June 20, 2025

Space Force Advances Commercial Tech Integration (Source: FNN)
The US Space Force is actively integrating commercial technologies through its Commercial Space Strategy and the Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve. Col. Richard Kniseley highlights efforts in tactical surveillance and reconnaissance, achieving rapid product delivery within 72 hours. The Defense Innovation Unit is also streamlining processes to bring commercial tech to warfighters faster. Click here. (6/19)

Trump’s Dispute with Musk Shows the Danger of Private Monopolies in Space (Source: Space News)
NASA relies on SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft to ferry astronauts to the International Space Station. After the Boeing debacle, no other American vehicle is able to do it. That means that the United States is only ever one political (or personal) disagreement away from losing access to low Earth orbit. This isn’t about Elon Musk or Donald Trump as people. My point is neither personal nor professional. It’s about the structure of the system: critical national infrastructure surely can’t be left to the whims of private individuals, however gifted or wealthy they might be. (6/20)

After Resilience’s Moon Landing Attempt, Why Openness is Key to the Lunar Economy (Source: Space News)
After the hard work of several hundred people from ispace-Japan and ispace-Europe over five years, and substantial financial investment by private institutional investors, mega-banks and Japanese retail investors — this mission was not funded by the NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative — our colleagues overseas did not achieve the primary goal of safely landing on the moon.

But failures are only truly failures if we don’t learn from them. In the spirit of openness and transparency, here’s what we know about the Resilience mission. Resilience’s onboard laser altitude range finder did not lock on to the lunar surface with enough time for the spacecraft to decelerate to the planned descent velocity. As a result,  Resilience presumably experienced a hard landing at the moment we lost telemetry. Click here. (6/19)

Dead NASA Satellite Unexpectedly Emits Powerful Radio Pulse (Source: New Scientist)
A satellite that had been dead for decades suddenly blasted out a powerful radio pulse that briefly outshone every other object in the sky. Astronomers think the flash may have been caused by a freak micrometeorite impact or a random spark.

NASA’s Relay 2 satellite was one of the first functioning satellites, launched in 1964 as an experimental communications device. NASA stopped using it the following year, however, and the satellite’s onboard electronics stopped working altogether by 1967, leaving the dead metal hull to orbit Earth indefinitely. (6/20)

The 4 Biggest Mysteries the New Vera Rubin Observatory Could Solve (Source: National Geographic)
Instead of focusing on one segment of sky for hours at a time, Rubin is designed to take in a wide field of view, swiveling every five seconds to stare at a new spot with minimal shakiness. Stitched together, the observations will produce unprecedented time-lapse views of the entire night sky from the Southern Hemisphere, revealing a lively universe. Here are the four biggest mysteries the panoramic observatory will investigate.

1) Finding the elusive “Planet 9”; 2) Discovering more “visitors” from other solar systems; 3) Completing the picture of the Milky Way; and 4) Probing dark matter and dark energy. Click here. (6/20)

Russia to Launch Starlink Rival Later This Year, Roscosmos Chief Says (Source: Moscow Times)
Russia’s space agency plans to launch its first batch of satellite internet terminals later this year in a bid to rival Elon Musk’s Starlink network, Roscosmos chief Dmitry Bakanov said. “The first launch is scheduled for the end of this year,” Bakanov told the state-run TASS news agency, adding that the mission would carry 16 satellites. “Just like how Starlink was deployed.”

The Rassvet low-orbit satellites, developed by Russian aerospace firm Bureau 1440, are designed to provide broadband internet coverage. More than 900 are expected to be launched by 2035, with commercial services involving over 250 satellites planned to begin in 2027. (6/19)

ESA and EC Stepping Up Space Plans (Source: Space News)
ESA and the European Commission say their relationship is better than ever as they plan an imaging satellite constellation. At a briefing this week at the Paris Air Show, ESA's director general and the EU commissioner responsible for space said they were working well together as they laid the groundwork for European Resilience from Space, a plan to develop a satellite constellation for imaging the Earth with rapid revisit times.

ESA plans to seek about one billion euros ($1.15 billion) from member states in November for the first phase of the program, with the European Commission contributing to later phases. Earlier in the week, an official with the French space agency CNES sounded a word of caution about the program, arguing ESA should focus initially on determining user needs and completing risk reduction work before spending billions on satellites. (6/20)

China's Landspace Tests Nine-Engine Zhuque-3 (Source: Space News)
Chinese launch vehicle developer Landspace performed a nine-engine static-fire test of its new Zhuque-3 rocket. The nine engines of the Zhuque-3 stainless steel first stage ignited at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Friday at a pad at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The test is a key milestone ahead of the first launch of Zhuque-3, planned for the third quarter of this year. The rocket is designed to place up to 21,000 kilograms into low Earth orbit when the booster is expended, although Landspace plans to start recovery attempts of the booster in 2026. (6/20)

Portal Plans Second Washington Factory (Source: Space News)
Portal Space Systems will establish a second factory for producing its high-performance in-space vehicles. The company announced at the Paris Air Show this week it signed an agreement to open a larger factory a few kilometers from its current facility in the Seattle suburb of Bothell, Washington. The new factory will enable production of its Supernova spacecraft at a rate of one per month. Supernova will have a solar thermal propulsion system capable of high performance and high delta-V. Portal is planning two test flights next year to test key spacecraft technologies before a first flight of Supernova in late 2026 or early 2027. (6/20)

Axiom Further Delayed as NASA Considers ISS Air Leak (Source: NASA)
NASA said it needs more time to study an International Space Station air leak before giving the go-ahead for a private astronaut mission. The agency said late Thursday it was delaying the launch of Axiom Space's Ax-4 mission, which had been scheduled for early Sunday, with no new launch date announced. NASA said it needs more time to evaluate ISS operations after detecting a "new pressure signature" in a Russian station module earlier this month. NASA wants to complete that work before sending more people to the station. (6/20)

Rocket Lab Scrubs Confidential Launch (Source: Rocket Lab)
Rocket Lab scrubbed the launch of a confidential commercial satellite early this morning. The company called off the Electron launch shortly before the scheduled 5:24 a.m. Eastern liftoff time, citing strong upper-level winds that had pushed the launch back to the end of a roughly two-hour window. Rocket Lab did not announce a new launch date. The Electron is carrying a satellite for an undisclosed customer that will be placed into a 650-kilometer sun-synchronous orbit. Rocket Lab announced the contract with this customer earlier this week, a deal that includes a second launch by the end of the year. (6/20)

Blue Origin Plans European Office in Luxembourg (Source: Govt. of Luxembourg)
Blue Origin is opening a European office in Luxembourg. At a ceremony Thursday, Luxembourg government officials, joined by Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp, announced the company would establish an office in the country to manage its European supply chain. The office will also support development of commercial space services by the company. (6/20)

India Picks HAL to Privatize SSLV (Source: India Today)
The Indian government has selected a company to take over production and operations of a small launch vehicle. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center said Friday it will work with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) to privatize the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV), with the company ultimately responsible for manufacturing and launching the rocket as well as marketing it to customers. The Indian space agency ISRO will work with HAL on technology transfer, including support for the first two SSLV rockets HAL will produce before the company takes full control. SSLV is designed to place up to 500 kilograms into low Earth orbit but has launched only three times, including a failed inaugural launch in 2022. (6/20)

Canada's Space Agency Gets Record Budget for 2025-2026 (Source: SpaceQ)
The Canadian Space Agency's budget has reached a record high. A document released by the agency shows it is projecting to spend $834 million Canadian ($608 million) in its 2025-2026 fiscal year, a sharp increase from last year. The increase is linked to its work on the Canadarm3 robotic arm for the Gateway and remote sensing satellite programs. Spending could slightly increase in 2026-2027 before dropping as those programs and initiatives are completed. (6/20)

The Exploration Company Unveils Proposed Crew Capsule (Source: European Spaceflight)
During the first day of the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget, The Exploration Company unveiled a crewed version of its Nyx spacecraft. According to the company, if the political will exists, the proposed crew-rated capsule could be ready for its inaugural flight no earlier than 2035. The Exploration Company is currently developing the cargo version of its Nyx spacecraft, with an initial mission to the International Space Station planned for 2028. (6/19)

Owolabi Salis Enters Desert Camp Ahead of Historic Spaceflight as First Nigerian Astronaut (Source: PM News)
U.S.-based lawyer and politician, Chief Owolabi Salis, is set to make history as the first Nigerian to journey into space under the Blue Origin space exploration program. Salis, who is also the spiritual leader of Soul Makers Ministry Worldwide, is currently undergoing rigorous preparatory training in a desert camp along with fellow astronauts. The spaceflight, scheduled for June 21, will be launched under the auspices of Blue Origin. (6/19)

France to Double Stake in Eutelsat as Europe Looks for Rival to Elon Musk’s Starlink (Source: Financial Times)
The French government will more than double its stake in debt-laden satellite operator Eutelsat, in a state-led €1.35bn capital raising that will see Paris strengthen its hold on OneWeb, Europe’s answer to Elon Musk’s Starlink. The move comes the day after the French military agreed a 10-year deal to buy satellite communications services from OneWeb.

Although the value of the agreement was not disclosed, the news sent the company’s shares up more than 14 percent on Thursday. The capital raise, which will see the French state increase its stake from 13.6 percent to almost 30 percent in return for a total injection of about €717mn, risks leaving the UK little more than a bit-part player after it rescued OneWeb from bankruptcy as part of a $1bn buyout with India’s Bharti group in 2020. (6/19)

Sen. Mark Kelly Questions Feasibility of Golden Dome (Source: Empty Wheel)
"You’re talking about hundreds of ICBMs running simultaneously, varying trajectories, MIRVs, so multiple re-entry vehicles. Thousands of decoys. Hypersonic glide vehicles, all at once. And considering what the future threat might be, might even be more complicated than that. And you’re proposing spending not just $25 billion, but upwards of — I think CBO estimated this of at least half a trillion. Other estimates, a trillion dollars. I am all for having a system that would work. I am not sure that the physics can get there on this. It’s incredibly complicated."

[Sen. Kelly then discussed SecDef Hegseth's decision to eliminate most of DoD's Operational Test & Evaluation, which would normally assess the technical and performance requirements for a system like Golden Dome.]

"This idea, you know, might not be fully baked. And you could get in front of it now and figure out and, and find out if you put the right physicist on this and I’m not saying go to the big defense contractors. Going to scientists and I know there’s a questionable relationship with this administration and scientists but go to some scientist. Figure out what we would have to do to build a system. And then make smart decisions before we spend hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars." (6/19)

BlackSky Plans New Satellite Network for Large-Scale AI-Driven Earth Observation (Source: Space Daily)
BlackSky Technology announced a major expansion of its satellite constellation with the addition of a new class of multispectral, wide-area imaging satellites. The forthcoming system, known as AROS, will complement the company's existing Gen-3 constellation by enabling rapid digital mapping, navigation, maritime surveillance, and 3D digital twin applications at scale.

The AROS satellites are being engineered to meet increasing demand for high-frequency, country and region-scale data collection, particularly in support of AI-powered geospatial analytics. Designed to bridge the capability gap left by aging legacy satellites with declining collection capacity, AROS will deliver faster, more affordable imaging services optimized for AI and dynamic analytics. (6/17)

Satellite Expands Chinas Disaster Warning Network Through Global Electromagnetic Monitoring (Source: Space Daily)
China has launched a new satellite designed to improve the country's early warning capabilities for natural disasters by monitoring Earth's electromagnetic environment. Developed in partnership with Italy, the satellite lifted off Saturday aboard a Long March 2D rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert.

The spacecraft, Zhangheng 1B, entered its designated orbit as planned. It is China's first satellite specifically dedicated to studying geophysical fields from space, a capability expected to significantly enhance the country's integrated space-air-ground disaster response network. (6/17)

Queer Astronaut Documentary Takes on New Meaning in Trump's US (Source: Space Daily)
When director Cristina Costantini started making a documentary about the first US woman in space, she thought it would be looking back on the "sexism and homophobia of yesteryear". But the story of astronaut Sally Ride, whose queer identity was a secret when she blasted off more than four decades ago, took on a "completely different meaning" after the re-election of President Donald Trump.

"When we started making the film, it didn't seem all that political to celebrate queer love or women astronauts," said the director of "Sally". "Just a few years ago, there was a pride flag that flew in space, and (NASA) had vowed the next person on the Moon would be a woman." But that vow has now been removed from NASA's website, just one of many changes at the US space agency since Trump returned to the White House in January.

"Employees have been asked to remove symbols of gay pride, pride flags, trans visibility flags," Costantini said. Now, the director hopes the documentary "serves as a reminder that these rights are not guaranteed, that they were hard fought and they were won by people like Sally" and her partner Tam. (6/17)

Redwire Launches $200 Million Stock Offering to Accelerate Growth (Source: Space Daily)
Redwire Corporation has announced the launch of a $200 million underwritten public offering of its common stock. The company plans to grant underwriters a 30-day option to acquire up to 15% more shares than initially offered. The final size and completion of the offering will depend on market and other conditions.

Redwire intends to allocate the net proceeds toward general corporate initiatives, including bolstering its balance sheet to support future growth. Additional uses include partially repurchasing its convertible preferred stock to mitigate dilution and repaying a seller note associated with its acquisition of Edge Autonomy Intermediate Holdings, LLC. (6/17)

NASA Seeks Industry Input to Expand Space Relay and Navigation Services (Source: Space Daily)
NASA has issued a formal request for information from domestic and international companies on their capabilities to provide satellite-based communication and navigation services near Earth. The effort aims to transition space mission support from government-operated systems to commercial satellite services.

This call is part of the agency's broader Communications Services Project, which seeks to develop partnerships with private industry to address the needs of upcoming science and exploration missions. "As part of NASA's Communications Services Project, the agency is working with private industry to solve challenges for future exploration," said Kevin Coggins, deputy associate administrator of NASA's SCaN Program. "Through this effort, NASA missions will have a greater ability to command spacecraft, resolve issues in flight, and bring home more data and scientific discoveries collected across the solar system."

The initiative follows NASA's November 2024 announcement that the TDRS (Tracking and Data Relay Satellite) system will be limited to supporting current missions only. Rather than replacing the system with another government-operated network, NASA intends to become one of many customers for commercial providers. (6/17)

Starship Failures Highlight System's Risks and Uncertainty for Artemis (Source: The Galactic Gal)
What happened yesterday is becoming harder and harder to justify. Another Starship exploded, this time during propellant load for a static fire test. That makes ~15 major failures so far. Traditional modeling-heavy rocket development programs often take a decade or more to reach flight. They’re slow, expensive, and risk-averse. SpaceX changed everything a few decades ago by proving that rapid design, test, and iteration works. They moved fast, learned fast, and helped reset expectations.

But now the pendulum may be swinging too far. When almost every flight ends in failure, and each vehicle is different enough that lessons don’t seem to fully carry over, it’s fair to ask whether this is still high-speed innovation… or just rushed engineering, especially when we’ve placed so much dependency on this one rocket (whether or not that was a good idea is another conversation).

Rapid iteration only works if the feedback loop is tight and the goals are grounded in reality. And lately, it’s starting to feel like they’re just chasing an arbitrary Mars timeline, one many experts argue is unachievable with Starship any time soon. (6/19)