November 10, 2025

A Fundamental ‘Constant’ of the Universe May Not Be Constant At All (Source: 404 Media)
First, we discovered the universe was expanding. Then, we discovered it was expanding at an accelerating rate. Now, a new study suggests that this acceleration might be slowing down. The possibility that the rate of cosmic expansion is slowing is a big deal, because dark energy—the term for whatever is making the universe expand—was assumed to be a constant for decades.

But this consensus has been challenged by observations from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) in Arizona, which became operational in 2021. In its first surveys, DESI’s observations have pointed to an expansion rate that is not fixed, but in flux. (11/8)

Portal Space Systems Announces Highly Maneuverable Satellite Bus (Source: Space News)
Portal Space Systems plans to develop a highly maneuverable satellite bus to complement a transfer vehicle. The company announced last week it is working on Starburst, an ESPA-class small satellite bus. The first flight of Starburst is scheduled in the fourth quarter of 2026, carrying payloads from two companies. Starburst will also demonstrate technologies for Supernova, the company’s transfer vehicle that will use solar thermal propulsion to move quickly between orbits. The first Supernova flight is scheduled for 2027. [SpaceNews]

Galactic Energy Ceres-1 Suffers Launch Failure (Source: Space News)
A Chinese Ceres-1 commercial rocket failed to reach orbit Sunday night. The solid-fuel rocket lifted off at 11:02 p.m. Eastern from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center carrying two satellites. Galactic Energy, the company that operates the Ceres-1, said that the fourth stage shut down prematurely because of an unspecified anomaly, keeping the payload from reaching orbit. This was the second failure in 22 launches for Galactic Energy, which had been preparing for the first launch of the larger Ceres-2. The launch took place less than 90 minutes after a Long March 12 lifted off from Wenchang, China, carrying a set of Guowang broadband constellation satellites. That launch was a success although Chinese officials did not disclose how many satellites were on board; the previous Long March 12 launch for Guowang carried nine satellites. [SpaceNews]

Canada's GHGSat to Add Satellites to Greenhouse Gas Monitoring Constellation (Source: Space News)
Canadian company GHGSat plans to add two satellites to its constellation of spacecraft monitoring greenhouse gases. The company currently has 12 satellites for tracking methane emissions, enough to provide daily revisits at key sites. The two additional satellites would offer additional capacity for monitoring in places like the Permian Basin. GHGSat also operates one satellite for tracking carbon dioxide, and the company said it will consider adding satellites based on demand. [SpaceNews]

Virts Shifts From Senate to House Run in Texas (Source: Houston Public Media)
A former astronaut is changing his 2026 political plans. Terry Virts announced last week he no longer plans to run for a U.S. Senate seat in Texas held by John Cornyn (R). Instead, he said he will run for the House in the 9th District in Texas, whose boundaries were recently redrawn by the Texas Legislature in a bid to secure more seats for Republicans. Virts, a Democrat, was a long shot for his party’s nomination for the Senate. Rep. Al Green (D), who currently represents the 9th District, said he will run for reelection in another district after the redistricting. (11/10)

Astralintu Secures Ecuador’s First Ever Private Investment in the Space Industry from Grupo Futuro (Source: Astralintu)
Astralintu Space Technologies has secured Ecuador’s first ever private investment in the space industry, marking a turning point for the country’s emerging role in the global space economy. The investment, led by Grupo Futuro, one of Ecuador’s leading business groups, enables Astralintu to accelerate the creation of the first equatorial ground station network, an infrastructure designed to connect satellites with Earth from one of the most strategic yet previously unattended latitudes on the planet. (10/27)

Look Up Completes Testing of Space Surveillance Radar, Paving Way for French and European Strategic Autonomy in Space Traffic Monitoring (Source: Look Up)
Look Up has successfully completed operational testing of SORASYS 1, France's first space surveillance radar designed and operated by a startup, deployed in Lozère. Three years after the project was launched, Look Up has demonstrated its ability to rapidly deploy a global network of surveillance radars. SORASYS will be able to detect and track small objects, providing continuous and accurate space observation capabilities. (11/7)

Pact Enables Allied Sharing of Military GPS Equipment (Source: SatNews)
A new memorandum of understanding has been established between the US Space Force Space Systems Command and the Department of War Chief Information Officer, enabling allied nations to share military Global Positioning System GPS equipment. This agreement, presented at the NATO Support and Procurement Agency in Luxembourg, strengthens longstanding collaborative efforts dating back to 1978 and is intended to deepen military partnerships and interoperability among US and allied forces. (11/9)

Space Systems Command MOU to Facilitate Foreign Sales of GPS Equipment (Source: SatNews)
U.S. Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC), along with the Department of War (DoW) Chief Information Officer (CIO), have enacted a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to enable allied nations to build and share military Global Positioning System (GPS) User Equipment—this new MOU will stimulate new Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and promote allied interoperability with U.S. joint forces. (11/9)

AI-Developed Controller Directs Satellite in Pioneering In-Orbit Maneuver (Source: Space Daily)
A team at Julius-Maximilians-Universitat Wurzburg (JMU) has achieved a significant milestone on the road to space autonomy by successfully testing an artificial intelligence-based attitude controller in orbit for the first time. This world-first achievement was carried out using the 3U nanosatellite InnoCube, with direct in-orbit control administered by a system developed at JMU. (11/8)

Quantum Sensors on the China Space Station to Probe Dark Matter and Exotic Physics (Source: Space Daily)
The SQUIRE project is launching quantum spin sensors on the China Space Station to investigate exotic-boson-mediated interactions, encompassing 16 different theoretical forms that can shift atomic energy levels. The sensors are designed to detect pseudomagnetic fields generated by interplay between their atomic spins and geoelectrons found within Earth's crust and mantle. (11/8)

Most Astronauts Aboard ISS Suffer From Sinonasal Congestion (Source: Space Daily)
For years, astronauts floating in orbit above Earth have reported headaches, stuffy noses and congestion. Now, new research shows these issues are far more than a minor nuisance during spaceflight - they're prevalent among roughly 85% of astronauts aboard the ISS. This is the first comprehensive look into how space travel affects sinonasal health. Drawing on nearly two decades of astronaut medical records in partnership with NASA's Johnson Space Center, researchers found that out of 71 astronauts from 2000 to 2019, 60 reported having at least one sinonasal medical issue during their missions, and 75% of the ISS astronauts reported nasal congestion. (11/8)

Avio Secures Solid Rocket Deals with Lockheed Martin, Raytheon (Source: Space News)
Italian firm Avio has signed agreements with U.S. defense contractors Raytheon and Lockheed Martin to grant them preferred access to solid rocket motors from Avio's new U.S. manufacturing plant, which is slated to begin construction in 2026. This move aims to address a growing demand for these components and strengthen the U.S. defense supply chain. U.S. plant plans: A significant portion of Avio's recent capital hike will be used to fund the new U.S. facility, with construction set to begin in the first quarter of 2026 and become operational by early 2028. (11/10)

Urine-Based Astronaut Food To Be Tested Aboard ISS (Source: New York Post)
Just in case people thought airline food was inedible: Astronauts on future missions to the Moon and Mars could subsist on a brand new “space food” that is concocted from thin air and urine, the European Space Agency (ESA) announced. “This project aims at developing a key resource which will allow us to improve human spaceflight’s autonomy, resilience and also the well-being of our astronauts,” said Angelique Van Ombergen, the ESA’s chief exploration scientist, the Independent reported. (11/10)

Scientists 3D Printed Muscle Tissue in Microgravity. The Goal is to Make Human Organs From Scratch (Source: Space.com)
Different types of objects have been successfully 3D printed in space, but making functional human tissue from scratch — blood vessels, for example — requires special innovation. Achieving this, however, is viewed as a transformative step toward a future where organs can be 3D-printed for transplantation into humans who need them. The ability to 3D print human tissue in space also opens up the door for future medical research and testing.

You may be wondering, though: Why does the 3D printing of these organs need to happen in space? Well, One problem with manufacturing body tissue on Earth is that gravity adds stress to the materials being used in the process. Scientists at ETH Zurich are leading the effort. (11/10)

Sateliot Opens Barcelona Facility to Build More Capable Direct-to-Device Satellites (Source: Space News)
Spain’s Sateliot announced plans Nov. 10 to develop upgraded satellites from newly expanded facilities in Barcelona, aiming to move beyond connecting sensors and machines to also provide wideband voice, video and data links directly to smartphones. (11/10)

Leonardo, Airbus and Thales All Report Pre-Merger Space Growth (Source: Space Intel Report)
Leonardo reported a 14% growth in revenue at its Space division for the nine months ending Sep. 30, with a higher return on sales and a pretax profit compared to a loss a year ago. Leonardo’s results confirm that all three European space system prime contractors planning a merger — the other two being Airbus Space Systems and Thales Alenia Space — are now healthy businesses. (11/10)

NASA is Kind of a Mess: Here are the Top Priorities for a New Administrator (Source: Ars Technica)
“Expectations are high, yet the challenge of marrying outsized goals to greatly reduced budget guidance from his administration remains,” Lori Garver said. “It will be difficult to deliver on accelerating Artemis, transitioning to commercial LEO destinations, starting a serious nuclear electric propulsion program for Mars transportation, and attracting non-government funding for science missions. He’s coming in with a lot of support, which he will need in the current divisive political environment.”

Here’s a rundown of some of the challenges Isaacman must overcome to be a successful administrator: a shrunken NASA; very low morale; Artemis struggles; human landing system; ISS replacement; Earth science; and planetary science. Click here. (11/10)

Orbital Wizardry Helped Make ESCAPADE Possible Outside Normal Mars Launch Windows (Source: Ars Technica)
When it was first designed, ESCAPADE was supposed to take a direct course from Earth to Mars, a transit that typically takes six to nine months. But ESCAPADE will now depart the Earth when Mars is more than 220 million miles away, on the opposite side of the Solar System. The most recent Mars launch window was last year, and the next one doesn’t come until the end of 2026.

But there are several reasons this is perfectly OK to NASA. The New Glenn rocket is overkill for this mission. The two-stage launcher could send many tons of cargo to Mars, but NASA is only asking it to dispatch about a ton of payload, comprising a pair of identical science probes designed to study how the planet’s upper atmosphere interacts with the solar wind.

ESCAPADE’s path through space, relative to the Earth, has the peculiar shape of a kidney bean. In the world of astrodynamics, this is called a staging, or libration, orbit. There are some tradeoffs with this unique staging orbit. It is riskier than the original plan of sending ESCAPADE straight to Mars. The satellites will be exposed to more radiation and will consume more of their fuel just to get to the red planet, eating into reserves originally set aside for science observations. (11/9)

Varda To Operate Two Spacecraft at Once with W-5 Mission (Source: Payload)
Varda’s fifth reentry mission—the first in which the company will manage two spacecraft in orbit at the same time—is set to blast off aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-15 rideshare, joining the company’s W-4 spacecraft already in orbit. It’s part of an effort to increase the cadence of its reentry missions to meet booming demand, and Varda expects to begin launching two spacecraft simultaneously starting next year. (11/10)

New 'Exosuit' with Artificial Muscles Could Help Astronauts Explore the Moon and Mars (Source: Space.com)
Generations of astronauts have spoken about how hard it is to move your limbs inside a spacesuit, where pressurization protects your body — but creates resistance. A new "exosuit," tested during a two-week space analog mission last month in Australia run by the Austrian Space Forum, hopes to change that. The garment, which is meant to be worn under a spacesuit, features artificial muscles to make it easier to move around while walking, either on the moon or Mars. (11/10)

Eutelsat and 4iG SDT Secure New Licensing Deal (Source: Via Satellite)
Eutelsat and 4iG Space and Defense Technologies (4iG SDT) have signed a new 15-year licensing deal related to the HUGEO, the Geostationary (GEO) telecoms satellite of the Hungarian HUSAT program. Eutelsat grants 4iG SDT an exclusive 15-year license to use the designated Geostationary orbital position and associated frequency resources, enabling 4iG SDT to operate the HUGEO telecommunications satellite on this orbital slot after its launch. The two companies announced the agreement, Nov. 10.

The exact orbital position, frequency rights and satellite coverage areas remain confidential in accordance with the terms of the agreement. HUSAT is the one of the largest privately initiated and financed satellite programs in Hungary and in the Central and Eastern European region. (11/10)