Plus: A roadblock for Space Command's move
By Jeff Foust
In today's edition: it's Space Month at the FCC, a Colorado congressman hints at roadblocks to moving Space Command headquarters, what Taylor Swift really thinks about going to space and more.
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Top Stories
The FCC is embarking on space-related regulatory reforms in a "Space Month" initiative announced Monday. Speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Apex's new satellite manufacturing facility in southern California, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr said the commission would overhaul licensing and spectrum rules amid mounting competition from China. One proposal would create an "assembly line" licensing process that will be faster than the current system. A second proposal would revise siting rules for Earth stations in the upper microwave bands, known as UMFUS, to enable more intensive use of spectrum and simplify approvals for operators. His speech underscored the geopolitical urgency behind the reforms as launches get underway in China for tens of thousands of broadband satellites that would rival U.S.-based Starlink. [SpaceNews]
Cubic Defense is pursuing military customers for its flat-panel satellite communications terminal. The military technology contractor developed a family of electronically scanned array satellite terminals with support from the Air Force Research Laboratory's Information Directorate. AFRL recently extended a contract awarded in 2023 to support work on the terminals, designed to work across multiple orbits and networks. The terminals, called Vector, are intended to meet a growing Pentagon demand for "multi-domain" networks linking operations across land, air and space, the company said. [SpaceNews]
A Colorado congressman hinted that the state's congressional delegation might put up "roadblocks" to moving Space Command headquarters to Alabama. In an interview, Rep. Jeff Crank (R-Colo.) said he has been talking with the state's senators "about ways that we might continue to try and throw some roadblocks in it," suggesting that delays in the move might make it clear that transferring the command from Colorado Springs to Huntsville is "probably not as practicable as they thought." Those roadblocks could involve having the senators block confirmations of the administration's nominees. Crank also said that even if the command does move, Colorado might instead get some military space roles, perhaps as part of Golden Dome. [KOAA-TV Colorado Springs]
The European Space Agency is proposing to buy a cargo mission to the International Space Station. ESA issued a call for proposals last week for a single cargo mission to the ISS that would launch by the fourth quarter of 2028 to meet the agency's obligations to support station operations. Those requirements have been met through barter arrangements with NASA, and it was not clear why this mission would be needed. ESA said the mission would require delivering 4,900 to 5,000 kilograms of cargo to the station and would be open to American companies, but with a preference for European ones. Those requirements make Northrop Grumman's Cygnus the leading contender. The Cygnus cargo module, capable of carrying 5,000 kilograms, is built by Thales Alenia Space in Italy. [European Spaceflight]
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Other News
SpaceX launched more Starlink satellites early this morning. A Falcon 9 lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 2:46 a.m. Eastern, placing 28 Starlink satellites into orbit. The launch was the first in more than a week from the Cape, a gap linked to stormy weather in Florida and in the Atlantic. [Spaceflight Now]
Rocket Lab's next launch will be for its biggest customer. The company said Monday its next Electron launch is scheduled for Oct. 14 from Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, carrying a StriX radar imaging satellite for Japanese company Synspective. That company signed a contract with Rocket Lab last week for 10 additional Electron launches, bringing its backlog of Electron launches to 21. [Rocket Lab]
Blue Origin founder Jeff Bezos sees a future where data centers move to space. Interviewed on stage at Italian Tech Week last Friday, Bezos talked up the prospects of establishing giant data centers in space that can make use of uninterrupted solar power. Bezos said that space-based data centers could become less expensive to operate than terrestrial counterparts "in the next couple of decades." [GeekWire]
The life of a showgirl does not include going to space. Asked on a BBC Radio 2 interview if she was interested in going to space, Taylor Swift made it clear she had no desire to do so. "Never! Why would I do that? There's no reason to do that," she said. She added space is "cold" and "scary" and that, even if she did go to space, people wouldn't believe it. Her response was more animated than when the same host posed a similar question earlier this year to Mariah Carey: "I think I've done enough." [BBC via YouTube]
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Dark Matter vs. Dark Money
| "There is no business case for the search for extraterrestrial life. There is no profit to be made in studying Saturn's mysterious polar storm. No one is cashing in whatever dark matter does to influence the motion of our galaxy and other galaxies in the cosmos."
| – Bill Nye, chief executive of The Planetary Society, speaking at a press conference Monday about his organization's efforts to secure funding for NASA science programs, arguing that the private sector can't fund such work.
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Sign up for our other newsletters Military Space: Veteran defense journalist Sandra Erwin delivers news and insights for the military space professional. Delivered Tuesday. China Report: Analysis of China's space activities and what it means as one of the United States' top competitors from correspondent Andrew Jones. Delivered every other Wednesday. SpaceNext AI: Exploring the intersection of space and artificial intelligence. Delivered Thursday.
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