July 19, 2025

Boeing Updates EUS Progress (Source: NSF)
Boeing is expected to spend 2.8 billion dollars on NASA’s brand-new Exploration Upper Stage (EUS), which is set to ride with the Space Launch System Block 1B version of the rocket, and this week showed off part of its hardware, or at least a render of it. The current SLS configuration relies on the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, or ICPS, built by ULA. The ICPS, essentially a modified second stage from ULA’s Delta rocket family, is tailored to work with the Orion spacecraft for the first three Artemis missions. (7/17)

ESA Finally Kicks Off Flying Engine Testbed Project Following ITT Reissue (Source: European Spaceflight)
The European Space Agency has tapped UK-based Frazer-Nash to begin work on a Mach 5-capable flying testbed that will be used to test technology for future reusable spacecraft.

In late 2021, ESA published the first invitation to tender (ITT) for its Flying Engine Testbed initiative, which it dubbed INVICTUS. According to the call, the goal of the initiative was to develop a vehicle capable of Mach 5 flight in the Earth’s atmosphere. The vehicle would be required to be fully reusable and capable of wide reconfigurability, including the use of different avionics, materials, and propulsion solutions. According to a June 2021 ESA update published prior to the issuance of the ITT, the agency aimed to have the vehicle flying within four years. (7/19)

Senate Appropriators Reject Proposal to Cancel TraCSS (Source: Space News)
Senate appropriators have rejected a White House proposal to terminate funding for the civil space traffic coordination system TraCSS. The White House had proposed reducing the Office of Space Commerce (OSC) budget significantly for FY2026, citing the private sector's ability to provide space situational awareness (SSA) and space traffic management (STM) services. The Senate Appropriations Committee, however, deemed SSA and STM to be "inherently governmental" functions and approved $60 million for TraCSS's operational expansion.

Industry groups also advocated for TraCSS funding, emphasizing its importance for satellite operators and the potential negative impacts of its absence on the U.S. industry. TraCSS is currently in beta testing, with a recent update introducing new features for users. A session to discuss updated specifications for TraCSS messages is planned for August 1, 2025. (7/18)

Starlink Officially Launched in Bangladesh (Source: Financial Express)
In a major development for Bangladesh's digital transformation, US satellite internet major Starlink was officially launched in the country on Friday. Faiz Ahmad Taiyeb, Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser for the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, made the announcement at a press conference. (7/18)

Ham Radio Users Clash With AST SpaceMobile Over Spectrum Use (Source: PC Mag)
AST SpaceMobile and its giant satellites are facing opposition from a surprising group: Amateur "ham" radio operators. The community is protesting AST SpaceMobile's request to use the 430 to 440MHz band, which includes spectrum already allocated for ham radio operations, including emergency communications. An amateur radio operator in Germany named Mario Lorenz is asking the US Federal Communication Commission to deny AST's proposal to use the spectrum outside the US. (7/18)

Patrick Space Force Base Welcomes New Commander (Source: WESH)
Patrick Space Force Base hosted a ceremonial change of command on Friday, as Maj. Gen. Timothy Sejba passed the flag of command to Major General James Smith. For decades, Patrick Space Force Base was known as Patrick Air Force Base. In the ceremony, Sejba, the commander for three years, officially passed the flag of command to Maj. Gen. James Smith, who is fresh from the Pentagon, was the top graduate of his class at the Air Force Academy and was stationed at the base years ago. (7/18)

USSF Cuts R-GPS Funds For 2026 Amid Future Enterprise Study (Source: Aviation Week)
The U.S. Space Force is reviewing its GPS enterprise in the 2026 budget cycle due to rising adversarial jamming and spoofing threats. Recent budget documents reveal the service plans to eliminate research and development funding for the program. This decision comes as the Space Force faces increased challenges in maintaining the resilience of its space-based GPS system against electronic warfare threats. (7/18)

Falcon Rocket Places 24 More Starlink Satellites Into Space From California on Friday (Source: Noozhawk)
This week’s second Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base delivered two dozen more Starlink satellites into orbit Friday night. The two-stage rocket built by SpaceX blasted off from Space Launch Complex-4 with the post-sunset sky providing the perfect palette for some spectators to watch the ascent. (7/18)

Canada Will Feel the Impact ‘Severely’ if NASA Cuts Funding (Source: CTV)
As NASA faces the threat of $6 billion in cuts under President Trump’s budget request, one astronomy expert says Canada will certainly feel the impact if the drastic financial reductions go through. Paul Delaney says the budget cuts will directly impact not just the Canadian Space Agency, but all researchers that are involved in space science.

One item that Delaney says may be on the chopping block is the latest version of the Canada Arm, or Canadarm3, which is the country’s contribution to the U.S.-led Gateway project, a space station in lunar orbit. “The impact on Canada, in terms of both hardware generation, as well as research, could be extremely significant, forcing us of course to go elsewhere to lend our expertise,” he said. (7/19)

Possible Starship Salvage Operation Underway off Coast of Mexico (Source: NSF)
NSF is currently tracking a developing situation involving the salvage of SpaceX Starship booster parts off the coast near Brownsville, Texas.  The construction and salvage ship LB Jill appeared on the Port of Brownsville’s manifest, explicitly stating “To Load Rocket Parts 1 M/T,” strongly suggesting salvage operations of rocket debris from previous Starship flights. The vessel has been maintaining position near an area where rocket debris from a previous launch may have drifted due to ocean currents. (7/18)

Blue Origin, Relativity Space, Stoke Space, and More All Completing Major Upgrades at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: NSF)
Numerous upgrades have been observed during NSF’s recent flyover, as efforts continue to bring upgraded systems online for commercial launchers, including SpaceX, Blue Origin, Relativity Space, Stoke Space, and ULA, as well as NASA’s SLS. Renovations of old launch facilities, new land leases, and other developments have also been seen from the sky, providing a glimpse of new and upcoming upgrades across the entire Space Coast. Click here. (7/18)

China Conducts Structural Tests for Long March 10 Human Spaceflight Rocket (Source: Space News)
China appears to have conducted structural verification tests on its new Long March 10A rocket. Structural testing typically involves applying static and dynamic loads to a ground-based rocket model to validate its ability to handle flight stresses. The Long March 10A is a partially reusable variant designed for crewed missions. China targets its maiden flight in 2026, supporting lunar exploration and crewed spaceflight plans. (7/18)

Poland's SatRev Launches Omani Ground Station Amid International Expansion (Source: Space News)
Polish space infrastructure company SatRev has handed over a new ground station to its client, Oman. The station’s launch is part of the Polish company’s expansion into the Middle East’s space sector, and marks the culmination of its ongoing cooperation with ETCO Space, an Omani state-run company. (7/18)

York Space Systems Parent Company to Acquire ATLAS Space Operations (Source: York)
York Space Systems announced that its parent company has agreed to acquire ATLAS Space Operations, a pioneer in Ground Software as a Service (GSaaS) for satellite communications. The move brings York a powerful, software-led ground architecture that simplifies operations, removes integration barriers, and enhances space-to-ground resilience—accelerating York's ability to deliver secure, mission-ready space systems at unmatched speed and value. (7/18)

SpaceX Worker Injury Rates at Starbase Outpace Industry Rivals (Source: Tech Crunch)
SpaceX employees are more likely to be injured while working at Starbase than any of its other manufacturing facilities, according to company worker safety records. Starbase logged injury rates that were almost 6x higher than the average for comparable space vehicle-manufacturing outfits and nearly 3x higher than aerospace manufacturing as a whole in 2024, according to OSHA data released in May. That outsized injury rate has persisted since 2019, when SpaceX began sharing Starbase injury data with the federal regulator.

The data suggests that SpaceX’s rapid progress comes at a cost. And while injury rates alone don’t provide a complete picture of the safety culture at Starbase, they do offer a rare glimpse into the working conditions of the world’s leading space company. OSHA uses a standardized safety metric called Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) to measure a company’s safety record and compare it to industry peers, like Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance. The publicly available data has limitations. It doesn’t distinguish between minor injuries like stitches versus serious incidents such as amputations.

Editor's Note: It's easy for SpaceX's competitors to have lower incident rates if they're not building and launching nearly as many rockets. (7/18)

Starlink Works Great if Hardly Anyone Uses It (Source: Washington Post)
There’s an irony with Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service beamed from space: The more popular it becomes, the worse its speeds and reliability tend to get. Those limitations are known, but a new analysis estimates the tipping point at which Starlink connections could bog down: With as few as 419 Starlink customers in an area the size of Tacoma, Washington, service for all users in the area could become unusable. (7/18)

Trump's Defunding of NASA Would Be Catastrophic (Source: Engadget)
Adjusted for inflation, it would leave NASA with the smallest operating budget it has had since Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human to travel to space in 1961. In the process, it would eviscerate the agency's science budget by nearly half, resulting in the termination of 55 ongoing and or planned missions. It would also leave NASA with its smallest workforce in 70 years. All this, at a time when the agency has been tasked with returning to the Moon and bringing the first humans to Mars.

"There's no historical precedent to this level of single year, functionally indiscriminate and dramatic cuts. You lose, in one year, a third of all active science projects. [The Trump administration is] proposing to turn off missions that are performing not just good science, but unique and irreplaceable science. This isn't so they can reinvest the money in some radical new science efforts. No, the money is gone," said Dreier. "It's almost certainly the greatest threat to NASA science activities in the history of the space agency." (7/17)

Multi-State (Not Florida) Senate Coalition Bill Would Promote Space Center Leasing, Research and Exploration, Mostly in Texas (Source: Space Policy Online)
U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-TX), Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA), Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS) introduced the Space Exploration Research Act to promote aeronautical and space research, educate a 21st century space workforce, and enhance U.S. commercial competitiveness in the space and aerospace industries.

The legislation authorizes the NASA Administrator to lease and lease-back certain property to alleviate roadblocks for the development and use of property adjacent to NASA facilities. The bill also helps Johnson Space Center (JSC) remain as a lead center for training and exploration activities, which will make Texas a hub for job growth in the space and aerospace industry. (7/18)