Top Stories of the Week From SpaceNews
01/03/2025 | View in Browser | Welcome to our roundup of top SpaceNews stories, delivered every Friday! This week, the FCC allocated additional spectrum for commercial launches, China's space agency faces a leadership change, an environmental study may support additional SpaceX launches from Vandenberg, and more. | | |
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By Jeff Foust, Dec. 31, 2024 |
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The Federal Communications Commission has formally allocated additional spectrum for launch applications, fulfilling a provision in a bill passed earlier this year.
The FCC published Dec. 31 a report and order that allocated spectrum between 2360 and 2395 megahertz for use in communications to and from commercial launch and reentry vehicles on a secondary basis. That band currently has a primary use for aircraft and missile testing communications.
The order satisfies language in the Launch Communications Act (LCA) of 2024, signed into law by President Biden Sept. 26 after Senate passage by unanimous consent and House passage on a voice vote. The act directed the FCC to make available three bands for use in commercial launches and reentries, finalizing such allocations no later than 90 days after enactment of the bill. Read More |
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Study to examine environmental impacts of increased SpaceX launches from Vandenberg
A new environmental study is intended to support the continued increase of SpaceX launches from a California spaceport, but that growth faces potential obstacles. The Department of the Air Force announced Dec. 13 it would carry out an environmental impact statement (EIS) covering both an increase in SpaceX launches at Vandenberg as well as use of a second launch pad. The EIS will examine the environmental impacts from the redevelopment of Space Launch Complex (SLC) 6 for use by SpaceX for Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launches. Read More
India eyes record year for space with 10 planned launches
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S. Somanath told Indian media that 10 orbital launches are planned across the year, including four Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) launches, an LVM-3 and a human-rated LVM-3 launch for the Gaganyaan human spaceflight program, as well as three Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) missions and a launch of the SSLV solid rocket. Read More | | |
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| | Slam Corp extends Lynk Global merger deadline as cash reserves dwindle Slam Corp, the shell company founded by former MLB player Alex Rodriguez, extended its merger deadline with Lynk Global but must refund $81 million to investors who redeemed shares instead of seeking a stake in the direct-to-smartphone satellite operator. The three-month extension gives the shell company until March 25 to complete the transaction, according to a Dec. 26 regulatory filing. Read More
Eutelsat resolves OneWeb leap year software glitch after two-day outage Eutelsat restored services across its low Earth orbit (LEO) OneWeb broadband network following a two-day outage, the French company said Jan. 2. Eutelsat, which also operates a fleet of 35 geostationary satellites, said in a brief news release the disruption was caused by a software issue within its ground segment. Delays to build and get approval for OneWeb's ground infrastructure have held back global services since the company deployed enough satellites for worldwide coverage in 2023. Read More | | |
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 | CIVIL |
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| China to debut new Long March and commercial rockets in 2025
New Long March rockets and commercially-developed launch vehicles are expected to have their first flights in 2025, boosting China's overall launch capabilities. The various launchers will be reusable, adapted for reusability or be expendable but be designed for regular, cost-effective flights. The launchers will compete for contracts to launch satellites for China's megaconstellation projects—Thousand Sails and Guowang—space station cargo missions and commercial and other contracts, helping to boost the country's overall access to space and launch rate in the coming years. Read More
China's space agency faces leadership change amid shake-up
China appears set for a leadership transition at its national space agency, with Zhang Kejian expected to step down after being removed from a top position. Zhang, 63, who has been head of the China National Space Administration (CNSA) since May 2018, is to be removed as Party Secretary of the State Administration for National Defense Science, Technology, and Industry (SASTIND), the agency announced Dec. 26. Shan Zhongde, 54, has been appointed as his replacement. Read More |
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OPINION |
|  | By Matthew Beddingfield, Dec. 30, 2024
| On March 7, 1967, a Red Bank, New Jersey, resident named F.C. Stetter sat down at their typewriter and wrote a letter to Sen. Clinton P. Anderson (D-N.M.), a fierce advocate for the United States space program and the chair of the Senate's Committee on Aeronautical and Space Sciences at the time.
"We were not the first to put a man in space, so why all this hurry to be first to put a man on the Moon?" the concerned citizen wrote, going on to question why America couldn't just cooperate with Russia or another country to reach the depths of space.
The letter came just over a month after the Apollo 1 launchpad fire at Cape Kennedy that killed astronauts Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Ed White and Roger Chaffee. The accident left NASA and its Apollo contractors reeling in the face of their first tragedy. Perhaps more importantly, it raised significant questions as Congressional, media and public trust in NASA was shattered. Read More
Noisy booster landings can impede spaceflight progress. Congress was right to step in By Jonathan H. Ward
2025 will be a year of slow but steady progress for climate monitoring satellites By Maksym Shuschuk
The other space control: who does what in the national security space enterprise By Todd Pennington
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