04/11/2025 | Welcome to our roundup of top SpaceNews stories, delivered every Friday! This week, General Whiting called for space weapons and great space combat capabilities, Vast secured new Haven-1 payload partners, Jared Isaacman called for parallel moon and Mars efforts, and more. | Our Top Story | | |
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| |  | By Sandra Erwin, April 8, 2025
| Gen. Stephen Whiting, commander of U.S. Space Command, warned that the U.S. is in a fast-moving race to defend its orbital assets, driven by growing threats from China. Speaking April 8 at the annual Space Symposium, Whiting outlined the command's strategy to deter space-based aggression โ including preparing for the once-unthinkable war in space.
"Our opponents, most notably China, have accelerated the terrestrial and on-orbit space weapons, expanded their space-enabled kill chains, and are moving at breathtaking speed," Whiting told attendees.
He emphasized that while the U.S. does not seek conflict in space, it is preparing for it to prevent adversaries from gaining an upper hand. "There has never been a war in space, and we don't want a war to start in space or to extend into space, and war in space is not inevitable," Whiting said. Still, he added, "there is no longer any debate that space is a war fighting domain." Read More |  | Other News From the Week | MILITARY | Space Force chief: 'Golden Dome' is a missile shield built in pieces, not a single system
The Golden Dome initiative, established through a White House executive order, aims to create a comprehensive shield protecting the United States against an array of missile threats, including ballistic, hypersonic and advanced cruise missiles. Gen. Chance Saltzman, head of the U.S. Space Force, said April 9 that Golden Dome represents a complex network of systems rather than a single procurement program. Read More
Space Force to roll out strategy for international collaboration
The U.S. Space Force is finalizing an "International Partnership Strategy" aimed at expanding international collaboration in orbit as the military branch seeks to prepare for operations in a contested domain. Read More
Space Force announces 'Orbital Watch' program to share intelligence with commercial sector
The U.S. Space Force's procurement arm announced a new intelligence-sharing program, "Orbital Watch," aimed at warning the more than 900 companies registered through the command's "Front Door" portal about potential threats to their orbital assets. 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. | | | POLICY & POLITICS | NASA developing options for agency restructuring in "unsettling" environment
NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro acknowledged in an interview during the 40th Space Symposium April 7 that it is an "unsettling" time for the agency's workforce, as well as across the federal government, as the Trump administration seeks to make sweeping changes that include large-scale reductions in force or layoffs. Read More
FCC moves to update satellite power limits amid push for adaptive regulations
The Federal Communications Commission is preparing to update decades-old satellite power limits amid broader efforts to modernize and streamline regulations, FCC Space Bureau chief Jay Schwarz said April 7. Read More
Isaacman says NASA should pursue human moon and Mars programs simultaneously
Isaacman, in both his opening statement and in responses to questions during his two-and-a-half-hour confirmation hearing, argued that NASA can pursue Artemis as well as human missions to Mars in parallel. "We will prioritize sending American astronauts to Mars and along the way we will inevitably have the capabilities to return to the moon," he said. Read More | | | CIVIL | Space leaders emphasize collaboration amid geopolitical challenges Agency leaders emphasized that strong, cooperative relationships are essential for achieving ambitious missions and ensuring space remains a peaceful domain for exploration and commerce, even amidst rising geopolitical tensions and trade wars. Read More
TraCSS moves into next phase of development The Commerce Department's space traffic coordination system has moved into the next phase of its development with full service expected to start early next year. The office is continuing to implement upgrades to TraCSS that is being beta-tested by an initial group of nine operators responsible for about 1,000 satellites. Read More | | | COMMERCIAL | Vast signs three more payload partners for Haven-1 Vast announced April 8 that Japan Manned Space Systems Corporation (JAMSS), Interstellar Lab and Exobiosphere will fly research payloads on the Haven-1 station launching no earlier than May 2026. They join Redwire and Yuri as payload partners for the station. Read More
Rocket Lab sees demand for Electron despite rideshare competition Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck said his company has found a successful market providing dedicated launches for small satellites โ a strategy that he said does not directly compete with SpaceX rideshare missions and is favored by customers seeking greater control over their schedule and orbit. Read More
SpaceX secures majority of NSSL Phase 3 fiscal year 2025 missions The U.S. Space Force's Systems Command has assigned the first nine National Security Space Launch missions under the Phase 3 Lane 2 contracts, with SpaceX capturing seven launches worth $845.8 million and United Launch Alliance securing two missions valued at $427.6 million. Read More | | |
|  | OPINION | |
|  | By Harry Readhead, April 7, 2025
| Was it Robert Heinlein, author of Stranger in a Strange Land and The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, who said that "everything was theoretically impossible till it was done"? Whoever it was, thinkers and doers in the space sector seem to have taken that to heart. Every day, we learn of some clever new creation, some device or contrivance that can, say, shape light from a laser beam, or track invisible gases, or predict where a wildfire will start.
So it is rather puzzling that space has such a problem communicating its value to the world. In fact it is ironic, given space is the only reason that you, reader, can share last year's memes with your friends halfway round the planet.
This problem is common in the private sector, where founders, however brilliant, are quite often unable to get that brilliance across. In point of fact, when founders talk about their work, it is more often than not woefully unclear what exactly is being built, why we should care and who on Earth it is for. They are fluent in engineer or physicist, but their human is โ well, rusty. Read More
Space-based solar power is becoming reality โ but the U.S. needs to help
By Paul Stimers
Tรผrkiye's space future: An ambitious path ahead By Elif Yรผksel
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Sponsored Post |  | By Raytheon, an RTX Business
Humans have excellent vision. Compared to most animals, they can see longer distances with more colors and finer details. But the eyes that evolved to help humankind survive and thrive in caves, prairies, and jungles are no match for a world riddled with complex threats like Great Power competition, urban warfare, terrorism, and climate change. Managing those and other modern-day risks requires the ability to see more, see faster, and see better. Read More
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