September 22, 2025

London Science Museum Opens 'Space' with Apollo Capsule, UK Tech (Source: CollectSpace)
The only spacecraft to carry astronauts to the moon and today be on display outside of the United States is now back on exhibit. The Science Museum in London has returned to public view NASA's Apollo 10 command module as part of the opening of its new, aptly-titled gallery "Space." The capsule, which since 1978 has been on loan from the Smithsonian, went off display in June as it was moved into the refreshed and expanded exhibition. (9/21)

Van Hollen Underscores Illegality of Trump Action to End Collective Bargaining for Nonpartisan NASA, NOAA Employees (Source: Sen. Van Hollen)
U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies, underscored the illegality of President Trump’s August 28 executive order to end collective bargaining agreements between public employee unions representing workers at NASA and NOAA. In a letter to the President, the Senator criticizes the order as a continuation of the Administration’s illegal attacks on the rights of federal employees who work to track and predict severe weather, support our fishing industry, and enhance our understanding of earth and our universe, among other vital functions as part of the clear attempt to replace nonpartisan, merit-based workers with political cronies on a massive scale. (9/19)

Avio and SpaceLaunch Announce Launch Agreement for Vega C (Source: Avio)
Avio and SpaceLaunch, a U.S.-based launch services company headquartered in Austin, Texas, have signed a Launch Services Agreement to place an institutional Earth observation satellite into orbit aboard Vega C in 2027. The extra-European institutional customer, whose identity will be disclosed later this year, awarded the mission following an open international competition. (9/18)

Much to Gain from Malaysia's Space Exploration Endeavor (Source: New Straits Times)
Malaysia's venture into space exploration has been limited, but several milestones remain a source of national pride. Malaysia established the Malaysian Space Agency (MYSA) in 2019 and developed satellite programs such as MEASAT and RazakSAT, demonstrating recognition of space technology's importance for communication, Earth observation and national development.

Although Malaysia's direct participation in space colonization through major coalitions may be challenging, the technological benefits that spill over into local markets are invaluable. These advances can elevate societal prosperity and bring sustainable infrastructure into major cities. By investing in space-driven innovations, Malaysia positions itself as a progressive nation that leverages science and technology for economic growth and social wellbeing. This approach strengthens national resilience and ensures competitiveness in an increasingly technology-driven global landscape. (9/22)

Blue Alchemist Can Help Settlers Tap the Moon’s Resources (Source: The Hill)
With all eyes on SpaceX’s efforts to get the Starship super rocket operational, many would be forgiven for imagining that Elon Musk’s company is all that exists in commercial space. But other companies are also making strides that will help open the frontier of space to human activity and development. Some of that progress has to do not so much with how humans will return to the moon as with how they will live there.

One of the projects being undertaken by Blue Origin, the space company founded by Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, is a device called Blue Alchemist. It is an attempt to access the moon’s natural resources in a single process and transform them into useful materials for future lunar settlers. Blue Alchemist was awarded a $35 million NASA tipping point contract in July 2023 as a way to make solar cells out of lunar regolith. It had already been under development since 2021. (9/21)

Huge Crater Under North Sea Was Created by Asteroid Impact (Source: Guardian)
Deep below the seabed, 80 miles off the coast of Yorkshire, is a remarkable crater that has divided scientists – was it, thrillingly, created by an asteroid crash? Or more mundanely was it the result of geological salt movements? Today, the decades-long scientific debate can be settled. The Silverpit crater 700 meters below the seabed under the North Sea was in all likelihood created by a direct hit from an asteroid or comet about the size of York Minster that hurtled towards the Earth more than 43m years ago.

The 160-metre-wide asteroid smashed into the sea causing a 100-metre-high tsunami, say scientists. It was probably a very bad day for any early mammals in the area – but not as bad as the consequences of the asteroid smash that wiped out the dinosaurs 66m years ago. (9/20)

U.S. Is Losing Race to Return to Moon, Critics Say, Pointing at SpaceX (Source: New York Times)
Other parts of the NASA moon mission are nearly ready, after their own delays and cost overruns, and are set to be subject to a full-scale flight around the moon with astronauts next year. But SpaceX’s lunar lander project is now so far behind schedule that there are increasing doubts the United States will beat China, which has its own plan with a targeted landing date of 2030, back to the moon.

The concerns, which have reached the White House, follow the falling out between Mr. Musk and President Trump, which led to a call by Mr. Trump and others inside the administration to at least initially look for SpaceX contracts to pare back or cancel.  But seven current and former senior NASA officials are nervous that Mr. Musk has once again overpromised on what he could achieve by now.

Mr. Musk’s plan to carry two astronauts to the surface of the moon relies on a never-attempted refueling in space that the former NASA engineers say is so risky and behind schedule that it could be years before it is ready for the moon mission, meaning China is likely to get an astronaut there before the United States. (9/20)

Quantum Space Acquires Phase Four (Source: Space News)
Quantum Space is acquiring propulsion technologies and facilities from Phase Four. Quantum Space announced Monday the deal to acquire multi-mode propulsion technology from Phase Four, along with its facilities in Southern California, for an undisclosed sum. That propulsion technology allows a thruster to use the same propellant, including hydrazine or nontoxic ASCENT, in both chemical and electric propulsion modes. Quantum Space said it will use the technology for Ranger, the highly maneuverable spacecraft it is developing. The deal comes 10 days after satellite manufacturer Apex said it was acquiring Hall Effect thruster technology from Phase Four. (9/22)

China Promotes D2D with New Guidelines (Source: Space News)
China has moved to promote direct-to-device (D2D) services through new guidelines and licensing. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), which oversees China’s industrial policies and standards, issued a set of guidelines last month on D2D services. The guidelines explicitly support phone direct-to-satellite services, encourage partnerships between telecommunications giants and satellite firms, and commercial trials for Internet of Things (IoT) services. It calls for having large-scale services in place by 2030 that can serve more than 10 million customers. Following this, MIIT granted a license Sept. 9 to telecommunications firm China Unicom, one of three major telecom companies in the country, to operate satellite mobile services, positioning it to offer direct-to-phone satellite connectivity. (9/22)

Saudi Arabia: Space is a Strategic National Priority (Source: Space News)
Space is a strategic priority under Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 strategy to help diversify its economy. That effort is being led by Neo Space Group (NSG), a company backed by the country’s Public Investment Fund that has grown to nearly 800 employees in just 18 months. NSG has acquired a geospatial data platform and a provider of in-flight connectivity services but the company’s CEO said in a recent interview that it is still weighing other deals to meet sovereign demand in Saudi Arabia. That process may continue for another year before making “informed decisions” on acquisitions, partnerships or building its own capabilities. (9/22)

Maxar to Provide Nav System for AUDC Drones (Source: Space News)
Maxar Intelligence will provide a navigation system for a Taiwanese drone manufacturer. Taiwan’s Aerospace Industrial Development Corporation (AIDC) said it will deploy the Maxar Raptor software across Taiwan’s unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) industry, allowing drones to operate safely in regions where GPS signals are jammed. Raptor is a vision-based software suite that enables autonomous drones to navigate and extract accurate ground coordinates in the absence of GPS, using 3D maps derived from Maxar satellite imagery. (9/22)

India Plans "Bodyguard" Satellites (Source: Bloomberg)
The Indian government is reportedly proposing to develop “bodyguard” spacecraft to protect its satellites. The move came after an incident last year when a spacecraft from an unnamed country passed within one kilometer of an Indian remote sensing spacecraft in low Earth orbit. The report provided few details about how the bodyguard satellites would prevent further incidents beyond being able to identify and counter any threats. Such spacecraft have been proposed by other countries, primarily to protect high-value spacecraft in GEO. The move comes as India plans to invest $3 billion to produce dozens of satellites for national security applications. (9/22)

Prestwick Spaceport Effort Ends (Source: STV)
A Scottish community has given up on plans to turn an airport into a spaceport. The South Ayrshire Council said last week it was writing off nearly £3.3 million ($4.5 million) it has spent so far on an effort to establish a spaceport at Prestwick Airport near Glasgow. The council concluded that industry changes and the loss of key partners meant there was no longer a way to proceed with the spaceport plans. The spaceport would have been used for horizontal launches of spaceplanes, with few such vehicles in active development. (9/22)

The Power and Promise of Federally Funded Research (Source: CACM)
Technological innovation is not just a byproduct of American ingenuity—it has long been its driving force. Foundational studies have shown that most of the U.S.’s 20th-century productivity growth stemmed from domestic breakthroughs in science and technology. And as history has shown, this was no accident. After World War II, the U.S. government made a bold strategic choice: to link sustained federal support for research directly to national prosperity.

Yet despite these extraordinary returns, federal support for basic research is being sharply curtailed. Which raises a critical question: Can America remain a global innovation powerhouse if it sidelines the very engine that powered past progress? Can we afford to step back just as global competitors surge forward? Cutting scientific investments is not just a fiscal choice—it’s a strategic risk. It undermines the cycle that drives innovation, job creation, and economic prosperity. (9/11)

Tea Can Be Grown on the Moon (Source: Telegraph)
It’s one small step for man, one giant leap for teatime. Tea plants can be grown in the Moon’s soil, the University of Kent has claimed. Researchers planted saplings in soil that mimic those on the surface of the Moon and Mars and monitored how the plants develop over the course of several weeks. The tea plants in lunar soil flourished taking root and growing as well as those planted in local soil. In contrast, saplings planted in a simulated Martian surface failed to grow. (9/18)

Viasat to Develop Encryption System for Space Force (Source: Defense Post)
Viasat has been awarded a multi-year contract by the US Space Force's Space Systems Command to develop an advanced encryption system aimed at protecting satellites from cyber threats. The contract tasks Viasat's Defense and Advanced Technologies division with designing space-qualified hardware and integrating it with certified ground equipment for comprehensive testing. This initiative underscores the Space Force's commitment to enhancing the security of satellite communications against evolving cyber risks. (9/19)

RTX Raytheon Gets $1.7B for LTAMDS Production (Source: Military & Aerospace Electronics)
RTX Raytheon has secured a $1.7 billion contract from the U.S. Army for low-rate initial production of the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense System (LTAMDS). This contract, part of a larger deal now valued at $3.8 billion, enables early production of the advanced radar system intended to enhance U.S. missile defense capabilities and eventually replace the Patriot radar. Production work will be completed by December 2029. (9/22)   
 
L3Harris Lands Propulsion Contract for Javelin Missile (Source: National Interest)
L3Harris Technologies has received a $292 million contract to continue production of propulsion systems for the FGM-148 Javelin anti-tank missile. The contract includes the production of solid rocket motors, with L3Harris investing in modernized manufacturing processes to increase production capacity. The Javelin, has been notably used by Ukrainian forces against Russian tanks. (9/21)

Astronomers Find Black Hole Eating 3,000 Suns Per Year in Early Universe (Source: Interesting Engineering)
Deep in the distant universe, astronomers have found a black hole that seems to be breaking the usual rules for how fast these cosmic beasts can grow. The object, called RACS J0320-35, is so far away that its light has traveled 12.8 billion years to reach us, meaning we see it as just 920 million years after the Big Bang. Even at that early time, the black hole had already tipped the scales at about a billion times the mass of the Sun, and it shone in X-rays more brightly than any other black hole found in the universe’s first billion years. (9/21)

GSA Walks Back Mass Layoffs (Source: FNN)
The General Services Administration is looking to reinstate hundreds of laid-off employees who managed its governmentwide real estate portfolio. GSA’s Public Buildings Service is giving laid-off employees the option to return to their jobs, after sending them reduction-in-force notices earlier this year. GSA is giving PBS employees until the end of the day on Friday, Sep. 26, to accept or decline reinstatement. If employees accept the offer, they must report to their previous posts by Oct. 6. (9/22)

Constellations of Power: Smart Dragon-3 and the Geopolitics of China's Space Strategy (Source: Space Daily)
On 9 September, a Smart Dragon-3 rocket roared to life off the coast of Rizhao City, in eastern China's Shandong Province, carrying 11 Geely-05 satellites into orbit. Conducted from a maritime platform by the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre, the mission marked the seventh successful flight of the Smart Dragon-3 and another step forward in China's quest to fuse commercial innovation with national space ambitions.

Behind the technical achievement lies a deeper story: the growing convergence of China's private sector and state-led space strategy, and the ways in which satellite networks are set to redefine both the commercial and geopolitical landscape. Unlike similar ventures in the West - such as SpaceX's Starlink or Amazon's Kuiper - the Geely constellation is more tightly integrated with China's national strategy. Beijing has long sought to reduce dependence on foreign-controlled satellite services, particularly in areas where communications and navigation intersect with national security. (9/17)

Shandong Expands Launch Capacity with Record 115 Spacecraft Deployed (Source: Space Daily)
Shandong province has advanced its role in China's commercial space industry with the Sept 9 launch of the Smart Dragon-3 Y7 from an offshore platform, its second mission in just one month. The province is emerging as a hub for sea-based launch activity, industrial development, and satellite manufacturing.

According to Wang Chao of the Shandong Provincial Department of Industry and Information Technology, the region has completed 18 sea launch missions to date, sending 115 satellites into orbit. Officials emphasized that the clustering effect of the space industry is becoming increasingly pronounced across the province. (9/17)

Orbital Internet Exchange Plans Unveiled by DE-CIX (Source: Space Daily)
DE-CIX, the world's largest operator of Internet Exchanges, is extending its interconnection model beyond Earth. Through its Space-IX program, the company is laying the foundation for the first orbital Internet Exchange, enabling satellites and space-based systems to link seamlessly with terrestrial networks. Building on its network of 60 global IX locations that connect more than 4,000 providers, DE-CIX aims to extend this reach to low-Earth orbit constellations and other orbital infrastructure. (9/17)

Orbit Over Obsolescence: How Satellite Constellations Are Replacing Cell Towers One Layer at a Time (Source: Space Daily)
We're witnessing a foundational shift in the very meaning of a network. Once defined by ground-based coverage grids, today's communications systems are evolving into top-down orbital ecosystems. Starlink, SpaceX's growing low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellation, isn't just adding redundancy to ground networks - it's making a case for wholly replacing them in the areas where they have failed or cannot reach.

The company has already launched over 5,000 active satellites, creating a living mesh above the planet that offers internet connectivity where copper wire and cell towers can't and often won't go. With each added satellite, Starlink doesn't build toward city center throughput. It builds toward total Earth coverage, one orbital layer at a time. (9/19)