December 1, 2025

Tokyo-Based Axelspace is Making Microsatellites with a Big Impact (Source: Space News)
There’s one industry where Japanese excellence has been conspicuously absent from global discourse: the space industry. Tokyo-based Axelspace is on a mission to change that. Driven by a desire to make Earth observation data accessible to everyone, everywhere, it has spent nearly two decades developing commercial space capabilities that leverage Japanese strengths and sensibilities for the benefit of all humankind.

Now, on the eve of launching its new GRUS-3 constellation of next-generation microsatellites, Axelspace is commencing a new chapter. GRUS-3 is a scalable platform designed for higher image quality and simpler global operations: improved ground resolution, which is now approximately 2.2 meters; the addition of a new “Coastal Blue” spectral band that enables underwater and coastal monitoring; and an enhanced optical system that provides sharper and more radiometrically accurate imagery courtesy of a new, higher-sensitivity image sensor. (11/30)

LUCI Optical Terminal to Link Satellites for France 2030 Space Program (Source: Space Daily)
Oledcomm is developing a new optical terminal called LUCI to provide inter-satellite communications for the French space agency CNES within the France 2030 program. The company, which focuses on wireless optical links, will build and demonstrate a bidirectional inter-satellite service using this compact terminal for the program's space component. LUCI, short for Ultra-Compact Inter-Satellite Liaison, is designed as a small, low-power terminal that can deliver high data rates for satellite constellations. The system targets next-generation satellite networks that need high-throughput links between spacecraft while keeping power demand, mass, and cost under control. (11/28)

Bezos Warns That All Factories Must Move to the Moon (Source: Geekspin)
Jeff Bezos has issued a provocative and dire warning about the future of life on Earth, suggesting a massive industrial exodus that sounds ripped from a science fiction novel. The Amazon mogul and space visionary argues that to protect our only home, we must eventually move heavy industrial operations, such as factories and data centers, off-world and onto the Moon. With no “Plan B” for our planet, he insists that bold, lunar infrastructure is our best hope to preserve Earth while still powering human progress. (11/17)

DAF Releases Final Environmental Review for SpaceX Starship at Cape Canaveral’s LC-37 (Source: Talk of Titusville)
The Department of the Air Force has released its long-awaited Final Environmental Impact Statement for SpaceX’s plan to bring Starship–Super Heavy operations to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The 214-page report clears a major hurdle for the company as it pushes to launch and land its next-generation rocket from Launch Complex 37. The proposal would turn the old Delta IV pad into a fully rebuilt launch site capable of hosting up to 76 Starship flights a year.

Each mission would include a booster landing just minutes after liftoff and a Starship landing hours—or in some cases years—after launch. In short, the skies above the Space Coast are going to be very busy. The review concludes that the project would bring no major environmental obstacles across most categories. The EIS points to significant community annoyance from Starship’s noise and sonic booms, especially during nighttime launches. While the report says structural damage is unlikely, the sound levels will be noticeable across the Space Coast on launch days.

SpaceX plans to use heavy sound-suppression systems and coordinate public notifications in advance. Sonic booms from returning boosters and Starship itself will be endemic, day or night. During operations, the rocket’s emissions are expected to exceed federal insignificance thresholds for nitrogen oxides. The Air Force and SpaceX plan to use an adaptive management strategy, reviewing new data as operations ramp up. Overall, the report concludes that the project can proceed without causing significant long-term environmental harm, provided mitigation measures remain in place. (11/27)

ICEYE and Esri Australia Partner for Hazard Intelligence Across Australia and Southeast Asia (Source: Spacewatch Global)
ICEYE has announced a new partnership with Boustead Geospatial and Esri Australia to bring ICEYE’s suite of near real-time hazard insights to customers across Australia. The collaboration, facilitated through the Boustead Geospatial Group, will deliver ICEYE’s Flood Rapid Intelligence, Flood Insights, and Bushfire Insights as ready-to-use map layers within the ArcGIS platform. (11/28)

Varda Space Launches its Fifth Mission, Extends Run of AFRL Test Flights (Source: Space News)
Varda Space Industries said Nov. 28 that its fifth mission, W-5, reached orbit after a launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base aboard SpaceX’s Transporter-15 rideshare. W-5 is the company's fifth launch overall, and fourth launch of 2025. The vehicle carries a government payload funded through the Prometheus program, a partnership between the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and commercial space entities.

Prometheus is addressing a national security need to accelerate the ability to conduct novel science and technology experiments in the extreme reentry environment through a low-cost, high cadence flight testbed enabled by industry providers. Previous flights funded through Prometheus include Varda's W-2 and W-3 missions. (11/28)

Over €900 Million Committed to European Launcher Challenge (Source: European Spaceflight)
ESA's European Launcher Challenge has seen a significant financial commitment from its Member States during the agency’s Ministerial Council meeting in Bremen (CM25) this week. The agency will sign framework contracts with the five shortlisted companies in 2026, after which each will be required to successfully demonstrate its launch system by 2027 at the latest “to confirm selection under the European Launcher Challenge.” (11/30)

Booster 19 Stacking Begins as SpaceX Pushes Forward From B18 Anomaly (Source: NSF)
Following the anomaly with Booster 18, SpaceX is pushing ahead with the construction of Booster 19 and the subsequent testing of the Block 3 test tanks. However, ahead of Flight 12, there are still many milestones to finish, including building a new booster and completing the new launch pad. (11/28)

Why NASA Needs Space Gardeners (Source: Universe Today)
Picture an astronaut on the Moon in 2035, reaching for a crisp lettuce leaf grown in lunar soil simulant, gazing upon Earth which is visible through the window. It sounds like science fiction, but a global collaboration of scientists is making this vision increasingly tangible, developing the agricultural technologies that will sustain human exploration of the Moon and Mars.

NASA has designated astronaut nutrition as a critical red risk, their terminology for the highest priority threats to crew health and mission success. For short trips to the International Space Station, freeze dried meals suffice. But journeys to Mars will take years, and no amount of vacuum sealed provisions can adequately sustain crews over such timescales. The solution requires growing fresh food in space, creating what scientists call Bioregenerative Life Support Systems. (11/30)

New Radiation-Proof Method Could Boost Space Solar Panels (Source: Universe Today)
What steps can be taken to improve and enhance the lifetime of space solar cells? This is what a recent study published in Joule hopes to address as an international team of researchers investigated new methods for improving both the lifetime and performance of space solar cells from the harshness of space weather and radiation. This study has the potential to help scientists and engineers develop new space technologies, especially as several private companies and government organizations are extending their reach into space.

For the study, the researchers examined a novel method for improving the resiliency of perovskite solar cells (PSCs), which are known for their radiation resistance. Despite this, specific aspects of PSCs remain vulnerable to radiation damage, specifically their positively charged molecules called organic A-site cations, whereas their negatively charged atoms called inorganic halide ions are known for their resiliency.

To combat this, the researchers developed a wide-band-gap method that expands the ability of PSCs to absorb higher-energy sunlight, thus expanding its radiation resilience. This wide-band-gap method improves the efficiency and lifetimes of PSCs since it absorbs certain radiation while enabling some to pass through to the next layer of the solar cell. (11/30)

Earth's Newfound 'Episodic-Squishy Lid' May Guide Our Search for Habitable Worlds (Source: Space.com)
A newly identified tectonic "regime" may rewrite our understanding of how rocky worlds evolve. The findings may help to explain why Earth became geologically vibrant while Venus remained stagnant and scorching, with possible implications for our understanding of what makes a planet habitable. When researchers used advanced geodynamic simulations to map diverse planetary tectonic regimes — distinct patterns that describe how a planet's outer shell deforms and releases heat under different conditions — they discovered a missing link they've dubbed the "episodic-squishy lid." (11/30)

NASA’s Roman Observatory Passes Spate of Key Tests (Source: NASA)
The following opinion is only relevant in a situation where the EU, together with its member states, would eventually decide to invest enough to equip itself with space capabilities commensurate with Europe’s economic importance, the role it wants to play in the world and current security threats (meaning: significantly more than what is invested today, and in a significantly more coherent manner). In short, there is no need to regulate the sector with an EU Space Act if we do not invest more and better at the same time.

In this sense, the European space industry believes that the proposal for an EU Space Act could have been more ambitious and contribute to something bigger: Europe’s sovereignty. We cannot build autonomous nor competitive capabilities in space if our supply chains depend on non-European sources for critical systems or components, or if our sector is not resilient enough, as we have seen with the war against Ukraine. This Act proposed by the Commission should have been an opportunity to address real resilience issues, not just give lip service with regard to cybersecurity. Strategic autonomy starts with industrial autonomy: with suppliers, materials and technologies that are European, trusted, safe, secure and resilient. (11/25)

Reaction Engines Asset Sale Progresses as Administrators Continue Talks with Preferred Bidder (Source: Flight Global)
Insolvency specialists handling the administration of UK firm Reaction Engines appear to be slowly closing in on the sale of the collapsed hypersonic technology developer’s assets. Detailing the sale process in their latest progress report, administrators from PricewaterhouseCoopers say they are continuing to work with a preferred bidder for Reaction Engines’ intellectual property (IP) and tangible assets.

PwC had flagged in June this year that it had selected a preferred bidder for the asset sale, but the identity of the potential buyer remains unknown. Although Reaction Engines was best known for its hypersonic SABRE rocket engine, of greater immediate value to the aerospace industry are its capabilities around thermal management and heat-exchanger technology. (12/1)

China Launches Experimental Proximity-Ops Satellites (Source: Space News)
China’s experimental Shijian-21 and Shijian-25 satellites have separated in geosynchronous orbit after a months-long refueling experiment. The two spacecraft performed rendezvous and proximity operations during the first half of the year before apparently docking in late June or early July, then conducted fuel-intensive orbital plane change maneuvers, reducing their orbital inclination. S2a systems, a Swiss company which develops and operates customized systems for optical space surveillance worldwide, said that observations it made Saturday showed the two spacecraft had separated. The separation could mark a successful conclusion to a world-first refueling operation in GEO, but Chinese officials have not commented on the mission. (12/1)

China Launches Classified Satellite on Long March 7A, Landspace Delays Reusable Rocket Debut (Source: Space News)
China launched a classified satellite Sunday while the first flight of a new rocket faces delays. A Long March 7A rocket lifted off from the Wenchang spaceport, placing the Shijian-28 satellite into orbit. The satellite was built by the China Academy of Space Technology but officials provided no other information about the spacecraft. Meanwhile, the first flight of the Zhuque-3 rocket, developed by Landspace, was scheduled for the weekend but postponed for undisclosed reasons. Zhuque-3 is designed to place up to 21,000 kilograms into orbit and land its first stage. (12/1)

SpaceX Launches Starlink Mission From Florida on Monday (Source: Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX launched more Starlink satellites early Monday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport. It deployed 29 Starlink satellites into orbit a little more than an hour later. (12/1)

OPM Advises Agencies to Consider Reducing Senior Executive Staffing (Source: FNN)
Following the federal workforce reductions that have occurred this year, the Trump administration is now telling agencies to rethink how many senior executives they will need on staff as a result of those cuts. A Nov. 24 memo from OPM encouraged agencies to consider reducing their staffing allocations for senior-level positions within their workforces.

No later than Dec. 19, OPM said agencies should submit a workforce assessment, detailing their current staffing allocations for various senior-level positions, and by how much they plan to reduce those allocations going forward. Editor's Note: NASA employs ~438 Senior Executive Service (SES) personnel. These are generally the people who oversee major missions or organizations within the agency. (11/26)

Deep Personnel Cuts Jeopardize Space Force’s Ability to Implement Hegseth’s Acquisition Reforms (Source: FNN)
As the Defense Department moves to implement Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s sweeping acquisition reforms, Space Force leaders warn that the depth of workforce cuts is threatening to cripple the service’s ability to execute them. “You have to have a strong, vibrant workforce to do the work and we’re in a really interesting time and a troubling time. There is a strong, motivated force but there have been an incredible amount of pressures on them this past year,” said Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy. (11/27)