July 15, 2025

China Space Dominance Strategy: Universities to Launch New Low Altitude Space Major (Source: Space Daily)
In a concerted push to support China's rapidly expanding low-altitude space sector, six leading universities will introduce an undergraduate major in the field this fall. The program, approved in April by the Ministry of Education, is part of a national strategy to cultivate professionals for an industry projected to surpass 1.5 trillion yuan ($207 billion) in value by the end of 2025. (7/14)

China's Lunar Leadership: Chang'e-6 Mission Reveals Ancient Volcanic and Magnetic Secrets From Moon's Farside (Source: Space Daily)
The Moon's near and far sides differ dramatically in terrain, crust, and volcanic history-a mystery that has long perplexed scientists. This disparity is now better understood thanks to China's Chang'e-6 mission, which launched on May 3, 2024, and returned 1,935.3 grams of lunar material from the South Pole-Aitken Basin (SPA) on June 25, 2024. The SPA, a 2,500-kilometer-wide structure, is the oldest, deepest, and largest impact basin on the Moon.

Earlier research suggested that the SPA formed about 4.25 billion years ago in a cataclysmic impact, but the broader geological implications remained elusive. Now, research teams from the Institute of Geology and Geophysics (IGG), the National Astronomical Observatories (NAOC), Nanjing University, and other institutions have made four major breakthroughs. These results, detailed in four cover stories in Nature, offer new clarity on the Moon's internal processes. (7/14)

China Launches Long March 7 with TSS Cargo, New Space Suits, Experiments (Source: Space News)
China launched a new cargo spacecraft to its Tiangong space station Monday. A Long March 7 rocket lifted off from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center at 5:34 p.m. Eastern, putting the Tianzhou-9 spacecraft into orbit. That spacecraft docked with the Tiangong space station about three hours later. The cargo craft delivered around 6,500 kilograms of supplies, breaking the record for most cargo on such a mission by 100 kilograms. The cargo on the spacecraft included two upgraded Feitian extravehicular activity suits, each rated to perform up to 20 spacewalks over four years. (7/15)

Building Europe's Space Capability: New Drop Tests Advance Space Rider Precision Landing System (Source: Space Daily)
Space Rider, ESA's reusable orbital vehicle, has taken a major step forward in validating its precision landing system. The spacecraft, roughly the size of two minivans, is designed for missions ranging from pharmaceutical production to orbital platform servicing. It can remain in orbit for up to three months before autonomously returning to Earth using a parafoil-guided descent and skid landing.

After a two-month campaign in 2024, ESA's team returned to the Salto di Quirra test range in Sardinia, Italy, in 2025 for two weeks of intensive drop tests. These latest tests focused on verifying the spacecraft's parachute system and autonomous flight-control software. (7/14)

Building Europe's Space Capability: The Mars Mission That Could Prep for a Human Landing (Source: Space Daily)
If we're to land humans on Mars in the coming decades, we'll have to know what challenges await them when they get there.
Enter M-MATISSE, a potential precursor to a crewed mission to the Red Planet which could use UK instrumentation being promoted at the Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy Meeting 2025 in Durham to revolutionize our understanding of space weather on Mars.

It would involve sending two robot orbiters to the fourth planet from the Sun to unravel the complex workings of the Martian magnetosphere (the region around a planet dominated by its magnetic field), ionosphere (a layer of ionized gas in the upper atmosphere) and thermosphere (where Mars loses its atmospheric gases to space), as well as the planet's lower atmosphere and radiation build-up. This, researchers say, could help forecast potentially hazardous situations for spacecraft and astronauts, making it an essential precursor to any future robotic and human exploration. (7/14)

Building Europe's Space Capability: EU Space Act Taking Shape (Source: Space News)
The long-awaited introduction of the EU Space Act shows that Europe is getting serious about space policy. The draft legislation, introduced last month, is intended to streamline fragmented national rules while strengthening oversight of space activities. Although the legislation is still subject to negotiations and isn’t expected to take effect until 2030, its current form marks a decisive shift in how Europe intends to shape and safeguard its growing space economy. It generates challenges, though, for non-European companies that operate in Europe, which will have to comply with the act while also regulations in their home countries. (7/15)

Space Forge and Intuitive Machines Team Up to Boost US Orbital Chip Production (Source: Space Daily)
Space Forge has entered into a strategic partnership with Intuitive Machines to deploy its semiconductor manufacturing payload aboard the Zephyr orbital return vehicle. The collaboration forms part of Intuitive Machines' Earth Reentry Program and is backed by the Texas Space Commission.

This joint effort aims to rapidly advance the U.S. domestic capacity for space-based semiconductor manufacturing. By combining Space Forge's microgravity-enabled production techniques with Intuitive Machines' Earth return systems, the partnership will enable the creation and recovery of ultra-pure semiconductor substrates from orbit. (7/14)

New Martian rock reveals clues about volcanic history on the Red Planet (Source: Space Daily)
Scientists have analyzed a newly discovered Martian meteorite that could help explain how volcanoes once shaped Mars. The meteorite is a rare type known as a gabbroic shergottite and offers a unique glimpse into the planet's deep interior and ancient volcanic systems. Research revealed that it crystallized in two stages. First, it solidified deep beneath the Martian surface under high pressure, forming magnesium-rich minerals. Later, as the magma moved closer to the surface, it cooled more slowly, creating iron-rich minerals and plagioclase in its outer layers. (7/14)

A Japanese Automaker’s Small Hop Toward Reusable Rockets (Source: Space Review)
Last month, Japanese automaker Honda successfully tested a vertical takeoff and landing rocket. Jeff Foust reports on how the company is approaching development of reusable launch vehicle technologies and how it compares to efforts elsewhere. Click here. (7/15)
 
Superman and the Skylab Rescue (Source: Space Review)
Ahead of the Skylab missions, NASA studied h (Source: Space Review)ow it would carry out a rescue mission should the Apollo spacecraft that delivered astronauts to Skylab be unable to return home. Dwayne Day provides new details about those plans, including the cameo role of a comic book character. Click here. (7/15)
 
War in Space is Not a Future Problem: it’s Happening Now (Source: Space Review)
There are growing concerns that any future conflict involving China or Russia against the US could involve attacks on satellites. Christopher Stone argues we are already seeing low-intensity conflict in orbit that shows that the US is unprepared for a bigger conflict. Click here. (7/15)
 
Taiwan’s Satellites: A Lawfare Vulnerability and an Option to Cure and Enhance Deterrence Against the PRC (Source: Space Review)
In the conclusion of this three-part article, Michael Listner examines how the US could use its own “lawfare” approach to ensure the security of Taiwanese satellites. Click here. (7/15)

Axiom Crew Returns to Earth with Pacific Splashdown (Source: Space News)
A private astronaut mission returned to Earth early this morning. A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean west of San Diego, California, at 5:31 a.m. Eastern. The spacecraft was recovered and its four-person crew exited the capsule less than an hour later. The spacecraft launched to the International Space Station nearly three weeks ago on the Ax-4 mission for Axiom Space. The crew included astronauts from Hungary, India and Poland and was commanded by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson. The group performed dozens of experiments and outreach activities while on the station. (7/15)

SES-Intelsat Acquisition Closes (Source: Space News)
The acquisition of Intelsat by SES will close this week. SES said Monday that it will complete the acquisition this Thursday after getting the necessary regulatory approvals. The last of those came from the FCC, which rejected calls by Eutelsat to further investigate the deal, claiming the combination of SES and Intelsat would dominate C-band services in the United States. SES recently estimated the cost of acquiring Intelsat to be 3.5 billion euros ($4 billion), comprising 3 billion euros in cash and 531 million euros in contingent payments tied to the potential monetization of Intelsat’s C-band spectrum. (7/15)

OpenAI Wins $200 Million for Military AI Solutions (Source: Space News)
The United States defense and aerospace establishment is taking meaningful, if measured, steps to apply artificial intelligence technologies. OpenAI recently won a $200 million contract with the Department of Defense, a deal that is significant for its size and scope, as it tasks OpenAI Public Sector with building prototype AI solutions tailored to national security needs. The Pentagon earlier this year expanded its commitment to Project Maven, a leading AI program, substantially raising the ceiling on Palantir’s contract with U.S. combatant commands from $480 million to nearly $1.3 billion through 2029. Those efforts come as the defense industrial complex, which moves slowly, grapples with AI technology evolving at much faster rates. (7/15)

Musk's Grok AI Now Available to DoD (Source: Washington Post)
The Defense Department will begin using Grok, the artificial intelligence chatbot built by Elon Musk’s start-up xAI, the company said. The xAI announcement came as Grok unveiled what it called “Grok for Government,” a suite that allows agencies and federal offices to adopt its chatbots for their specific uses. President Donald Trump has encouraged more rapid adoption of artificial intelligence tools since taking office in January. The department issued similar awards to Google, Anthropic and OpenAI. (7/15)

Reversal: House Spending Bill Rejects Trump's $6 Billion NASA Cut (Source: Space News)
A draft House spending bill would keep overall NASA funding flat in 2026 but shift money to exploration programs. The House Appropriations Committee released its commerce, justice and science (CJS) spending bill Monday ahead of a subcommittee markup later today. The bill includes $24.838 billion for NASA, nearly the same as the $24.875 billion the agency received in fiscal year 2025, rejecting the administration’s proposed $6 billion cut to the agency.

However, the bill includes more than $9.7 billion in funding for NASA exploration programs. That comes at the expense of science, space technology and aeronautics, which would see their budgets cut from 2025 figures but not as severely as proposed by the White House. The bill also zeros out NASA’s “STEM Engagement” or education account, but shifts two programs that had been funded there to elsewhere in the agency.

Editor's Note: Meanwhile NASA's key scientists and engineers are being forced to leave, university and international collaborations are being canceled, and the projects that they supported are being wound down for closure. How would NASA reverse this slide if this funding is restored? (7/15)

Reversal: DoD Officials Withdraw From Security Conference (Source: Military Times)
Top Defense Department officials, including the head of U.S. Space Command, have canceled appearances at a security conference this week. The Defense Department said Monday that roughly 10 top officials will no longer speak at the Aspen Security Forum. A Pentagon spokesperson said the department withdrew from the forum, run by the Aspen Institute, “because their values do not align with the values of the DOD.” Among those who had been scheduled to appear  were Gen. Stephen Whiting, head of Space Command, and Adm. Trey Whitworth, director of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. The Aspen Institute said its invitations to Defense Department officials to speak at the event remain open. (7/15)

Reversal: NASA to Remove Climate Assessments (Source: AP)
NASA will no longer host copies of national climate assessments on its website. The Trump administration announced earlier this month that it was shutting down a website that had provided public access to the peer-reviewed reports that examined the effects of climate change. At the time, the White House and NASA said the agency would continue to host the reports, but on Monday NASA reversed itself, with a spokesperson stating that NASA “has no legal obligations” to host the reports. Those reports are still available, for now, on a separate NOAA website. (7/15)

Florida Still Covets NASA HQ (Source: Orlando Sentinel)
Florida lawmakers are not giving up on efforts to move NASA headquarters to the state. At a press conference Friday, Sen. Ashley Moody (R-FL) said she and Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) were continuing to lobby officials to move the agency headquarters to the Kennedy Space Center. She said moving the agency headquarters to Florida made sense because “this is where the action is happening.” Other states, such as Texas, have also sought to host a relocated NASA Headquarters, but at a NASA town hall last month officials said they expected to maintain a smaller presence in Washington and move some functions performed at headquarters now to field centers. (7/15)

Newly Discovered Interstellar Object 'May be Oldest Comet Ever Seen' (Source: Space Review)
A mystery interstellar object discovered last week is likely to be the oldest comet ever seen - possibly predating our solar system by more than three billion years. The "water ice-rich" visitor, named 3I/ATLAS, is only the third known object from beyond our solar system ever spotted in our cosmic neighborhood and the first to reach us from a completely different region of our Milky Way galaxy. It could be more than seven billion years old. (7/14)

Astronomers Discover Giant Alien Planet 35 Times More Massive Than Earth Hiding in a Known Star System (Source: Space.com)
Scientists have detected a hidden alien planet by examining the orbits of the known worlds in the star system, known as Kepler-139. The newfound exoplanet, called Kepler-139f, is a gigantic world roughly twice the mass of Neptune and 35 times the mass of Earth, and it takes 355 days to orbit its star, astronomers reported in a study published May 2 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Despite its giant size, Kepler-139f had evaded detection. (7/15)