November 29, 2025

DOGE Operatives Scared They’re in Real Trouble Now That Elon Has Abandoned Them (Source: Futurism)
DOGE leaves a trail of chaos and tragedy behind. With the help of a ragtag band of teenagers and other underqualified lackeys who were tasked with doing the dirty work, Musk took a figurative — and in some ways, literal — chainsaw to federal government agencies.

While it remains murky whether the group’s agents could face criminal charges for their actions, their unorthodox methods have been heavily criticized. DOGE operatives accessed highly sensitive personal information earlier this year, raising the alarm bells among lawmakers. Some did so even before completing their background checks and being granted access.

At the height of its destructive influence in Washington, DC, DOGE laid waste to USAID, an international development agency that typically spends tens of billions of dollars on aid across the world. Officials warned at the time that shutting USAID was poised to kill “thousands, if not hundreds of thousands.” (11/24)

Star Wars Redux: the False Promise of Space-Based Missile Defense (Source: Space News)
In the months since the Trump administration first announced the Golden Dome missile defense initiative, commercial space firms have been all in on finding ways to contribute. Details are still scarce (though the Pentagon is already contracting for space-based interceptor prototypes), but the space industry has more or less treated the Golden Dome as a matter of when, not if.

Najam Ul Hassan argues that there's a reason space-based interceptors never took off in the past and that "the fundamental hurdle — physics, not technology — remains to be effectively overcome." He argues that the absenteeism problem — the fact that a given spacecraft housing interceptors cannot stay "parked" over a point of interest — makes the economics and logistics of launching an effective boost phase defense far too complicated to be worth overcoming.

The emphasis on space-based interceptors thus reflects a recurring faith in technological solutions to strategic problems that are, at their core, governed by physics and deterrence. Rather than investing in an orbit-based missile shield that risks instability and imposes exorbitant costs, pursuing balanced security arrangements may offer a sustainable path toward long-term stability. (11/28)

Falcon 9 Launch Carries 140 Payloads on Transporter-15 (Source: NSF)
SpaceX launched 140 commercial payloads to Sun-synchronous orbit on its sixth rideshare mission of the year, Transporter-15. The Falcon 9 launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base with its first stage, booster B1071 flying its 30th mission to date; this is the second booster to achieve this milestone. The German aerospace company Exolaunch is hosting 59 payloads, marking the largest number of spacecraft it has launched on a rideshare mission to date. (11/29)

UK to Boost Growth and Security with New ESA Investment (Source: ESA)
British economic growth and security will benefit from the UK’s new £1.7 bn investment in ESA programs, agreed during a Ministerial Council in Germany. The UK commitments formed part of the largest ever funding package agreed by ESA Member States at a Ministerial Council meeting.

The country's contributions are expected to safeguard thousands of highly skilled British jobs, while enabling science and innovation that boosts society and industry. It increases the UK’s current level of support for ESA programs to £2.8 bn over the next decade (2025/26 to 2034/35), with further investment to be delivered at ESA’s next Ministerial Council in 2028. (11/28)

Belgium to Give 1.1 Billion Euro to ESA (Source: VRT)
The Federal Science Minister Vanessa Matz has confirmed that Belgium will contribute 1.109 billion euro over the next five years. More than a quarter of Belgium’s contribution will go to programs aimed at improving space resilience. Funding will be used for the development of secure telecommunications satellites and the further expansion of a robust, independent European navigation system to complement Galileo.

Belgium has also allocated 114 million euro to the design and development of a European launcher and 113 million euros to Earth observation programs, including the continued development of the European Copernicus satellites. A further 205 million euro will be given to ESA scientific programs, while 110 million euro will support space exploration. (11/28)

European Satellites Launched on Transporter-15 Mission (Source: ESA)
Thanks to the EU-funded Recovery and Resilience Facility, and through collaboration between the Greek government, the private satellite company ICEYE and ESA, two new high-resolution radar satellites have been launched to strengthen disaster management, environmental monitoring and national security across Greece. The two ICEYE synthetic aperture radar satellites, integrated via Exolaunch, were lifted into orbit aboard the SpaceX Transporter-15 rideshare mission, which also included two ESA HydroGNSS Scout satellites and the next batch of Italy’s IRIDE satellites. (11/29)

Before a Soyuz Launch Thursday Someone Forgot to Secure a 20-ton Service Platform (Source: Ars Technica)
A Soyuz rocket launched on Thursday carrying Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikayev, as well as NASA astronaut Christopher Williams, for an eight-month mission to the ISS. However, there was a serious problem during the launch with the ground systems that support processing of the vehicle before liftoff in Kazakhstan.

In a terse statement issued Thursday night on the social media site Telegram, the Russian space corporation that operates Soyuz appeared to downplay the incident: “The launch pad was inspected, as is done every time a rocket is launched. Damage to several launch pad components was identified. Damage can occur after launch, so such inspections are mandatory worldwide. The launch pad’s condition is currently being assessed.”

However video imagery of the launch site after liftoff showed substantial damage, with a large service platform appearing to have fallen into the flame trench below the launch table. According to one source, this is a platform located beneath the rocket, where workers can access the vehicle before liftoff. It has a mass of about 20 metric tons and was apparently not secured prior to launch, and the thrust of the vehicle ejected it into the flame trench. “There is significant damage to the pad,” said this source. (11/28)

ArianeGroup Completes the First Flight of Suborbital SyLEx (Source: Air & Cosmos)
ArianeGroup announced on Friday, November 28, the success of the first flight of the SyLEx (Experience Launch System) sounding rocket from the missile test site in Biscarosse. The success of this inaugural flight qualifies the single-stage rocket, developed in less than three years, as well as its launch pad and accompanying ground facilities. The launch was conducted by the DGA (French Directorate General of Armaments). (11/28)

ESA Commits to Being an Anchor Customer for LEO Cargo Return Services (Source: European Spaceflight)
ESA member states agreed to fund two cargo delivery demonstration missions to the International Space Station (ISS). The agency also committed to serving as an anchor customer for the resulting commercial service once the systems have been successfully proven. With the LEO Cargo Return Services initiative, ESA aims to foster the development of a European commercial cargo space transportation service. (11/28)

NASA Astronauts Take New Moonsuit for a Swim (Source: Space.com)
When NASA astronauts train for moonwalks, they don't start on the lunar surface — they often begin underwater. For decades, NASA's Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory (NBL) has been the premier training ground for astronauts learning how to move, work, and problem-solve in the closest Earth-based simulation of microgravity. It’s inside this massive 6.2-million-gallon pool that crews rehearse everything from International Space Station repairs to complex lunar surface tasks.

Now with the upcoming Artemis missions to the moon, astronauts are training in a new type of suit: the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or AxEMU, designed by Axiom Space to support the first human moonwalks in more than 50 years. The AxEMU represents an upgrade from the Apollo-era suits and even the current ISS units. It’s built to offer greater mobility, improved fit across a wider range of body sizes, upgraded life-support systems, and better tools for scientific operations on the lunar surface. (11/28)

Germany Considers National Competitor to Europe's Iris2 Constellation (Source: Space Intel Report)
The idea that German frustrations with the European Commission’s Iris2 multi-orbit secure connectivity constellation would lead Berlin to build its own broadband satellite network for security and military use until recently seemed as ridiculous as Britain’s post-Brexit threat to build a positioning, navigation and timing constellation to compete with Europe’s Galileo. Then came German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius’s Sep. 25 announcement that the government had set aside 35 billion euros on military space programs between now and 2030. (11/28)