June 17, 2025

'Spaceport Readiness Level' Scale Proposed to Support Spaceport Proliferation (Source: Acta Astronautica)
Increased launch demands are taxing the aging spaceport infrastructure and driving new needed capabilities. To meet the rising demand of launches with differing requirements, proposed, developing and current spaceports must be able to effectively identify existing capabilities and forecast required capabilities to grow and meet user needs. Hence, a useable measure must be developed that identifies and quantifies a spaceport's capabilities in a straightforward manner for safe operations, strategic planning, and investments. Click here. (6/17)

China Breaks Hypersonic Barrier with Heat Shield That Survives 6,512°F (Source: Interesting Engineering)
Pushing the boundaries of aerospace engineering, Chinese scientists have developed a revolutionary heat-resistant material that could dramatically advance hypersonic flight. Withstanding temperatures as high as 3,600°C (6,512°F) in oxidizing environments, this breakthrough in ceramic carbide technology far exceeds the limits of current aerospace materials.

This development not only marks a technological milestone but also escalates the strategic race in hypersonic and aerospace systems. The ability to maintain material integrity at such extreme temperatures could reshape the future of military deterrence, space travel, and atmospheric reentry design. As nations pursue faster, farther, and more resilient vehicles, China’s new ceramic positions it as a global leader in the high-stakes domain of advanced aerospace materials. (6/17)

Honda Conducts Successful Launch and Landing Test of Experimental Reusable Rocket (Source: Honda)
Honda R&D Co. conducted a launch and landing test of an experimental reusable rocket developed independently by Honda. The test was completed successfully, the first time Honda landed a rocket after reaching an altitude of 300 meters.

This test marked the first launch and landing test conducted by Honda with an aim to demonstrate key technologies essential for rocket reusability, such as flight stability during ascent and descent, as well as landing capability. Through this successful test, Honda achieved its intended rocket behaviors for the launch and landing (reaching an altitude of 271.4 m, and landing at 37cm of the target touchdown point, flight duration 56.6 sec), while obtaining data during the ascent and descent. (6/17)

Space Florida Plants Flag in Switzerland for Technological Collaboration (Source: CSA)
The Center for Space and Aviation Switzerland and Liechtenstein🇨🇭🇱🇮 (CSA) and the Switzerland Innovation Park Zurich (IPZ) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Space Florida, the aerospace development and finance authority of the State of Florida.

Dübendorf – embedded in the Greater Zurich Area - will become the European gateway for Space Florida – creating a bridge for commerce, logistics, research, and education between the US and Europe. This marks a major step forward in integrating Switzerland and Liechtenstein into the global space economy. (6/17)

Blackstar Secures SBIR Phase II Contract From SpaceWERX (Source: Blackstar)
BlackStar Orbital has secured a $1.9 million Direct to Phase II SBIR contract from SpaceWERX, the Space Force’s innovation powerhouse, as a winner of the Sustained Space Maneuver (SSM) Challenge. As one of 10 innovative companies selected, BlackStar Orbital will drive the future of space mobility by developing advanced prototypes for satellite maneuverability and resilience in low Earth orbit. (6/17)

SpaceWERX Awards Contracts to 10 Companies for Sustained Space Maneuver Challenge (Source: SpaceWERX)
SpaceWERX, the innovation arm of the U.S. Space Force and a unique division within AFWERX, has awarded contracts to 10 companies as part of its Sustained Space Maneuver (SSM) Challenge. Each award is a Direct to Phase II Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract worth $1.9 million, focused on advancing space mobility and resilience technologies. Areas of interest included on-orbit refueling, repair and upgrades to help extend satellite lifespans and enhance operational flexibility.

The 10 companies selected for contract awards are: Apech Labs, BlackStar Orbital Technologies, CisLunar Industries USA, Dark Fission Space Systems, Flight Works, Katalyst Space Technologies, Momentus Space, Plasma Controls, Rhea Space Activity, and Xtenti. (6/17)

Northrop Grumman Expands Propulsion Capacity at Maryland Campus (Source: Northrop Grumman)
Northrop Grumman celebrated construction progress with employees of its new Propulsion Innovation Center, a 57,000 square foot facility in Elkton, Maryland, that will house 250 engineers working on advanced propulsion products to support U.S. and allied defense programs. Northrop Grumman is a leader in solid rocket motor (SRM) capacity and scale and is ready to deliver capabilities now while building for the future.

This new facility adds to the existing excess capacity for SRMs across the breadth of Northrop Grumman propulsion manufacturing sites. The Propulsion Innovation Center is part of a broader $100 million investment by Northrop Grumman at the company’s Elkton site, increasing the company’s capacity to meet DoD hypersonic air-breathing and solid rocket motor propulsion needs. (6/2)

Space Conditions Can Cause Gum Inflammation and Bone Loss (Source: University of Sharjah)
Living in zero gravity can lead to periodontitis, a common and serious condition where the gums become inflamed and the bone that supports teeth starts to break down, eventually leading to tooth loss, scientists reveal in a new study. (6/16)

India To Launch $1.5 Billion Joint Earth Mission With NASA In July (Source: NDTV)
NASA and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) are set to launch satellite NISAR (NASA-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) from India's Satish Dhawan Space Centre this July. The $1.5 billion Earth-observing satellite, weighing nearly three tonnes, will monitor the planet's surface with unmatched precision, using advanced radar to scan land, ice, and water every 12 days. (6/16)

40 Years Since Prince Sultan’s Flight: The Journey That Changed Arab Space History (Source: Gulf News)
The remarkable strides made by the UAE and other regional nations in space today can be traced back to a pivotal historical event and an inspiring individual who changed the course of the Muslim and Arab world. June 17 marks the 40th anniversary of Saudi Arabia’s Prince Sultan bin Salman Al Saud’s groundbreaking spaceflight in 1985, which unequivocally demonstrated that the Muslim and Arab world possessed the capability and vision to actively participate in space exploration and leave a lasting mark. (6/17)

The Administration’s Anti-Consensus Mars Plan Will Fail (Source: Space News)
I don’t know if Trump's NASA cuts will ultimately occur, but I am confident in the following: As proposed, the new humans-to-Mars initiative will fail. This is not a judgment on the technical or funding challenges required for a successful humans-to-Mars mission, though they are legion. Instead, the failure will be downstream of politics. Any attempt to launch a generational space effort on a foundation of destruction and discord will be doomed from the start.

This budget does not build the consensus necessary to carry the program forward in the next presidential term; rather, it breaks it. Enduring space policy requires consensus. It is the essential element that sustains activities that exceed election cycles. (6/16)

An International Commission to Protect Space Cultural Heritage on the Moon is Needed Now (Source: Space News)
How can heritage in space — the very objects and events that tell the story of humanity becoming a spacefaring civilization, such as Neil Armstrong’s and Buzz Aldrin’s bootprints, India’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar lander, and more recently Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 and Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost — best be protected?

The experience of Holocaust art recovery — which has dragged on for 80 years after the end of World War II and led to very few restitutions to Jewish families — presents a cautionary tale. To prevent the same mistakes from occurring and to preserve the cultural artifacts of our past and future journeys into space, a Space Cultural Heritage Commission should be created. This can be done by the signatories to a U.N. treaty like the New York Convention, as an independent commission or one through the Permanent Court of Arbitration, to effectuate the terms of the Outer Space Treaty. (6/16)

Paso Robles Spaceport Development Makes Strides (Source: KSBY)
The City of Paso Robles is making strides in its plan to build a spaceport. The project is now halfway through the application process. “It will definitely change the whole Central Coast,” said Paso Robles Mayor John Hamon. “Today, there are 14 commercial spaceports in the United States," said Paso Robles Economic Development Director Paul Sloan. "There's only one on the West Coast, it's out in the Mojave, and we are looking to get a spaceport license to operate here.”

Sloan says that the project now has the support of both California senators, making the project more tangible than ever. He says that the half-million-dollar federal grant for the project has been used to work on the detailed process of applying for spaceport licensing from the FAA. Once approved, the port would then be used for research and horizontal launches. (6/16)

Chinese Satellite Achieves 5 Times Starlink Speed with 2-Watt Laser From 36,000km Orbit (Source: SCMP)
Imagine beaming a HD movie from Shanghai to Los Angeles – crossing three Pacific widths – in less than five seconds using just a night light. This may sound like fantasy because Starlink, operating just hundreds of kilometers above Earth, maxes out at a couple of Mbps.

But from a secret satellite parked in stationary orbit more than 60 times higher, a team of Chinese scientists has used a 2-watt laser – dim as a candle – to push data through turbulent skies to Earth at 1Gbps, five times faster than Starlink. Satellite laser downlinks are fast but they face a foe: atmospheric turbulence. It scatters light into extremely weak and fuzzy patches hundreds of meters wide by ground arrival. (6/17)

UP Aerospace Debuts Spyder Rocket with Successful Hypersonic Test Launch at White Sands (Source: Space Daily)
UP Aerospace has completed the inaugural launch of its Spyder hypersonic rocket, marking a major advancement in rapid-response flight capabilities. The launch occurred at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico and achieved hypersonic velocities. The test was supported by the Navy White Sands Detachment and funded by the Stockpile Responsiveness Program at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), which successfully deployed its onboard test payload during flight. (6/17)

Rocket Lab Books Two Responsive Electron Missions for 2025 (Source: Space Daily)
Rocket Lab has confirmed it will launch two dedicated Electron missions in 2025 for an undisclosed commercial client, with the first liftoff scheduled for as early as June 20. This rapid turnaround highlights the company's growing reputation for fast, tailored access to space. The inaugural flight, named "Symphony In The Stars," will lift off from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, placing a single satellite into a 650-kilometer circular orbit. A second Electron launch for the same customer and mission parameters is slated to occur before year's end. (6/17)

Ethical and Legal Clarity Urged as Planetary Defense Faces Asteroid Threats (Source: Space Daily)
A new research paper addresses the ethical, legal, and social implications surrounding asteroid mining and planetary defense. Lead author and bioethicist Dr Evie Kendal emphasizes the urgent need for an international framework or authority dedicated to safeguarding civilization from celestial hazards.

She notes that asteroid mining also operates in a regulatory gray zone. "While the legal situation is being considered globally, various ethical issues remain, including how to protect occupational health and safety for off-world miners, how off-world mineral assets should be taxed and how we can avoid space piracy and claim-jumping that would undermine confidence among prospectors." Kendal also raises broader ethical concerns, such as whether humanity should interfere with the space environment at all, and how extracted resources should be utilized to avoid worsening climate change on Earth. (6/17)

New Zealand Targets Leadership in Superconducting Space Tech with New Research Alliance (Source: Space Daily)
Zenno Astronautics has partnered with Wellington UniVentures and the Paihau-Robinson Research Institute to propel New Zealand into global prominence in superconducting magnet technology for space applications. This collaboration brings together top-tier innovation, research translation, and superconducting science to position New Zealand as a hub for advanced space tech. (6/17)

NASA’s 2026 Budget in Brief: Unprecedented, Unstrategic, and Wasteful (Source: Space Review)
The details of NASA’s 2026 budget proposal sent shock waves through the space community. Casey Dreier and Jack Kiraly describe the serious flaws in the proposal they believe would result in the end of American leadership in space exploration. Click here. (6/17)
 
How NASA’s Proposed Budget Cuts are Felt Across the Atlantic (Source: Space Review)
Steep proposed cuts in NASA’s budget have impacts that extend beyond the agency and the country. Jeff Foust reports on how the budget proposal is affecting ESA programs and causing Europe to rethink cooperation with NASA. Click here. (6/17)
 
The NASA Foundation: A Method for Privately Funding NASA Science (Source: Space Review)
After his nomination to be NASA administrator was withdrawn, Jared Isaacman suggested he would have paid for the launch of a NASA science mission out of his own pocket. Thomas Matula explains how to institutionalize a way for private donors to help NASA projects. Click here. (6/17)
 
Developing and Testing China’s Guowang Constellation (Source: Space Review)
China is beginning deployment of a satellite constellation called Guowang that some have compared to Starlink. Greg Gillinger discusses how testing of its early satellites shows the system may have many different applications. Click here. (6/17)
 
China Tests Pad Abort for Crewed Lunar Spacecraft (Source: Space News)
China conducted a pad abort test for a next-generation crewed spacecraft intended for Earth orbit and lunar missions. China conducted the zero-altitude, or pad abort, test Tuesday at 12:30 a.m. Eastern at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. During the event, the launch escape system fired its solid rocket motors, propelling a Mengzhou spacecraft off the pad.

 The capsule deployed parachutes and airbags for a landing two minutes later. China's human spaceflight agency, CMSEO, declared the test a complete success. It will be followed by an in-flight abort test later in the year. Mengzhou is a modular spacecraft that will have two versions, one for low Earth orbit to succeed Shenzhou and another for lunar missions. (6/17)

BlackSky Developing New Satellite Line (Source: Space News)
BlackSky said it will develop a new line of satellites capable of wide-field imaging. The company announced Monday its intent to develop Aros, a satellite designed to capture large areas of the planet rather than the high-resolution focus of its current Gen-3 satellites. This new satellite will target applications requiring broad geographical coverage, such as country-scale mapping, maritime monitoring and the creation of virtual replicas of physical locations. The first Aros satellite is planned for launch in 2027. BlackSky has not disclosed how many it expects to build. (6/17)

Exploration Company Plans Crewed Spacecraft (Source: Space News)
The Exploration Company has plans for a crewed version of its Nyx cargo spacecraft. The company unveiled a new model of Nyx at the Paris Air Show Monday, showing off a design that can accommodate cargo or as many as five astronauts. Development of the crewed version of Nyx would take about a decade and cost one billion euros, the firm estimates. It is looking for support from European governments. The Exploration Company will fly a technology demo for the cargo version of Nyx, called Mission Possible, on the SpaceX Transporter-14 mission set to launch as soon as the end of this week. (6/17)

FCC Heightens Defense Considerations in Licensing Reforms (Source: Space News)
The FCC said national security is a key driver for its efforts at satellite licensing reform and spectrum access. Jay Schwarz, chief of the FCC's space bureau, said at a conference Monday that the commission is pursuing several reforms aimed at modernizing satellite licensing and opening new spectrum bands. While commercial activity is a key motivation for those reforms, he said they also reflect a growing focus on supporting U.S. defense capabilities in space, given that many companies that provide communications services have government customers. (6/17)

Astroscale to Develop UK Space Weather Satellites (Source: Space News)
Astroscale won a contract from the British government for a pair of smallsats to monitor space weather. The contract, announced Monday and worth £5.15 million ($7 million), is for the Orpheus mission, set to launch in 2027. It will use two cubesats, built by Open Cosmos and operated by Astroscale UK, to study how charged particles in the ionosphere disturbed by solar activity can disrupt satellite signals, navigation systems and radio communications. The U.K.'s Defense Science and Technology Laboratory awarded the contract through BAE Systems. (6/17)

China Launches Small Spacecraft for Lunar Operations (Source: Space News)
China has sent several small spacecraft into specialized lunar and cislunar orbits as part of tests for future Earth-moon infrastructure. Those efforts include the DRO-B and Tiandu-1, which have been placed in specific Earth-moon resonance orbits: DRO-B completes three orbits around Earth in the time it takes the moon to perform two, while Tiandu-1 is in a 3:1 resonance with the moon. The spacecraft and their orbits are being used to verify the key technologies and operations for China's planned Queqiao constellation that will provide communications, navigation and remote sensing in support of lunar activities. (6/17)

ULA Scrubs Atlas Kuiper Launch (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
United Launch Alliance scrubbed an Atlas 5 launch of Project Kuiper satellites Monday because of a technical problem. ULA said in a brief statement it called off the KA-02 launch because of "an engineering observation of an elevated purge temperature within the booster engine." The company did not announce a new launch date. The Atlas 5 is carrying a second set of satellites for Kuiper, Amazon's broadband constellation, after the first set launched on another Atlas 5 in April. (6/17)

Falcon 9 Launches Starlink Mission From Vandenberg (Source: Spaceflight Now)
A Falcon 9 launch put on a show for people across the southwestern U.S. Monday evening. The rocket lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 11:36 p.m. Eastern, putting 26 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch, taking place at dusk, created a brilliant display as the rocket's plume was backlit by the sun, and was visible as far away as Arizona and southern Utah. (6/17)

Rocket Lab to Launch Mystery Payload (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab has added a mystery customer to its Electron manifest. Rocket Lab said Monday it signed a contract with a "confidential commercial customer" for two Electron launches. The first is scheduled for as soon as Friday from its New Zealand launch site, with the other to follow before the end of the year. Both will place individual satellites into 650-kilometer orbits. Rocket Lab did not provide any other details about the customer or the launches. (6/17)

ESA Proba-3 Images Artificial Eclipse (Source: Space.com)
ESA released the first images of an artificial solar eclipse taken by the agency's Proba-3 mission. ESA published Monday views of a solar eclipse taken by Proba-3, a technology demonstration mission launched half a year ago. Proba-3 features two spacecraft, with one aligned precisely to block the disk of the sun as seen by the other spacecraft, 150 meters away. This will allow scientists to monitor the solar corona almost all the way down the sun's photosphere, something only possible in natural solar eclipses. (6/17)