November 14, 2026

Trump Urges Senate GOP to Pass $350B Defense Funding (Source: Politico)
President Donald Trump has urged Senate Republicans to pass a $350 billion defense spending package before Democrats take control of Congress in January. Trump emphasized the need for a strong military and called for immediate action in a post on Truth Social. However, previous requests for increased Pentagon funding have faced resistance in the Senate, with Republicans divided on the structure of the spending bill. (11/12)

Kratos Completes USSF Review for Missile Warning Program (Source: Air Force Technology)
Kratos Defense Security Solutions has completed a system review for the US Space Force's Resilient Missile Warning and Tracking program, supporting the Ground Management and Integration effort. Kratos, the prime contractor for the ground segment, is integrating its system with the Future Operationally Resilient Ground Evolution platform. (11/12)

Pakistani Astronaut Set to Become 1st International Visitor to China's Tiangong Space Station (Source: Space.com)
An astronaut from Pakistan is set to launch on China's Shenzhou 24 mission in the coming weeks and become the first-ever international visitor to the Tiangong space station. A pair of astronaut candidates from Pakistan have been training at the Astronaut Centre of China in Beijing, following an agreement reached between China and Pakistan in Islamabad in February 2025 and a subsequent selection process. (11/12)

Space Dust Particles Point to Ancient Heavy-Oxygen Water Reservoir in the Kuiper Belt (Source: Phys.org)
Although scientists have long predicted that a primordial supply of water enriched in heavier oxygen isotopes might exist in the outer solar system, they lacked evidence. But now, a group of researchers has found some convincing evidence in the space dust that made its way into Earth's atmosphere. The team's new study describes how 12 grains of dust can tell us what is going on in the outer solar system. (11/12)

South Korea Also Seeks Role in NASA Moon Base Project... Mobilizes Industry, Academia and Research (Source: Asia Business Daily)
South Korea is bringing together the technological capabilities of domestic research institutes, universities, and companies to participate in the construction of a Moon Base proposed by NASA. It will assess technological readiness in areas including lunar landing and transportation, communications and navigation, power, and robotics, and identify areas that could contribute to U.S.-South Korea space exploration cooperation. (11/13)

Virgin Galactic to Raise Ticket Price to $850,000 as it Burns Cash (Source: Albuquerque Journal)
Virgin Galactic executives said in a Thursday earnings call that tickets to suborbital space will reach $850,000. Two years have passed since British billionaire Richard Branson’s company launched a flight from Spaceport America in southern New Mexico, where it is an anchor tenant. In its third-quarter earnings report, the company reported $427,000 in revenue but a net loss of $59 million. Outstanding debt is below $100 million, executives said.

And so Virgin Galactic is seeking to generate more revenue as it burns cash. In August, the company said its $750,000 ticket tranche sold out. Government contracts present another revenue opportunity, Michael Colglazier, CEO of Virgin Galactic, told investors. (11/12)

India: Ground Test of Third Stage of PSLV (PS3) Conducted Successfully (Source: ISRO)
The ground static test of the PSLV third stage (PS3) was carried out successfully at the Static Test Facility in Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota. Subsequent to the anomalies observed in the third stage of PSLV during the PSLV-C61/EOS-09 & PSLV-C62 / EOS-N1 missions, the configuration of the PS3 stage was revisited comprehensively. The configuration has been strengthened and essential improvements have been carried out in the nozzle configuration to improve design margins along with updated procedures in the acceptance of raw materials, assembly procedures and quality checks. (11/12)

NASA Glenn Engineer Develops Plastic That Can Be Manufactured on the Moon and Mars (Source: WKYC)
Dr. Allison Christy, a chemical engineer at NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, is studying the crystal structure of the new material she recently developed. It's a plastic astronauts can make far from Earth, and a bacteria produces its main ingredient. "Similar to something like a sourdough starter,” Christy said. “You are able to bring these organisms with you. It's a lot smaller, it's more compact. And you can bring those up there and you can use resources, either on the lunar surface or the Martian surface to make plastic when we're up there."

The plastic starts as a fine powder called polyhydroxbutyrate or PHB. Then mix in moon or Mars dust to strengthen it. In the samples produced, the darker the color, the more dust. Gray for moon dust, and reddish brown for Mars dust. Christy is working on making them into a filament that can be used in a 3D printer. (11/11)

Mitsubishi Electric, NTT and Two Banks Sign Up to Study a Japanese Megaconstellation (Source: Beyond LEO)
Five Japanese companies have agreed to study whether they can build and run a large satellite constellation and sell services from it. Mitsubishi Electric said it had signed a memorandum of understanding NTT, NTT DOCOMO BUSINESS, MUFG Bank and the Development Bank of Japan (DBJ) to explore working together on developing and operating a mega-constellation and on services that use it. (11/13)