Vol 45, Week 46

NASA & NEWSPACE

• NASA is taking applications until Dec 3 for Astronaut Group 25, which is designated as the Astronaut Candidate Class of 2027. 
• Eight companies were selected for the CLPS 2 Moon base framework—a 10-year multiple-award contract with a combined maximum value of $10 billion.
• Astrolab revealed LUMIS, a portable lunar power and communications node to be deployed by its FLEX rovers starting in 2028.
• Ahead of its 2027 debut, Rocket Lab increased the cost of its Neutron launch from $55 million to $70 million.

GLOBAL REPORTS

• The Cabinet approved the establishment of the Ghana Space Agency; to date, there are 19 national space agencies and 3 active space programs in Africa alongside the African Space Agency. 
• Spain’s first domestically built orbital transfer vehicle, OSSIE-D, achieved a world first by deploying via its own separation system.
• ISRO successfully conducted a static test of an upgraded PSLV third stage solid motor after implementing design and quality improvements.
• Alexander MacDonald has been appointed as the new president of the Canadian Space Agency.

BEYOND EARTH

• The Perseverance rover detected crystals of ruby-forming corundum in Martian rocks, revealing clues about ancient meteor impacts near Jezero crater.
• Chinese scientists cooled rubidium atoms aboard the Tiangong Space Station to a record 9.7 trillionths of a degree above absolute zero.
• The Roman Space Telescope, heading toward L2, is projected to capture 30% sharper images and last twice as long as planned.