July 7, 2025

Starlink: The Newest Asset for Rebel and Jihadist Groups in West Africa (Source: Le Monde)
From Mali to Chad, Starlink kits have increasingly become part of the equipment used by jihadist and rebel groups. Over the past two years, numerous videos and images have circulated on social media, showing the armed groups using the satellite internet system created by billionaire Elon Musk.

The hardware, recognizable by its white satellite dish mounted on a tripod, appeared in June 2024 in a video released by the Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda affiliate, during an operation in the Gao region of eastern Mali against the Islamic State in West Africa (ISWA). (7/5)

Trump 'Misrepresents' in Comments on Isaacman Nomination (Source: Space News)
President Trump now says it would have been 'inappropriate' for his original NASA administrator nominee, Jared Isaacman, to lead the space agency. In a social media post Sunday criticizing Elon Musk, Trump said that he was “surprised” to find that Isaacman had donated only to Democrats and that it was inappropriate that “a very close friend of Elon” should lead NASA given Musk’s role as CEO of SpaceX.

Isaacman has, in fact, donated to Republicans, although his recent donations have been to Democrats; Isaacman also denied in the confirmation process having a close friendship with Musk, calling their relationship “professional.” Trump’s comments came after Musk criticized the budget reconciliation bill and vowed to create a new political party. The White House has yet to nominate a replacement for Isaacman. (7/7)

Air Force Pauses Plans for Rocket Cargo Landing Pad at Pacific Island (Source: Space News)
The Air Force is pausing plans to establish landing pads on a remote Pacific island. The pads proposed for Johnston Atoll were intended to support the Air Force’s Rocket Cargo program, a military logistics initiative aiming to use commercial space vehicles to deliver supplies to any point on Earth within hours. The pads would have hosted up to 10 landings a year of vehicles like SpaceX’s Starship. The Air Force said last week, though, it has suspended the plans and will seek alternative locations after criticism from conservation groups about the environmental impacts of the landings on Johnston Atoll, a former military base that is now a wildlife refuge. (7/7)

UK Seeks Space Debris Removal Proposals (Source: UKSA)
The U.K. Space Agency is seeking proposals for a debris removal mission. The agency announced last week it started the procurement process for the Active Debris Removal (ADR) program, which will develop a spacecraft to deorbit two non-functioning U.K.-licensed satellites. The program has a value of £75.6 million ($102.9 million) with a projected launch by the end of 2028. The agency has been working with Astroscale and ClearSpace on developing technologies for such a mission. (7/7)

New Space Force Leadership at California Spaceport (Source: USSF)
Col. James T. Horne III is set to take command of Space Launch Delta 30 at Vandenberg Space Force Base, overseeing the Western Range, in a change-of-command ceremony this week. He succeeds Col. Mark Shoemaker, who is retiring after 28 years in the Air Force and Space Force. (7/7)

Philippines Considers Spaceport Development (Source: Manila Bulletin)
The Philippines is interested in developing a spaceport. The Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) said it wants to develop a site for launches through a public private partnership, arguing that spaceports serve as “gateways to new industries.” The PhilSA announcement provided few details on what vehicles the spaceport would support or how much it would cost to develop. (7/7)

US Military Cuts Climate Scientists Off From Vital Satellite Sea-Ice Data (Source: Space.com)
Climate scientists in the United States are to be cut off from satellite data measuring the amount of sea ice — a sensitive barometer of climate change — as the U.S. Department of Defense announces plans to cancel processing of the data for scientific research. The changes are the latest attacks by the U.S. government on science and the funding of scientific research in an effort to slash the budget to enable tax cuts elsewhere. (7/6)

Space Auction: Sally Ride Memorabilia Collection Sells for $145,000 (Source: Space.com)
A set of memorabilia chronicling Sally Ride's pioneering path to space just fetched a pretty penny at auction. In June 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman to reach the final frontier, on the STS-7 mission of the space shuttle Challenger. The mementoes — a set of more than 50 pieces called the Sally Ride Estate Collection — sold for a total of $145,666, according to Nate D. Sanders Auctions, which organized the event. (7/6)

MDA Space Closes Acquisition of SatixFy and Gets Contract Extension for Dark Vessel Detection Services (Source: SpaceQ)
MDA Space made two announcements this week. In the first (June 30) they announced a contract extension with the Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) to provide “continuous maritime satellite surveillance data and analytics services for dark vessel detection.” In the other (July 2), they announced the closing of the acquisition of SatixFy Communications Ltd. (7/4)

KSC Procurement Office Plans Industry-Day Event on Aug. 7 (Source: NASA)
The NASA KSC Office of Procurement will hold a Reverse Industry Day on August 7. This presents a valuable opportunity for collaboration and mutual learning between NASA team members and industry representatives—to gain insights into industry decision-making when pursuing contracts, understand their experience doing business with NASA, and explore how strategic communication and engagement can enhance competition, and lead to improved contract outcomes. Click here. (7/7)

Orbex Pre-Selected for European Launcher Challenge (Source: Orbex)
Orbex, the UK-based orbital launch services company, has been pre-selected by the European Space Agency (ESA) to take part in its prestigious European Launcher Challenge (ELC). Initiated in 2023, the ELC program aims to support the development of new sovereign European launch capabilities. It provides contractual and financial commitments to launch contracts for ESA programs and possibly other institutional customers from 2026 to 2030. Orbex was selected against a range of criteria including the suitability of its launch vehicle, the robustness of its business case, and the quality and credibility of its technical approach. (7/7)