October 21, 2025

An Asteroid the Size of a Car Grazed the Earth Over Antarctica (Source: Earth.com)
Before sunrise on October 1, 2025, a tiny asteroid labeled “2025 TF” skimmed above Antarctica at an altitude near 266 miles, roughly the same orbit used by the International Space Station. The closest approach occurred at 00:47:26 UTC with an uncertainty of 18 seconds. The rock was only about 3 to 10 feet wide, too small to pose serious danger at the surface. (10/21)

86 Layoffs Coming for Huntsville Aerospace Company (Source: AL.com)
An aerospace company plans to lay off 86 workers at its Alabama regional office in Huntsville, according to a notice filed with the state. Maryland-based a.i. solutions, Inc. plans to start layoffs in early December, the company said in the recent notice filed Friday with the Alabama Department of Commerce. The company, founded in 1996, is a defense contractor that works with NASA and other civilian and commercial space agencies. They’re headquartered in Maryland, with two other regional offices in Florida and Colorado. (10/21)

‘Sean Dummy’: Musk and Duffy Brawl Over the Future of NASA (Source: Politico)
A spat over the future of NASA under the Trump administration went public on Tuesday, with Elon Musk panning Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy as having a “2 digit IQ” and advocating for his ally Jared Isaacman to run the space agency in a string of social media posts. “Should someone whose biggest claim to fame is climbing trees be running America’s space program?” the Tesla and SpaceX CEO asked in a poll on X, referencing Duffy’s prior career as a professional lumberjack athlete. One of the listed choices: “Noo, he need moar brainz!”

Musk’s tirade comes after Duffy, the acting NASA administrator, said he was reopening SpaceX’s contract to lead a return to the moon, accusing the company of having fallen behind initial projections. The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, with Duffy angling to fold the agency into his much larger Transportation Department. “Sean Dummy is trying to kill NASA!” Musk wrote.

But Musk is pushing for Isaacman, who President Donald Trump previously nominated for the job, to again be the president’s pick. The White House pulled Isaacman’s nomination to lead NASA in May, shortly after Musk ended his time at Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency initiative and left the White House. (10/21)

JWST Finds Building Blocks of Life in Another Galaxy for the First Time (Source: BBC)
Astronomers have added one more piece to the puzzle of how early in the Universe life could have emerged, and whether or not life could exist beyond our Galaxy. The James Webb Space Telescope has detected organic molecules – the building blocks of life – frozen in ice around a young star in a neighboring galaxy. (10/21)

UK Space Agency Leads Global Research on Atmospheric Ablation (Source: UKSA)
When satellites burn up upon re-entering Earth’s atmosphere, they release particles and gases, including metals like aluminum, which may affect atmospheric chemistry. This process, known as atmospheric ablation, is still poorly understood, but early evidence suggests metal content in the atmosphere is rising.

To address these uncertainties, the UK Space Agency commissioned three targeted studies to investigate the potential impacts of satellite re-entry. These projects, led by Durham University, University of Southampton, and Belstead Ltd, have begun to fill critical knowledge gaps and reinforce the UK’s leadership in space sustainability. A fourth study, co-funded by the European Space Agency and led by the University of Leeds, will complete later this year. (10/14)

Are We Already Witnessing Space Warfare? 'This is Not Just Posturing' (Source: Space.com)
Space-based shenanigans are increasing in Earth's orbit. Anti-satellite technologies (ASATs) are becoming the new military "must-have" for spacefaring nations — like China, Russia, India, as well as the US. Are we already witnessing ASAT techniques in regular use? "They are happening right now with Ukraine," Bowen noted, pointing to commercial satellite providers, like the SpaceX Starlink system, that have experienced jamming and cyber attacks on their in-orbit hardware.

Space Force officials talked a lot this past spring, Victoria Samson said, about a series of rendezvous and proximity operations (RPOs) repeatedly done by Chinese satellites throughout 2024, calling it "dog-fighting in space," a phrase that is extremely inaccurate, she said. While she doesn't see kinetic ASATs as being particularly useful, "we're seeing the line blurred between satellites conducting Space Situational Awareness (SSA) and those that are doing RPOs," she said. (10/20)

NATO Allies Gather in UK to Address Dual-Use space Technology Hurdles (Source: UKSA)
The NATO Science & Technology Organization (STO), Systems Concepts and Integration (SCI) Panel Research Specialists’ Meeting on dual-use space technology was led by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and the NATO alliance, delivered in partnership with the UK Space Agency.

The meeting brought together over 140 people from academia, industry and government, as well as international organizations such as the European Space Agency (ESA) and NATO DIANA (Defense Innovation Accelerator for the North Atlantic), to map out the future requirements for NATO space operations - including Space Domain Awareness (SDA), Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR), Space Control, Satellite Communications, and In-Space Servicing, Assembly, and Manufacturing (ISAM). (10/17)

Germany's Exolaunch and India's Skyroot Aerospace Announce Strategic Partnership Agreement to Advance Access to Space (Source: Exolaunch)
Exolaunch, a global leader in launch mission management, satellite integration, and deployment services, and Skyroot Aerospace, India's leading private space launch company, today announced a Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA) to provide end-to-end launch services for satellites and expand access to orbit for commercial, institutional, and government customers worldwide.

Through this agreement, Exolaunch will integrate and deploy customer satellites on Skyroot's Vikram series of launch vehicles, beginning with the Vikram-1 orbital missions. Exolaunch will provide its flight-proven deployment technologies for Skyroot customers across dedicated and rideshare launches. (10/14)

Iridium and Qualcomm Join Forces to Enable Satellite Connectivity in Snapdragon Mission Tactical Radio (Source: Iridium)
Iridium and Qualcomm announced that they have successfully integrated Iridium data services into the Snapdragon Mission Tactical Radio (MTR) and intend to make these services available for adoption and use by U.S. government customers and approved allied partners. By integrating Iridium data services, Snapdragon MTR-equipped devices, ranging from handheld and mounted radios to autonomous vehicles, stand to benefit from flexible, highly reliable, and secure L-band satellite communications in environments where terrestrial networks are congested, compromised, or unavailable. (10/14)

Gilat Receives $42 Million in Orders from a Leading Satellite Operator for its Multi-Orbit SkyEdge IV Platform (Source: Gilat)
Gilat Satellite Networks Ltd. (NASDAQ: GILT, TASE: GILT), a worldwide leader in satellite networking technology, solutions and services, announced today that it’s Commercial Division has received $42 million in orders from a leading satellite operator, primarily for it’s multi-orbit SkyEdge IV platform. The systems are scheduled for delivery over the next 12 months. These orders will significantly expand the global deployment of Gilat’s SkyEdge IV platform, which is the choice of satellite operators seeking to enable next-generation connectivity in a multi-orbit environment. (10/15)

GomSpace Awarded EUR 760,000 ESA Contract to Advance Satellite Software Innovation (Source: GomSpace)
GomSpace has secured a significant contract valued at EUR 760,000 (8.5 MSEK) with the European Space Agency (ESA) to accelerate the development of its next-generation Attitude and Orbit Control Software (AOCS) to be rolled-out in the next 18 months. This contract marks a pivotal step in advancing satellite positioning and orientation capabilities for both commercial and governmental space missions. (10/14)

Solstar Space Signs $15 Million Global Agreement with Momentus (Source: Solstar)
Solstar Space announced a three-year reciprocal services agreement with Momentus. The agreement is designed to utilize the respective strengths, products and services of each company to deliver comprehensive low Earth orbit (LEO) space capabilities to address a broad range of commercial, government and space agency requirements. (10/13)

AAC Clyde Space Wins Order for Starbuck Mini power Systems from U.S. Satellite Manufacturer (Source: AAC Clyde Space)
AAC Clyde Space has received an order valued at USD 500,000 (approx. SEK 4,75 million) for the delivery of its flagship Starbuck Mini power systems to a U.S.-based satellite manufacturer. First delivery is scheduled by the end of Q4 2025, with final delivery in Q2 2026. The rapid delivery schedule is made possible by the product's high level of standardization, allowing AAC Clyde Space to meet customer needs efficiently while maintaining proven quality. (10/15)

TracPlus and OroraTech Launch First-of-Its-Kind Two-Way Data Integration to Accelerate Wildfire Decision-Making (Source: OroraTech)
TracPlus and OroraTech today announced a two-way data integration that brings aircraft tracking and aircraft drop intelligence together with space-based perimeter insights in real time so fire leaders can act with confidence when minutes matter. With the planet enduring worsening wildfires, including four of the five worst years for global forest fires occurring since 2020, the two wildfire technology leaders are joining forces to speed up on-the-ground decision-making. (10/13)

European Aerospace Groups Reach Framework Deal on Satellite Merger (Source: Reuters)
European aerospace groups Leonardo, Airbus, and Thales have reached a framework deal on a proposed merger of their satellite businesses, two sources familiar with the matter said on Monday. Leonardo is scheduled to hold an extraordinary board meeting on Tuesday to discuss details of the deal, which is subject to board and regulatory approvals, one of the sources said. (10/20)

Thales Says it Has No Satellite Deal Yet with Airbus, Leonardo After Report That Signing is Near (Source: Reuters)
France's Thales (TCFP.PA), opens new tab said on Thursday that the work to form a European satellite alliance with Aircraft maker Airbus (AIR.PA), opens new tab and Italy's Leonardo (LDOF.MI), opens new tab was ongoing, responding to a media report that an agreement in principle had been found. German newspaper Boersen-Zeitung reported on Thursday that the three aerospace groups had come to an understanding but added that the signing of an outline deal would take place over the next few days, citing unspecified sources familiar with the matter. (10/16)

Why Blue Origin Will One Day Be Bigger Than Amazon (Source: USA Today)
Valued at $2.4 trillion, raking in $670 billion in annual revenue and earning $70.6 billion profit on it, Amazon ranks as the fifth-largest American company by market capitalization. But did you know there's another company you might soon be able to invest in — also built by business development genius Jeff Bezos — that could make you even more money than Amazon.com?

According to Bezos himself, his new space company Blue Origin will one day be bigger than Amazon, worth $2.4 trillion or more. Valuing Blue Origin is tricky. Whereas SpaceX has conducted multiple rounds of stock sales on the private market, details of which are regularly leaked, Blue Origin is funded almost entirely by its founder, Jeff Bezos, who is reported to be spending at least $2 billion annually to keep the company afloat. Still, various analysts who have tried to hang a valuation on Blue Origin estimate it might be worth $50 billion to $100 billion. (10/18)

Alabama Space Grant Consortium receives second $20K donation from National Space Club - Huntsville (Source: UAH)
The Alabama Space Grant Consortium (ASGC) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, has received a $20,000 donation from the National Space Club – Huntsville, marking the second year in a row the group has made this donation to the ASGC. The funds help provide a long-term K-12 STEM engagement plan for the state that leverages the ASGC’s connections to eight higher education institutions across Alabama, including two Historically Black Colleges and Universities, to offer scholarships and fellowships supporting dozens of STEM and education-focused undergraduate and graduate students each year. (10/15)

Shocking Discovery About Earth’s Magnetosphere Challenges Decades of Theory (Source: SciTech Daily)
Because electric forces move from positive to negative charges, researchers once believed that the morning side of the magnetosphere carried a positive charge while the evening side was negative. However, new satellite data has revealed the reverse: the morning side is actually negatively charged, and the evening side is positively charged. (10/20)

America’s No. 1 Attraction is in Central Florida — and it’s Not in Orlando (Source: Click Orlando)
Earlier this year, Tripadvisor released its list of the highest-rated attractions and experiences in the world — and it turns out No. 3 is right here in the Sunshine State. Overall, the top-ranked attraction globally turned out to be the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia, an ornate church located in Barcelona, Spain. But in Florida, the most highly rated attraction was revealed to be the NASA Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. (10/20)

Thailand Plans Lunar Collaboration with China (Source: Weibo)
The National Astronomical Institute of Thailand recently announced that it has submitted a prototype of the Chang'e-7 lunar payload, a lunar particle monitor, for collaboration with China. The Chang'e-7 mission involves numerous collaborating countries, with six payloads from seven countries and international organizations, including Egypt, Bahrain, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, Thailand, and the International Association of Lunar Observatories, being carried on the probe. The mission will jointly carry out scientific research on the moon. (10/9)

Sake to the Stars: Japan’s Lunar Brewing Experiment Set for Takeoff (Source: New Atlas)
They're not serving sushi on the Moon – yet – but if or when they do, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and DASSAI want sake on the table. To attain this quaffable goal, the companies are sending a rice fermentation experiment to the ISS. (10/19)

Solar Power Satellites Could Provide 3% of Global Power Usage (Source: Universe Today)
According to a new paper from a group of Italian and German researchers, there are plenty of constraints on beaming space-collected solar power down here to Earth - and most of them are more logistical than technical. The authors broke it down into two simple steps: how many satellites can there be in orbit, and how much power can each satellite effectively feed into the world’s electrical grid. Even in the worst case restrictive scenario, the amount of power provided by these satellites is enough to cover 3% of the total global power usage. Certainly not a huge amount, but enough to make a significant difference in energy markets. (10/19)

Duffy Says SpaceX is Behind on Moon Trip and He Will Reopen Contracts (Source: CNBC)
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said SpaceX is falling “behind” schedule to get the U.S. back to the moon. Duffy, who was named acting NASA administrator this summer, said he will open the contract to other companies such as Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. “We’re not going to wait for one company,” Duffy said. (10/20)