Space Command HQ debate heats up again, and bipartisan opposition to proposed NASA science cuts
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| | | A SpaceNews daily newsletter | | 04/16/2025 | | | | | A report from the Pentagon's inspector general has provided more fuel for the debate on the headquarters for U.S. Space Command. The report concluded that moving Space Command headquarters from its interim home in Colorado Springs to Huntsville, Alabama, would save $420 million. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Ala.), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, claimed the report further proves that the command should be moved to Huntsville, adding he expects President Trump to make that decision soon. However, Republican members of Colorado's congressional delegation countered that any relocation would significantly disrupt the command's operations during a critical time for space security, warning that a move could result in a loss of civilian personnel unwilling to leave Colorado. [SpaceNews]
Astranis has won a $115 million contract to build a communications satellite for Taiwan. The Ka-band geostationary orbit satellite for Taiwanese telco Chunghwa Telecom joins a batch of five spacecraft that SpaceX is slated to launch on a Falcon 9 rocket by the end of the year, collectively called Block 3. Chunghwa is paying more for its satellite than others in that block because of requirements for a "very fast delivery time and mission-critical use case." Astranis launched its four Block 2 satellites at the end of last year, but one, UtilitySat, has not made any orbit-raising maneuvers in two months. The company acknowledged it is "troubleshooting an issue" but did not elaborate. [SpaceNews]
A bipartisan congressional caucus has criticized proposed steep cuts in NASA science programs. The co-chairs of the Congressional Planetary Science Caucus, Reps. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) and Don Bacon (R-Neb.), said in a statement Tuesday they were "extremely alarmed" by reports the White House's fiscal year 2026 budget proposal would cut NASA's science budget by nearly 50% and cancel several major missions. Bacon is one of the first Republicans in Congress to criticize the proposal, which has faced opposition to date primarily by Democrats. Bacon and Chu restarted the caucus a little more than a year ago to raise awareness among members about the benefits of planetary science and related research. [SpaceNews]
German launch vehicle startup Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) has replaced its CEO. The company said last week that Stefan Tweraser, who had been CEO since October 2021, had been replaced by Indulis Kalnins. The company didn't give a reason for the change but suggested they wanted more technical leadership at the company. Kalnins is on the aerospace faculty of a German university and has been managing director of OHB Cosmos, which focused on launch services, while Tweraser came to RFA after a career outside of aerospace. RFA is working towards a second attempt at a first launch of its RFA ONE rocket after the first stage of its initial rocket was destroyed in a static-fire test last August. The company is targeting late this year for a launch. [SpaceNews]
| | | | | Two startups are working together on a new approach for spacecraft servicing. Arizona-based Katalyst Space and European startup LMO Space said they will cooperate on a concept called assisted rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO), where an servicing spacecraft is supported by an orbital transfer vehicle that both delivers the servicer to the vicinity of the client spacecraft and collects data to help the servicer dock with the client. The companies said they plan to test the concept in geostationary orbit in 2026. [SpaceNews]
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr says Europe needs to choose between American and Chinese satellite technologies. Carr said in an interview that if European governments are worried now about Starlink, they should be "really worried" about Chinese systems under development. The European Commission is working on its own satellite constellation, IRISยฒ, but Carr argued that Europe needed to choose between siding with American or Chinese systems: "If Europe has its own satellite constellation then great, I think the more the better. But more broadly, I think Europe is caught a little bit between the US and China. And it's sort of time for choosing." [Financial Times]
Rocket Lab says its hypersonic test flight capabilities have been added to both American and British contracts. The company said this week that HASTE, a suborbital version of Electron used for hypersonics testing, has been added to the U.S. Air Force's Enterprise-Wide Agile Acquisition Contract and the U.K. Ministry of Defence's Hypersonic Technologies & Capability Development Framework. Rocket Lab is now eligible to offer HASTE for task orders under the two contracts. [Rocket Lab]
The government of the Bahamas is suspending permission for SpaceX rocket landings in its waters. A government spokesperson said Tuesday it halted permission granted earlier this year for Falcon 9 landings until an environmental assessment is completed. SpaceX has performed one such landing to date, in February, a move the company said would allow it to fly different trajectories from Florida. [Reuters]
| Space Flight
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"This was not a ride. What happened to us, this was a bona fide freakin' flight."
โ Gayle King, reflecting on her suborbital spaceflight on New Shepard. [CBS]
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