Hype versus reality for AI in space
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| | | A SpaceNews daily newsletter | | 04/14/2025 | | | | | A draft of the White House's proposed budget for NASA would slash its science budget nearly in half. The "passback" budget for fiscal year 2026, delivered from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to NASA last week, proposes just $3.9 billion for science at the agency, compared to its current budget of $7.3 billion. It would cancel several missions, including the Roman Space Telescope, Mars Sample Return and the DAVINCI Venus spacecraft, and put the future of the Goddard Space Flight Center at risk. The budget runs counter to comments made by Jared Isaacman, nominee for NASA administrator, at his confirmation hearing last week when he vowed there would be "more telescopes, more probes, more rovers" at NASA under his watch. Space science advocates and members of Congress sharply criticized the proposed budget. A formal release of the administration's budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 is expected in the coming weeks. [SpaceNews]
The draft of the NOAA budget, meanwhile, would impact a GEO weather satellite program as well as work on space weather and space traffic coordination. The OMB passback for that agency called for sharp cuts in the GeoXO weather satellite program, removing instruments the administration considers focused on climate rather than weather forecasting. It would also move the Space Weather Prediction Center from NOAA to the Department of Homeland Security and direct the Office of Space Commerce to transfer its work on the TraCSS space traffic coordination system to a company or nonprofit organization. [SpaceNews]
Space businesses are under pressure to adapt to artificial intelligence and shifting geopolitics. During a panel at last week's Space Symposium, companies said they are increasingly relying on AI to make sense of the torrent of data from space-based systems, and finding ways to use AI to change how they interact with data, markets and even talent. Changing geopolitics are also affecting businesses, with Europe in particular pledging hundreds of billions of euros in new defense investments. [SpaceNews]
Those businesses, though, have to work to match the hype surrounding AI with the reality of what it can do today. At a recent conference, industry officials pointed to progress on AI in Earth observation and space domain awareness. However, government agencies remain cautious, as intelligence analysts often resist fully automated decision-making. A proving ground for AI in government may be the Pentagon's ambitious Golden Dome missile defense program, which will likely require AI to effectively detect and intercept missiles. [SpaceNews]
NASA and Roscosmos have extended an agreement to barter seats on missions to the ISS. NASA confirmed last week that it extended that agreement, which allows NASA astronauts to fly on Soyuz missions to the ISS while Roscosmos cosmonauts go on commercial crew vehicles, into 2027. One change is that Soyuz missions, starting with this month's launch of Soyuz MS-27 to the station, will spend eight months there rather than six. [SpaceNews]
| | | | | A Falcon 9 launched another set of National Reconnaissance Office satellites Saturday. The Falcon 9 lifted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California at 8:28 a.m. Eastern on the NROL-192 mission. The rocket carried an unspecified number of satellites on the ninth mission for the NRO's proliferated architecture of reconnaissance satellites. [Space.com]
SpaceX launched two sets of Starlink satellites a little more than 24 hours apart this weekend. One Falcon 9 lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center at 8:53 p.m. Eastern Saturday after two days of scrubs for undisclosed reasons. It placed 21 satellites into orbit, 13 with direct-to-cell payloads. Another Falcon 9 launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 12 a.m. Eastern Monday, putting 27 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch was the 27th for this particular booster, B1067, a record for the company. [Spaceflight Now]
AE Industrial Partners (AEI) is considering selling satellite manufacturer York Space Systems. AEI, which acquired a majority stake in York in 2022, is seeking a deal that would value the satellite company at $2 billion. Among the companies reportedly interested in York is Canadian manufacturer MDA Space. [Bloomberg]
A Canadian instrument on an aging NASA Earth science satellite has been turned off. The Measurement of Pollution in the Troposphere, or MOPITT, instrument was turned off last week on the Terra spacecraft as controllers seek to conserve power on Terra, which has been in orbit since late 1999. MOPITT far exceeded its five-year lifetime, providing data on carbon monoxide pollution. [The Globe and Mail]
The six women flying on this morning's New Shepard suborbital flight will be wearing different flight suits. Lauren Sรกnchez, fiancรฉe of Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos and one of the six people on the NS-31 mission, worked with fashion brand Monse to redesign the suits she and the other five women will wear on the flight. The new suit uses stretch neoprene and revised tailoring for a more form-fitting look that the suits used on previous flights. It was unclear if the suits would be offered to future New Shepard customers. The NS-31 mission is scheduled to launch from Blue Origin's West Texas site at 9:30 a.m. Eastern. [New York Times]
| The Week Ahead | |
Monday: Monday-Wednesday: Tuesday: Wednesday: -
Washington: The Royal Aeronautical Society's Washington D.C. Branch hosts the 2025 Enduring International Partnership In Space Summit to discuss cooperation in civil and military space. -
Online: SpaceNews hosts a webinar on "Competing with the (Space)X Factor" at 11 a.m. Eastern. -
Vandenberg Space Force Base, Calif.: Scheduled launch of a Minotaur 4 rocket on the NROL-174 mission for the National Reconnaissance Office at 3 p.m. Eastern. -
Online: The FAA holds an online public meeting about its environmental assessment for increased launch and landing activities at Cape Canaveral's SLC-40 at 6 p.m. Eastern. -
Cape Canaveral, Fla.: Scheduled launch of a Falcon 9 carrying Starlink satellites at 10:24 p.m. Eastern. Thursday: Saturday: Sunday: | | | | | | | | | What's New With SpaceNews? |  | | Announcing the SpaceNews Job Exchange: A launchpad to career success in the space industry. Designed for job seekers, employers, and industry leaders alike.
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