Vol 45, Week 35

NASA & NEWSPACE

• Over a 2-year period starting in 2027, SpaceX plans to build Starbase Louisiana, a $100 billion spaceport serving as a Starship launch hub. 
• Issued by the White House, a memorandum outlined a new National Space Transportation Policy, establishing goals to achieve over 1,000 annual launches and reentries by 2030.
• NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman suggests placing AI data centers in space as a solution to their environmental and societal strains.

GLOBAL REPORTS

• ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan confirmed that the first of three Gaganyaan test missions will launch this year, keeping India on track for a crewed space flight in 2027.
• Chang’e-7 mission rescheduled to launch next year; ILOA Hawai’i shares images and updates from the international payload events.
• The European Space Agency selected PLD Space under the European Launcher Challenge for a €169 million contract to advance its MIURA 5 launcher upgrades.

BEYOND EARTH

• After Katalyst LINK spacecraft’s failure to rendezvous with and boost Swift, the observatory’s uncontrolled reentry is likely in Nov or Dec.
• Launched into an SSO about 7 months ago, the Pandora satellite has begun science operations to study the atmospheric compositions of at least 20 exoplanets and their host stars.
• Researchers have discovered that Mars’ southern interior is 200-400°C hotter than its northern half and partially molten.