By Jeff Foust
In today's edition: former NASA leaders criticize Artemis lander plans as China presses ahead with a 2030 landing, AST SpaceMobile wins big Saudi deal, Japan's HTV-X arrives at the space station and more.
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Top Stories
A Saudi Arabian telecommunications company has agreed to use AST SpaceMobile's direct-to-device services and made a $175 million prepayment. Saudi telecoms giant stc Group signed a 10-year agreement, AST SpaceMobile announced Wednesday, similar to deals the satellite operator has signed with AT&T and Verizon in the United States. The companies plan to launch services before the end of 2026, subject to licensing and other regulatory approvals on a country-by-country basis. AST SpaceMobile has five satellites in orbit but needs between 45 and 60 to provide continuous coverage in key markets. Its sixth satellite, the first in a larger new generation of spacecraft, arrived in India earlier this month for a launch later this year. [SpaceNews]
Two former NASA administrators called for changes in NASA's Artemis 3 lunar lander plans. During a session at an American Astronautical Society conference Wednesday, Charlie Bolden and Jim Bridenstine said they were skeptical NASA's approach, using SpaceX's Starship for the Artemis 3 landing, could get astronauts on the moon before a projected first Chinese landing around 2030. Bridenstine advocated for an accelerated program to develop a new lander, one that could make use of authorities under the Defense Production Act to prioritize work. Bolden said not getting back to the moon before China's first landing might be acceptable if NASA's approach is better in some way. Earlier in the conference, executives from Blue Origin and Lockheed Martin said they were studying concepts for accelerated lander development. [SpaceNews]
Chinese officials, meanwhile, confirmed their goal of a first crewed lunar landing by 2030. At a briefing Thursday, the China Manned Space Agency reaffirmed plans to land astronauts on the moon by 2030, but acknowledged significant challenges ahead. Those plans include a first flight of the Long March 10 rocket and Mengzhou crew spacecraft next year. China is also working on the Lanyue lunar lander and Wangyu lunar spacesuit. China has adopted a commercial competition model in areas such as low-cost cargo transportation to Tiangong, crewed lunar rovers and lunar remote sensing satellites, attracting commercial participation in those projects' development. [SpaceNews]
Growing government interest in commercial space capabilities is helping companies attract investment. During a panel at the Satellite Innovation conference Wednesday, investors said there is a growing willingness to invest in space companies that are doing defense work, from Silicon Valley to Europe. That can lead to a cycle where companies raise money, do preliminary work, and then offer it to the government to win contracts. [SpaceNews]
Cybersecurity is no longer being treated as an afterthought for space systems. Industry officials said at the MilSat Symposium on Wednesday that operators had considered cybersecurity as non-revenue-generating and difficult to monetize, with limited direct return on investment. The cost of encryption technologies has also been a barrier. Panelists said commercial operators can no longer afford to treat cybersecurity as optional despite those cost issues, given growing threats. [SpaceNews]
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SPONSORED |  | ST Engineering MRAS is a leading manufacturer of complex aerostructures including nacelle systems and critical airframe components. Operating from a 2 million sq ft site near Baltimore, Maryland, the company houses design, engineering, manufacturing, and MRO operations under one roof. MRAS has been involved in the space industry since the 1960s, when it contributed components for the Gemini spacecraft as part of Martin Marietta Corporation. Today, MRAS applies its composite materials expertise to produce fuselage sections, external panels, heat shields, and technologies for reusable rocket structures and in-space satellite panels, supporting various space programs and projects. | | |
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Other News
A Japanese cargo spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station Wednesday. The station's Canadarm2 robotic arm grappled the HTV-X1 spacecraft at 11:58 a.m. Eastern, three and a half days after its launch. The spacecraft is the first in a new line of cargo spacecraft with great payload capacity and the ability to perform missions after departing the ISS. [Space.com]
SpaceX launched more Starlink satellites Wednesday. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 12:35 p.m. Eastern and put 29 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch was the 90th so far this year from the Cape, just three shy of the record for most in a year set in 2024. SpaceX accounts for 85 of those 90 launches, with ULA performing four and Blue Origin one. [Orlando Sentinel]
It will be some time before quantum computers fly in space. At the Satellite Innovation Conference this week, experts said that even with advances in quantum computing on the ground, it may be a long time before such systems are viable for use on satellites. In the nearer term, though, panelists saw opportunities for use of quantum technologies in sensors and for encrypted communications. [SpaceNews]
The state of Colorado is filing suit to block the move of Space Command headquarters to Alabama. The suit, filed Wednesday in federal court by Colorado's attorney general, argues that the move is an unconstitutional retaliation for Colorado's use of mail-in voting. President Trump, in remarks at an event announcing the move, said Colorado's use of mail-in voting was a "big factor" in his decision. [Reuters]
India wants to dramatically increase its launch rate. In an interview, V. Narayanan, chairman of the Indian space agency ISRO, said he has a goal of having 50 launches in 2029. That would be enabled by a third launch pad at the existing Satish Dhawan Space Center and a new spaceport designed for the Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV). Narayanan said he expected 20 to 25 launches annually of the SSLV when the new spaceport in Tamil Nadu opens in late 2027; the SSLV has performed three launches since its introduction in 2022. A launch of a military communications satellite on an LVM-3 rocket this weekend would be India's fourth launch of 2025. [The Times of India]
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Kinda
| "People ask all the time if you could do one thing differently, you know, when you're growing up, or when you did this, you did that. I can't think of a single thing because I love my family, I love life, I love where we are as a nation, kinda."
| – Former NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden during a fireside chat at the American Astronautical Society's von Braun Space Exploration Symposium Wednesday.
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