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- Issue 65 | Breaking Space News: Aug 24 - 30, 2025
Issue 65 | Breaking Space News: Aug 24 - 30, 2025
White House Removes Labor Protections for NASA Workforce; Harassment Crisis Unfolds in Antarctica. This Week in Space: A Newborn Planet, Solar Flares Imaging, and NASA-IBM's AI Model to Predict Space Weather. Plus: Ryugu’s Ancient Chemistry, Interstellar Visitor 3I/ATLAS, and a New Dark Matter Detector. Mouse Stem Cells Survive Spaceflight and Birth Healthy Pups. China’s Guangdong Unveils Bold Space Plans; AFWERX and DoD Expand Funding. Also: Starship’s Milestone Flight, Belgian Aerspacelab’s IRIS2 Bid, Rocket Lab’s U.S. Expansion, Hypervelocity White Dwarfs, Collapsing Exoplanets, and More.
Lagrangian Despatch
August 31, 2025 • Estimated Reading Time: 49 minutes
Explorer, welcome back!🚀
As always stunning images and updates from commerce, governance and defense in space abound. Click the link below to read the unclipped publication. ↓
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Surya AI Model from NASA and IBM Uses Solar Observatory Data to Predict Space Weather
Ryugu Asteroid Samples Reveal Minerals and Organics Older Than Earth
Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Shows Record CO₂‑to‑Water Ratio in James Webb Observations
Researchers Develop Technique to Identify and Map Starspots from Exoplanet Transit Data
Ultra‑Sensitive Dark Matter Detector Aims to Find the Particles Holding the Universe Together
Mouse Reproductive Stem Cells Withstand Spaceflight and Generate Healthy Offspring
IMAGES
Newborn Planet WISPIT 2b in a Dusty Protoplanetary Disc Around a Star : ESO’s VLT, Chile
Near‑infrared observations from ESO’s Very Large Telescope reveal newborn planet WISPIT 2b, about five times Jupiter’s mass, carving a gap in the dusty rings around its young Sun‑like star — offering a rare glimpse of a world still forming within its birth disc. (Credit: ESO/R. F. van Capelleveen et al.)
This near‑infrared image from the ESO Very Large Telescope shows a dusty disk encircling a young star. Within its multiple concentric rings, a small dot of light (highlighted by a white circle) marks a newly formed planet — likely a gas giant about five times the mass of Jupiter. (Credit: C. Ginski/R. van Capelleveen et al.)
On August 8, 2024, the NSF’s Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope captured its first X‑class solar flare in record‑breaking detail, isolating light at the H‑alpha wavelength (656.28 nm) to reveal dark coronal loop strands during the flare’s decay phase. The loops — arches of plasma tracing the Sun’s magnetic field — averaged just 48 km across, with some as narrow as 21 km, the smallest ever imaged. Spanning an area about four Earth‑diameters wide, the view offers unprecedented insight into the fine structure of flare‑driven magnetic activity, a key step toward refining models of solar eruptions and improving forecasts of space weather that can disrupt satellites, power grids, and communications on Earth. (Credit: NSF/NSO/AURA)
This high‑cadence, high‑resolution sequence from the Inouye Solar Telescope, accelerated 100‑fold, shows bright flare ribbons beneath dark, arching coronal loops. The field of view spans an area roughly four Earth‑diameters across. (Credit: NSF/NSO/AURA)
This high‑resolution image, captured by the Inouye Solar Telescope on August 8, 2024, at 20:12 UT, spans an area roughly four Earth‑diameters across. For clarity, key features are labeled: flare ribbons — bright regions where energy is released in the dense lower solar atmosphere — and an arcade of coronal loops, which are arcs of plasma tracing magnetic field lines that channel energy from the corona down to the flare ribbons.
Pulsar B1509‑58 and its Surrounding Nebula MSH 15‑52 : Chandra X-Ray Observatory
This composite image shows the pulsar B1509‑58 and its surrounding nebula MSH 15‑52, located about 17,000 light‑years away in the constellation Circinus. X‑ray data from NASA’s Chandra Observatory (blue, orange, yellow) combine with radio observations from the Australia Telescope Compact Array (red) and optical hydrogen‑alpha imagery (gold) to reveal the aftermath of a massive star’s collapse and explosion.
The rapidly spinning neutron star — only about 12 miles across — powers an energetic wind of particles that shapes the nebula into a structure resembling a human hand, with “fingers” extending toward the supernova remnant RCW 89 at upper right. Overlapping X‑ray and radio emission appears purple, while intricate radio filaments trace magnetic field lines. The view spans roughly 150 light‑years, capturing both the pulsar wind’s interaction with supernova debris and the dense hydrogen cloud it is colliding with, offering new clues to the complex dynamics of young, highly magnetized remnants.
(Credit: X‑ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Hong Kong/S. Zhang et al.; Radio: ATNF/CSIRO/ATCA; H‑alpha: UK STFC/ROE; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk)
A labeled version of the image. (Credit: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Hong Kong/S. Zhang et al.; Radio: ATNF/CSIRO/ATCA; H-alpha: UK STFC/Royal Observatory Edinburgh; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk
Intricate filaments tracing the orientation of the nebula’s magnetic field
(Credit: X‑ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Hong Kong/S. Zhang et al.; Radio: ATNF/CSIRO/ATCA; H‑alpha: UK STFC/Royal Observatory Edinburgh; Image Processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Wolk)
X-ray data from Chandra X-Ray Observatory. (Credit: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Hong Kong/S. Zhang et al.)
Radio data from the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) reveals this exploded star and its environment. (Credit: Radio: ATNF/CSIRO/ATCA)
An optical image of hydrogen gas. (Credit: UK STFC/Royal Observatory Edinburgh)
SCIENCE
Surya AI Model from NASA and IBM Uses Solar Observatory Data to Predict Space Weather
A June 20, 2013 image captures a solar flare and prominence eruption from the Sun, followed by a coronal mass ejection capable of triggering magnetic storms that disrupt communications and power systems on Earth. NASA’s new Surya AI model is designed to help forecast such events. (Credit: NASA/Goddard/SDO)
20 August, 2025
IBM and NASA have released Surya, the first open‑source heliophysics AI foundation model, designed to analyze high‑resolution solar observations and improve space weather forecasting. Trained on nine years of data from NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory, Surya can predict solar flares, solar wind speeds, and other heliophysical events, achieving a reported 16% improvement in flare classification accuracy over previous methods. It is also the first model to generate high‑resolution visual predictions of flare locations up to two hours in advance. The model analyzes ultraviolet and extreme‑ultraviolet imagery alongside magnetic field maps to track active regions, forecast flare activity, and estimate solar wind speeds.
Available on Hugging Face, Surya is paired with the largest curated heliophysics dataset to date, enabling global researchers to build specialized forecasting tools. The initiative aims to mitigate risks from solar storms, which can disrupt satellites, GPS, power grids, and communications, with potential global economic losses estimated in the trillions. By embedding NASA’s scientific expertise into scalable AI, the project seeks to accelerate discovery and strengthen resilience against the Sun’s increasingly well‑monitored but unpredictable activity.
Ryugu Asteroid Samples Reveal Minerals and Organics Older Than Earth
A photograph of asteroid Ryugu from a distance of about 12 miles (19 kilometers). (Credit: JAXA, University of Tokyo, Kochi University, Rikkyo University, Nagoya University, Chiba Institute of Technology, Meiji University, University of Aizu and AIST)
25 August, 2025
Scientists analyzing samples from the asteroid Ryugu have uncovered mineral and chemical signatures predating any found on Earth, offering rare insight into the early solar system’s history. The grains, returned by Japan’s Hayabusa2 mission in 2020, were examined at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Synchrotron Light Source II facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory using non‑destructive X‑ray imaging and spectroscopy. Results reveal a diverse mix of minerals — including carbonates, sulfides, oxides, and rare phosphides — formed through multiple stages of fluid alteration about 4.7 billion years ago.
The image maps the elemental composition of a sample grain, measured at the TES beamline with tender‑energy X‑ray microspectroscopy. Phosphorus (P, red), sulfur (S, green), and silicon (Si, blue) are shown distributed across the grain’s surface. (Credit: Brookhaven National Laboratory)
Ryugu, a carbon-rich near-Earth asteroid, likely originated from a larger icy body in the outer solar system, later warmed by short‑lived radioactive elements, which mobilized fluids and catalyzed complex organics such as amino acids. These processes have been preserved in space, unlike on Earth where geological activity erases such records. The findings help reconstruct the sequence of chemical interactions on primitive asteroids and will be compared with NASA’s newly returned Bennu samples to refine models of planetary formation and volatile delivery.
Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS Shows Record CO₂‑to‑Water Ratio in James Webb Observations
The James Webb Space Telescope observed interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS on 6 August 2025 with its Near‑Infrared Spectrograph, as part of a multi‑telescope campaign also involving Hubble and SPHEREx. The three‑panel infrared image shows the comet’s bright core and maps the distribution of carbon dioxide (4.3 µm) and water (2.7 µm) in its coma, with spectral insets confirming the molecular signatures. The observations aim to refine understanding of the comet’s size, composition, and physical properties, contributing to broader efforts to track and study objects entering the solar system from interstellar space. (Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, M. Cordiner (NASA-GSFC))
25 August, 2025
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has made its first observations of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, only the third known object from beyond the solar system after 1I/‘Oumuamua and 2I/Borisov. Using its Near‑Infrared Spectrograph on August 6, JWST detected carbon dioxide, water, water ice, carbon monoxide, and carbonyl sulfide in the comet’s coma. Unexpectedly, the CO₂‑to‑water ratio was the highest ever recorded in a comet, suggesting either formation near a “carbon dioxide ice line” in its home system or prolonged exposure to intense radiation.
The low water vapor abundance hints at internal structures that limit heat penetration, suppressing water outgassing relative to CO₂ and CO. Earlier studies indicate 3I/ATLAS may be about 7 billion years old, originating in the Milky Way’s thick disk — predating the solar system by roughly 3 billion years. Continued monitoring aims to refine understanding of its composition and formation environment before it departs back into interstellar space.
Researchers Develop Technique to Identify and Map Starspots from Exoplanet Transit Data
This artist’s concept illustrates the varying brightness of star with a transiting planet and several star spots. (Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center)
25 August, 2025
Astronomers have developed a new technique to map starspots using transit data from NASA’s TESS and retired Kepler missions. The method, called StarryStarryProcess, analyzes subtle variations in light curves when planets pass in front of their stars, incorporating both transit signatures and stellar rotation to determine spot number, location, and brightness. Starspots are cooler, darker regions on a star’s surface caused by intense magnetic activity that inhibits the flow of heat from its interior
Applied to the gas giant TOI 3884 b, the model revealed concentrated spots near the host star’s north pole, which faces Earth during transits. Understanding stellar “spottiness” is critical for accurately interpreting exoplanet atmospheres, as stellar features can mimic or obscure planetary signals, including potential biosignatures like water vapor.
While current datasets are limited to visible light, upcoming missions such as NASA’s Pandora will combine multiwavelength observations with tools like this to better separate stellar and planetary contributions. The approach could refine habitability assessments and improve characterization of exoplanets discovered in large transit surveys.
In astronomy, transit data refers to the measurements collected when a smaller celestial body — such as a planet — passes directly in front of a larger one, like its host star, from the observer’s point of view.
For exoplanet studies, this means recording the tiny dip in a star’s brightness as the planet crosses its face. By analyzing the resulting light curve — a graph of brightness over time — astronomers can determine:
The planet’s size (from how much light is blocked)
Its orbital period (from how often the dip repeats)
Clues about its atmosphere (from how starlight filters through it during the transit)
Missions like Kepler and TESS have used this method to discover thousands of exoplanets, because transit data is a powerful, indirect way to study worlds we can’t directly image.
Why the Solar System’s Planets Are Tilted Relative to the Sun’s Equator, According to ALMA Observations
Fifteen planet‑forming disks around young stars, examined in detail by the exoALMA project, shown here in carbon monoxide emission. (Credit: Richard Teague and the exoALMA Collaboration)
27 August, 2025
Astronomers studying 15 young, planet‑forming disks with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have found that most are subtly warped, with tilts between 0.5 and 2 degrees. The exoALMA survey, led by Queen Mary University of London, mapped carbon monoxide (CO) gas motions — a reliable tracer of disk structure — to detect these distortions, challenging the long‑held view of protoplanetary disks as perfectly flat.
Such warps could naturally produce planets on inclined orbits, offering a plausible explanation for why the solar system’s planets are tilted relative to the Sun’s equator — Earth by 7.25 degrees, Jupiter by 5.51, and so on. The cause of the warps remains uncertain, with possibilities including gravitational influence from unseen stellar companions or uneven mixing of disk material.
Researchers also found links between warp properties and the rate of material accretion onto the central star, suggesting a dynamic connection between inner and outer disk regions. The findings add a new variable to planet‑formation models, with implications for orbital architectures across planetary systems. The study was published in the August 27 issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
Ultra‑Sensitive Dark Matter Detector Aims to Find the Particles Holding the Universe Together
27 August, 2025
An international team, including Johns Hopkins University researchers, has deployed a new dark matter detector deep beneath the French Alps to search for particles far lighter than the weakly interacting massive particles (WIMPs) targeted for decades. The device uses silicon “skipper” CCDs, capable of detecting signals from single electrons, enabling sensitivity to hypothetical particles similar in mass to electrons rather than atomic nuclei.
Dark matter is an invisible substance that does not emit, absorb, or reflect light, but reveals its presence through gravitational effects on galaxies and cosmic structures. It accounts for about 27% of the universe’s total mass‑energy and roughly 85% of all matter, making it a key component in shaping the large‑scale structure and evolution of the cosmos.
A skipper CCD (skipper charge‑coupled device) is a highly sensitive type of CCD image sensor designed to measure extremely small amounts of charge — down to a single electron — with ultra‑low noise.
Its key innovation is in the readout stage: unlike a conventional CCD, which reads each pixel’s charge once (introducing some electronic noise), a skipper CCD can measure the same pixel multiple times without destroying the stored charge. By averaging these repeated, non‑destructive measurements, it dramatically reduces readout noise to fractions of an electron.
Traditional detectors rely on heavy atoms like xenon or argon, which recoil only if struck by particles of similar mass. Lighter dark matter would instead scatter off electrons, producing much smaller energy signatures. Operating 2 km underground at the Laboratoire Souterrain de Modane, the experiment is shielded by bedrock, ancient lead, and ultra‑pure copper to minimize background noise.
The current eight‑sensor prototype will scale to 208 CCDs in the DAMIC‑M (DArk Matter In CCDs at Modane) experiment, expected to become the most sensitive instrument for this “WIMPier” dark matter. Researchers say the approach could either deliver the first direct detection or rule out broad classes of light‑mass dark matter theories.
Mouse Reproductive Stem Cells Withstand Spaceflight, Microgravity and Radiation to Generate Healthy Offspring
Stem cells from mice cryopreserved on the International Space Station for six months have produced healthy offspring. (Credit: KyotoU / Shinohara lab)
27 August, 2025
A Kyoto University–led team has shown that mouse spermatogonial stem cells cryopreserved aboard the International Space Station for six months can still produce healthy offspring. The cells, stored in a deep freezer to test resilience against microgravity and radiation, were returned to Earth, thawed, expanded in vitro, and transplanted into mouse testes. Within months, natural mating produced pups with normal gene expression and no immediate abnormalities.
The findings suggest that male germ cells can retain fertility after extended space storage, an encouraging sign for long‑duration missions and potential off‑Earth reproduction. Previous studies found embryonic cells more vulnerable to spaceflight, highlighting germ cell preservation as a potentially more robust option. Researchers caution that long‑term health effects across generations remain unknown, and further analysis is underway on additional ISS‑stored samples. The work adds a critical data point to understanding reproductive viability in space, a key factor for future human settlement beyond Earth.
GOVERNANCE
China’s Guangdong Province Sets Ambitious Goals for Space Mining, Tourism, and Broadband Services
The image shows the Wenchang Space Launch Site located in Wenchang, Hainan, China. This site is China's fourth and southernmost spaceport, chosen for its low latitude which is advantageous for launching heavier payloads. (Credit: Rocketlaunch.org)
24 August, 2025
China’s Guangdong province has unveiled an aggressive commercial space strategy aimed at building a fully integrated aerospace ecosystem and competing with national efforts like Beijing’s Guowang and Shanghai’s Qianfan constellations. The three-year plan includes fast-track approvals, designated funding for rocket and satellite development, and procurement incentives for low-orbit satellite applications in sectors such as telecommunications, logistics, space mining, and tourism.
Guangdong, home to China’s largest provincial economy, has yet to produce a flagship space company but seeks to leverage its industrial base to close the gap with other regions. Local governments are encouraged to reward satellite innovation, while companies are pushed to expand internationally in navigation and remote sensing.
The move comes amid intensifying global competition in satellite broadband and space services. SpaceX’s Starlink continues rapid deployment toward tens of thousands of satellites, Amazon’s Project Kuiper is preparing mass launches, and Europe’s IRIS² constellation targets secure connectivity by 2030. The U.S. is streamlining commercial launch regulations, while the EU debates a Space Act to harmonize, but potentially tighten rules for operators.
The announcement coincides with a rapid acceleration in China’s satellite internet buildout, evidenced by shorter launch intervals for Guowang satellites, new launch pad construction at Wenchang and upcoming liquid-fuel rocket debuts. Analysts view Guangdong’s entry as part of a broader decentralization of China’s commercial space leadership.
High Rates of Harassment and Assault Reported by US Antarctic Personnel in NSF Survey Highlight Risks for Moon and Mars Crews
Credit: NSF
27 August, 2025
A new U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) survey of 679 personnel deployed to Antarctica between 2022 and 2024 found that 40.7% experienced at least one incident of sexual assault or harassment, and 68.7% of bystanders witnessed such behavior. Most incidents occurred in social spaces, often outside work hours, and nearly half were part of repeated patterns. Only 20% of victims formally reported their experiences, citing barriers to trust and accountability.
The findings, detailed in the U.S. Antarctic Program Sexual Assault and Harassment Climate Survey, have implications for other isolated, confined, and extreme (ICE) environments, including future Moon or Mars outposts. NSF has begun implementing recommendations such as improved bystander training, anonymous disclosure systems, and supervisor engagement metrics. Experts note that addressing interpersonal risks is as critical as technical readiness in ICE missions, where small crews, limited privacy, and prolonged isolation can amplify conflict and misconduct, threatening mission cohesion and safety.
White House Removes Labor Protections for NASA Workforce: Executive Order Ends Collective Bargaining Rights
A 30-foot NASA logo, nicknamed "the meatball," is hoisted in preparation for its installation in 2020. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)
28 August, 2025
A new executive order signed by President Trump removes NASA from federal labor‑management protections, eliminating collective bargaining rights for more than half the agency’s civil servants on national security grounds. The order, issued alongside similar exclusions for NOAA divisions, the Patent and Trademark Office, and other agencies, allows existing agreements to be voided without cause. Union leaders allege retaliation, noting ongoing litigation over earlier restrictions.
At NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, the change coincides with deep proposed budget cuts, facility closures, and workforce reductions under the FY 2026 request, prompting fears of worsening conditions and attrition. Employees report diminished transparency, curtailed workplace resources, and restrictions on internal communications.
With oversight bodies like the Federal Labor Relations Authority lacking quorum, avenues for appeal are limited. Analysts warn that removing collective bargaining in high‑skill, mission‑critical environments could erode morale and institutional knowledge, with potential long‑term impacts on U.S. space program capacity and continuity.
MILITARY
US AFWERX Funds DeepSat and Viridian to Advance Very Low Earth Orbit Surveillance and Propulsion Technologies
A render showing the DeepSat constellation in very low Earth orbit. (Credit: DeepSat)
25 August, 2025
DeepSat, a Los Angeles–based startup developing real-time Earth intelligence from Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO), has secured a Direct-to-Phase II Small Business Innovation Research contract from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory via AFWERX. The award, which bypasses Phase I, reflects confidence in the company’s technical maturity and will accelerate development of its Orion’s Belt constellation for persistent maritime surveillance and disaster monitoring. Operating at ~250 km, the satellites will use commercial off‑the‑shelf components, onboard AI for edge processing, and naturally decaying orbits to reduce debris risk. The first in‑orbit demonstration is targeted for 2027, with applications spanning illicit fishing detection, smuggling interdiction, and environmental monitoring.
Separately, Viridian Space Corp., founded in 2023 in El Segundo, California, won a $1.25 million AFWERX award to advance its air‑scooping electric propulsion system for VLEO platforms. The technology is designed to counter atmospheric drag at ultra‑low altitudes, potentially extending mission lifetimes and enabling sustained high‑resolution imaging.
Both AFWERX‑funded awards highlight growing U.S. military investment in Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) as a domain for rapid‑revisit, high‑fidelity sensing. Operating at altitudes well below traditional low Earth orbit offers tactical advantages in resolution, latency, and debris mitigation, but also demands advances in propulsion, thermal control, and materials to counter higher drag and atomic oxygen exposure.
By pairing DeepSat’s mission‑focused constellation development with Viridian’s enabling propulsion technology, the contracts illustrate how AFWERX is fostering complementary capabilities needed for sustained VLEO operations. As the Pentagon seeks more agile, proliferated architectures, VLEO constellations could become a key layer in future hybrid space infrastructures, blending resilience, responsiveness, and reduced debris persistence.
York Space Systems Completes Delivery of 21 Satellites for U.S. Military Network Tranche 1 Launch
21 satellites manufactured by York Space Systems for Space Development Agency's upcoming Tranche 1 Transport Layer launch. (Credit York Space Systems)
25 August, 2025
York Space Systems has completed delivery of 21 satellites to the U.S. Space Force for the first operational launch of the Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) Transport Layer. Scheduled for launch no earlier than September 10, the mission will mark the initial deployment of the constellation’s Tranche 1 segment, designed to provide resilient, low‑latency communications in low Earth orbit.
The satellites, built on York’s standardized S‑Class platform, were produced at the company’s Denver facility and delivered ahead of schedule. SDA’s Transport Layer aims to create a proliferated network of hundreds of small satellites to support tactical data transport for military users, with future tranches expanding coverage and capability.
This launch represents a shift from demonstration to operational service for the PWSA, reflecting the Pentagon’s push toward faster acquisition cycles and distributed architectures. The program’s success will depend on sustaining production cadence and integrating with other layers of the SDA’s planned orbital network.
Nuview Wins $5 Million U.S. Defense Contract for Space‑Based LiDAR Constellation
28 August, 2025
Nuview, a Florida-based startup developing the first commercial space-based LiDAR constellation, has secured a $5 million award from the U.S. Department of Defense’s National Security Innovation Capital (NSIC) program. The funding will accelerate rapid prototyping of an enhanced LiDAR payload, a key step toward deploying a planned 20‑satellite network capable of producing high‑resolution, 3D maps of Earth from orbit.
Operating in low Earth orbit, the system is intended to deliver persistent, high‑density geospatial data for civil, commercial, and defense applications, including environmental monitoring, infrastructure assessment, and intelligence support. The award builds on earlier NSIC investment and aligns with U.S. efforts to reduce reliance on foreign LiDAR sources, following congressional concerns over Chinese technology in this sector.
Nuview’s approach combines commercial off‑the‑shelf components with proprietary sensor and software integration. Once operational, the constellation aims to provide rapid global coverage, contributing to both national security priorities and emerging commercial markets for 3D Earth observation.
COMMERCIAL
Spacex’s Starship Flight 10 Marks Technical Milestone with Booster Recovery and Indian Ocean Splashdown
A video showing SpaceX's Starship Flight 10 megarocket launch into space from Starbase, Texas on Aug. 26, 2025.(Credit: SpaceX)
26 August, 2025
SpaceX’s tenth Starship test flight on August 26, 2025 marked a significant technical rebound after a series of upper-stage failures earlier this year. Launching from Starbase, Texas, the Super Heavy booster executed a controlled splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico, while the Ship upper stage completed its full flight profile, deploying eight Starlink simulators, reigniting an engine in space, and surviving a high-stress reentry before splashing down in the Indian Ocean.
Flight 10 incorporated design changes following prior anomalies, including diffuser and COPV upgrades, and tested alternative heat shield materials under intentionally harsh conditions. The upper stage also performed a successful in-space Raptor engine relight—only the second ever—demonstrating a critical capability for future orbital operations. The success advances Starship’s development toward operational goals, including lunar landing under NASA’s Artemis 3 and future Starlink deployments.
SpaceX now plans to iterate rapidly, with Version 3 of Starship expected by year-end and Version 4 targeted for 2027. While challenges remain, Flight 10 demonstrated key capabilities in reusability, payload deployment, and in-space engine relight.
Luxembourg’s NAOS Earth Observation Satellite Launched by SpaceX Alongside Multinational Rideshare Payloads
The NAOS satellite (top center) and other payloads are seen on the second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket before encapsulation inside their payload fairing. (Credit: SpaceX)
26 August, 2025
Luxembourg launched its first national Earth observation satellite, the National Advanced Optical System (NAOS), aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Space Force Base on August 26. Built by OHB Italia for the Luxembourg Directorate of Defence, NAOS carries Elbit Systems’ Jupiter camera and will operate in polar orbit at 450 km. It will orbit Earth once every 94 minutes, or about 15 times per day, and capture up to 100 high-resolution images daily for defense, climate monitoring, and treaty verification.
The mission also deployed seven rideshare payloads, including Planet’s Pelican-3 and Pelican-4 for multispectral imaging, India-based Dhruva Space’s LEAP-1 which itself had payloads for the Australian startup Akula Tech, including the Nexus-01 AI module and a hyperspectral imager developed by Esper Satellites. Exolaunch integrated payloads such as Capella’s Acadia-6 radar satellite, and three Pixxel FFLY nanosats. These additions expand commercial Earth observation capabilities across spectral and radar domains.
NAOS marks a strategic shift for Luxembourg, transitioning from data consumer to sovereign provider under its LUXEOSys program. The launch also highlights SpaceX’s growing role in multi-client deployment, with Falcon 9’s booster completing its 27th recovery. The rideshare model continues to reshape access for emerging space actors.
Belgium’s Aerospacelab Raises €94 Million to Expand Megafactory and Compete for Lead Role in Europe’s IRIS² Connectivity Constellation
26 August, 2025
Belgian satellite manufacturer Aerospacelab has raised €94 million ($110 million) in an extended Series B round to scale its vertically integrated production model and expand its industrial footprint. The funding accelerates construction of its Megafactory in Charleroi, Belgium, which was announced in 2022, with ground broken in May 2024 and first satellites expected by early 2025. Once fully operational in 2027, the facility will produce up to 500 satellites annually, making it Europe’s largest satellite factory.
This investment positions Aerospacelab as a contender for the prime manufacturing contract for IRIS²’s LEO-High segment, which refers to the higher-altitude layer of IRIS²’s low Earth orbit constellation, operating around 1,200 km—a planned 264-satellite layer within the EU’s multi-orbit secure connectivity constellation. IRIS² (Infrastructure for Resilience, Interconnectivity and Security by Satellite) aims to provide encrypted broadband and government communications across Europe and Africa, with initial launches expected in 2029 and full operations by 2030.
The SpaceRise consortium, made up of Eutelsat, Hispasat, and SES, and overseeing IRIS², has initiated competitive dialogues between Aerospacelab and Airbus Defence and Space (France). Aerospacelab’s bid emphasizes speed and subsystem autonomy, while Airbus offers scale and institutional depth. The contract decision, expected by year’s end, will shape Europe’s industrial space landscape.
Avio and Isar Aerospace Selected for ESA Flight Ticket Initiative Launches Supporting In-Orbit Demonstration/Validation Payloads
Norway’s Andøya Spaceport, with Isar Aerospace’s Spectrum ready for its first test launch in March 2025. (Credit: Andøya Spaceport)
27 August, 2025
ESA has secured five launch missions under its Flight Ticket Initiative, awarding contracts to the Italian space propulsion provider Avio and German launch service provider Isar Aerospace to support in-orbit demonstration and validation (IOD/IOV) of emerging European technologies. Avio will launch three payloads aboard Vega-C from French Guiana, including the Spanish Persei’s E.T. Pack for fuel-free satellite deorbiting, Germany’s Pluto+ cubesat for compact avionics and solar array testing, and the French Grasp’s GapMap-1 for greenhouse gas monitoring via short-wave infrared spectrometry.
Isar Aerospace will deploy two missions from Norway’s Andøya Spaceport using its Spectrum vehicle. These include Infinite Orbits’ dual-satellite debris removal test and the Dutch Isispace’s integration of three cubesats for multi-experiment validation.
The Flight Ticket Initiative, part of ESA’s Boost! program and co-funded by the European Commission, aims to foster competition among European launch providers while accelerating commercial readiness of space hardware. The next application deadline is October 1, with ESA signaling regular launch opportunities for IOD/IOV payloads across emerging platforms.
Rocket Lab Expands US Operations with New Virginia Launch Site, Launch Complex 3, for Reusable Neutron Rocket Program
Rocket Lab’s newly built Launch Complex 3 at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility on Wallops Island, Virginia, is designated for future Neutron rocket missions. (Credit: Rocket Lab)
29 August, 2025
Rocket Lab has inaugurated Launch Complex 3 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport (MARS), Wallops Island, Virginia, a dedicated site for its forthcoming reusable medium-lift Neutron rocket. Built in under two years, the pad will support testing, launch, and recovery operations, with Neutron’s first flight targeted for late 2025. The 43‑meter vehicle, powered by nine methane-fueled Archimedes engines, is designed to lift up to 13000 kg to low Earth orbit and return its first stage and fairings as a single unit for reuse. Adjacent to the new facility is Rocket Lab’s first U.S. launch pad, Launch Complex 2, dedicated to Electron missions—its smaller, high‑cadence rocket for deploying small satellites. The company’s main launch operations remain at Launch Complex 1 on New Zealand’s Mahia Peninsula, where two pads support frequent Electron flights.
The opening comes days after Rocket Lab’s 70th Electron mission, “Live, Laugh, Launch,” which deployed five undisclosed satellites from New Zealand for a confidential customer. Electron remains the world’s most frequently flown small orbital rocket, with 12 launches so far in 2025.
Neutron’s debut will mark Rocket Lab’s entry into the medium-lift market, positioning it to compete for constellation deployments and national security missions, while Wallops gains its largest orbital launch capacity to date.
RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT
Simulations Reveal How Binary Star Explosions Create Hypervelocity White Dwarfs
Astronomers have proposed a compelling explanation for hypervelocity white dwarfs — stellar remnants propelled from the Milky Way at extreme speeds — suggesting they result from violent binary mergers and dual detonation events. (Credit: Tod Strohmayer (GSFC), CXC, NASA; Illustration: Dana Berry (CXC))
Astronomers appear closer to explaining the origin of rare “hypervelocity” white dwarfs — stellar remnants moving fast enough to escape the Milky Way. Discovered in 2018 through ESA’s Gaia mission, these objects travel at up to 2,000 km/s and display unusually inflated, overheated profiles.
A new study led by Hila Glanz (Technion–Israel Institute of Technology) used simulations of two hybrid white dwarfs in a tight binary. As the lighter star is torn apart, helium on the heavier ignites, triggering a shockwave that sets off a second detonation in its carbon–oxygen core. The primary is destroyed in a faint thermonuclear supernova, while the partially disrupted companion is flung away at extreme speed.
The model reproduces both observed velocities and physical traits, and may also illuminate alternative pathways to certain Type Ia supernovae. Future surveys, including those by the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, could capture such events in real time, testing this proposed mechanism. The results were published in a paper in the journal Nature Astronomy.
Jupiter-Sized Exoplanet Cores May Collapse into Black Holes from Superheavy Dark Matter Accumulation
An artist’s illustration of planets around stars in the Milky Way. (Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser)
A new study from UC Riverside proposes that exoplanets—particularly gas giants—could serve as tools to investigate superheavy dark matter. Researchers modeled how non-annihilating dark matter particles might accumulate in the cores of Jupiter-sized exoplanets over time. If sufficiently massive, these particles could collapse into black holes, potentially consuming the host planet entirely.
Non-annihilating dark matter particles are hypothetical particles that do not self-destruct when they interact with each other. Unlike many dark matter models—such as WIMPs (weakly interacting massive particles)—which assume that two dark matter particles can collide and annihilate into other particles (like photons or neutrinos), non-annihilating dark matter remains stable and accumulates over time.
This scenario hinges on a specific dark matter model in which particles do not self-destruct upon interaction. While such black holes have not yet been observed, their discovery would challenge prevailing assumptions that planet-mass black holes only formed in the early universe.
The study suggests that exoplanet surveys, especially in dark matter-rich regions like the galactic center, could help test these models. As observational data improves, exoplanets may join neutron stars and white dwarfs as astrophysical laboratories for probing dark matter’s elusive properties. The findings were published in Physical Review D.
The mass range of stellar black holes is constrained by the mass of their progenitor stars. Stars below 1.4 solar masses—known as the Chandrasekhar limit—cannot undergo core-collapse supernovae and instead leave behind white dwarfs. For more massive stars, the fate of the collapsed core depends on the Tolman–Oppenheimer–Volkoff (TOV) limit, which separates neutron star formation from black hole formation.
Though less precisely defined, the TOV threshold is estimated between 2.2 and 2.9 solar masses. Observational data remains sparse: the lightest confirmed black hole is about 3.8 solar masses, while the heaviest known neutron star reaches 2.4. These boundaries are critical when evaluating alternative black hole formation scenarios—such as those proposed in dark matter–induced collapse models—since they challenge the assumption that all planet-mass black holes must originate from the early universe.
New Models Suggest Ancient Ceres May Have Supported Microbial Life
Enhanced-color renderings of dwarf planet Ceres, based on imagery from NASA’s Dawn mission, reveal surface details used in new thermal and chemical models. These models suggest that billions of years ago, Ceres may have hosted conditions capable of supporting microbial life. (Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UCLA/MPS/DLR/IDA)
New research based on NASA’s Dawn mission suggests that the largest object in the asteroid belt and only known dwarf planet Ceres may have once hosted conditions suitable for microbial life. Though now cold and largely frozen, thermal and chemical models indicate that between 2.5 and 4 billion years ago, radioactive decay in Ceres’ rocky interior could have sustained hydrothermal activity. This process may have circulated hot, mineral-rich fluids through a subsurface ocean, creating chemical energy sources analogous to Earth’s deep-sea hydrothermal vents.
Previous Dawn data revealed salt deposits on the surface and organic molecules in the soil, pointing to the presence of water and carbon—two key ingredients for habitability. The new study adds a third: a long-lived internal energy source. While there is no evidence that life ever emerged on Ceres, the findings broaden the scope of potentially habitable environments in the early solar system. Similar-sized icy bodies, including some moons of Uranus and Saturn, may have followed comparable evolutionary paths. A findings were published on Aug. 20 in the journal Science Advances.
Despatch Out. 👽🛸
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