June 20, 2026

Kilowatts on the Moon (Source: Autonocion)
In a memo signed on July 31, 2025, then-acting NASA administrator Sean Duffy, who is also the Secretary of Transportation, ordered the agency to design, build, and launch a reactor putting out at least 100 kilowatts of electric power and ready to fly by the end of 2029. The deadline did not come from NASA’s engineers. It came from the top. The 100 kilowatt requirement was a big jump. The program had been targeting a 40-kilowatt class reactor, enough to run roughly 30 households. A 100-kilowatt reactor is closer to powering 80 homes.

Then the politics caught up. On December 18, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Ensuring American Space Superiority” that put deploying reactors on the Moon and in orbit on the official priority list, including a lunar surface reactor ready for launch by 2030, alongside a goal of returning Americans to the Moon by 2028.

The January memorandum between NASA and the DOE is the paperwork that turns all of that into a joint program with money and responsibilities attached. The DOE handles the nuclear side, including supplying roughly 400 kilograms of high-assay low-enriched uranium fuel for ground tests and the flight reactor, according to SpaceNews. NASA runs and funds the program. (6/19)

What the Satellite Servicing Economy Can Borrow From Carbon Credits (Source: Space News)
Larger megaconstellations mean more hardware that's destined to inevitably reenter the Earth's atmosphere. To protect the environment and especially the ozone layer from the toll of mass-injection events, researcher Savanna McNamara proposes an orbital chemistry credit system, borrowing from the overall logic of the carbon credit system that's meant to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

McNamara argues that using a credit system to limit the number of reentries and compensating companies that extend the lifetime of their spacecraft would create a new economy centered around keeping space sustainable and mitigating the impact space activity has on Earth.

"This is not a tax, nor a prohibition; it’s an invitation by design," McNamara wrote. Operators who design around mass reentry will "participate as credit buyers or fund contributors rather than penalized actors. They’ll capitalize the very infrastructure that will eventually make their satellites serviceable cheaper, faster and with more competitive technology. Every participant in the system is contributing to a U.S. orbital servicing industry that did not previously exist." (6/19)

The Mars Delusion (Source: Noema)
For decades, space evangelists have promoted Martian settlement as an insurance policy, a “lifeboat” should human folly or a planet-killing asteroid bring about Earth’s 6th great extinction event. Some have viewed the ambition in more hazy terms, as a logical next step in our species’ evolutionary impulse to expand into uncharted territories. Others have seemed content to echo the less philosophical sentiments of Jeff Bezos, who said, in 2016: “We should, because it’s cool.”

Egged on by SpaceX founder Elon Musk’s conspicuous if zany advocacy, these advances have renewed optimism that humans will land on the Red Planet and potentially establish a permanent colony in the foreseeable future. In 2024, Musk, who has said he hopes to die on Mars, set out a timeline that seemed suspiciously aligned with his own probable lifespan: “Less than 5 years for uncrewed, less than 10 to land people, maybe a city in 20 years, but for sure in 30, civilization secured.”

Detractors might scoff at Musk’s ambition to die on Mars, but at least the dying part would be easy. The Martian air is 95% carbon dioxide. Breathing this air would suffocate the average human in a few seconds. The surface air pressure is six millibars, roughly equivalent to the pressure 22 miles above Earth. Were Musk to very inadvisably step out onto the Martian surface in his “Occupy Mars” T-shirt and sandals, all the water in his body would vaporize in an instant, making it difficult to predict what would kill him faster: asphyxiation or a kind of total bodily implosion. (6/18)

Friends in High Places: Texas Supreme Court Rejects Attempt to Block Beach Closures for SpaceX Launches (Source: Texas Tribune)
Siding with SpaceX and the General Land Office, the Texas Supreme Court on Friday ruled that environmental groups did not have a right to sue to preserve public access to a beach that has been closed during rocket launches. The unanimous ruling said a trial judge properly dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning the groups could not refile it with changes. The dispute began in 2021 when then environmental group SaveRGV sued the Texas General Land Office, Commissioner Dawn Buckingham and Cameron County, arguing Boca Chica Beach and State Highway 4 — the only access road — had been improperly closed for SpaceX launches. (6/19)

Where Might We Find Life in Our Solar System? (Source: National Geographic)
Humans have pondered the question of life beyond our planet for millennia. Only in the past few decades, however, has musing given way to observation. Mars was the obvious target for humanity’s first efforts in “boots on the ground” astrobiological exploration, but it is not our solar system’s only body of interest. Venus is something of an anti-­Mars, its mean surface temperature a scorching 464°C (867°F), maintained by a runaway greenhouse atmosphere. Some, however, propose that earlier in its history, Venus was more temperate, perhaps a potential abode for life. Click here. (6/19)

Saltzman Sports New Space Force Mess Dress Uniform (Source: Air and Space Forces)
When Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman addressed the graduating class of the Air Force Weapons School on June 13, he quietly put on display the new Space Force mess dress uniform. The new black-tie formal garb will begin wear tests this fall, a Department of the Air Force spokesperson told Air & Space Forces Magazine. Volunteers for the wear tests recently completed fittings. (6/19)

The Exploration Company Unveils Storm High Thrust Engine (Source: The Exploration Company)
Storm is The Exploration Company’s (TEC) high thrust rocket engine program, designed to advance Europe’s capabilities in modern propulsion through disciplined, hardware driven development. Built around a full-flow staged combustion cycle and fueled by liquid oxygen and bio-methane, Storm will deliver up to 180t of sea-level thrust. It is designed for reusable launcher concepts and forms a practical foundation for future heavy European launch systems. (6/19)

ESA Names Belgian Jean-Luc Trullemans as New Strategy Director (Source: Belga)
Belgian Jean-Luc Trullemans is set to become the new Director of Strategy, Legal and External Affairs at ESA. The appointment was announced by Vanessa Matz, the minister responsible for Belgium's space portfolio. According to Matz, Trullemans' appointment to the agency's top management reflects the important role Belgium plays within ESA. Last year, Belgium committed 1.109 billion euros in funding for ESA over the coming years, making it the agency's sixth-largest contributor. (6/18)

Space Force Official Visits Maui to Assess Infrastructure for Space Surveillance (Source: USSF)
The Space Base Delta 1 commander, U.S. Space Force Col. Kenneth Klock conducted a site visit to Maui June 8-9 to meet with leadership from the 15th Space Surveillance Squadron, assess infrastructure requirements, and observe mission operations at the Maui Space Surveillance Complex. Headquartered at Peterson Space Force Base, Colorado, SBD 1 provides installation support and real property management for Space Force operations on Maui, including facilities supporting the operations of 15th SPSS and research for the Air Force Research Laboratory. (6/18)

NASA Chief Bought Millions in SpaceX-Linked Stock Before IPO, While Pushing SpaceX's Agenda (Source: Sludge)
In 2021, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman brokered a deal making his Shift4 company the official payment processor for SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service. In May he bought up to $50 million in stock in Shift4 Payment—just weeks before SpaceX went public in the largest IPO in history. Isaacman oversees SpaceX’s NASA contracts and has been leading a federal push to develop the nuclear technology that SpaceX says it needs to colonize Mars.

Isaacman made two separate purchases of Shift4 Class A common stock on May 11 and May 12, each worth between $5 million and $25 million, according to a periodic transaction report filed with the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) this week. He also purchased up to $71 million worth of the stock across multiple transactions in February and March, disclosed in a filing submitted to the OGE in April. (6/18)

The Average SpaceX Buyer Post-IPO is Almost Under Water After Two-Day Slide (Source: CNBC)
The average investor who bought SpaceX shares in the open market after its debut has seen nearly all of their gains disappear as a sharp pullback erased a large chunk of the stock’s post-IPO surge. Shares of SpaceX fell 3.6% Thursday to just under $184.98 a share. The stock’s five-day volume-weighted average price, or VWAP, is $181.71 a share. The move suggests the average post-IPO buyer is now approximately breaking even. (6/18)

SpaceX Bankers Prepare for Bond Sale of at Least $20 Billion (Source: Bloomberg)
Bankers for Elon Musk’s SpaceX are preparing to hold calls with investors as soon as next week to discuss a potential bond offering on the heels of the company’s record IPO, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The bond is expected to be at least $20 billion, and the calls may kick off on Monday, said the people, who asked not to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak publicly. Plans and timing may change, they said. (6/18)

Obama Presidential Center Opens with Astronaut Jacket on Display (Source: CollectSpace)
Among the artifacts now on display in the newly-opened Barack Obama Presidential Center is a jacket that was only worn for a few minutes. Found in the "Science and Innovation" exhibit on the fifth level of the South Side of Chicago museum, the iconic "NASA blue" flight garment is of the type that astronauts wear when training on jets and while making public appearances. This coat, though, has a name tag that reads "President of the United States."

Gifted to Obama in the Oval Office in November 2011, the jacket is adorned by mission patches that represent astronauts that he worked with and key spaceflights that occurred during the first of his two terms as the country's leader. (6/19)

Germany's Rheinmetall, and US's Vantor Plan Joint ISR Venture for Bundeswehr (Source: Breaking Defense)
German defense behemoth Rheinmetall and US imagery provider Vantor announced today that they have inked an agreement on a joint venture to provide “spatial intelligence” to the German military. The new entity will support Germany’s “sovereign defence requirements” from offices within the country, “as well as existing and emerging European intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) programs,” the press release said. (6/18)

Sirius Space Selected to Fill Launch Facility Vacancy Left by MaiaSpace at Kourou (Source: European Spaceflight)
The French space agency CNES has selected Sirius Space Services to fill a vacancy at the Guiana Space Centre’s new multi-user commercial launch facility. The space became available after MaiaSpace shifted its planned launch operations to the spaceport’s former Soyuz launch facility. In 2021, CNES opened a call for interest in a new commercial launch facility that it would build on the grounds of the old Diamant launch site at the Guiana Space Center.

On 25 July 2025, the agency announced seven companies that had been shortlisted: HyImpulse, Isar Aerospace, PLD Space, Rocket Factory Augsburg, Latitude, MaiaSpace, and Avio. Since that announcement, Avio and HyImpulse have been removed from the list, with CNES offering no explanation. MaiaSpace voluntarily gave up its space after CNES, in September 2024, selected the company to assume control of the former Soyuz launch facility, now renamed ELM2. (6/18)

Anomaly Delays Full-Scale Space Rider Drop Test Until October (Source: European Spaceflight)
A full-scale drop test of ESA’s Space Rider spaceplane in early May was aborted after an anomaly during the captive ascent phase, the agency said. In August 2024 and June 2025, ESA completed Space Rider drop test campaigns using a 3,000-kilogram mass simulator. In early 2026, the agency planned to move forward with a final set of drop tests using the Descent and Landing Test Model, a full-scale mock-up of the Space Rider’s Re-entry Module that simulates its size, mass, aerodynamic shape, and landing gear.

In November 2025, Space Rider program manager Dante Galli told European Spaceflight that the agency was targeting February or March 2026 to conduct this final drop test campaign. However, during a June 17 press briefing following the 347th ESA Council meeting, weeks after the aborted attempt occurred, ESA’s head of strategy and institutional launches for space transportation, Lucía Linares, explained that the agency could not provide a concrete date for the final drop test, stating only that it would take place after the summer and before the end of the year. (6/19)

Germany Breaks Ground on One of Two GOVSATCOM Hub Locations (Source: European Spaceflight)
Germany has broken ground on a GOVSATCOM Hub facility in Cologne, with the state of North Rhine-Westphalia committing to investing up to €50 million in the project. The European Union’s GOVSATCOM system officially became operational in January 2026 and is designed to provide sovereign, reliable, secure, and cost-effective satellite communications services for European government and military users. (6/18)

Mars Mission: A Stress Test for the Search for Life (Source: MPS)
Starting in 2030, ESA’s rover Rosalind Franklin will search for traces of life on Mars. The MPS is contributing a scientific instrument to the mission. The instrument determines, among other things, a crucial property of organic molecules: their chirality. This reveals whether the molecules were ever part of a living organism. In preparation, researchers have successfully used this principle for the first time to analyze two particularly relevant chemical compounds in meteorite samples. The measurements also reveal evidence that meteorites “collect” remnants of fossil fuels as they plunge through the Earth’s atmosphere. (6/18)

ElevationSpace Secures $40 Million, Bringing Total Raised to $63.5 Million (Source: Space News)
ElevationSpace, a company developing Space-to-Earth transportation as well as a Space Environment Utilization and Recovery Platform, has raised a total of $40 million in the largest funding round in the company’s history. The close of the funding round brings the total amount raised since its founding to $63.5 million, demonstrating the growing attention and confidence in the space transportation and low-Earth orbit (LEO) utilization markets. (6/19)

Ambani’s Jio Weighs India Satellite Network to Rival Starlink (Source: Bloomberg)
Billionaire Mukesh Ambani-controlled Jio Platforms Ltd. is weighing plans to build its own satellite constellation, as it seeks to cement control over the nation’s communications infrastructure while Elon Musk’s Starlink faces hurdles. The company is evaluating the deployment of a low-orbit satellite network for India. It is also partnering to lease capacity from global providers so that “we can accelerate service availability while building our own long-term sovereign capability.” (6/19)

Satellite Reveals Immense Scale of GPS Signal Tampering (Source: Space.com)
An experimental satellite has mapped the scale of GPS jamming across Europe and the Middle East from space for the first time. The data surprised the team behind the project and indicated that satellites orbiting far from Earth aren't the only ones that experience degradation of their positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) signals, which could affect their performance and the safety of their operations. The new measurements were made by Pulsar-0, the first satellite of the novel Pulsar navigation constellation developed by California-based Xona Space Systems. (6/18)

Congo Set to Acquire ‘RDC-SAT’ Earth Observation Satellite from SPACEBEL (Source: Spacewatch Global)
SPACEBEL has signed an agreement with the Democratic Republic of Congo to supply RDC-SAT, an Earth observation satellite for independent monitoring of its territory, borders, and environment. (6/18)