July 13, 2025

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex opens new bus tour stop, The Gantry at LC-39 (Source: Florida Today)
A new stop on the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex bus tour is now open -- one which gets the public closer to the launch pad than ever before. Situated just a mere mile from NASA's Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A, The Gantry at LC-39 is the latest attraction to drop at the Visitor Complex. Part of the bus tour, which is included with admission, guests will be treated to a view of the launch pad looming in the distance as they approach the new stop. (7/13)

NASA Astronaut Shannon Walker Retires (Source: NASA)
NASA astronaut Shannon Walker retired July 10, concluding a career that spanned 38 years, including 30 years of federal service and more than 21 years as an astronaut. During two spaceflights, she spent 330 days in orbit, contributing to hundreds of scientific experiments and technology demonstrations for the benefit of humanity. (7/11)

"Going to Get Worse" With NASA Job Cuts (Source: Times of India)
The exodus spans NASA’s core mission areas, with 1,818 staff from science and human space flight roles leaving, alongside others in support functions like IT and finance. “You’re losing the managerial and core technical expertise of the agency,” warned Casey Dreier. “What’s the strategy and what do we hope to achieve here?” An employee who has resigned described their decision to leave as influenced in part by fear of the proposed NASA budget cuts and the lack of a Senate-approved NASA administrator: “Things just sound like it’s going to get worse." (7/12)

Parker Solar Probe Gets Detailed Sun Data (Source: SciTech Daily)
NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has captured the most detailed images ever taken near the Sun, recorded from just 3.8 million miles away from its surface. These up-close images reveal structures within the solar wind, a continuous flow of charged particles that the Sun releases into space at speeds over 1 million miles per hour. The new visuals and data are giving scientists critical insights into how the solar wind forms and behaves, which is key to understanding how it influences Earth. (7/11)

Dozens of 'Ghost Galaxies' May Be Orbiting the Milky Way (Source: Earth.com)
Our galaxy may be wrapped in a richer swarm of tiny companions than astronomers have ever seen. New calculations predict that there are dozens of ultra-faint satellite galaxies circling close to the Milky Way. They are too dim for current surveys to spot, but real enough to tip the cosmic balance sheet in favor of standard cosmology. (7/12)

Advances in NASA Imaging Changed How World Sees Mars (Source: NASA)
Sixty years ago, NASA’s Mariner 4 captured groundbreaking views of the Red Planet, leading to a steady stream of advances in the cameras used to study other worlds. In 1965, NASA’s Mariner 4 mission brought Mars into American living rooms, where TV sets showed fuzzy black-and-white images of a cratered landscape. The spacecraft took 21 complete pictures — the first ever captured of another planet — as it flew by as close as 6,118 miles (9,846 kilometers) above the surface. (7/11)

Forecasters are Concerned About Losing 3 Key Satellites Ahead of Peak Hurricane Season (Source: PBS)
About 600 miles off the west coast of Africa, large clusters of thunderstorms begin organizing into tropical storms every hurricane season. They aren’t yet in range of Hurricane Hunter flights, so forecasters at the National Hurricane Center rely on weather satellites to peer down on these storms and beam back information about their location, structure and intensity.

The satellite data helps meteorologists create weather forecasts that keep planes and ships safe and prepare countries for a potential hurricane landfall. Now, meteorologists are about to lose access to three of those satellites. On June 25, 2025, the Trump administration issued a service change notice announcing that the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, DMSP, and the Navy’s Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center would terminate data collection, processing and distribution of all DMSP data.

Three other satellites in orbit – NOAA-20, NOAA-21 and Suomi NPP – have a microwave instrument known as the advanced technology microwave sounder. The advanced technology microwave sounder, or ATMS, can provide data similar to the special sensor microwave imager/sounder, or SSMIS, but at a lower resolution. It provides a more washed-out view that is less useful than the SSMIS for pinpointing a storm’s location or estimating its intensity. (7/12)

Starbase is Elon Musk's City in Texas for SpaceX Employees (Source: Business Insider)
Now, around 500 people live in Starbase, most of whom are families of the about 260 SpaceX employees who are residents. Musk has a home in Starbase. In 2021, he said on X that his primary residence is a "~$50k house in Boca Chica / Starbase that I rent from SpaceX." He is also registered to vote in the area and posted a picture of himself voting in Cameron County ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Most of the more than 3,000 people who work out of Starbase commute each day in and drive past a nine-foot golden bust of Musk on their way into the facility. (7/12)

NASA’s Moon Rover Will Hunt for Ice, Map Minerals, and Reveal What Lies Beneath (Source: SciTech Daily)
NASA has chosen three scientific instruments for upcoming missions to the Moon. Two of these will be mounted on a Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV), while the third is planned for use in a future lunar orbiting mission. The LTV is built to carry up to two astronauts but can also function autonomously without a crew. Its design allows it to traverse a wide range of lunar landscapes, helping advance both scientific research and exploration efforts.

One of the selected tools is the Artemis Infrared Reflectance and Emission Spectrometer (AIRES), which will detect, measure, and map various minerals and volatile compounds on the Moon. Volatiles are substances that easily transition to gas, such as water, ammonia, and carbon dioxide. The Lunar Microwave Active-Passive Spectrometer (L-MAPS) will help define what is below the Moon’s surface and search for possible locations of ice. Containing both a spectrometer and a ground-penetrating radar, the instrument suite will measure temperature, density, and subsurface structures to more than 131 feet (40 meters) below the surface.

NASA also selected the Ultra-Compact Imaging Spectrometer for the Moon (UCIS-Moon) for a future orbital flight opportunity. The instrument will provide regional context to the discoveries made from the LTV. From above, UCIS-Moon will map the Moon’s geology and volatiles and measure how human activity affects those volatiles. The spectrometer also will help identify scientifically valuable areas for astronauts to collect lunar samples, while its wide-view images provide the overall context for where these samples will be collected. (7/11)

NASA KSC Memo on Workforce Reductions (Source: NASA Watch)
As of Tuesday July 8 the center has 199 deferred resignations and the agency has 1,944 including those in MSOs (Mission Serving Organizations). We expect the number to rise daily through July 25. Employees with questions regarding the current number of employees opting into the DRP should speak to their organization’s senior leadership.

NASA leaders plan to select and begin implementing a restructuring plan by the end of the fiscal year, but the specific scope of that plan will reflect what the agency knows at that time, particularly in reference to the skills and capacity the agency retains after the DRP window has closed. Click here. (7/9)

New Council Aims to Boost BRICS Space Cooperation (Source: TASS)
BRICS member states have reached a principled agreement to establish a Space Council aimed at advancing cooperation in the space sector and ensuring the balanced development of space capabilities within the group, according to the summit declaration.

"We agree, in principle, to establish the BRICS Space Council and to continue working on its Terms of Reference to facilitate further cooperation in the field of space activities within the group," the document said. The leaders of the states emphasized the importance of international cooperation in the exploration and peaceful use of outer space and reaffirmed their commitment to reducing existing asymmetries in the space capabilities of BRICS countries. (7/6)

Firefly Aerospace Files for an IPO (Source: Tech Crunch)
Firefly Aerospace is taking its orbital ambitions to the public markets. The company, which notched a string of successes this year, including a historic commercial moon landing, submitted its formal declaration to regulators Friday detailing its plans to IPO sometime this year.

The S-1 document submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission provides a wide-ranging look into the company’s finances and governance plans, though the number of shares to be offered and their price range has not been disclosed. This means the final valuation is still to be determined. (7/11)

Despite SpaceX Protests, FCC Clears AST SpaceMobile’s Massive Satellite (Source: PC Magazine)
Despite pushback from rival SpaceX, AST SpaceMobile has received FCC approval to launch the company’s massive prototype satellite for phone connectivity from space. On Friday, the FCC granted AST SpaceMobile an experimental license to essentially test FM1, a giant square-shaped satellite that the company has been aiming to launch this month.

Although the experimental license prohibits AST from “conducting any commercial operations” through the satellite, the FCC's approval brings the company a step closer to building its satellite-to-phone internet system —avoiding what could have been a prolonged delay. (7/11)

How Much Money Does Starlink Make? This Document Offers a Glimpse (Source: PC Magazine)
A new financial statement is offering a glimpse at how much money SpaceX’s Starlink business makes — and it might not be as much as you think. The company has quietly filed a 2024 financial statement for a Texas-based subsidiary called Starlink Satellite Services Corp. that covers a significant portion of the satellite internet system’s global sales, including those for North America.

The 29-page document says the Starlink subsidiary raked in $2.7 billion in revenue for 2024, a 93% increase from the $1.4 billion it earned in the previous year. In 2024, nearly $2 billion of the revenue came from Starlink subscriptions while the remainder —at over $736 million— came from Starlink hardware-related sales. (7/10)

Indian 19-Year-Old's Space Startup Raises Millions (Source: Tech Crunch)
Apolink, a Y Combinator-backed space-tech startup founded by a 19-year-old Indian-origin entrepreneur, has raised $4.3 million in an “oversubscribed” seed round at a $45 million post-money valuation to build a real-time connectivity network for satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO).

The startup is tackling a persistent problem in space communications. Satellites frequently go offline during parts of their orbit due to dead zones — periods when they are not in the line of sight of a ground station. While relay satellites and global ground station networks help reduce this downtime, they only provide partial solutions. (7/11)

Isaacman Donating $15 Million for Space Camp Programs (Source: Space.com)
Jared Isaacman is donating a big chunk of change to help inspire the astronauts and space scientists of tomorrow. The billionaire tech entrepreneur and private astronaut, who until recently was on track to become NASA administrator, announced he's gifting $15 million to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Alabama for its Space Camp programs. The money will help fund the Center's Inspiration4 Skills Training Complex. (7/11)

Starlink Profit Isn’t Enough To Fund Starship (Source: WCCF Tech)
SpaceX has aimed to use its profits to fund rocket development for interplanetary space missions. However, so far, it appears that most of the revenue generated from Starlink is going into expanding the service's global presence, as out of the $2.7 billion in revenue that the service generated in 2024, $2.5 billion was accounted for by direct costs. Since the firm is a SpaceX subsidiary, it shares a portion of its profit with the parent, and based on the 2024 figures, it appears that the profit is quite insufficient to fund the development of SpaceX's Starship program. (7/11)