New Zealand Tightens Oversight of
Ground Stations (Source: Reuters)
New Zealand has updated its national space law to provide more
oversight of ground stations. The Outer Space High Altitude Activities
Amendment Bill, approved on Wednesday and which takes effect next week,
will set up new oversight and safeguards for ground-based space
infrastructure like tracking stations. The law was prompted by concerns
from the country’s intelligence service that other countries tried to
set up ground stations in the country intended to assist “foreign
military activity that could have harmed New Zealand interests.” (7/23)
Guetlein Plans Golden Dome
Architecture in Two Months (Source: Space News)
The general now in charge of the Golden Dome missile defense system
says he will have an architecture for it ready in 60 days. Speaking at
a Space Foundation conference Tuesday, Gen. Michael Guetlein said he’s
been instructed to provide in 60 days an “objective architecture” or an
initial, end-to-end blueprint for how satellites, sensors,
interceptors, command networks and other components will integrate into
a unified missile shield.
He said he will work to bring together existing missile defense
projects into that integrated architecture, along with new technologies
like space-based missile interceptors. Guetlein was confirmed by the
Senate last week to lead Golden Dome, and reports directly to Deputy
Secretary of Defense Steve Feinberg, bypassing traditional chains of
command. (7/23)
Trump Seeks to Reduce Golden Dome
Reliance on SpaceX (Source: Reuters)
The administration is looking to expand the companies involved in
Golden Dome to reduce reliance on SpaceX. Officials have reached out to
companies like Amazon, Rocket Lab and Stoke Space about participating
in the effort. That outreach is intended, officials said, to reduce the
role SpaceX would play, which stems from the falling out between
President Trump and Elon Musk. SpaceX, though, would likely still have
a significant role given its capabilities in launch and satellites.
Musk noted on social media that federal acquisition regulations require
using the best companies and best prices. “Anything else would be
breaking the law.” (7/23)
Senator Seeks Expedited NASA Spending
Bill Passage (Source: Space News)
A key Senate appropriator wants to expedite passage of a spending bill
that includes NASA. Speaking at the Space Foundation conference
Tuesday, Sen. Jerry Moran (R-KS), who chairs the appropriations
subcommittee that funds NASA, says he wants to attach his
subcommittee’s spending bill, approved by the full committee last week,
to the “MilCon-VA” appropriations bill that the full Senate plans to
take up soon. Several other appropriations bills might also be added to
that legislation, which he said is intended to address concerns the
overall appropriations process may “deteriorate over time” this fall.
Moran also called for the White House to select a new NASA
administrator nominee, arguing having Sean Duffy serve as both acting
NASA administrator and secretary of transportation is too heavy of a
workload. (7/23)
SDA's Planned Constellation is "Make
or Break" (Source: Space News)
The development of a Space Development Agency (SDA) satellite
constellation is at a “make-or-break” moment. Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy,
the acting assistant secretary of the Air Force for space acquisition
and integration, said the first of several Tranche 1 launches of the
SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture constellation is
expected within the next month. Tranche 1 includes 126 Transport Layer
communications satellites and 28 Tracking Layer satellites for missile
warning and tracking. Purdy said the Tranche 1 satellites will be
deployed in monthly launches over the next year. (7/23)
Space Force Plans to Use Several
Companies to Develop GEO Surveillance Satellites (Source: Space
News)
The Space Force plans to select several companies to develop
surveillance satellites in geostationary orbit. Purdy said the service
will go with multiple companies to produce satellites to replace the
current Geosynchronous Space Situational Awareness Program
constellation built by Northrop Grumman. The new procurement, named
Geosynchronous Reconnaissance & Surveillance Constellation, or
RG-XX, represents the Space Force’s transition to a satellite
acquisition model that leverages commercial technologies from the
private sector. The new systems, used to monitor other spacecraft in
GEO, will rely on large numbers of smaller, less expensive spacecraft.
(7/23)
AST SpaceMobile Seeks FCC Approval for
Direct-to-Phone Service for First Responders (Source: Space News)
AST SpaceMobile is seeking regulatory approval to provide
direct-to-smartphone satellite connectivity for first responders in the
United States. The company filed a request with the FCC to provide
those services using Band 14 frequencies, via AT&T’s
government-backed FirstNet program, to enable connectivity in areas
without terrestrial coverage. The FCC is expected to put both filings,
along with other AST SpaceMobile applications related to Supplemental
Coverage from Space, out for public notice prior to any decision. (7/23)
Global Space Economy Jumps to $613
Billion (Source: Space News)
The global space economy hit a new record high in 2024. Heather
Pringle, CEO of the Space Foundation, announced that the global space
economy, including all commercial and government activity, was valued
at $613 billion in 2024. That is an increase of 7.8% from 2023, she
said, and puts the space economy on a pace to reach $1 trillion by
2032. (7/23)
SpaceX Launches SES Satellites at Cape
Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Space News)
SpaceX launched a pair of SES satellites Tuesday afternoon, one day
after a last-minute scrub. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral,
Florida, at 5:12 p.m. Eastern. It deployed two O3b mPower satellites
for SES into medium Earth orbits. A launch attempt Monday was called
off less than 15 seconds before liftoff for an undisclosed issue. SES
now has 10 O3b mPower satellites in orbit to provide broadband
services. Three more mPower satellites are being built by Boeing for
launch next year. (7/23)
China Faces Launcher Shortage to
Deploy Megaconstellation (Source: South China Morning Post)
A launch vehicle shortage is delaying deployment of a Chinese
megaconstellation. Only about 90 satellites in the Qianfan, or Thousand
Sails, constellation have launched to date, far short of the goal of
having 648 satellites in orbit by the end of the year. The slow
deployment is linked to a lack of available launch vehicles, one source
said, which could affect Qianfan’s ability to compete with SpaceX’s
Starlink as well as access to spectrum reserved for the system. (7/23)
Trump Considers Reducing Environmental
Regulations for Commercial Launches (Source: ProPublica)
The Trump administration is reportedly considering reducing
environmental regulations for commercial launches. A draft of an
executive order developed by the White House would direct the secretary
of transportation to “eliminate or expedite” environmental reviews for
launch licenses.
Many in the industry have argued that such reviews have slowed
approvals for licenses, but some groups warn the move could jeopardize
the environment and public safety. The executive order would also call
for revisions to Part 450, FAA launch licensing regulations enacted
several years ago that the industry says have been difficult to
implement. Editor's
Note: This seems like a job for the proposed multi-state compact
that would reassign many launch regulatory responsibilities to a group
of states. (7/23)
New UK Rocket Test Facility Will
Support UK Space Sector’s Stellar Ambitions (Source: University
of Gllasgow)
A Cold War-era armored building close to the Mull of Kintyre is set to
see action again as the base for a cutting-edge rocket test and
teaching facility. The facility, called MachLab, has opened at a
business park on the site of the former RAF Machrahanish airbase near
Campbeltown.
MachLab was established by researchers from the University of Glasgow
and backed by close to £500,000 in funding from industry, including
matched contribution from the UK Space Agency. It aims to support the
research and development of new rocket engines capable of delivering up
to one tonne of thrust. Researchers from academia and industry will be
able to fire experimental rocket designs and gather data on their
performance using MachLab’s custom-built test stand. (7/23)
Golden Dome Sparks Surge in Space
Defense Globally (Source: Bloomberg)
US defense spending on space increased 7.7% to $49.5 billion in 2024,
outpacing the combined 2.3% growth of other nations, according to the
Space Foundation. This surge comes as President Donald Trump advances
the Golden Dome missile shield initiative. (7/22)
EPA Employees Still in the Dark as
Agency Dismantles Scientific Research Office (Source: WIRED)
Employees of the crucial scientific research arm of the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) have been left with more questions than answers
as the agency moves to officially wind down the office following months
of back-and-forth. On Friday evening, the EPA issued a press release
announcing a reduction in force at the Office of Research and
Development (ORD), citing the move as part of a larger effort to save a
purported $748.8 million.
On Monday, some employees at ORD, the largest office in the agency,
began receiving emails saying that they’d been assigned new positions
within the EPA. “Please note, this is not an offer, but a notice of
reassignment,” says a letter sent to an employee and viewed by WIRED;
the employee had previously applied to positions within the agency, as
ORD employees were instructed to do in May. “There is no action you
need to take to accept the reassignment, and there is no option to
decline. (7/21)
Lockheed Records $1.6B in Losses (Source:
Breaking Defense)
Lockheed Martin booked $1.6 billion in losses and $169 million for
other charges during the second quarter of 2025 due to continued
challenges on a classified aircraft program, the loss of the Air
Force’s sixth generation fighter program and the potential restructure
of two international helicopter programs, the company announced today.
(7/22)
Rocket Lab’s First Hurdle to Flying
its New Rocket is Getting it to the Pad (Source: Tech Crunch)
Rocket Lab has asked regulators for permission to transport oversized
Neutron rocket structures through shallow waters to a spaceport off the
coast of Virginia as it races to meet a September delivery deadline.
The request, which was made in July, is a temporary stopgap while the
company awaits federal clearance to dredge a permanent channel to the
Wallops Island site.
Rocket Lab plans to launch its Neutron medium-lift rocket from the
Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS) on Wallops Island, Virginia, a
lower-traffic spaceport that’s surrounded by shallow channels and
waterways. The company currently launches its Electron small rocket
from this location.
Rocket Lab has a sizable checklist to tick off before Neutron can make
its orbital debut, like mating the rocket stages, performing a “wet
dress” rehearsal, and getting its launch license from the FAA. Before
any of that can happen, the rocket hardware needs to make it onto the
island. (7/22)
NASA Hacks Jupiter Probe Camera to
Recover Vital Images (Source: DigWatch)
NASA engineers have revealed they remotely repaired a failing camera
aboard the Juno spacecraft orbiting Jupiter using a bold heating
technique known as annealing. Instead of replacing the hardware, which
was impossible given the 595 million kilometer distance from Earth, the
team deliberately overheated the camera’s internals to reverse
suspected radiation damage. JunoCam, designed to last only eight
orbits, surprisingly survived over 45 before image quality deteriorated
on the 47th. Engineers suspected a voltage regulator fault and chose to
heat the camera to 77°F, altering the silicon at a microscopic level.
(7/22)
FAA: ‘Regional Power Outage’ Causes
Last-Minute Scrub of NASA’s TRACERS Mission (Source: Spaceflight
Now)
NASA’s next trip to space will be a rideshare mission with nine other
satellites sharing a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. However, it has to wait at
least another day after a last minute scrub of the mission. About 45
seconds before the planned liftoff, the SpaceX launch director called,
“Hold, hold, hold” and declared that the mission was aborted due to
“air space concerns.”
Following the scrub, SpaceX took to social media to reiterate that it
wasn’t able to proceed into launch “due to [FAA] airspace concerns that
created a no-go condition for launch.” SpaceX said it would try again
on Wednesday. The FAA said a power issue was to blame for the scrub. “A
regional power outage in the Santa Barbara area disrupted
telecommunications at the Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center,
which manages air traffic over the Pacific Ocean,” an FAA spokesperson
said. (7/22)
SpaceX Warns Investors Elon Musk Could
Return to US Politics (Source: Bloomberg)
There’s a new warning tucked into the tender offer for Elon Musk’s
SpaceX: The billionaire may not be done with politics just yet. Musk
previously served as senior adviser to President Donald Trump “in
connection with the Department of Government Efficiency and may in the
future serve in similar roles and devote significant time and energy to
such roles,” according to documents reviewed by Bloomberg and people
familiar with the content who were not authorized to speak publicly on
the matter.
The company added the language laying out such “risk factors” in
paperwork sent to investors discussing the transaction. It was the
first time this language is believed to have appeared in these tender
offers, some of these people said. SpaceX’s most recent offer values
the rocket and satellite maker at about $400 billion, which would make
it the most valuable private company in the world. (7/22)
Mysterious Red Dots in Early Universe
Could Be Seeds of Supermassive Stars (Source: Science Alert)
When the JWST began science observations in July 2022, it flung open a
whole new window on the Universe. The JWST looked further back in time
than any other telescope, and it revealed several surprises. One of
them was the Little Red Dots (LRD); ancient, faint objects that the
powerful space telescope detected as far back as only 600 million years
after the Big Bang.
The JWST found more than 300 LRDs, and their brightness suggested
enormous stellar masses. While early thinking suggested they're
galaxies, not all agreed. New research suggests that the LRDs are not
actually galaxies, but instead a type of hypothesized star called
Supermassive Stars (SMS). Astronomers think that SMS are critical
intermediate stages in the formation of SMBH seeds. These SMBHs power
the quasars that scientists have observed in the early Universe. (7/22)
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