September 24, 2025

Unusual Gravitational Wave May Be Sign of Wormhole Linking Universes (Source: Science Alert)
In 2019, LIGO and Virgo recorded something truly bizarre – a gravitational wave event less than a tenth of a second in duration. Compared to the drawn-out chirps of black hole binaries on decaying orbital spirals, it was a sharp crack. The best explanation of the event, named GW190521, was a chance encounter of two black holes snaring each other in passing. Now, a new paper has presented an alternative, far more exotic option: the echo of a black hole collision in another universe, reverberating through a collapsing wormhole that formed as a result of that merger. (9/23)

Five CubeSats Successfully Deployed From "Kibo" (Source: JAXA)
Five cubesats were launched into orbit from the ISS’s "Kibo" Japanese Experiment Module (JEM) on Sep. 9. The CubeSats deployed were GHS-01, DRAGONFLY, STARS-Me2, RSP-03, and Atsushi Space Challenge. (9/22)

SpaceX Launches NASA and NOAA Payloads at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: Space News)
A Falcon 9 launched three space science missions this morning. The rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 7:30 a.m. Eastern, with the three spacecraft on board deployed about 90 minutes later. The primary payload on the mission is the Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP), which will study the interaction of the solar wind with the interstellar medium. NASA’s Carruthers Geocorona Observatory, which will examine the faint ultraviolet glow created by the Earth’s exosphere, also flew on the launch, along with NOAA’s Space Weather Follow On - L1 mission to monitor space weather. All three spacecraft will operate at the Earth-sun L1 Lagrange point. NASA arranged this “cosmic carpool” of missions as part of efforts by the agency to provide rideshare services and maximize the value of launches it procures. (9/24)

Lynker Supports NOAA Space Weather Forecasting (Source: Space News)
Lynker Space is working with NOAA to provide tailored space weather forecasts. Lynker will work with NOAA’s Space Weather Prediction Center to develop sector-specific alerts and warnings for operators of power grids and other critical infrastructure. A test to evaluate the new system is planned for next summer. (9/24)

France's Skynopy Working with ESA to Expand Satellite Downlink Rates (Source: Space News)
French ground station startup Skynopy is working with ESA to commercialize technology that could double satellite downlink rates. Skynopy said Wednesday it won a small ESA contract to integrate its software with three satellite operators, which will be selected through a competitive process next month. The work will focus on coding and modulation techniques that enable satellites to adjust their signal strength and efficiency to changing conditions, rather than relying on a single fixed transmission mode. That allows satellites to make full use of available bandwidth to transmit data from Earth observation satellites. (9/24)

ESA Picks WIVERN Mission as 11th Earth Explorer (Source: ESA)
ESA has selected for development a mission to probe the internal structure of clouds. ESA announced Tuesday it picked the Wind Velocity Radar Nephoscope, or WIVERN, as the 11th mission in its Earth Explorer program. WIVERN will measure the internal structure and wind profile within clouds and deliver precipitation profiles. The spacecraft would operate in low Earth orbit with a launch in the early 2030s. WIVERN beat out another mission concept, CAIRT, to measure links between climate change and atmospheric chemistry and dynamics. (9/24)

Next Starship Mission Tees Up at Starbase (Source: Space.com)
SpaceX is a step closer to its next Starship test flight. The company performed a static-fire test of the Starship upper stage at Starbase late Monday. The ship will be used for the Flight 11 mission, which could launch as soon as Oct. 6 based on maritime notices. This will be the last launch of version 2 of Starship as SpaceX plans to move to the larger version 3 for subsequent launches. (9/24)

Geely Raises $281 Million for IoT Constellation (Source: Space News)
Geely’s space subsidiary has raised $281 million to accelerate deployment of an Internet of Things (IoT) constellation. Geespace signed a strategic cooperation agreement with several firms last week and also raised the funding from the Zhejiang New Energy Vehicle Industry Fund. Geespace will use the money for a new global headquarters and global business development of the Geesatcom constellation. Geesatcom currently has 52 satellites in orbit for its IoT constellation, and Geespace said the first phase of 64 satellites is to be completed this year. A launch of a Jielong-3 rocket early Tuesday likely carried several additional Geesatcom satellites. (9/24)

China Assessing US Orbital Military Assets Up Close (Source: Space News)
Chinese spacecraft have imaged orbiting U.S. commercial and military assets as the two countries seek to demonstrate and assess respective capabilities. Changguang Satellite Technology, a remote sensing satellite operator spun off from an arm of the state-owned Chinese Academy of Science, published images last week of Maxar’s Worldview Legion 2 satellite in orbit. Those images were taken by a Jilin-1 satellite from ranges of 40 to 55 kilometers.

The release appears to mirror Maxar publishing images in July of Shijian-26, an experimental spacecraft believed to be a test of a new generation of Chinese remote sensing satellites. Separately, Shiyan-12 (02), one of a pair of suspected inspector satellites in GEO, passed by a U.S. SBIRS missile warning satellite earlier this month, enabling it to take images of the American military spacecraft. (9/24)

DoD Concerned About Chinese RLV Developments (Source: Space News)
The U.S. military is watching closely Chinese advancements in reusable launch vehicles. At the Air & Space Forces Association (AFA) annual conference this week, senior Space Force leaders said Beijing’s pursuit of reusable orbital rockets underscores the national security value of the technology and raises alarm about how China might use it once it reaches maturity. The U.S. has used the high flight rate and low costs of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 to rapidly deploy constellations, and Space Force officials said they are concerned China will be able to do the same once they master reusability. Officials believe China’s eventual adoption of reusable technology could enable rapid, large-scale deployment of both commercial and military satellites, reducing America’s current lead. (9/24)

Saltzman: Speed Beats Perfection in Acquiring New Space Systems (Source: Space News)
The Space Force’s top general says the service must prioritize speed over perfection when acquiring new space systems. Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman said the Space Force has “a once-in-a-generation opportunity to revolutionize how we develop and deliver the space systems our nation needs.” He called for a new approach that includes accepting imperfect solutions that can help troops today rather than waiting for flawless systems, emphasizing the need to accelerate capability delivery as U.S. adversaries like China rapidly advance their space warfare programs. (9/24)

Blue Origin Was Sole Bidder on VIPER Lunar Delivery Contract (Source: Space News)
Blue Origin was the only company to bid on a NASA task order to deliver the VIPER lunar rover. NASA announced Friday it awarded Blue Origin a task order worth $190 million to take the rover to the south polar region of the moon in late 2027. The decision revived VIPER, which NASA canceled last year because of cost and schedule overruns even though the rover was nearly complete.

The agency said this week that it issued a request for proposals just last month for the VIPER mission, with Blue Origin being the only company to submit a bid. That award has a “base plus option” structure with the actual landing serving as an option to be exercised only after completing design studies and confirming a successful landing of Blue Moon on its first mission, planned for later this year. (9/24)

All-Boilermaker Team to Crew Virgin Galactic Suborbital Mission Purdue 1 (Source: Virgin Galactic)
Building on its tremendous space legacy, Purdue University is pursuing a groundbreaking opportunity — research and learning aboard a Virgin Galactic suborbital spaceflight with an all-Boilermaker crew. The flight, dubbed Purdue 1, is expected to lift off in 2027. Purdue researchers and students plan to personally conduct and oversee experiments in microgravity, setting a precedent for academic access to space.

The flight will provide an emphasis on Purdue teaching and research with onboard experiments about how fluids behave in zero gravity — a research area that is critical to advancing spaceflight design, fuel management and future long-duration space missions. (9/23)

Space Forge and United Semiconductors Partner on Supply Chain for Space-Grown Materials (Source: Semiconductor Today)
Advanced materials company Space Forge Inc (which operates from Florida’s Space Coast) has signed a strategic memorandum of understanding (MoU) with United Semiconductors LLC (which specializes in bulk crystal growth and substrate production of III-V compound semiconductors from its facility in Los Alamitos, CA). The agreement formalizes the ongoing collaboration that started over a year ago.

The partnership establishes a collaborative foundation for developing commercially viable in-space semiconductor manufacturing capabilities, combining Space Forge Inc’s microgravity-enabled materials deposition processes with United Semiconductors’ expertise in ternary III-V semiconductor crystal growth and wafer processing. (9/22)

Trailblazing Embry‑Riddle Space Physics Student Earns Prestigious Astronaut Scholarship (Source: ERAU)
Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University student Grace Gratton, a junior majoring in Space Physics, was recently named a 2025 Astronaut Scholar by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. Gratton — who recently completed an internship this summer in space weather modeling at the Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) in Albuquerque, New Mexico — said the scholarship is “exciting” because it both reduces her financial burden and connects her to “an amazing community.” (9/8)

The U.S. Must Draw Red Lines in Space Now (Source: Washington Times)
We are standing on a precarious ledge. Space has become a warfighting domain, and the United States is woefully unprepared for a conflict that could begin there at any moment. Our nation is dependent on space economically, militarily and strategically. We are advancing technologies such as resilience, rapid reconstitution, counterforce and space-domain awareness, but we are not ready.

The absence of norms, rules or diplomatic channels to govern escalation in space is troubling. The 1967 Outer Space Treaty banned weapons of mass destruction in orbit but said nothing about conventional weapons. More recent United Nations efforts, such as the Prevention of an Arms Race in Outer Space initiative, have long stalled. Even the 2008 Russia-China draft treaty was rejected as unverifiable. No binding rules exist to shape how nations behave in space once a conflict begins. (9/22)

Starfighters Aerospace F-104 Supports GE Ramjet Tests at Cape Canaveral Spaceport (Source: GE Aerospace)
GE Aerospace announced the successful supersonic captive carry flight tests of its Atmospheric Test of Launched Airbreathing System (ATLAS) Flight Test Vehicle, marking a major milestone in advancing solid fuel ramjet (SFRJ) propulsion technology. The system was carried aloft on a Starfighters F-104 aircraft based at the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. The test campaign included three successful flights, with the system reaching supersonic speeds. (9/22)

This New NASA Astronaut Candidate Has Already Been to Space (Source: Space.com)
One of NASA's newly announced astronaut candidates already has a spaceflight under her belt. The space agency announced the 10 members of its newest astronaut class — four men and six women who will train for potential missions to commercial space stations in Earth orbit, to the moon and (perhaps) Mars. One of the 10 is Anna Menon, who already has extensive experience in the final frontier: She flew to Earth orbit in September 2024 on SpaceX's pioneering Polaris Dawn mission.

Interestingly, 39-year-old Menon didn't mention Polaris Dawn during her brief remarks at the astronaut-announcement ceremony on Monday, which was held at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. Rather, she focused on her biomedical background — she holds a master's in biomedical engineering from Duke University. (9/23)

Firefly Aerospace Posts Wider Loss as Revenue Falls (Source: Wall Street Journal)
Firefly Aerospace logged a wider loss and lower revenue in its latest quarter, marking its first earnings report since its stock market debut last month. The space and defense technology company on Monday posted a loss of $80.3 million, or $5.78 a share, compared with a loss of $58.7 million, or $4.60 a share, a year earlier. (9/22)

Space Force Finds a Home at Ohio Air National Guard Base (Source: Dayton Daily News)
The Springfield Air National Guard Base will house members of the U.S. Space Force. For about 20 years, the Springfield-Beckley Air National Guard Base has worked on intelligence-gathering and working with the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. (9/22)

KBR Wins More Contracts to Do Work for Space Force in Colorado Springs (Source: Denver Gazette)
KBR, which employs 650 people in Colorado Springs, will work on improving the Space Force’s situational awareness in space following a $58 million contract award. The contract was one of three awarded to the Houston, Texas-based defense company on Thursday by the Air Force Research Laboratory. (9/22)

SpaceX Parades Rocket Engines During Founder’s Day in McGregor, Texas (Source: KWTX)
For the third year in a row, SpaceX paraded two rockets, one which flew to space, through the streets of downtown McGregor in the annual Founder’s Day parade. Founder’s Day is an all-day celebration for the community to enjoy its small-town heritage which includes not only a parade, but dance performances, live music and a carnival. (9/22)

Fleet Space, ExLabs Team to Probe Metal-Rich Near‑Earth Asteroid (Source: Canadian Mining)
Fleet Space Technologies, Australia’s leading space exploration company, has signed a memorandum of understanding with ExLabs to send its off‑world exploration systems to survey asteroid Apophis as part of ExLabs’ ApophisExL mission, planned for launch in 2028. The collaboration aims to push asteroid science, strengthen planetary‑defence capabilities and help build the infrastructure for a sustainable space‑resources economy. (9/22)

Firefly Aerospace Receives $10 Million NASA Contract Addendum for Blue Ghost Mission 1 Lunar Data (Source: Firefly Aerospace)
Firefly Aerospace announced a $10 million contract addendum under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative for acquisition of additional science and operational data collected beyond the initial contractual requirements for Blue Ghost Mission 1 – the first commercial mission to successfully land on the Moon. In total, Firefly collected nearly 120 gigabytes of data during transit, landing, and operations on the lunar surface. (9/22)

Women Outnumber Men Picked for Astronaut Class in NASA First (Source: Live Mint)
NASA's 2025 astronaut class is a historic milestone as it includes more women than men for the first time in the agency's history. The class consists of six women and four men, with a diverse range of backgrounds including engineers, scientists, and former military personnel. Notably, two are former employees of SpaceX. (9/23)

NASA Says it Will 'Win Second Space Race' as it Plans February Moon Launch (Source: Sky News)
NASA is accelerating plans to send humans back to the moon, with a possible launch as early as 5 February. The US space agency said the mission to fly four astronauts around the moon for the first time in more than 50 years would give people a "front row seat to history". It had previously committed to the first crewed flight of its Artemis moon return program by April next year. But preparations are ahead of schedule, and it is now more optimistic of an earlier lift off. (9/23)