May 28, 2029

Why Trump’s $175 Billion 'Golden Dome' Could Be a Disaster (Source: BBC)
The proposed $175 billion program, which Trump wants completed before the end of his term in January 2029, aims to create an all-encompassing missile shield to protect the US from nuclear threats, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and hypersonic weapons. Golden Dome, Mulvihill argues, risks reviving the same flawed thinking [as Reagan's SDI], with even greater consequences for the security of space.

While space has long supported military operations through satellite tracking, communications and navigation, it has never been an overt warfighting domain. In fact, agreements such as the Outer Space Treaty expressly prohibit the use of space for non-peaceful purposes. Golden Dome could change that. “This could be a starting gun – a catalyst to start weaponizing space and deploying all sorts of systems that have been developed over the past few years,” Michael Mulvihill says.

He adds the concern is not just about the US deploying weapons in orbit, but what happens next: "If the US gets a Golden Dome, China will want one too.” Throw in other space-faring nations like Russia, and the risks of a full-blown orbital arms race could start to look very real. "You can overload them. That’s what happened in the 1960s and 70s. The US and USSR just added more warheads. You end up with more missiles, not fewer." Every defense system has a limit. And if the Cold War taught us anything, it’s that superpowers will build as many warheads as it takes to ensure at least one gets through. (5/23)

Redwire Delivers Flight Computer for ESAs Comet Interceptor Mission Targeting Primordial Comet (Source: Space Daily)
Redwire Corp. has delivered the onboard computer for the European Space Agency's Comet Interceptor mission, marking a significant milestone in the development of the pioneering spacecraft. The system, produced by Redwire's Belgian subsidiary Redwire Space NV, will act as the central processing unit for the mission, managing spacecraft systems and relaying essential data to Earth.

This computer, part of the third-generation Advanced Data and Power Management System (ADPMS-3), was supplied under contract with OHB Italia S.p.A. It will be key to controlling Comet Interceptor, the first mission designed to encounter a comet originating from the outer solar system, preserving ancient material from the formation of the Solar System. (5/28)

After 50 Successful Years, the European Space Agency Has Some Big Challenges Ahead (Source: Space Daily)
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the founding of the European Space Agency (ESA). It has launched spectacularly successful missions, but is different to other space agencies which generally represent one country. ESA is funded by 23 member states and also has cooperation agreements with nations such as Canada.

ESA operates cutting edge spacecraft designed to monitor the Earth, as well as space telescopes that study the distant cosmos. It has launched robotic spacecraft to other planets and to objects such as comets. It is also involved in human spaceflight - training European astronauts to work on the International Space Station (ISS). Click here. (5/28)

Starship Goes Further But Loses Control (Source: Space News)
Starship made it to space on its latest test flight Tuesday, but a loss of attitude control resulted in an uncontrolled reentry. Starship lifted off from SpaceX's Starbase, Texas, launch site at 7:36 p.m. Eastern. Unlike the previous two flights, where engines malfunctioned during the Starship upper stage's ascent, the engine burn went as expected and put Starship into its planned suborbital trajectory. However, the vehicle suffered a propellant leak shortly thereafter and subsequent loss of attitude control.

The vehicle performed an uncontrolled reentry and telemetry was lost during that reentry. Starship was also unable to de0ploy Starlink mass simulators during the flight or relight a Raptor engine. The Super Heavy booster, previously flown on a launch in January, tested new reentry and landing approaches during its descent, but the vehicle was lost during a landing burn. SpaceX had not planned to land the booster on this flight, instead aiming for a splashdown off the coast from Starbase. Starship is currently slated to carry astronauts to the moon by 2027 as part of NASA’s Artemis program.  (5/28)

ExoTerra Provides Propulsion Modules for York's SDA Transport Layer Satellites (Source: Space News)
ExoTerra Resources has supplied York Space Systems with 21 propulsion modules for Space Development Agency Transport Layer satellites. The delivery demonstrates efforts by ExoTerra, after raising money to expand staff and facilities, to achieve its goal of delivering 15 Iris250 propulsion modules in one month. To speed up production, ExoTerra hired 100 people, quadrupled production capacity and spent $8 million on equipment. (5/28)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Mission From California on Tuesday (Source: Space.com)
Another SpaceX launch went as planned Tuesday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 12:57 p.m. Eastern, putting 24 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch was the first of a new group of satellites going to a new orbital inclination. (5/28)

SpaceX Offered Apple a Starlink iPhone Deal (Source: The Information)
SpaceX offered Apple an exclusive deal to use Starlink direct-to-device services for iPhones, but Apple turned it down. According to a report, Elon Musk approached Apple in 2022 with a proposal that Apple pay $5 billion to give iPhones exclusive use of Starlink direct-to-cell services for 18 months, followed by $1 billion a year. Musk reportedly gave Apple only 72 hours to decide, warning that SpaceX would approach another company if Apple turned him down. Apple did reject the offer, and SpaceX instead announced a deal with mobile operator T-Mobile. Apple had earlier considered its own satellite constellation, working with Boeing, and is now working with Globalstar to provide emergency messaging services for iPhones. (5/28)

Apex Now Taking Orders for Larger Comet Satellite Bus (Source: Space News)
Apex unveiled its largest satellite bus yet Wednesday. The company announced it is taking orders for Comet, a bus using a flat satellite design that can generate more than five kilowatts of power and more than 500 kilogram of payload. Comet has long been on Apex's product roadmap, but the company said demand from potential customers, including both commercial constellations and potential defense applications, led the company to press ahead with Comet now. (5/28)

New Leadership at France's CNES (Source: European Spaceflight)
The French space agency CNES has a new leader. France's Council of Ministers confirmed the selection of François Jacq as president and CEO of CNES. He had been head of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission. He will fill out the remaining term of Philippe Baptiste, who stepped down at the beginning of the year to become minister of higher education in the French government. Jacq will need to be reconfirmed if he is to remain as head of CNES once his current term ends in 2026. (5/28)

Camouflage Strategy Developed for Stealth and Thermal Control of Satellites in Infrared Spectrum (Source: Space Daily)
In response to the sharp rise in satellite deployments-now exceeding 9,850 globally-scientists are racing to protect these valuable assets from ground-based detection, particularly in the infrared spectrum. While visible and microwave detection have constraints, infrared sensors exploit low background radiation, making satellites highly vulnerable.

Addressing this issue, researchers led by Professor Qiang Li from Zhejiang University have proposed a groundbreaking infrared camouflage and thermal control strategy tailored for space environments. Their approach, detailed in Light: Science and Applications, targets four critical infrared detection bands-H, K, MWIR, and LWIR-for camouflage, while allocating the VLWIR band for efficient radiative cooling. (5/28)

Beltway Bloat Could Doom Trump's Golden Dome (Source: Axios)
Intercepting missiles is difficult. Overcoming bureaucracy may be even harder. President Trump's Golden Dome, a continent's worth of 24/7 overhead defense, will be a jigsaw puzzle of ideas, authorities, personalities, contractors, procurements, production lines, users, fixers, technological leaps and diplomacy. Realizing even the most basic form in three years, as the president and Pentagon promised, will require intense coordination. Getting it done fast means resisting Washington's greatest vice: new offices, task forces, branches, blue-chip studies and advisers.

"I think the way most people are starting to use 'Golden Dome' is synonymous with space-based missile defense. But the executive order covered every missile from every adverse area every time," Laura Grego said. "I can hardly imagine potential adversaries just sitting still, not developing the ways to counter such a system." Yes, but: The defense industry is raring to go. (5/28)

Reversing the Brain Drain: Can Europe Successfully Woo Scientists Amid US Research Cuts? (Source: France 24)
President Donald Trump recently announced a spate of funding cuts to universities and research institutions across the US, leaving thousands of scientists and researchers unemployed or in a state of limbo. European agencies and research institutions are rushing in to woo them with promises of grants and work visas – but the void in global research will not be easy to fill.

The White House has so far proposed to cut the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget by roughly 40%, National Science Foundation’s (NSF) by 55%, NASA by 24% and a whopping 74% cut to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Several universities have experienced lay offs and hiring freezes, while researchers and institutions have announced revoked grants and the deletion of vital scientific data.

The US’s dramatic cuts to funding, keyword based vetting on research papers and other anti-academic policies has stopped a vast amount of research in its tracks. The US previously dedicated billions of dollars every year to research, which is why it attracted so many bright minds. (5/27)

North Korea Says US 'Golden Dome' Risks 'Space Nuclear War' (Source: BBC)
North Korea has criticised the US's plan for a futuristic "Golden Dome" missile shield, saying it could "turn outer space into a potential nuclear war field". The defense system, which President Donald Trump plans to unveil by the end of his term, is aimed at countering "next-generation" aerial threats to the US, including ballistic and cruise missiles.

Pyongyang's foreign ministry slammed the plan as "the height of self-righteousness [and] arrogance", state media reported. It accused Washington of being "hell-bent... to militarize outer space" and warned that the plan might spark "a global nuclear and space arms race". (5/28)

Canada Considers Participation in Golden Dome (Source: BBC)
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has confirmed talks with the US about joining President Donald Trump's Golden Dome missile shield, which is expected to cost up to $831 billion. Trump has offered to include Canada if the country invests $61 billion in the system. (5/28)

Floridian Brian Hughes is NASA's New Chief of Staff (Source: NASA Watch)
Looks like @NASA has a new Chief of Staff: Brian Hughes from Jacksonville, Florida. His LinkedIn profile describes himself as: "An organization management professional with a diverse background of corporate, government and political leadership. Experiences include leading thousands of employees, creating budgets for billions in public spending, and recruiting and deploying millions of private dollars in support of campaigns for candidates and causes." (5/27)

Rocket Lab Enters Payload Market with Agreement to Acquire Geost (Source: Business Wire)
Rocket Lab announced it will acquire the parent holding company of Geost, LLC, an Arizona-based electro-optical and infrared (EO/IR) payload development and manufacturing company and provider to high-priority national security satellites, from Lightridge Solutions for $275 million in a mix of $125 million of cash and $150 million in privately placed shares of Rocket Lab common stock, plus up to $50 million in potential additional cash earnout payments tied to revenue targets.

The acquisition marks Rocket Lab’s formal entry into the satellite payload segment, strengthening the Company’s position as a provider of end-to-end national security space solutions. The acquisition is expected to close in the second half of 2025. (5/27)

Virgin Galactic Reports First-Quarter Earnings Decline With $0.5 Million Sales (Source: Simply Wall St.)
Virgin Galactic reported a disappointing first-quarter earnings for 2025, with sales falling to $0.5 million from $2 million the previous year, yet they managed to narrow their net loss. Despite the wider market experiencing a 2.6% decline over the last 7 days, Virgin Galactic's share price moved upward by 30% over the past month.

This increase suggests that investors might be optimistic about the company's efforts to improve financial management, as indicated by the reduced net loss and improved loss per share. These factors could have added weight to the broader positive move over the year. (5/26)

EnduroSat Raises $49 Million to Mass Produce Larger Satellites (Source: Space News)
Bulgaria-based microsatellite specialist EnduroSat announced $49 million in funding May 27 to ramp up production of a larger and more capable class of satellites. The company currently builds 12–15 cubesats per month that weigh no more than 36 kilograms, founder and CEO Raycho Raychev said, but plans to significantly increase this rate with its 200-500kg Gen3 Endurance platform. (5/27)

Operator Solutions Featured at National Space Club Luncheon (Source: NSCFL)
The National Space Club Florida Committee's June 10 luncheon will feature the leadership of Operator Solutions, a Space Coast company that provides rescue, recovery, and specialized support services for human spaceflight operations at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. Click here. (5/27)

Alluvionic Improves Badging Support for 45th Force Support Squadron (Source: Alluvionic)
The 45th Force Support Squadron faced growing frustration from long wait times and crowded lobbies at the ID card office, where customers routinely waited 1–1.5 hours, only to be turned away due to missing documents. The squadron sought a streamlined process to reduce wait times, improve document awareness before arrival, and include a real-time notification system to ease uncertainty and improve the overall experience.

Alluvionic responded with a tailored implementation of WaitWell, an off-the-shelf solution for digital queue management that allows customers to check in remotely, receive real-time updates on their place in line, and be notified when it’s their turn. It provided reduced registration and wait times, improved staffing, and a 55% increase in customers served. (5/17)

FSU Loses $53 Million in Research Funds in DOGE Cuts; it Almost Was Double That (Source: Tallahassee Democrat)
Florida State University has lost over $53 million in DOGE cuts. As of May 23, 54 federal grants and contracts have been canceled, according to university spokesperson Amy Farnum Patronis.

Earlier in the month, the university was facing a loss of almost double the amount of money, $102 million. But an appeal to the National Institutes of Health to reinstate the Adolescent Medicine Trials Network for HIV/AIDS interventions (ATN) at the Scientific Leadership Center at FSU restored over $50 million. (5/27)

The More Things Change… (Source: Space Review)
The Russian space program underwent a shakeup earlier this year that included replacing the head of Roscosmos. Bill Barry describes how those changes come amid serious problems for Russian space efforts and a hope by Russia to reset relations with the US. Click here. (5/27)
 
The Origins and Evolution of the Defense Support Program: The Hangar Queens and DSP-1 (Source: Space Review)
The Defense Support Program satellites provided warnings of missile launches for decades. Dwayne Day examines the evolution of the program as DSP satellites were given new roles and new capabilities. Click here. (5/27)
 
Raiders of the Lost Venus Probe: a Post-Mortem of an Interesting Reentry and the Confusion it Left (Source: Space Review)
Earlier this month a Soviet-era Venus mission, stranded in Earth orbit since its launch in 1972, finally reentered. Marco Langbroek and Dominic Dirkx discuss the difficulty determining exactly when and where it reentered. Click here. (5/27)