September 21, 2025

NASA Safety Panel Warns Starship Lunar Lander Could Be Delayed by Years (Source: Space News)
During a public meeting on Sep. 19, members of the Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel said they believed the Human Landing System, or HLS, version of Starship could be "years late." This assessment came after panel members visited SpaceX's Starbase facility and met with company officials.

Panel member Bill Bray specifically flagged concerns about both the HLS and Axiom Space's timeline for developing new lunar spacesuits, stating that any delays could significantly jeopardize the planned lunar landing and result in further postponements. Bray noted the path forward for Artemis 3 and beyond is "uncertain and a little murky," raising concerns about the program's overall safety and risk posture. (9/20)

Why Should People Move to Alabama for Space Command? (Source: AL.com)
You think Huntsville had a dramatic plunge in the U.S. News & World Report Best Places to Live rankings? It does not compare to the fall of its former rival for U.S. Space Command headquarters, Colorado Springs. While Huntsville fell from the top spot in 2022 to 85th in this year’s expanded rankings, Colorado Springs, which is losing Space Command to the Rocket City, fell from No. 3 to 406th in just one year.

One reason may add to the incentives for the 1,700 Space Command employees to transfer to Alabama. Colorado Springs ranked in the top 15% of the 850 cities U.S. News & World Report among the highest crime rates. Both violent and property crime rates are significantly higher in Colorado Springs than in cities of similar size, according to the rankings, while Huntsville’s crime rate is lower than the national average and has been dropping despite the area’s population growth. (9/20)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Satellites on Sunday Florida Flight (Source: Spaceflight Now)
A sunrise launch from SpaceX on Sunday flew from Cape Canaveral, sending 28 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit from Launch Complex 40. (9/21)

NASA Puts in an Order with Blue Origin to Work on Sending VIPER Rover to Moon’s South Pole (Source: Geekwire)
NASA has selected Blue Origin o help it resurrect a mission to send a robotic prospector to the moon’s south polar region. Blue Origin will be tasked with drawing up a plan to deliver the VIPER rover to the moon in late 2027, using its uncrewed Blue Moon MK1 cargo lander. This would be Blue Origin’s second lunar lander. The first lander is due for launch as early as this year, with the objective of delivering NASA’s SCALPSS camera system and a retroreflective array to the lunar surface. (9/19)

Earth's Next 'Mini-Moon' Could Create a Gold Rush for Asteroid Miners (Source: Space.com)
Space entrepreneurs and scientists are gearing up for the next asteroid visit, with the aim of capturing future space rocks and mining them. 2024 PT5 was called a "mini-moon," though this term was used loosely. A mini-moon is supposed to complete one full orbit of the Earth, but asteroid 2024 PT5 exited Earth's gravitational pull before it could make a whole trip. Still, the space rock mirrored our true moon's orbit overhead, earning it the mini-moon moniker — and it was indeed full of rare earth metals. (9/21)

New NOAA Satellite to Replace Aging Space Weather Sentinels (Source: Space.com)
On Sep. 23, a spacecraft will launch with a clear mission — to keep a constant watch on the sun to help protect Earth from space weather. The satellite, Space Weather Follow-On L1 (SWFO-L1), is launching just in time, as scientists warn our aging fleet of solar sentinels is reaching the end of its life. (9/19)

Space Projects Unlock Climate and Transport Innovations (Source: Gov.UK)
Six innovative projects will use satellite technology and AI to transform how Britain tackles climate change, manages transport networks and supports accessible travel, following £1.5 million in UK Space Agency funding. Delivered through the Unlocking Space for Business program, the projects demonstrate how satellite data combined with artificial intelligence can deliver practical, scalable solutions to real-world challenges. This supports the Government’s Industrial Strategy by driving innovation in priority sectors, accelerating growth and developing technological leadership. (9/15)

Space Norway Signs New Launch Agreement with SpaceX (Source: Space Norway)
Space Norway has signed a contract with SpaceX for the launch of the new communications satellite, THOR 8, into geostationary orbit. The mission, which will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in 2027, will strengthen Space Norway’s communications capacity for both governmental and commercial clients. (9/15)

Groundbreaking New Sensor Transforms How Europe Tracks Pollution, Smoke and Clouds from Space (Source: Eumetsat)
Air pollution remains the leading environmental health risk in Europe, with exposure to fine particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide and ground-level ozone linked to more than 350,000 premature deaths across European Union countries in 2022. A powerful new European satellite instrument has now returned its first images from space, offering a new window into the atmosphere and the particles that influence our health, weather and climate.

Experts revealed the first images from the Multi-Viewing, Multi-Channel, Multi-Polarisation Imager (3MI), which is designed to observe multiple signatures of the Earth’s atmosphere at once. When operational, the data streams from 3MI will support more accurate forecasts, better air quality and climate monitoring, and improved public health protection across Europe and beyond. (9/15)

Grants Program Set to Propel South Australia’s Space Industry (Source: Space Connect)
South Australia’s rapidly growing space sector is set for another lift-off, with the launch of the third round of the SA Space Collaboration and Innovation Fund on Tuesday, 23 September 2025. The latest round will award up to $150,000 each to two projects, continuing the Fund’s push to build a thriving, sustainable and commercially competitive space ecosystem in the state. (9/16)

Bruno: A Tale of Two Rockets (Source: Real Clear Defense)
The “Rule of 10s” dictates that a rocket optimized for GEO must endure ten times the mission duration, survive ten times the radiation exposure, and deliver ten times the orbital precision of a rocket designed for LEO. That, in turn, drives the “Rule of 2s”: The High energy rocket must have double the burn time, double the altitude, and two to three times the booster velocity of a LEO rocket. These aren’t design preferences — they are mission imperatives.

The payoff for meeting these demands is significant. A rocket designed for high-energy orbits can deliver roughly twice the payload mass to GEO, all things being equal. And it can often do so at 20 to 30 percent lower cost.

But specialization always comes with tradeoffs. A high-energy rocket can’t practically return its first stage for reuse — at those altitudes and velocities, the propellant margin just isn’t there. Conversely, a LEO-optimized rocket will usually be 20 to 30 percent less expensive for missions in LEO. Using a GEO rocket for a LEO payload wastes capability and can be more expensive. (9/15)

PLD Space Secures its First GNC Contract with ESA to Develop a Hybrid Navigation System for RLVs (Source: PLD Space)
PLD Space, an international space transportation company, has been officially selected by the European Space Research and Technology Center (ESTEC), part of ESA, for its first Guidance, Navigation and Control (GNC) contract. Under this contract, the company will develop HALCON (Hybridization Algorithms and Low-cost Components for Optimized Navigation), a new hybrid navigation software for reusable launch vehicles. (9/17)

PLD Space to Become the First Private Company to Launch From ELM-Diamant in French Guiana (Source: PLD Space)
PLD Space, an international space transportation company, takes a historic step by becoming the first private company to launch rockets from the ELM-Diamant area of the Guiana Space Centre (CSG) in Kourou. This achievement is the result of close collaboration with CNES since 2018, consolidated following the signing of the MIURA 5 Launch Complex development contract in June 2025. (9/18)

SES and K2 Space to Accelerate Development of Next-Generation MEO Network (Source: SES)
SES announced a strategic collaboration to advance the development of SES’s future medium Earth orbit (MEO) network. The collaboration combines SES’s decades of experience operating global multi-orbit networks, including its O3b mPOWER MEO network, with K2 Space’s agile engineering capabilities to co-develop future network infrastructure and technologies. (9/16)

HawkEye 360’s Cluster 12 Achieves Full Operational Capability (Source: HawkEye 360)
HawkEye 360 announced that Cluster 12 has officially reached Full Operational Capability (FOC). The three formation-flying satellites, launched on June 26 aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket, are now fully calibrated, commissioned, and integrated into HawkEye 360’s constellation — delivering mission-ready signals intelligence across key global regions. (9/17)

UAE Space Agency Organizes Space Economic Survey 2025 Workshop (Source: WAM)
The UAE Space Agency organized a workshop to launch the Space Economic Survey 2025 to measure the performance of the national space sector. The workshop was attended by representatives from federal and local government organizations, private sector leaders, academic and research institutions, as well as representatives of emerging and investment companies operating in the space sector. (9/17)

Lifesaving Leonardo Technology Launched on New METOP-SG ESA Satellite (Source: Leonardo)
Leonardo celebrated the success of their sensor technology which has been deployed on an ESA satellite. The sensors will enable meteorologists around the globe to provide lifesaving weather forecasts and extend climate records. The Leonardo sensors are fitted to the Infrared Atmospheric Sounding Interferometer New Generation (IASI-NG) instrument aboard the METOP-SG (A) weather satellite, which was launched on the Ariane 6 launcher from French Guiana on 13 August. (9/16)

Lofgren Expresses Concern Over NASA’s Relationship with Department of Defense (Source: House Democrats)
Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) sent a letter to NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy expressing her serious concern regarding NASA’s relationship with the Department of Defense. “It is my understanding that NASA’s relationship with the Department of Defense (DoD) continues to evolve. I have serious concerns about NASA’s developing relationship with the U.S. Air Force that will need to be addressed. NASA must remain focused on its mission as a civil space agency and a scientific agency."

"It cannot permit unrelated priorities to distract it from its mission or impair its ability to achieve its ambitious objectives in space for the benefit of humanity here on Earth. Just as importantly, it must avoid taking any action that could undermine the inimitable place NASA holds in the public imagination. I will not hesitate to make these points as I conduct oversight on this issue in the weeks and months to come. In the meantime, I request that NASA immediately inform the Committee should it take any actions that will impact its ability to carry out its mission due to its relationship with DoD.” (9/17)

Leading Industry Associations Urge Immediate Action to Address GPS Jamming and Spoofing (Source: GPS Alliance)
A group of leading associations called on the Departments of Defense and Transportation to take immediate action to address the growing threat of GPS signal jamming and spoofing. This represents the most significant statement yet made on jamming and spoofing by key U.S. industries that rely on GPS to function, drawing attention to the critical role GPS plays in ensuring U.S. economic prosperity, public safety, and national security. (9/18)

Aerospace Corporation Names Tanya Pemberton as Next President and CEO (Source: Aerospace Corp)
The Aerospace Corporation has selected Tanya Pemberton as its next president and CEO. Pemberton steps into the role at a time of accelerating change across the space enterprise, guiding Aerospace as it works to solve the hardest technical problems and deliver on national priorities including layered missile defense, space warfighting and space exploration. Pemberton will succeed Steve Isakowitz, who will retire after leading Aerospace for nine years. (9/18)

Ten One Aerospace and Optimum Technologies Collaboration to Advance Space-Based Space Domain Awareness (Source: Optimum Technologies)
Ten One Aerospace and Optimum Technologies LLC announced a strategic collaboration to deliver a comprehensive suite of electro-optical solutions designed to enhance the nation’s capabilities in space-based Space Domain Awareness (SDA). Ten One Aerospace will focus on a wide field-of-view electro-optical systems, enabling persistent monitoring of broad areas of space to detect and track resident space objects. Optimum Technologies will provide narrow field-of-view electro-optical systems, delivering high-resolution imaging and detailed characterization of individual space objects. (9/18)

French Military Leader Warns of Increased 'Hostile' Activity in Space (Source: Reuters)
France’s top military space official has warned of intensifying "hostile or unfriendly" activity in space, particularly by Russia, joining a growing chorus of Western powers publicly warning about a rapidly growing security threat. There has been a significant spike in hostile activity since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. (9/19)

Firefly Cleared to Resume Alpha Launches After April Mishap at Vandenberg (Source: Lompoc Record)
Firefly Aerospace has received clearance from the FAA to resume Alpha rocket launches, four months after a stage separation failure ended the company's most recent mission. The April 29 "Message in a Booster" flight, Alpha's sixth mission, lifted off from Space Launch Complex 2 at Vandenberg Space Force Base through heavy fog.

But just after stage separation, the rocket's first stage ruptured, sending a pressure wave into the second stage and damaging its Lightening engine nozzle extension. The loss of thrust left the second stage three seconds short of orbital velocity, and the vehicle and payload safely impacted the Pacific Ocean north of Antarctica. (9/19)

SpaceX to Make Major Investment in Florida’s Space Coast to Boost Rocket Launches (Source: WFTV)
SpaceX is making a major investment in Florida’s Space Coast. The investments include road and utility improvements, aiming to transform Cape Canaveral into a hub where rockets can launch as frequently as airplanes do at an airport. SpaceX is partnering with NASA, the U.S. Space Force, and state agencies to upgrade infrastructure, including for SpaceX’s Starship and Falcon Heavy rockets. (9/19)

Virtual Meeting Scheduled for Starship Airspace Updates (Source: Valley Central)
The FAA has issued the Draft Tiered Environmental Assessment for updates to airspace closures for SpaceX launches and landings at Boca Chica Beach. The Draft Tiered EA was developed to align with future SpaceX flight operations for different mission profiles. According to the FAA, the assessment would require the agency to modify SpaceX’s vehicle operator license to authorize updated operations for Starship launches and returns in Boca Chica. The FAA will host a virtual public meeting in October to discuss the Draft Tiered EA and its plan to modify SpaceX’s operator license. (9/19)

UAE Leads as Middle East Space Market Reaches $18bn (Source: Gulf Business)
The Middle East and Africa (MEA) space market is valued at $18bn, with the UAE holding a 40-45 percent market share, according to a new report from Boston Consulting Group (BCG). The report highlights the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar as the core of the region’s civil space investments, which are collectively driving the GCC’s emergence as a hub for space innovation. The report notes the UAE’s strategic commitment to space, with a $443m investment in civil space for 2024, corresponding to approximately 40-45 per cent of government spending across the MEA region. (9/19)