01/31/2025 | Welcome to our roundup of top SpaceNews stories, delivered every Friday! This week, a deal between Starlink and Apple tumbled rival direct-to-device stocks, NASA pushes back against Trump's and Musk's plans for Artemis and Crew-9 return, three companies partner on 3D Earth mapping, and more. | Our Top Story | | |
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| |  | By Jason Rainbow, Jan. 29, 2025
| Shares in direct-to-smartphone satellite players tumbled Jan. 29 after Apple enabled iPhones with a T-Mobile cellular plan to join beta tests for SpaceX's rival Starlink service in the United States.
The capability was discreetly rolled out earlier this week with Apple's iOS 18.3 software update, Bloomberg reported Jan. 28.
Shares in Globalstar, which enables connectivity beyond the reach of cellular towers on the latest iPhones via a far-reaching partnership with Apple, closed down nearly 18% the following day. Constellation developer AST SpaceMobile slipped 12%.
Canada's MDA, which is building at least 17 satellites for Globalstar after Apple agreed to cover most of the costs to replenish the constellation, also saw its shares fall more than 9%. Read More |  | Other News From the Week | CIVIL | Safety panel reports progress in Starliner investigation
Boeing and NASA are making "significant progress" on addressing issues seen on a test flight of the company's CST-100 Starliner spacecraft last year, an independent NASA safety panel says, although key problems with the spacecraft's thrusters remain unresolved. Read More
Europe awards $900 million contract for Argonaut lunar lander development Thales Alenia Space announced a contract worth nearly $900 million Jan. 30 to develop and deliver the Lunar Descent Element (LDE) for Argonaut, the European Space Agency's cargo lander slated for missions to the Moon starting in the 2030s. The contract includes mission design and integration of the LDE, which would be responsible for transporting and landing the spacecraft on the Moon. Read More
Artemis contractors defend current architecture as fastest way to return to the moon
Companies involved in the Artemis lunar exploration campaign urged the new administration to retain the current architecture, arguing it still offers the fastest way to return humans to the moon. The Trump administration has not made any public changes to Artemis since taking office Jan. 20. However, administration advisers like Elon Musk, chief executive of SpaceX, have been critical of the existing approach. Read More
ESA enlists Thales Alenia Space for mission to Venus
The European Space Agency (ESA) has awarded Thales Alenia Space a contract worth a total €367 million ($383 million) to lead the development of EnVision, a satellite slated to launch in November 2031 on a 15-month journey to study Venus. EnVision would carry five scientific instruments and a radio science experiment — on behalf of space agencies from Italy, France, Germany, Belgium and the United States — to provide a comprehensive view of Venus from its inner core to upper atmosphere. Read More
NASA rules out immediate Crew-9 return, saying astronauts will come back "as soon as practical"
NASA appears to be retaining its existing plans to return astronauts from the International Space Station after Elon Musk said President Trump called on SpaceX to bring back two astronauts "as soon as possible." In a statement to reporters Jan. 29, NASA stated it was proceeding with plans to return the Crew-9 astronauts "as soon as practical" and after the arrival of new astronauts on the upcoming Crew-10 mission. Read More | | | COMMERCIAL | Chinese provinces are fueling the country's commercial space expansion
Across the country, local governments are rolling out policies to cultivate commercial space industries and attempting to position their regions as key players in the burgeoning space sector. The actions come as provinces discuss priorities for the year ahead. China holds its annual, national-level political sessions in early March, but the "sessions at the provincial level" begin around mid-January. Read More
Array Labs, Raytheon, Umbra form partnership focused on 3D mapping from space
Defense contractor Raytheon is partnering with satellite imaging startups Array Labs and Umbra Space to develop advanced three-dimensional Earth observation technologies for the commercial and government markets. The companies announced Jan. 27 they will jointly offer a new product called Site3D, which combines synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technology with specialized mapping algorithms to create detailed 3D models of the Earth's surface. Read More | | | MILITARY | U.S. Space Force Rapid Capabilities Office selects companies for tech accelerator
The U.S. Space Force's Space Rapid Capabilities Office (Space RCO) announced Jan. 29 it selected 10 companies to participate in its inaugural Prime Fusion Pilot Accelerator Program, an initiative aimed at fast-tracking technologies to protect military satellites from orbital threats. The program, run in partnership with defense contractor FedTech, is designed to identify emerging space technologies that could enhance the safety of satellites in orbit. Space RCO, headquartered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, focuses on the rapid acquisition and delivery of critical space systems. Read More
Space Force projects ULA to outpace SpaceX in 2025 national security missions
The U.S. Space Force is projecting 11 national security launches aboard United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Vulcan rocket in 2025, contingent on the rocket receiving final certification, officials said Jan. 28. The forecast also includes seven missions on SpaceX's Falcon rockets, Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen, head of the Space Force's Assured Access to Space office, told reporters at the Space Mobility Conference. Read More
Trump orders 'Iron Dome for America' in sweeping missile defense push
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Jan. 27 that calls for the development of a sweeping new missile defense system for the United States, including controversial space-based interceptors. Read More |
|  | | | OPINION | |
|  | By Sarah Walker, Jan. 31, 2025
| As an international affairs professional in Washington, DC, I have faced immense grief while helping others navigate recent international crises, from the coronavirus to the Ukraine invasion to the genocide in Gaza. These disasters are personal for me, too. My mom was a doctor on the frontlines of the pandemic. My dad — who grew up in Izmir, Turkey, mere decades after the fall of the Ottoman Empire — mourned the implosion of his homeland.
In the midst of the pain that I feel for both intimate and universal reasons, I have found great comfort in rituals. For me, one is stargazing. I have no control over borders being invaded or hostages being taken, or wildfires blazing or banks failing; but I can usually find the Big Dipper if I try hard enough.
One night not long ago, I found myself thousands of miles away from home on a hilltop in Northern California with a dozen perfect strangers. Following a brutal breakup, my father's cancer diagnosis and the death of a friend, I felt that a significant intervention was required to maintain any remnants of my mental well-being. So, I signed up for an intensive wellness retreat that included experiential learning, visualizations, embodiment exercises and digital detoxing. Read More
Ending the dream
By Gary Church
Will AI redefine human roles in space exploration?
By Ilaria Cinelli
China's lunar agenda – a heightened warning
By Grant Anderson
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