boots need to be able to take that sort of impact on those sometimes sharp rocks, and your weight on those boots is going to cause a difference.

"The space suit itself will be so much heavier on Mars than it would be on the Moon. The Apollo suits weighed over 200 pounds, that's on Earth. It was only 35 pounds on the Moon, which means that that suit would weigh about 80 pounds on Mars. That would severely limit the astronauts' abilities. Even the most fit astronaut, taking samples and squatting in an 80-pound suit is extremely taxing... They have similar needs for radiation and temperature protection and things like that. In my opinion, a great way to start would be, let's get a suit for Mars, because that would probably work on the Moon.” (1/10)

Air Force Restarts $12B Missile System Contract (Source: Washington Technology)
The US Air Force has restarted the Integration Support Contract 2.0 for the modernization of the Minuteman III missile system, issuing a sources sought notice for the $12 billion. The contract involves sustainment of the Minuteman III and deployment of the Sentinel system, with services including systems engineering, cybersecurity and infrastructure support. (1/9)

Rocket Lab Completes Review for SDA Satellite Project (Source: SatNews)
Rocket Lab has completed the preliminary design review for the Space Development Agency's Tranche 2 Transport Layer-Beta program, advancing towards the detailed design phase of an 18-satellite constellation for the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture. The $515 million contract involves designing, integrating and testing the satellites, utilizing Rocket Lab's vertically integrated subsystems. (1/9)

ReOrbit and Ananth Technologies Collaborate on GEO Satellite Development (Source: Space Daily)
ReOrbit, a prominent provider of software-driven satellites for secure communications, has formalized a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ananth Technologies, a leading Indian aerospace and defense manufacturer. This strategic agreement aims to explore joint initiatives in the design and development of geostationary orbit (GEO) communications satellites. The partnership focuses on combining expertise to advance satellite innovation and deployment. Ananth Technologies intends to integrate ReOrbit's cutting-edge software-enabled GEO communications satellite technology. Simultaneously, ReOrbit plans to leverage Ananth Technologies' advanced manufacturing and assembly, integration, and testing (AIT) facilities. (1/10)

The Space Economy to Reach $944 Billion by 2033 (Source: Space Daily)
Novaspace, a prominent space consulting and market intelligence firm, has unveiled the 11th Edition of its Space Economy Report, projecting a significant growth trajectory for the global space economy. The report anticipates an increase from $596 billion in 2024 to $944 billion by 2033, driven largely by the advancement of downstream applications, signaling a transformative decade for the sector. The report underscores the growing influence of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud computing in downstream solutions. These technologies are enhancing capabilities for data collection and processing, accelerating their integration with the digital economy, and paving the way for broader commercial adoption. (1/10)

Rocket Lab to Provide Hypersonic Test Launches for Department of Defense (Source: Space Daily)
Rocket Lab USA has been selected as part of a team led by Kratos Defense and Security Solutions for a major DoD contract. The five-year Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) for the Multi-Service Advanced Capability Hypersonic Test Bed (MACH-TB) 2.0, under Task Area 1, has a total potential value of $1.45 billion. The MACH-TB program, overseen by the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD (R&E)) Test Resource Management Center (TRMC), is a cornerstone of the National Hypersonic Initiative 2.0. Its mission is to establish an affordable test bed that bridges the gap between ground-based hypersonic testing and full-scale flight tests. MACH-TB 2.0 aims to expand the nation's hypersonic flight testing capacity with a cost-effective and scalable approach. (1/10)

Space Force Selects L3Harris to Design Resilient GPS Satellites (Source: Inside GNS)
L3Harris Technologies has received a contract from the U.S. Space Force’s Space Systems Command to design concepts for Phase 0 of the Resilient Global Positioning System (R-GPS) program. The R-GPS program is a procurement of cost-effective small satellites that will augment the existing 31-satellite GPS constellation providing resilience to military and civil GPS users. Space Force plans to produce and launch up to eight satellites to address jamming, spoofing and more permanent disruptions. (1/9)

Public Should Weigh In On Elon Musk's SpaceX Plans To Splash Down Near Hawaii (Source: Honolulu Civil Beat)
Since 2022, Elon Musk and SpaceX has requested larger and larger landing areas near Hawai‘i for their experimental rocket, Starship. Now, the aerospace company is seeking federal approval to launch more frequently and to land even closer to Hawaii, with the current proposal being over 20 times the size of the initial request. Hawaii stakeholders have never been consulted in the environmental review process. That is not necessary, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, because “the Starship vehicle is planned to land outside of range for impacts to the residents of Hawaii.” (1/10)

In US: Generals, Spies and Moguls Cross Their Fingers for Bezos’ New Glenn (Source: Aerospace America)
National security leaders do not like to be single-string on rocket launches, and recent history shows why. SpaceX’s Falcon 9s were briefly grounded by FAA three times between July and October due to malfunctions, including a liquid oxygen leak in a second stage that prevented the payloads from reaching their target altitudes. In all cases, SpaceX was cleared to return to flight in a matter of days, but Ryan Puleo, an analyst with Virginia-based BryceTech, says the groundings nevertheless highlight the importance of having “a diversified array of options.”

“They have customers waiting, so they have to start making progress,” Puleo says. By customers, he’s referring in part to a handful of internet megaconstellation builders, including Amazon’s Project Kuiper — another Jeff Bezos-owned venture. Kuiper’s license from the Federal Communications Commission requires 1,600 of the planned 3,236 satellites to be orbited by July 2026, and the company has booked 12 New Glenn launches with the option for 15 more.

If Blue can prove New Glenn’s safety and reliability, Puleo sees the design as well-positioned to fill a gap in the heavy-lift market. Its “two main differentiators” are a 7-meter-diameter fairing, and the ability to send 45 metric tons to low-Earth orbit. That extra fairing volume means New Glenn can hold spacecraft with “unique dimensions” that don’t fit in the roughly 5-meter fairings of Falcons and Vulcans. (1/9)

Space Consortium Promises to be a Boon for Space Research Among Florida Universities (Source: Florida Politics)
“Florida’s universities have long been prodigious sources of talent, skill and audacious thinking,” said Mori Hosseini, Chair of UF’s Board of Trustees. “This consortium is a perfect way to harness those assets to help lift the great state of Florida and our nation in their quest to keep us at the forefront of space exploration and advance America’s global leadership.”

Ultimately, the initial consortium is designed to serve as a springboard for an invitation for other colleges and universities from across Florida to join the effort and increase collaboration with NASA and researchers on different campuses. “This agreement is a shining example of what it looks like when we link arms and create a space for the whole to be greater than all our parts,” said Janet Petro, Kennedy Space Center Director and a signatory on the agreement. (1/9)