June 14, 2025

Otto Aviation Chooses Jacksonville's Cecil Airport/Spaceport as New Home for Manufacturing Facility and Headquarters (Source: Jax USA)
Otto Aviation, a Texas-based aviation company known for its innovation in fuel-efficient aircraft, has officially selected Jacksonville as the location for its new manufacturing and production facility. The company plans to invest up to $430 million in two phases at Cecil Airport, which includes the construction of a state-of-the-art facility to produce its “next-generation” Phantom 3500 aircraft as well as the relocation of its headquarters from Fort Worth to Jacksonville.

Last month, the Jacksonville Aviation Authority (JAA)’s Board of Directors unanimously approved a $34.9 million package of investments and incentives for the manufacturing facility. Yesterday, the Jacksonville City Council approved a Revenue Enhancement Value (REV) grant for up to $20 million. (6/11)

Two Astronauts On Why You Should Visit Space Camp In Huntsville (Source: Forbes)
If you're seeking a travel experience that sparks your imagination and immerses you in the past, present, and future of space exploration, consider visiting Huntsville, Alabama. Known as Rocket City, this vibrant Southern hub is home to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center—and, more importantly, to the legendary Space Camp.

This is not a museum where you walk through exhibits and read plaques (though it does have one of the most impressive collections of space artifacts in the country). Space Camp is an experience—a hands-on, high-energy, simulator-filled adventure where guests of all ages can step into the boots of astronauts, engineers, and mission commanders. And for some, like Dr. Gretchen Green and Aymette Medina Jorge, it’s a starting point for an actual journey to space. Both women flew aboard Blue Origin’s recent NS-32 mission. Both trace their achievements back to Space Camp. (6/12)

European Leaders Seek Standalone Space Program (Source: Science Business)
The EU needs a standalone European Space Program with a “clearly ring-fenced budget of at least €60 billion” in the next long-term budget, according to the European Parliament’s Industry, Research, and Energy Committee. The demand comes in a letter from the committee’s coordinators, which was sent to Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on June 6.

The current EU Space Program began with an allocation of around €15 billion, with an additional €5 billion added mid-term for Iris2, the EU’s planned secure satellite communications system. The MEPs want to see this budget tripled, to boost the EU’s competitiveness and autonomy in space, a domain they consider critical for Europe’s future. (6/12)

Delta 4 Pad Scrapped for Next User (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
“Some of the infrastructure at SLC-37 was designed and constructed to support the unique requirements of the Delta IV Heavy program,” said Space Launch Delta 45 spokesperson Emre Kelly. “The [Air Force] identified specific infrastructure that would need to be demolished regardless of which company holds the next lease for SLC-37, and that demolition began today.”

SpaceX now awaits final results of an Environmental Impact Statement run by the Air Force expected to be published this fall. The EIS could clear the path for SpaceX to complete its own launch infrastructure for one of two planned Space Coast sites for its in-development Starship and Super Heavy rocket. The other would be at KSC’s Launch Complex 39-A, where SpaceX already has a pad for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches. The FAA is running its own EIS for the KSC Starship site.

Together, the two Starship pads could support as many as 120 launches per year, with up to twice as many landings. The Super Heavy booster returns to the tower minutes after launch to be captured by swiveling arms known as “chopsticks” while the upper stage is designed to make a vertical landing at the end of its orbital missions. (6/13)

'Orbital Dogfights': Taiwan's Worries Drive New Space Warfare Era (Source: Reuters)
At the headquarters of U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs, military planners are racing to a very earthbound deadline as they draw up plans for how they might fight the first major war in space. That could be 2027, the year by which the U.S. government believes Chinese President Xi Jinping has told his military to be ready to invade Taiwan. (6/12)

Starlink to Expand Services in Kazakhstan (Source: Trend)
Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry has signed an agreement with Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, to officially launch satellite internet services for the public starting in the third quarter of 2025, Trend reports. The agreement ensures that Starlink will comply with Kazakhstan’s legal and regulatory requirements, including those related to information security and communications. (6/12)

Quebec Will Stop Subsidizing Access to Starlink (Source: The Logic)
The Quebec government will cease subsidizing access to Starlink for people living in remote areas of the province next week. The province isn’t renewing its three-year, $130-million contract with the Elon Musk-owned internet provider, which comes to an end on June 15, cybersecurity ministry spokesperson Émile Boudreau confirmed. (6/12)

China’s PLA Daily Slams US Golden Dome (Source: SCMP)
China’s military newspaper has condemned America’s planned “Golden Dome” space-based missile defense system, warning that it may threaten global strategic stability and trigger an arms race in space. “The development of the Golden Dome system and the US Space Force’s rapid expansion have further militarized outer space,” a commentary in PLA Daily warned.

The article also noted the Pentagon’s aims to deploy “proliferated space-based interceptors capable of boost-phase intercept”, a reference to orbiting spacecraft designed to destroy missile threats mid-flight. “This plan reveals dangerous trends such as the US Space Force’s attempts to develop offensive capabilities, deserving close international attention,” it said. (6/12)

Kazakhstan to Launch Tourism Destination at Baikonur (Source: The Astrana Times)
Kazakh Tourism National Company has introduced a draft of its сoncept for the development of tourism at the Baikonur complex, aiming to reposition the historic cosmodrome as a future-oriented destination for scientific and industrial tourism. Participants discussed infrastructure upgrades, the creation of new travel routes, brand strengthening, investment attraction and partnerships to support long-term development. (6/12)

Interstellar Agrees To Deal With Local Japanese Spaceport (Source: Aviation Week)
Japanese space newcomer Interstellar Technologies plans to use the Hokkaido Spaceport for its Zero launchers, signing up to be the first user of the facility. The spaceport late last year solicited bids for use of the site in Taiki Town, where Interstellar is also based. (6/12)

Australia’s Next Spaceport Emerging in North Queensland (Source: Space & Defense)
Space Centre Australia was established in 2019 to facilitate the nation’s entry into the international space market, the organization is committed to advancing space exploration, research, and technology. Leveraging its strategic location near the equator, Space Centre Australia is developing state-of-the-art launch facilities capable of supporting a wide range of missions, including Low Earth Orbit (LEO), Medium Earth Orbit (MEO), High Earth Orbit (HEO), and deep space exploration. (6/13)

Trump Plan to Kill Dozens of NASA Missions Threatens US Space Supremacy (Source: Bloomberg)
The White House is calling for a roughly 50% cut to NASA’s science spending to $3.9 billion, part of an overall pullback that would deliver the lowest funding level in the agency’s history and kill more more than 40 NASA science missions and projects, according to detailed plans released last month. The Trump administration has also left the agency without a permanent leader and without a vision for how America’s civilian space policy is going to work with US allies and compete with China and other rivals. (6/12)

RDX: What $10M Means for Orbital Launch in Canada (Source: SpaceQ)
"The money will be used for the development of the rocket engine that will power our orbital launch vehicle. So, we did work on that rocket engine. We completed the proof of concept under Canadian Space Agency funding, and we got to the point where we can test it for about 15 seconds.
"So, basically, the deliverable on that grant with the Canadian Space Agency was getting to the point where we showed that this smaller engine can function at scale with the right level of performance, and with the right level. That was achieved last year in April.

"The goal of the funding that we got [yesterday] from the government of Quebec is to take that motor and push it through development and final qualification. So, in summary, to go from what we had to something that can fire for 90 seconds, and that can propel orbital flight." (6/11)

Trump's 2026 Budget Would Force the World's Most Powerful Solar Telescope to Close (Source: Space.com)
There was a pindrop silence in the room on June 10, as Christoph Keller, director of the National Solar Observatory, spoke on stage. Standing in front of a giant projected bar graph, he solemnly explained the possible fate of the world's most powerful eye on the sun: the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST). If Congress enacts President Donald Trump's fiscal year 2026 budget request — allocating just $13 million or so for DKIST — the telescope won't be able to continue. (6/12)

Blue Origin Delays New Glenn Again—and It’s a Bigger Setback Than It Seems (Source: Gizmodo)
Beyond missing launch targets, New Glenn’s recent delay also puts Project Kuiper—the internet satellites owned by Amazon—at risk of losing a critical operations license. Jeff Bezos’ other venture, Amazon, must launch 50% of its internet satellites by 2026, or the company will lose its license. With the recent delay to New Glenn’s schedule, the company is pressed for time. (6/12)

Roscosmos Says It Plans to Build Nuclear Power Plant on the Moon (Source: Moscow Times)
Russia’s state space agency on Thursday announced plans to build a nuclear power plant on the Moon as part of its long-term ambitions for lunar exploration. Roscosmos chief Dmitry Bakanov unveiled the plans while marking Russia Day, saying that his agency is “creating new reasons to be proud and laying the foundation for economic growth and a better quality of life.”

He said that Russia plans to expand its satellite network to improve internet speeds and coverage, upgrade its global navigation system, as well as “move forward with building a new Russian orbital station to succeed the International Space Station.” Russia is also preparing “to launch the first-ever nuclear power station on the Moon — a cornerstone for future lunar bases,” Bakanov said. “And we will explore Venus. After all, we remain the only country to have successfully landed a spacecraft there.” (6/12)

Launch Backlog: First Next-Gen OPIR Missile Warning Launch Pushed to 2026 (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Force has determined that the launch of its first next generation missile warning satellite to geosynchronous Earth orbit (GEO) planned for late this year now will happen “no earlier” than next March, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Program officials overseeing the Next Generation Overhead Persistent Infrared (Next-Gen OPIR) effort told GAO investigators that the delay was caused not only by developmental problems — although the overall effort is still facing some technical hurdles with its payload — but also the Space Force’s launch backlog. (6/11)

The Exploration Company Launches Mission Possible Recovery Vessel (Source: European Spaceflight)
European space logistics startup The Exploration Company has announced that its recovery vessel, Makushin Bay, departed Dutch Harbor, Alaska, on 10 June. The vessel will be used to recover the company’s Mission Possible demonstrator capsule from the Pacific following its return from space. (6/12)

NASA's Voyager Spacecraft Found A 30,000-50,000 Kelvin "Wall" At The Edge Of Our Solar System (Source: IFL Science)
In 1977, NASA launched the Voyager probes to study the Solar System's edge, and the interstellar medium between the stars. One by one, they both hit the "wall of fire" at the boundaries of our home system, measuring temperatures of 30,000-50,000 kelvin (54,000-90,000 degrees Fahrenheit) on their passage through it.

"The boundary between solar wind and interstellar wind is the heliopause, where the pressure of the two winds are in balance. This balance in pressure causes the solar wind to turn back and flow down the tail of the heliosphere," NASA says. "As the heliosphere plows through interstellar space, a bow shock forms, similar to what forms as a ship plowing through the ocean." (6/11)

Giant Hole Just Opened in The Sun – And It's Blasting Earth With Solar Wind (Source: Science Alert)
A giant hole has opened in the atmosphere of the Sun, and it's blasting out a high-speed wind that is directed right at Earth. The incoming blast of solar particles is worth getting excited about: we're in for a moderate (G2) geomagnetic storm starting around Saturday June 14, according to the NOAA's Space Weather Prediction Center. (6/12)

Rocketing to Recovery: Space Coast is One of Fastest-Growing Economies in U.S. (Source: Florida Today)
Robin Fisher recalls the gloomy times Brevard County went through in 2010, as the space shuttle program was a year away from ending. The attitude at the time, Fisher recalled, is that "nobody was coming from Washington to save us. We've got to save ourselves." As it turned out, what came in the ensuing years was not as bad as some had feared — at least in the longer term.

Aerospace and defense companies expanded, as did the health care sector and tourism, with Port Canaveral cementing its place as the world's second-busiest cruise port. "The economy is quite more diverse" now, said Fisher. So much so that a new national study puts Brevard County's economy as one of the fastest-growing in the country for midsized communities, and Brevard is projected to continue to have a high ranking in the future.

The recently released study by the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at the University of North Carolina and Fifth Third Bank found that Brevard had the highest growth rate among 100 midsized communities during the past five years, as measured by gross domestic product, as well as the second-highest growth rate over the last 10 years. (6/12)