November 3, 2026

Is the South Pole the Right Place for a Lunar Base? (Source: Space Review)
With its Moon Base program, NASA is increasingly focused on landing astronauts in the south polar regions of the Moon. Jeff Foust reports some people, ranging from astronauts to scientists, think the risks of landing there outweigh the benefits, at least for initial missions. Click here. (11/3)
 
The Space Code: How China Uses Culture to Build its Space Soft Power (Source: Space Review)
Chinese space programs once used revolutionary themes for their names, but have more recently turned to Chinese mythology. Krzysztof Karwowski examines the reasons for this naming approach. Click here. (11/3)
 
A Reusable Rocket Alone is Not a Resilient Launch System (Source: Space Review)
Much of the focus on launch has been developing reusable vehicles. Burak Oktenli argues that just as important as reusability is the ability of customers to easily change launch vehicles when something goes wrong. Click here. (11/3)
 
A Long-Distance Look at SPACEHAB (Source: Space Review)
For those who handled payload processing for SPACEHAB missions on the shuttle, the missions themselves were supposed to be break. James Behling recalls what happened on one mission when, by chance, he spotted something unusual. Click here. (11/3)
 
Slaying Snakes, Claiming Freedom: Susan Still Kilrain’s Unconventional Astronaut Career (Source: Space Review)
Susan Still Kilrain achieved many firsts in her career as a military test pilot and NASA astronaut. Emily Carney reviews an autobiography of the astronaut that discusses the challenges she overcame and why her astronaut career was relatively short. Click here. (11/3)

Europe Picks 8 Teams for to Build with Lunar Regolith (Source: ESA)
ESA and European Space Resources Innovation Center (ESRIC) selected 8 teams for Phase 2 of the 3rd Space Resources Challenge, "Building with Lunar Regolith". The teams were chosen from 38 submissions. Next, five of the eight teams will qualify for a field test at the LUNA facility of ESA and DLR in Cologne in summer 2027. Each of the five will receive a €50,000 ESA Cooperative Agreement to prepare its technology. The winner will receive a €500,000 ESA Cooperative Agreement to move towards commercialization and a possible in-space demonstration. The Luxembourg Space Agency offers an additional €500,000 prize. Only Luxembourgish companies are eligible to receive it. (11/2)

South Korea's Air Force to Participate in U.S.-Led Space War Game (Source: Yonhap)
The South Korean Air Force will take part in a U.S.-led multinational space war game for the first time this week, a tabletop exercise designed to strengthen joint operational capabilities in the space domain, officials said Monday. The Air Force is scheduled to participate in the war game, dubbed Partner to Win, from Monday through Friday (local time) in Florida, alongside the Netherlands, Sweden, Poland, Brazil and the United States, according to the armed service. (11/2)

New Zealand Global Space Company Won't Write Down Military Policy (Source: Southland App)
The brains behind a burgeoning Southland space company says workers would walk off the job if he went down a military route, but has no plans of drawing up a firm policy. SpaceOps runs a ground station at Awarua, south of Invercargill, plus Warkworth Space Center, north of Auckland. Its core business is hosting antennas for clients connecting to spacecraft, with big name users including aerospace and defense giant Lockheed Martin, Norway’s KSAT, and Italy’s Leaf Space.

But company chief executive and founder Robin McNeill has revealed there is no policy in place for accepting or undertaking work connected to military activity – despite the company being a subsidiary of regional development agency Great South. “We’ve got enough other things to do without spending ages developing a policy that we don’t need,” he said. McNeill is the brains behind SpaceOps and the 2024 recipient of the inaugural Prime Minister’s Space Prize for Professional Excellence. (11/1)

NASA Wants a Commercial Space Economy. Here’s How it Can Enable One (Source: Fortune)
Taken together, the ISS’s retirement and the squeeze on launch availability creates a real problem for many “new space” startups that built their venture business plans on continued cheap rides to orbit. For a startup space economy that scaled around frequent, inexpensive rideshare slots from one company, the challenge now is how soon the alternatives can deliver dependable access to orbit at comparable scale.

While developing new rockets and replacing the ISS present different operational hurdles, both run into the same underlying market gap: building for space is extraordinarily capital-intensive, and the industry lacks a discovery mechanism to turn existing global demand into the committed orders and upfront capital needed to bring new capacity online. Global government demand is not the issue. The main problem is pretending a self-sustaining commercial market exists when space companies are relying on the U.S. government to be the anchor tenant.

NASA doesn’t need a bigger budget; it needs to push for acquisition strategies that connect a station’s supply chain directly to its future customers and financing. First, the agency can streamline the supplier vetting process to incorporate suppliers from allied and partner nations from the get-go, cutting hardware and service costs immediately. More than just vendors, these companies and their governments are the very ecosystem partners—and commercial and sovereign tenants—that future stations will rely upon for revenue. Second, NASA should place a premium on binding, reciprocal commitments from those partners to use the stations once on orbit. Finally, the agency should consider partnering with market infrastructure providers who can underwrite those day-one supplier costs against committed customer revenues. (11/2)

SciTec Reaches a Major Space Force Missile-Warning Milestone (Source: Aerospace Colorado)
Boulder-based SciTec, a Firefly Aerospace company, announced an operational milestone for the U.S. Space Force's FORGE system. The latest integration incorporates data from a Wide Field of View sensor in geostationary orbit, expanding the system's missile-warning and tracking capabilities. FORGE uses AI and machine learning to process large volumes of sensor data and provide actionable information to Space Force operators. This demonstrates the growing importance of mission software, sensor integration, and data processing alongside traditional satellite hardware. (11/2)

Amentum Expands Defense and Space Operations in Colorado Springs (Source: Aerospace Colorado)
Amentum expanded its presence at Catalyst Campus in Colorado Springs, establishing a facility designed for secure collaboration on sensitive defense and space programs. The expansion supports work involving missile defense, artificial intelligence, cyber operations, and space mission support. (11/2)

Catalyst Accelerator Supports Five Emerging Space and Defense Startups (Source: Aerospace Colorado)
Catalyst Accelerator's first Investment Readiness Boot Camp concluded with a showcase for five early-stage companies developing space and space-supporting technologies. The program was designed to help pre-Series A companies prepare for investment and scale within the space and defense ecosystem. This is especially relevant to Colorado's startup community. Investment readiness, access to government customers, and connections with strategic partners can help smaller companies move from promising technology to sustainable businesses. (11/2)

Space Investment Summit held Oct. 30 in Golden, Colorado (Source: Aerospace Colorado)
The third annual Space Investment Summit was held Oct. 30 in Golden. Produced by @Space Venture Studio, this event focused on space-company formation and investment, with startup pitches, investor feedback, and industry discussion. The opening framing was provided by Aerospace Colorado Board Chair and Advanced Space CEO Bradley Cheetham as well as space economist Jeffrey Cleveland of the Colorado School of Mines. This event series brings together founders, investors, operators, and industry experts for a full day of startup pitches, fundraising insights, practical workshops, and networking focused on building successful space businesses. (11/2)

ESA to Support Industry-Led Reusable Booster Flight Demonstrations (Source: European Spaceflight)
The European Space Agency has announced plans to support industry-led flight demonstrations of reusable rocket first stages and boosters as part of a new phase of its Boosters for European Space Transportation (BEST!) initiative.

On 27 October, ESA published a call for its BEST!2 Flight Demonstrations initiative, which is intended to “accelerate the development and in-flight demonstration of reusable first-stage/booster technologies.” According to the notice, the activity will support system-level demonstrations addressing first-stage recovery and re-flight, aiming to reduce technical and operational risks and accelerate the introduction of these technologies into operational launch systems. (11/2)

Springs’ Space Future is Bright Without Space Command (Source: The Gazette)
While Colorado Springs navigates a changing space environment, and one without a major combatant command that used to call the city home, it is in a good position to benefit from increasing federal investments in national security space. During the 30th annual Economic Forum at the University of Colorado, business leaders shared how the city and the region are squarely ready and perhaps even benefiting from Space Command’s ongoing departure. (11/1)

Lawfare Against Elon Musk Could Affect the Artemis Program (Source: The Hill)
If the Democrats win one or both houses of Congress, Politico is reporting that on top of their agenda is to wage lawfare against Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and the world’s richest man. The gavels are warming up for a myriad of investigations into Musk and his businesses. Such a move could have profound effects on American space policy and politics, particularly the Artemis return to the moon program.

SpaceX is one of the businesses that the Democrats would like to delve into. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), a ranking member of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, claims that the “The sheer number of conflicts of interest are astounding.” The problem is that the next two years are going to be crucial for the Artemis return to the moon program. (11/1)

The Growing Threats That Make the Space Force Essential (Source: Washington Examiner)
A Defense Intelligence Agency report released last week underlines the rapidly growing threat to U.S. interests in space. It offers yet another reminder of the Space Force’s rising importance. The War Department‘s intelligence service, the DIA, is responsible for operations and analysis related to national defense. So, while this new report employs careful analytical language, its assessment clearly relies upon extensive classified intelligence. The document focuses on China and Russia.

A Defense Intelligence Agency report released last week underlines the rapidly growing threat to U.S. interests in space. It offers yet another reminder of the Space Force’s rising importance. The War Department‘s intelligence service, the DIA, is responsible for operations and analysis related to national defense. So, while this new report employs careful analytical language, its assessment clearly relies upon extensive classified intelligence. The document focuses on China and Russia. (11/2)

Europe Space Chief Heads to Gulf as Bloc Looks Beyond US (Source: Reuters)
The head of the European Space Agency will meet officials in the ‌United Arab Emirates this week as Europe seeks new partners and aims to reduce its reliance on the United States for space exploration. The rise of Elon Musk's SpaceX has laid bare Europe's reliance on American space technology.

"Number one, we should strengthen our capability, become ​a stronger player in the global ecosystem, but one that uses its strength to still work with ​other partners," Josef Aschbacher, director general of the ESA, told Reuters. He will attend ⁠meetings in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. "We realized that in exploration, Europe is very exposed to the United States," Aschbacher ​added, saying that European political leaders had told him that the region needed "more autonomy and more strength". (11/2)

Midterm Election to Test Bipartisan Support for NASA (Source: Space News)
A change in party control of Congress after the midterm elections could challenge the longstanding bipartisan consensus behind civil space policy, putting NASA’s legislative and funding environment in focus. The outcome may shape how reliably the agency can pursue priorities across shifting political control. (11/2)

ESA Member States to Decide Future of Europe’s Human and Robotic Exploration Program (Source: Space News)
European Space Agency member states are scheduled to meet in Rome on Dec. 15 to decide the future of Europe’s human and robotic exploration program. The decision will set the direction for the agency’s exploration agenda as Europe looks beyond the International Space Station. (11/2)

NASA Says Computer Glitch and Faulty Gyro Likely Caused Loss of MAVEN Mars Orbiter (Source: Space News)
An agency investigation concluded that a computer glitch and a faulty gyro likely led to the loss of NASA’s MAVEN orbiter nearly a year ago. The finding identifies the probable technical causes of the spacecraft’s loss, though the provided report summary gives no further detail on the failure sequence or mission impact. (11/2)

Swiss Startup Stellar Alpina Unveils Monarch Orbiter and Morpho Lunar Lander (Source: Payload)
Stellar Alpina is introducing two spacecraft: Monarch, described as a high-performance orbiter, and Morpho, a lunar lander. The announcement puts the Swiss startup’s ambitions in both orbital and lunar transportation in focus, though the available details do not specify mission timelines, customers or technical capabilities. (11/2)

ispace Appoints Anas Al-Shuwayer to Lead Saudi Subsidiary (Source: Spacewatch Global)
The lunar exploration company has named Anas Al-Shuwayer to lead its Saudi subsidiary as it expands local partnerships and operations. The appointment signals a stronger on-the-ground presence in Saudi Arabia, though the available report does not detail the subsidiary’s remit, partnerships or specific exploration plans. (11/1)