Plus: Star Catcher's latest test and a Chinese spacewalk
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| | | A SpaceNews daily newsletter | | 03/24/2025 | | | | | Nearly 30 former NASA astronauts are asking the Senate to accelerate the confirmation of Jared Isaacman as NASA administrator. A letter, released late Friday, asked the leadership of the Senate Commerce Committee to hold a confirmation hearing for Isaacman's nomination "as soon as practical." The committee has yet to schedule that hearing, more than two months after the new administration formally nominated the businessman and private astronaut to lead the agency. The former NASA astronauts argue that Isaacman is "uniquely qualified to lead NASA at this critical juncture" given his business and spaceflight experience. [SpaceNews]
Two Chinese astronauts performed a spacewalk outside the Tiangong space station Friday. Astronauts Cai Xuzhe and Song Lingdong spent roughly seven hours outside Tiangong on a spacewalk that ended at 8:50 a.m. Eastern. Cai and Song installed space debris protective shielding to the outside of the Wentian module, completing the deployment of shielding carried out across a series of missions and activities. They also installed and inspected equipment on the exterior of the station. The spacewalk was the third by the Shenzhou-19 crew, who are expected to return to Earth in about a month. [SpaceNews]
Star Catcher Industries said it conducted the first test of technologies to beam concentrated solar energy. In a test in a football stadium, the company beamed concentrated sunlight more than 100 meters, successfully powering multiple off-the-shelf solar arrays. The company intends to use that technology in space to transmit beams of sunlight to spacecraft, increasing the power their solar panels can generate. Star Catcher plans another test this summer, beaming power more than a kilometer at the runway at the Kennedy Space Center. [SpaceNews]
French launch vehicle developer MaiaSpace has signed its first commercial contract. The company said last week it signed a deal with Exotrail for multiple launches of that company's spacevan orbital transfer vehicles, starting as soon as 2027. MaiaSpace is developing a small launch vehicle that can place 500 to 1,500 kilograms into orbit, depending on whether the first stage is recovered. Exotrail launched its first spacevan vehicle on a SpaceX rideshare mission in 2023 and has contracts for additional launches with Arianespace and Isar Aerospace. [SpaceNews]
Pangea Aerospace raised 23 million euros ($25 million) to further its work on space propulsion systems. Pangea announced the Series A round last week led by Hyperion Fund, a Madrid-based firm focused on aerospace, cyber and defense. The company, with offices in Barcelona and Toulouse, will use the funding to advance work on propulsion systems like aerospike engines it is developing for use in future launch vehicles. [SpaceNews]
| | | | | A commercial Chinese rocket launched several satellites Friday. The Ceres-1 rocket lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center at 7:07 a.m. Eastern, placing into orbit six Yunyao-1 satellites that collect radio occultation data for weather forecasting. The launch was the second in less than a week of the Ceres-1, a solid-fuel small launcher operated by Galactic Energy. [Xinhua]
The Italian government has halted negotiations with SpaceX about use of the Starlink constellation. Guido Crosetto, the country's defense minister, said Saturday that the negotiations about a deal potentially worth $1.5 billion to provide secure government communications had "come to a standstill." He claimed the pause was because of controversy surrounding statements "by and about" Elon Musk, SpaceX's CEO and a senior adviser to President Trump. Crosetto said negotiations could resume if that controversy dies down. [Politico]
NASA is no longer promoting Artemis as sending the first woman and first person of color to the moon. The agency quietly updated its website recently, removing language that NASA "will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon." The agency said it was complying with an executive order from the Trump administration regarding diversity, equity and inclusion. NASA also removed from its website "First Woman," a graphic novel about the first woman on the moon. Ironically, it was the first Trump administration that promoted Artemis as landing the "next man and first woman" on the moon. [Ars Technica]
The Space Force has declared an upcoming major conference as 'essential' for the service. In a memo last week, the Space Force said that next month's Space Symposium in Colorado Springs is "mission essential" for those participating in conference sessions and others "with scheduled industry engagements." Guardians who are based in the area can attend so long as they cover their own transportation costs. The declaration came after an executive order last month called on agencies to cut nonessential travel, which caused a sharp reduction in attendees at the AFA Warfare Symposium earlier this month. [Breaking Defense]
Astra has hired an industry veteran to lead its launch vehicle development work. Astra announced that it hired Alan Weston as its head of launch programs, charging him with overseeing development of the company's Rocket 4 vehicle. Weston has previously worked in government and industry, including at NASA and the Air Force. Astra, which has not attempted a launch since mid-2022, has provided few recent updates on the status of Rocket 4. [Astra]
| The Week Ahead | |
Monday: Tuesday-Thursday: Wednesday: -
Online: Space Force Gen. B. Chance Saltzman speaks at a Mitchell Institute Schriever Spacepower Series webinar at 9:30 a.m. Eastern. -
Washington: The Senate Armed Services Committee's strategic forces subcommittee holds a hearing on U.S. Strategic Command and U.S. Space Command at 9:30 a.m. Eastern. -
Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif.: Rescheduled launch of Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket carrying a Lockheed Martin satellite at 9:37 a.m. Eastern. -
Mahia Peninsula, N.Z.: Scheduled launch of a Rocket Lab Electron carrying eight OroraTech satellites at 11:30 a.m. Eastern. -
Xichang, China: Anticipated launch of a Long March 3B rocket carrying an unidentified payload at 11:55 a.m. Eastern. -
Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif.: Scheduled launch of a Falcon 9 carrying Starlink satellites at 6 p.m. Eastern. Thursday: Thursday-Friday: Friday: Saturday: Sunday: -
Cape Canaveral, Fla.: Scheduled launch of a Falcon 9 carrying Starlink satellites at 3:16 p.m. Eastern. -
Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif.: Scheduled launch of a Falcon 9 carrying Starlink satellites at 8:23 p.m. Eastern. | | | | | | | What's New With SpaceNews? |  | | Check out the latest episode of our new podcast, Space Minds. Join David Ariosto, Mike Gruss and journalists from the SpaceNews team for compelling interviews with scientists, founders and experts who love to talk about space, and their takes on the week's biggest news.
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