Articles by SpaceAge

December 15-21, 2025 / Vol 44, Week 50 / Hawai`i Island, USA
Lunar Broadcast Precursor: Terrestrial Edition

December 15-21, 2025 / Hawai`i Island, USA

Vol 44, Week 50: Lunar Broadcast Precursor — Terrestrial Edition

ISRO / NSIL to Launch AST BlueBird-6 for Direct-to-Device Broadband Revolution

Satish Dhawan Space Center, Sriharikota, India, is scheduled to host LVM-3 liftoff December 20, propelling AST SpaceMobile satellite into 550 km orbit. BlueBird-6, the heaviest USA commercial communication LEO satellite at ~12,600 kg, has 223-square-meter antenna, the largest ever commercially deployed. Triple the size of BlueBirds 1 through 5 with 10x the bandwidth / data capacity, it aims for 100% USA coverage and 2.8B people worldwide for voice / data / video, helping to bridge the digital divide. New Space India Limited (NSIL), commercial arm of Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), also handles launches of Eutelsat OneWeb and CMS-3 satellites. AST partners with Airbus and Thales Alenia Space in building BlueBird satellites. LVM-3 rocket (which sent Chandrayaan-3 to the Moon) uses 408,000 kg of solid fuel in its boosters, 230,000 kg in liquid core, and 56,000 kg of liquid oxygen/hydrogen in its cryogenic upper stage. Per-launch cost estimated at ~US$50M. ISRO looks forward to 2026 Gaganyaan-1 uncrewed test flight, and in 2028, Shukrayaan Venus orbiter, Chandrayaan-4 lunar sample return collaboration with JAXA, Mangalyaan-2 Mars mission, and 1st Bharatiya Antariksh space station module in partnership with Skyroot Aerospace et al. (Image Credits: ISRO, NSIL, AST SpaceMobile)

AGU25 Convenes 25,000+ in New Orleans December 15-19 for Earth-Space Science Nexus

American Geophysical Union hosts its 106th annual meeting at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, drawing 25,000+ attendees from 100+ countries, with thousands of presenters across 1,500+ sessions. The event now features ~200 space-related sessions under Planetary Sciences section, focusing on Luna, Solar System planets / moons, asteroids, Kuiper Belt and expects 5,000-7,000 participants in these tracks based on past trends. Moon-specific sessions include “P11A: Lunar Volatiles and Exosphere” presented by Noah Petro of NASA; “P12B: Artemis Science Opportunities” led by Makoto Yoshikawa of JAXA; “P21C: Lunar Interior and Magnetism” by USGS Clive Neal of USGS and published author on lunar geology; “P31D: Moon’s Surface Processes” featuring ESA head Josef Aschbacher on international collaboration; “P41E: Kuiper Belt and Asteroid Impacts on Moons” with New Horizons PI Alan Stern of Southwest Research Institute. Other notables include Erika Wagner of Blue Origin on asteroid resources, NASA Planetary Science Division Director Lori Glaze keynoting Mars sessions, and Kuiper Prize winner Faith Vilas on planetary contributions. Themes span Venus atmosphere, Jupiter moon habitability, asteroid mining, Kuiper object composition and foster interdisciplinary insights for future missions. Hybrid format includes town halls on NASA opportunities, networking for educators / policymakers, plenaries, posters, exhibits. (Image Credits: AGU)

Humans in Space

⭐ International Space Station, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 74 with Commander Mike Fincke and 6 other Astronauts / Cosmonauts working on stem cell sample stowage, measuring air flow rates, using fluorescent research microscope, maintaining Elektron oxygen generator; with departure of Soyuz MS-28 there are 7 craft docked; in general, 4 different types of crew ships and 5 different resupply ships have visited ISS.

⭐ Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou-21 crew stowing spacesuits and gear after recent 8-hour EVA; Shenzhou-20 craft, still attached to TSS and damaged by debris, planned to undergo hardware installation to allow it to return to Earth – potentially with return cargo; two astronaut candidates from Pakistan are training for one to become the first international visitor to TSS late next year. 

🌔 Lunar Enterprise News: ispace Collaborates for Moon Transportation Systems and Infrastructure  │ NGLR-1 Elevates Lunar Laser Ranging for Artemis Precision Navigation

☄ Near-Earth Objects Close Approaches – Mon Dec 15: Apollo Asteroid 2025 WA3 (0.022 AU); Wed Dec 17: Aten Asteroid 2025 WN6 (0.040 AU); Thu Dec 18: Aten Asteroid 2015 XX168 (0.012 AU); Sat Dec 20: Apollo Asteroid 2010 WR7 (0.049 AU)

The First Woman FLYS to the Moon …

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First Women LAND on the Moon …

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Events

Today

  • Launch Atlas V 551 / Amazon Leo (LA-04)

    SLC-41 (~28°N), Cape Canaveral SFS FL, USA

    Scheduled for 03:35 UTC-5, United Launch Alliance (ULA) rocket will take next batch of Amazon Leo (new name) satellites for internet system managed by Amazon subsidiary Kuiper Systems. ULA is a joint venture of Lockheed Martin Space and Boeing Defense, Space & Security.

  • Launch Proton-M / Blok DM-03 / Elektro-L No.5

    Baikonur Cosmodrome, ~46°N, Kazakhstan

    Scheduled for 17:20 Kazakhstan Time. Meteorological satellites developed by NPO Lavochkin. Launch cost estimated at US$65M. Built at Khrunichev State Research and Production Space Center, Moscow, with 43,000+ employees.

  • High-Resolution Spectroscopy for Exoplanet Atmospheres Workshop

    Tempe AZ, USA

    Over the next few decades, the exoplanet community is poised to advance closer to answering a fundamental question about the universe and humanity's place in it: Are we alone? High-resolution spectroscopy of exoplanets with the Extremely Large Telescopes (> 25 m) offers a unique opportunity to answer this question.  The high […]

  • Launch Long March 4C / Unknown Payload

    Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (TSLC), ~39°N, Shanxi, China

    Scheduled for 11:15 China Time. 3-stage, non-reusable orbital carrier rocket, also designated Chang Zheng 4C. This will be 60th launch attempt with 57 successful previously.

  • Launch HANBIT-Nano / Spaceward

    Alcântara Space Center, ~2°S, Brazil

    Innospace of Korea to use 1st launch of HANBIT-Nano to send to SSO 5 satellites from Brazil space agency AEB / Brazil university / Grahaa Space of India, 3 payloads from AEB / Brazil company that will remain attached to rocket, and empty aluminum beverage can from Brewguru of Korea.

  • Launch Ariane 6 / Galileo Launch 14, SATs 33 + 34

    Guiana Space Centre Kourou, French Guiana

    1st launch of Galileo on Ariane 6, 5th launch of Ariane 6, scheduled for 05:01 UTC (French Guiana Time 02:01). These 2 satellites will join 27 others active in orbit.  Galileo is called the world's most precise satellite navigation system, has served 5Billion+ smartphone uses since 2016, is managed / […]

  • Launch Long March 12A / First Test Flight

    Jiuquan Space Launch Center, ~41°N, Gansu, China

    Launch window 10:00-12:14 China Time. 1st stage will attempt vertical landing using engines at location 300km from launch site, Minqin County, Gansu Province.

  • Launch Electron / STP-S30

    SLC-2, ~38°N, Wallops Flight Facility VA, USA

    STP-S30 mission for USA DoD includes research experiments and technology demonstrations includes primary payload, DISKSat.

  • Launch New Shepard / NS-37

    West Texas Suborbital Launch Site / Corn Ranch, Van Horn TX, USA Launch Site One (LSO), Van Horn, TX, United States

    08:30-16:30 CST; 16th crewed flight for the New Shepard program and 37th in New Shepard program; crew is: aerospace engineer Michaela (Michi) Benthaus, physicist/investor Joey Hyde, former SpaceX engineer Hans Koenigsmann, entrepreneur Neal Milch, investor Adonis Pouroulis, and adventurer Jason Stansell.

  • 12 Years in Space: Gaia Spacecraft

    Sun-Earth L2 Lagrange point

    ESA spacecraft surpasses 12 full years in space today, begins year 13, in extended mission phase working to map more than 1 billion stars.

  • Human Space Activity Past, Present, Future

    Rolling Hills Estates CA, USA

    Moderated by Madhu Thangavelu. 10:00-17:00 PT. Panels include: Cis-Lunar / Lunar, Artemis, Starship / SLS, Space Architecture / Philosophy / Art / Agriculture, others. Online participation available; send email to register, either <contact@aiaa-lalv.org> or <events.aiaalalv@gmail.com>. Suggested $5 donation to this 501(c)3 nonprofit for either the organization itself or its scholarship […]

  • Family Overnight

    Houston TX, USA

    Tent-camp by Falcon 9 rocket or Independence shuttle replica, and STEM activities.

    $80

  • December Solstice

    Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

    Occurs 05:01 HST, 15:01 UTC; It is the winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, resulting in the shortest day and longest night of the year; and conversely, it is the summer solstice in the Southern Hemisphere, bringing the longest day and shortest night.

  • Wenchang International Aviation and Aerospace Forum 2025

    Wenchang, Hainan, China

    With theme "Exploring New Industrial Models, Empowering the New Aerospace Economy". 2025 marks a crucial stage for the Hainan Free Trade Port, coinciding with the full-scale customs closure operation of the island and the accelerated development of Wenchang International Aerospace City. The Forum will further leverage its unique advantages of […]

  • Ursids Meteor Shower Peak

    Low Earth Orbit (LEO)

    From Comet Tuttle (8P), with up to 10 per hour. Moon only 3% full helps viewing on peak nights; active Dec 17-26.

VIEW DOWNRANGE – WEEKS AHEAD