03/14/2025 | Welcome to our roundup of top SpaceNews stories, delivered every Friday! This week, layoffs at NASA, Intelsat lands a border security customer, China opens Mars Sample Return to international collaboration, and more. | Our Top Story | | |
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| |  | By Jeff Foust, March 10, 2025
| NASA is closing three offices and laying off their staff as a first step in broader workforce reductions at the agency ordered by the Trump administration.
NASA announced March 10 that it was closing the Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy; the Office of the Chief Scientist; and the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) Branch of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The employees of those offices, 23 in total, will be laid off.
"To optimize our workforce, and in compliance with an Executive Order, NASA is beginning its phased approach to a reduction in force, known as a RIF," NASA spokesperson Cheryl Warner said in a statement. "A small number of individuals received notification Monday they are a part of NASA's RIF." Read More |  | Other News From the Week | LAUNCH | Manufacturing defect blamed for Vulcan solid rocket motor anomaly The loss of a solid rocket motor nozzle on the second flight of United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur last October was caused by a manufacturing defect that has been corrected as the company awaits certification of the vehicle by the Space Force. Read More
Isar Aerospace wins Norwegian Space Agency launch contract Munich-based Isar Aerospace announced March 12 it signed a contract to launch two satellites for the agency's Arctic Ocean Surveillance (AOS) program in 2028. The launch of the Spectrum rocket to sun-synchronous orbit will take place from the company's launch pad at Andรธya Spaceport in northern Norway. Read More
China's iSpace secures D round funding, targets December orbital launch and landing Beijing Interstellar Glory Space Technology Ltd., announced Series D financing worth "several hundred million yuan" (100 million yuan = $13.8 million) March 11. The round was led by the Sichuan Tianfu Xinyun Digital Economy Development Fund Co., Ltd., a provincial industrial investment fund managed by Sichuan Development (Holding) Co., Ltd. Read More | | | Loving SpaceNews This Week? Check out SpaceNext: AI, where we look at how artificial intelligence is becoming integral to the space industry, and how companies and agencies are using it for their missions. | | | COMMERCIAL | Intelsat secures first customer for communications system aimed at border security The Cochise County Sheriff's Office in Arizona will deploy Intelsat's Multi-Layer Communication System (MLCS) along the U.S.-Mexico border to support operations in previously unconnected areas. Intelsat CEO David Wajsgras said the company is making a strategic push into a growing market for mobile connectivity in remote areas. In remarks at the Satellite 2025 Conference, Wajsgras said the Cochise County deal represents a key milestone as the company seeks to expand its footprint in border security. Read More
L3Harris taps commercial AI partners for Pentagon's Golden Dome program L3Harris, which has secured over $2 billion in missile-tracking satellite contracts from the Space Force's Space Development Agency and the Missile Defense Agency, intends to incorporate AI and machine learning (ML) technologies developed through partnerships with Palantir Technologies and Shield AI into the program's framework. Read More
Rocket Lab to expand into laser communications with Mynaric acquisition Rocket Lab announced plans March 11 to buy its optical communications terminal supplier Mynaric, which entered restructuring last month following production delays and supply chain issues. The deal is contingent on Germany-based Mynaric completing its restructuring process, which would eliminate all publicly traded shares and transfer full ownership to a lender affiliated with U.S. investment firm PIMCO. Read More | | | CIVIL | Arianespace sees stronger institutional demand for Ariane 6 amid shifting geopolitics The successful second flight of Europe's Ariane 6 has become an opportunity for European officials to highlight the need for "strategic autonomy" in space given its changing relationship with the United States. Read More
China opens 2028 Mars sample return mission to international cooperation The China National Space Administration (CNSA) published an announcement of opportunities March 11, officially opening the Tianwen-3 Mars mission to international cooperation. Tianwen-3 aims to collect samples from Mars and, for the first time ever, deliver them to Earth. The primary scientific goal is the detection of potential biosignatures and answering a fundamental question: has life ever existed on Mars? Read More
New FCC space chief seeks licensing reform and "intensive" use of spectrum In a speech at the Satellite 2025 conference March 12, Jay Schwartz, chief of the FCC's Space Bureau, said he will approach the regulation of satellite communications systems through an economic lens with a goal of ensuring the industry's growth. Read More | | |
|  | OPINION | |
|  | By Alexander MacDonald, March 10, 2025
| As United States government agencies go, NASA is unique. It remains the only entity in the world to have landed humans on the moon. It sent robotic probes to every planet, advancing our understanding of the solar system. It flew a helicopter on Mars, the first aircraft to achieve powered, controlled flight on another planet. It flew the Parker Solar Probe closer to study the sun than any previous spacecraft.
NASA's achievements are technical and scientific marvels.
Beyond these achievements โ or perhaps because of them โ NASA has long been voted the best place to work in the federal government and it is regularly ranked by Americans as one of the most trustworthy of federal agencies. Globally, NASA is one of the most recognized and beloved brands. It is, in short, a special part of the American identity. Read More
Bringing Mars to Earth: solving Mars Sample Return By Peter Beck
Where are we on the journey to a lunar economy? By Giuseppe Reibaldi and Chris Bosquillon
Where no rover has gone before: how Mars helicopters enable a new era of exploration By Will Pomerantz
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