June 26, 2025

Space Force's SCAR Speeds Phased Array Antenna Integration (Source: Breaking Defense)
The Space Force hopes to soon be able provide new orbital warfare capability to operators through integrating the modern phased-array antennas being developed under its Satellite Communications Augmentation Resource (SCAR) program with its R2C2 satellite command and control software, according to senior program officials. (6/23)

Military Satellite Maker Iceye Explores IPO as Sales on Track to Double (Source: Bloomberg)
A Finnish satellite startup that’s benefiting from Europe’s military spending boom expects to double sales this year and is exploring an initial public offering. Iceye, which makes Earth-observation satellites, expects to double revenue in 2025 to over €200 million ($230 million), Chief Executive Officer said. (6/23)

Following the Loss of Ship 36, SpaceX now Focuses on Rebuilding Site (Source: NSF)
Following the loss of Ship 36 at Masseys and the cleanup operations now underway, SpaceX must rebuild the static fire stand. While crews work towards this goal, progress on Pad B continues, along with the development of next-generation hardware. Click here. (6/25)

Orbiter Pair Expands View of Martian Ionosphere (Source: Phys.org)
One way to study the Martian ionosphere is with radio occultation, in which a spacecraft orbiting Mars sends a radio signal to a receiver on Earth. When it skims across the Martian ionosphere, the signal bends slightly. Researchers can measure this refraction to learn about Martian ionospheric properties such as electron density and temperature. However, the relative positions of Mars, Earth, and the sun mean conventional radio occultation cannot measure the middle of the Martian day.

Now, Jacob Parrot and colleagues deepen our understanding of the Martian ionosphere using an approach called mutual radio occultation, in which the radio signal is sent not from an orbiter to Earth but between two Mars orbiters. As one orbiter rises or sets behind Mars from the other's perspective, the signal passes through the ionosphere and refracts according to the ionosphere's properties. (6/23)

Geomorphological Evidence of Near-Surface Ice at Candidate Landing Sites in Northern Amazonis Planitia, Mars (Source: AGU)
Recent studies have indicated the presence of substantial volumes of near-surface excess ice in Arcadia Planitia, making this region a promising candidate for future human and robotic exploration. This study focuses on three specific candidate landing sites adjacent to the Arcadia Planitia: AP-1, AP-8, and AP-9.

We have identified a wide range of ice-related morphologies, providing further evidence for the occurrence of excess ice in the study area. We have mapped and measured ∼9,000 thermal contraction polygons. We estimate ice beneath these polygons to be on the order of tens of cm from the surface, which is sufficiently shallow to be accessible for potential in situ resource utilization (ISRU). (5/3)

Mexico May Sue Over SpaceX Rocket Debris, Conducting "Comprehensive Review" of Environmental Impacts (Source: Phys.org)
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Wednesday threatened legal action over falling debris and contamination from billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX rocket launches across the border in the United States. Mexico's government was studying which international laws were being violated in order to file "the necessary lawsuits" because "there is indeed contamination," Sheinbaum told her morning news conference.

Mexican officials are carrying out a "comprehensive review" of the environmental impacts of the rocket launches for the neighboring state of Tamaulipas, Sheinbaum said. The US FAA approved an increase in annual Starship launches from five to 25 in early May, stating that the increased frequency would not adversely affect the environment. The decision overruled objections from conservation groups that had warned the expansion could endanger sea turtles and shorebirds. (6/25)

Rocket Lab's Beck Describes His Routine (Source: Business Insider)
I started Rocket Lab in 2006, after skipping out on college. We began in New Zealand as a small advanced technology house and launched our first rocket in 2009. Eventually, I went to Silicon Valley and raised our first bit of capital. That's when we started building Electron, our partially reusable two-stage rocket, and we're now working on Neutron, our medium-lift rocket scheduled to launch this year. The company has gone from generating a few million to hundreds of millions in revenue. Click here. (6/25)

Construction on Mars Takes a Leap Forward (Source: Phys.org)
Scientists need to figure out how to build structures millions of miles from Earth. Sending rockets carrying massive payloads of construction materials into space isn't practical or affordable. Enter Texas A&M University's Dr. Congrui Grace Jin. Jin and her colleagues have worked for years on bio-manufacturing engineered living materials and have developed a synthetic lichen system that can form building materials with no outside intervention.

Their latest study applies this research to the autonomous construction of structures on Mars, using the planet's regolith, which includes dust, sand and rocks. This advancement has the potential to revolutionize extraterrestrial construction by enabling structures to be built in the most demanding environments with restricted resources.

"We can build a synthetic community by mimicking natural lichens," explains Jin. "We've developed a way to build synthetic lichens to create biomaterials that glue Martian regolith particles into structures. Then, through 3D printing, a wide range of structures can be fabricated, such as buildings, houses and furniture." (6/24)

'Space Chocolate,' Mango Nectar and Pierogis: Here are the International Foods the Private Ax-4 Astronauts are Flying to the ISS (Source: Space.com)
Ax-4 is carrying four people from four different nations to the orbiting lab, so the mission's larder is quite diverse. For example, Ax-4 pilot Shubhanshu Shukla is bringing up some delicacies from his native India, including a variety of sweets. He's carrying mango nectar to the orbiting lab, as well as moong dal halwa and carrot halwa. (Halwa is a sweet dish made by roasting lentils, wheat or flour in ghee, then boiling that mixture in sugary milk.)

Tibor Kapu of Hungary said he has packed some "space chocolate," which was provided by Stuhmer, a company from his native land. Also going up are several spicy, paprika-like Hungarian pastes, he added. Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland, a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut, put together an entire menu for Ax-4. Polish chef and restaurateur Mateusz Gessler helped in this endeavor, as did Lyofood, a family-run Polish company with freeze-drying expertise. (6/25)

Starfighters Aerospace Expands to Midland, Texas, While Maintaining Kennedy Space Center Operations (Source: Vintage Aviation)
Starfighters Aerospace, renowned for operating the world’s only fleet of privately-owned supersonic F-104 Starfighters, is expanding its footprint with a significant new presence at the Midland International Air and Space Port in Texas. This development marks a major step forward in the company’s long-term strategy to support hypersonic flight testing, commercial space operations, and advanced aerospace research.

The expansion to Midland is part of a broader growth strategy, not a relocation. Starfighters Aerospace will continue to operate from its established base at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, where it has long supported commercial and government testing missions. By adding a second operational hub, the company aims to increase its capacity, improve flexibility for customers, and bolster the United States’ hypersonic testing capabilities.

In partnership with the Midland Development Corporation (MDC), Starfighters has committed to bringing at least $78 million in assets to the spaceport by December 2027. This includes the relocation of three TF-104 jets—specially modified variants of the iconic Cold War-era interceptor that are capable of sustained Mach 2 flight. These aircraft will be central to high-speed testing missions, including operations within a proposed supersonic corridor between Midland and New Mexico’s Spaceport America. (6/23)

June 30 Protest Against Trump NASA Cuts at NASA HQ (Source: NASA Watch)
A protest is planned in front of @NASA HQ on Mon June 30 from 7:00-11:00 AM. This event has a permit with Metro DC Police. Organizers will not prevent or dissuade anyone from entering HQ but will raise awareness about hashtag#NASA budget cuts. Click here. (6/26)

Umbra Expands U.S. Production Capacity with Move to New 50,000 Sq Ft Manufacturing Facility (Source: Umbra)
Umbra announced the opening of its new 50,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Southern California, marking a major milestone in the company’s growth and commitment to U.S.-based innovation and defense readiness. The new facility boosts Umbra’s annual satellite production capabilities – supporting new satellites with over four times the imaging throughput and enabling the manufacture of world-class apertures more than four times larger than previously possible.

This expansion in capacity positions Umbra to deliver tailored radar solutions at speed and scale, from precision data products to full system deployments. In addition to Umbra’s new facility, Umbra is also doubling its office space in Arlington, Virginia to support research and development and deepen engagement with government programs. (6/26)

Petro Plans NASA Structural Changes (Source: Space News)
NASA's acting administrator said she is planning to decide on a new top-level structure for the agency in the coming weeks. At an internal town hall meeting Wednesday, acting administrator Janet Petro said she is considering three approaches that would align the agency along either mission directorates, field centers or product lines. She added she wanted to move much of the work from NASA Headquarters to centers.

At the town hall, Petro said she would remain acting administrator until a successor is confirmed, a process other officials said could take six to nine months. Agency officials used the town hall to defend a budget proposal that would cut NASA spending by nearly 25% and also said that they are not making any plans for layoffs, although voluntary buyout efforts have so far only accounted for a fraction of the agency's projected workforce reduction. (6/26)

Companies Warn Against NRO Cuts (Source: Space News)
U.S. satellite imagery providers are intensifying their warnings over proposed cuts to the National Reconnaissance Office's commercial imagery budget. Executives said the potential cuts are not only disruptive, but out of sync with the administration's expressed support for a more competitive commercial space sector. The proposal would cut spending on commercial optical imagery by 30% and end funding for radar imagery. The Commercial Spaceflight Federation in a letter this week urged lawmakers to restore the full funding for commercial imagery and allocate an additional $83 million to the Space Systems Command's Commercial Space Office, which procures commercial satellite data for military uses. (6/26)

Rocket Lab Piccked to Launch ESA Tech Sats (Source: Space News)
ESA is turning to Rocket Lab to launch a pair of navigation tech demo satellites. Rocket Lab said Wednesday it won a contract for the launch of the "Pathfinder A" satellites, built by GMV and Thales Alenia Space, on an Electron no earlier than December. The satellites are a precursor to Europe's proposed LEO-PNT constellation of navigation satellites in low Earth orbit. ESA said it awarded Rocket Lab the contract to ensure the satellites would be in orbit by next spring to meet a deadline from the International Telecommunication Union to put spectrum assigned to them in use. (6/26)

Lux Aeterna Raises $4 Million for Reusable Satellites (Source: Space News)
Startup Lux Aeterna has raised $4 million in seed funding for work on reusable satellites. The Denver-based company plans to launch a demonstration mission, Delphi, in 2027, placing a 200-kilogram satellite into orbit that will be able to reenter at the end of its mission for recovery and reuse. Lux Aeterna says the design could serve customers looking to perform technology demonstrations in orbit and then recover the hardware or companies planning in-space manufacturing. (6/26)

Muon's FireSat Releases First Images (Source: Space News)
A wildfire-detection satellite launched earlier this year has returned its first images. The FireSat Protoflight satellite, built by Muon Space, launched in March on a SpaceX rideshare mission. It carries a multispectal infrared instrument, and the company said the new images show that instrument is working as expected. The spacecraft is a prototype for a constellation of more than 50 satellites planned by the nonprofit Earth Fire Alliance (EFA) to provide rapid detection of wildfires. (6/26)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Mission From Florida Hours After Sending Astronauts to ISS (Source: SpaceFlight Now)
SpaceX followed up yesterday's Crew Dragon launch with another Starlink launch. A Falcon 9 lifted off at 3:54 p.m. Eastern Wednesday from Cape Canaveral, placing 27 Starlink satellites into orbit. The booster used for the launch completed its 20th mission, with past flights including two previous Axiom Space launches. (6/26)

China Considers Swarming Asteroid with Cubesats (Source: Space News)
China is considering sending a swarm of cubesats to an asteroid when it flies by Earth in 2029. Scientists from several Chinese universities are proposing a "rapid response" mission to the asteroid Apophis, which will pass close to the Earth in April 2029. The Apophis Recon Swarm (ARS) proposal features a flexible mission design, consisting of multiple cubesats launched either together or as rideshares on other missions for multiple flybys of Apophis. Several other agencies worldwide are planning missions to study Apophis before and after the flyby. (6/26)

Blue Origin Hopes For Government Business After Trump-Musk Troubles (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Blue Origin is trying to take advantage of the split between President Trump and Elon Musk. Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos has spoken with Trump at least twice this month, and CEO Dave Limp met with White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles in mid-June. The conversations are seen as efforts by Blue Origin to get more government contracts as Elon Musk's influence on the administration, once thought to help SpaceX, has waned. One problem for Blue Origin is that while SpaceX is planning to perform 170 Falcon launches this year alone, Blue Origin's New Glenn rocket has flown just once with a second launch not expected before late summer. (6/26)

Casani Passes at 92 (Source: NASA)
John Casani, a longtime engineer and manager of NASA spacecraft missions, has died at the age of 92. Casani joined JPL in 1956 and worked on many early Ranger and Mariner missions, then served as project manager for Voyager, Galileo and Cassini. He retired in 1999 only to return to JPL in 2003 in various roles until a second retirement in 2012. He also led an independent review of JWST in 2010. He received multiple awards in his career, including NASA's Exceptional Achievement Medal and the Air and Space Museum Trophy for Lifetime Achievement. (6/26)

Fire Test New RS-25 Rocket Engine for Artemis (Source: L3Harris)
NASA and L3Harris have successfully test-fired the first RS-25 rocket engine slated to help power the fifth launch of the Space Launch System or SLS rocket for the Artemis Moon exploration campaign. This is the first hot-fire test of a flight version of the new RS-25 engine. The first four Artemis missions use upgraded RS-25 engines from the space shuttle program.

NASA awarded L3Harris a contract in 2015 to restart RS-25 engine design and production for SLS, including leveraging modern manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing. The new production engines are 30% less expensive than the space shuttle main engines and will deliver the same reliability and efficiency. (6/24)

Isar Aerospace Raises 150 Million Euros (Source: Space News)
German launch vehicle startup Isar Aerospace has raised 150 million euros ($174 million) in the form of a convertible bond from an American investor. Isar announced June 25 it raised the funding from Eldridge Industries, a Miami-based company that invests in a variety of industries, including technology. The investment is in the form of a convertible bond, a debt instrument that can later be converted into equity in the company. (6/25)

Brussels Moves to Tackle Satellite Junk in Space (Source: Politico)
The European Union is trying to stop space from turning into a junkyard. The European Commission on Wednesday proposed a new Space Act that seeks to dial up regulatory oversight of satellite operators — including requiring them to tackle their impact on space debris and pollution, or face significant fines.

The EU executive wants to set up a database to track objects circulating in space; make authorization processes clearer to help companies launch satellites and provide services in Europe; and force national governments to give regulators oversight powers.

The Space Act proposal would also require space companies to have launch safety and end-of-life disposal plans, take extra steps to limit space debris, light and radio pollution, and calculate the environmental footprint of their operations. (6/25)

Smallest Alien World Ever Seen Spotted by JWST (Source: Science Alert)
JWST has made another breakthrough. Around a newly formed star just 111 light-years away, the powerful space telescope has officially imaged the smallest exoplanet. TWA-7b is a cold gas giant with about a third of the mass of Jupiter, orbiting its red dwarf host star at a staggering distance – 52 times farther than Earth orbits the Sun. In our Solar System, that distance would place TWA-7b out in the Kuiper Belt, far beyond the orbit of Pluto. (6/26)

Scientists Are Sending Cannabis Seeds to Space (Source: WIRED)
Hundreds of seeds, fungi, algae, and human DNA samples, many of which have never been exposed to space before, made their maiden voyage aboard a SpaceX Transporter Falcon 9 mission. The samples are in a small biological incubator called MayaSat-1, developed by the Genoplant Research Institute, a Slovenian aerospace company specializing in space-based biological research.

At an altitude above 500 kilometers, the incubator, housed inside a larger capsule, will cross zones near the North and South poles where concentrations of charged particles emitted by the sun are high due to the Earth’s magnetic field. When we grow life on Mars, cannabis is an ideal candidate. “It can be a source of food, protein, building materials, textiles, hemp, plastic, and medicine. I don’t think many other plants give us all these things.” (6/23)

Space Club Seeks Florida Award Nominations (Source: NCFL)
Each year the National Space Club Florida Committee recognizes deserving individuals who make significant contributions to the U.S. space program. Nominations for the National Space Club Florida Committee 2025 Lifetime Achievement, Rising Star, Kolcum News & Communications, and Space Worker Hall of Fame Awards are now open. The deadline is Friday, July 11. Click here. (6/25)

UK Government Industrial Strategy Includes Space Focus (Source: AstroAgency)
Space business leaders say the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, “sets the stage for timely and meaningful discussion at next month’s UK Space Conference”. The Industrial Strategy names space as a ‘frontier’ industry alongside 10 others “where investment supports both economic growth and security”. The space sector sits across two of the detailed sector plans, ‘Advanced Manufacturing’ and ‘Digital and Technologies’. On that basis, UK space businesses now sit squarely in two flagship sector programs, potentially opening a broader pool of innovation grants, facilities, and cluster support. (6/25)

AUS/USA Space Partners Eye Secure Future (Source: Defense.gov.au)
Australia’s enduring partnership with the United States in space security and innovation was front and center during a recent visit by General Stephen N. Whiting, Commander of the United States Space Command. The visit showcased Defense’s growing space capabilities, including 1 Space Surveillance Unit and the Joint Commercial Operations Cell which combines global commercial space domain awareness capabilities with military oversight from allies to support real-time detection and characterization of space events. (6/24)

Vandenberg Space Force Base Opens New Public Museum (Source: KEYT)
Vandenberg Space Force Base held a ribbon cutting Tuesday afternoon to mark the opening of its newly relocated Space and Missile Technology Center (SAMTEC) at the site of the former Marshallia Ranch Golf Course. The base describes the facility as a place that preserves and interprets the evolution of missile and space system activity at Vandenberg Space Force Base from the 1958 to present day. (6/24)

HD Hyundai Poised to Deploy Starlink at Surveillance Center in Korean First (Source: Korea JoongAng Daily)
HD Hyundai, Korea's largest shipbuilding group, will deploy Starlink's satellite network to power its digital surveillance center, becoming one of the first major Korean clients of the satellite internet service operated by SpaceX. The deployment, intended to provide more stable internet connectivity in trial vessel operations, will begin as early as this month should the commercial rollout of the Starlink service gain final regulatory approval. (6/25)

India, Poland, Hungary Make Spaceflight Comeback With Axiom-4 Mission (Source: NDTV)
India, Poland and Hungary are sending people to space for the first time in decades on an American commercial mission to the International Space Station that blasted off Wednesday. Axiom Mission 4, or Ax-4, launched from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport with a brand-new SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule riding atop a Falcon 9 rocket.

The last time India, Poland or Hungary sent people to space, their current crop of astronauts had not yet been born -- and back then they were called cosmonauts, as they all flew on Soviet missions before the Iron Curtain fell. All three countries are footing the bill for their astronauts. Hungary announced in 2022 it was paying $100 million for its seat, according to spacenews.com. India and Poland have not disclosed how much they're spending. (6/25)

CU Boulder Establishes Colorado Space Policy Center (Source: CU Boulder Today)
The University of Colorado Boulder has established the Colorado Space Policy Center—positioning itself as a new resource on the forefront of an evolving landscape in national and global space exploration. The center is designed for original research; discussion and debate on space policy issues; and educational programming. The work of the center will address advances in space science and technology, the role of government, the growth of commercial space, increases in global entrants and civilian-military interactions within the space sphere. (6/24)