September 23, 2025

From Advice to Action on Space Nuclear Power (Source: Space Review)
A recent report recommended NASA take action to develop space nuclear power systems by the end of the decade. Jeff Foust reports that NASA is doing just that, seeking industry partnerships for a nuclear reactor on the Moon. Click here. (9/23)
 
Shhhhhh!!! Pay No Attention to the Big Bird… (Source: Space Review)
In 1971, the most powerful rocket yet to launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base was set to make its debut. Dwayne Day examines how the NRO sought to limit publicity for the launch as well as how that rocket’s payload earned a famous nickname. Click here. (9/23)
 
Astroelectricity: America’s National Energy Security Imperative (Source: Space Review)
Demand for renewable energy sources will continue to grow as both overall energy demand increases and non-renewable supplies decline. Mike Snead lays out the case that space-based solar power is the best option to provide that renewable energy. Click here. (9/23)
 
For Too Long, Colonial Language Has Dominated Space Exploration. There is a Better Way (Source: Space Review)
The concept of a “space race” among countries and companies has gained new traction in recent years. Art Cotterell and William Grant argue that there are better ways to approach exploration and use of space. Click here. (9/23)

SECAF Warns of China Innovating Faster in Space (Source: Space News)
Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink warned that China’s growing space capabilities could create a second “Sputnik moment.” Meink said he is increasingly worried about the pace of innovation in the Air Force and Space Force. He compared that to China’s expanding investments and called for a renewed commitment to preserve U.S. superiority. One area of particular focus for the U.S. Space Force, Meink said, is “space control,” the ability to ensure that U.S. satellites can operate without interference while denying adversaries the same freedom. (9/23)

SDA: 21 More Tranche 1 Satellites On Track for October Launch (Source: Space News)
The next batch of Space Development Agency (SDA) satellites is scheduled to launch next month. Gurpartap “GP” Sandhoo, acting director of SDA, confirmed Monday that 21 satellites built by Lockheed Martin are on track to launch in October from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California. These Transport Layer Tranche 1 satellites would follow the first set of 21, built by York Space Systems, launched earlier this month. Lockheed has a contract to produce 42 such satellites, using buses from subsidiary Terran Orbital. (9/23)

Firefly Gains $15.5 Million in 2Q Revenue as Alpha Launch Preps Resume (Source: Space News)
Firefly Aerospace expects to resume Alpha launches in the near future. The company said in an earnings call Monday that the next Alpha launch will take place in the “coming weeks” with Lockheed Martin as the customer. The FAA allowed Firefly to resume Alpha launches last month after a failure during an April launch. Firefly said it anticipated conducting two Alpha launches the remainder of this year. The earnings call was the first for Firefly since going public last month, with the company reporting $15.5 million in revenue in the second quarter and an adjusted EBITDA loss of $47.9 million. (9/23)

SpaceX Launches NRO Satellites From California (Source: Space News)
SpaceX launched more satellites for a National Reconnaissance Office constellation Monday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 1:38 p.m. Eastern on the NROL-48 mission. The flight marked the 11th launch in the NRO’s growing “proliferated architecture” and the fifth such deployment of 2025. While details of the payload were not disclosed, the satellites are widely believed to be based on a government-specific variant of SpaceX’s Starlink design. SpaceX builds the spacecraft in partnership with Northrop Grumman, adapting commercial Starshield buses with military-grade payloads for national security use. The NRO now has more than 200 operational spacecraft in orbit. (9/23)

Is IRIS² Too Small? (Source: Space News)
Some European officials say the proposed IRIS² constellation is too small. At last week’s Space Defense and Security Summit, a European Commission official acknowledged criticism of the 290-satellite constellation, intended to provide secure broadband connectivity, as being “too late and too small.” That constellation should be considered the “minimum viable product” that could be scaled up over time, the official said, perhaps by companies investing to add satellites to provide more services. (9/23)

NASA Dragonfly Mission Advances Through Crucial Development and Testing Stages (Source: Space Daily)
NASA's Dragonfly mission has successfully cleared several major design, development, and testing milestones, keeping it on track for launch in July 2028. Dragonfly, a nuclear-powered, car-sized rotorcraft built at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL), will journey to Saturn's moon Titan to conduct a three-year exploration of its surface. Following a six-year cruise, the aircraft will fly between diverse landing sites, carrying instruments designed to probe Titan's habitability and search for the chemical precursors of life. (9/17)

Voyager Debuts First Space Based Multi Cloud Region to Advance Orbital Data Processing (Source: Space Daily)
Voyager Technologies has deployed Space Edge to the International Space Station, creating what it describes as the first multi-cloud region in orbit. The platform introduces real-time space-based data processing capabilities. Developed by LEOcloud, a recent Voyager acquisition, Space Edge is a space-hardened cloud infrastructure designed to reduce latency, improve security, and lower data transport costs. By processing information directly in orbit, the system enables up to 30 times faster performance compared with traditional satellite-to-ground methods. (9/17)

NASA Webb Probes Atmosphere Scenarios for TRAPPIST-1 e (Source: Space Daily)
Scientists using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope are focusing on TRAPPIST-1 e, one of seven Earth-sized planets orbiting a nearby red dwarf star. Early results suggest the planet likely lost its original hydrogen-helium atmosphere, but possibilities remain for a secondary atmosphere that could sustain liquid water under the right conditions. TRAPPIST-1 e lies in its star's habitable zone, where surface water is theoretically possible. Webb's Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) captured light as the planet transited its star, searching for spectral signatures of atmospheric gases. After four such observations, researchers have ruled out some scenarios but stress that further data are essential. (9/17)

NATO to Spend $728M on Space Data Management (Source: Breaking Defense)
NATO has committed $728 million to enhance its Space Operations Center at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. The funding will support the development of the Allied Exchange Environment, a data management system modeled on the US Space Force's Unified Data Library, to improve space domain awareness and intelligence sharing. (9/22)   
 
Ursa Major Tapped as Space Mission Engine Supplier (Source: Defense Post)
Ursa Major will supply Draper rocket engines for national security space missions under terms of a recently announced $34.9 million contract. The Draper engine, which is mostly 3D-printed, uses noncryogenic and nontoxic propellants and can remain in storage for 10-plus years. The contract comes after a $28.6 million award from the Air Force Research Laboratory and a $32.9 million deal with Stratolaunch to support hypersonic test flights for the Navy. (9/23)

NASA Selects All-American 2025 Class of Astronaut Candidates (Source: NASA)
NASA’s 10 new astronaut candidates were introduced Monday following a competitive selection process of more than 8,000 applicants from across the United States. The class now will complete nearly two years of training before becoming eligible for flight assignments supporting future science and exploration missions to low Earth orbit, the Moon, and Mars. With the addition of these 10 individuals, NASA now has recruited 370 astronaut candidates since selecting the original Mercury Seven in 1959. (9/22)

'Completely Unexplained': James Webb Telescope Finds Strange 'Dark Beads' in Saturn's Atmosphere (Source: Live Science)
The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered strange "dark beads "above a four-armed star pattern in Saturn's atmosphere. The surprising structures are unlike anything scientists have seen before, and they're not sure what they are. The unusual features were discovered by JWST's Near Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) as it peered into the gas giant's atmosphere above the hexagonal storm that swirls at the planet's north pole.

The astronomers expected to see emissions across broad bands of the infrared spectrum in the atmospheric layers above the vortex. Yet what they noticed instead were dark, bead-like features — separated by vast distances yet possibly interconnected — drifting slowly in the charged plasma of the planet's ionosphere. (9/22)

NASA Moves Forward on Major Transformations at Goddard and Wallops (Source: NASA Watch)
Last week, NASA leadership gave Goddard a green light to move forward with plans to reduce our footprint into fewer buildings, both office and technical space. This will bring down overall operating costs while maintaining the critical facilities needed for core capabilities. Unlike previous large-scale Center reconfigurations, which occurred over a number of years, these new changes will take place over the next several months and will be completed by March of 2026. (9/22)