Plus: A new name for ABL Space Systems and the Spectrum rocket is ready for launch
| | | A SpaceNews daily newsletter | | 02/21/2025 | | | | | Elon Musk said the International Space Station should be deorbited years earlier than planned. Musk, in posts on social media Thursday, said that the ISS offers "very little incremental utility" now and should be deorbited in about two years. NASA's current plans project running the ISS to 2030, by which time the agency hopes to have one or more commercial stations in operation to take over research and related work currently done on the ISS. It's not clear if it is technically feasible to deorbit the station as soon as 2027, and doing so would disrupt plans of both companies and international partners. Key members of Congress have also recently called for keeping the ISS in orbit until commercial successors are ready. Musk didn't explain why he was now calling for the demise of the ISS. His comments came hours after he got into a spat with an ESA astronaut regarding Musk's claims that Starliner astronauts were kept on the ISS for political reasons. [SpaceNews]
Airbus took another 300 million euros ($314 million) in charges on its space business as it continues discussions about joining forces with other European space companies. Airbus said Thursday that charge came after a review of a final program in its space portfolio, which it did not identify, and brings the total charges on its space business to 1.3 billion euros in 2024. Airbus said last year it had not properly evaluated technology risks on satellite programs when bidding on them, leading to the charges. Airbus executives said they do not anticipate any additional losses on its space business in 2025. Airbus is in "preliminary and nonbinding" discussions with Leonardo and Thales Alenia Space about combining their space businesses, which Airbus officials said was necessary to more effectively compete against American companies. They offered no timeline for completing those talks. [SpaceNews]
China's Tianwen-2 spacecraft has arrived at a spaceport for its launch on a mission to a near Earth asteroid and comet. The spacecraft arrived at Xichang Satellite Launch Center Thursday, the China National Space Administration announced, and is expected to launch in May on a Long March 3B. Tianwen-2 will first target the near-Earth asteroid Kamoʻoalewa, collecting samples from the small asteroid to return to Earth in 2027. The main spacecraft will then head for main-belt comet 311P/PANSTARRS, arriving in 2034. The two mission phases aim to provide insight into the composition and evolution of near-Earth objects and understand distribution of water and organic molecules and the history of the early solar system. [SpaceNews]
ABL Space Systems has changed its name as it pivots from launch to missile defense. The company unveiled this week its new name, Long Wall, inspired by the defensive structures built by ancient Athens to protect against sieges. The company's focus is developing containerized missile defense systems and target rockets for U.S. military applications. The company was founded as ABL in 2017 to develop a small launch vehicle, the RS1. That rocket failed in its first launch attempt in 2023 and a second rocket was destroyed in a pad fire last summer. [SpaceNews]
Isar Aerospace says its first Spectrum rocket is ready for launch. The company said Friday it has completed testing of both stages of the Spectrum rocket, including a 30-second static-fire test of the first stage a week ago. Isar officials said they are waiting on a launch license from Norwegian regulators before setting a date for the launch, from Andøya Spaceport in northern Norway. Spectrum, capable of placing up to 1,000 kilograms into orbit, is one of several small launchers under development by European startups. [SpaceNews]
| | | | | Arianespace is delaying the second launch of its Ariane 6 rocket. The rocket was scheduled to lift off next Wednesday from French Guiana, carrying the CSO-3 French reconnaissance satellite. Arianespace said Friday work on ground equipment will delay the launch, with no new date announced. [Arianespace]
China is studying how to incorporate artificial intelligence into a planned mission to the outer solar system. Chinese space officials have previously stated they are considering a mission to the head and tail of the heliosphere, with a goal of reaching a distance of 100 astronomical units (15 billion kilometers) from the sun by 2049. AI could support operations of the spacecraft at those great distances from the Earth, Chinese researchers argued in a recent paper, enhancing spacecraft autonomy and reducing reliance on Earth-based control. That could include using AI to handle spacecraft operations as well as to process data and prioritize scientific measurements. [SpaceNews]
The Justice Department plans to drop a lawsuit it filed against SpaceX alleging discrimination in the company's hiring practices. The department filed the suit in 2023, claiming the company did not consider refugees and asylum seekers for jobs at the company, while SpaceX argued that export control regulations required that it only hire citizens and permanent residents. Prosecutors filed a motion in district court this week to drop the suit, but did not explain why they were doing so. [New York Times]
An Alaska spaceport is filing a lawsuit to cover the cleanup costs of a launch mishap. Alaska Aerospace, which operates the Pacific Spaceport Complex - Alaska spaceport on Kodiak Island, filed suit last week against an insurance company, U.S. Aircraft Insurance Group, for not paying a $3.1 million claim the spaceport submitted. That claim covered cleanup costs from the pad fire that destroyed an RS1 rocket by ABL Space Systems last summer, including cleaning up fuel "and other contaminants" spilled in the mishap. Alaska Aerospace said it filed the suit after the insurer did not respond to multiple inquiries about the claim. [KMXT-FM Kodiak, Alaska]
A billionaire has taken a majority stake in a spaceport in the Shetland Islands. Legal filings show that Wild Ventures Ltd., owned by Danish billionaire Anders Povlsen, now owns more than 50% of Shetland Space Center, which is developing the SaxaVord Spaceport. Wild Ventures made an initial investment in the spaceport in 2020 and has grown its stake in it since then. Povlsen was also a major opponent of Sutherland Spaceport, a proposed spaceport in northern Scotland that Orbex intended to develop for its Prime small launch vehicle. Orbex announced late last year it was pausing work at Sutherland and would instead conduct launches from SaxaVord. [Shetland Times]
| | | | | | | | | "I heard that the country responsible for launching such a rocket should cover the damages. After all, it's private property. The money would certainly come in handy but I don't know what the legal process is."
– Polish farmer Marek Fagasik, after debris from a SpaceX upper stage left a crater in his field. He said he was considering seeking compensation from SpaceX for the damage. [TVP World]
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