September 8-14, 2025 / Vol 44, No 36 / Hawai`i Island, USA
Lunar Broadcast Precursor: Terrestrial Edition

SpaceX to Soon Surpass 100 Launches for 2025 Including Upcoming  Nusantara Lima for Indonesia, SDA Tranche 1 and ISS Resupply

With over 13,000 employees fueling innovation, SpaceX is spearheading transformation of humanity into a multi-world species—starting with lunar footholds, then extending across the Solar System. NET September 8 from Cape Canaveral FL, SpaceX will loft the Nusantara Lima satellite boosting regional broadband. Nusantara means the “outer islands,” referring to the Indonesia Archipelago, and Lima means “five.” The 5,550-kg (dry) payload is an HTS (high-throughput satellite) for communications, built by Boeing and expected to operate for at least 15 years. Set for launch Sep 10 from Vandenberg SFS, the SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer B mission is to improve connectivity in polar orbit. Launching Sep 15 for International Space Station resupply is SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying the Northrop Grumman NG-23 Cygnus with vital supplies. SpaceX also resupplies the ISS, with its reusable CRS Dragon craft that carries ~3,300 kg of provisions / experiments to the ISS and returns about the same amount of cargo back to Earth. In 2025 alone, 77 Falcon 9 launches have placed 1,900 Starlink satellites in orbit, pushing toward ubiquitous internet including polar regions, with total SpaceX launches likely to break the 2024 record of 134. Following the recent Starship Flight 10 success, SpaceX has renewed its hope for up to 25 annual launches, with the first from Florida possibly late this year—advancing reusable tech for lunar cargo and more. (Image Credit: SpaceX)

MONDAY

Sep 8 — International Space Station, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 73 seven members and three members of SpaceX Crew-11 are working with experiments for muscle / bone studies, bioprinted liver tissue and bio-monitor headbands, as well as ~3,000 kg of cargo from SpaceX Dragon; preparing for the arrival of Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo craft early next week.

Sep 8 — Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou 20 three-member crew, Commander Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui and Wang Jie, performing life sciences, human research, microgravity physics, and new space tech demos; expecting arrival of Shenzhou 21 crew in about 6 weeks.

☾ Sep 8 — Moon Enterprise News: Weekly lunar advisories coming soon….

★ Sep 8 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Nusantara Lima, SLC 40, Cape Canaveral SFS FL: Nusantara Lima is a geostationary communications satellite with capacity of more than 160 Gbps, built by Boeing for Indonesia as complement to SATRIA-1.

● Sep 8-10 — American Astronautical Society, NASA, Case Western Reserve University, Ohio Space Week, Cleveland OH: 2025 AAS Glenn Space Technology Symposium: Accelerating Aerospace Innovation; at Case Western and online; US$20-875.

● Sep 8-14 — Great Lakes Science Center, American Astronautical Society, NASA, Cleveland OH: Ohio Space Week & NASA Discovery Days with special guest Sunita “Suni” Williams; also, Happy Hour and Space Forum.

● Sep 8-14 — Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, KSC FL: Meet Astronauts: Kathy Thornton or Woody Spring.

☾ Sep 8 — Moon: 3.5° NNW of Saturn and within circle of diameter 3.52° also with Neptune, 08:00.

☆ Sep 8 — Apollo Asteroid 2025 QB12: Near-Earth Flyby (0.057 AU)

TUESDAY

● Sep 9-11 — xFoundry, Amazon, SpaceCom, NASA, Arlington VA: NEXPLORE 2040 Summit; visionaries across Technology, Entrepreneurship, Arts & Athletics, Marketing and Science (TEAMS) to pioneer solutions for sustainable space habitats and the future of long-duration human spaceflight.

☆ Sep 9 — Apollo Asteroid 2019 JG1: Near-Earth Flyby (0.048 AU)

= Terrestrial and o = International terrestrial events in local time;  = Moon, = Space and = International space events in Hawai’i time unless noted.

Weekly Planet Watch Morning Planets: Venus (E), Jupiter (E), Saturn (E), Uranus (E), Neptune (E); Evening Planet: Mars (W).

First Ohio Space Week: Features Suni Williams, AAS Glenn Space Technology Symposium, More

Ohio Space Week 2025, September 8-13 in Cleveland, celebrates Ohio aerospace from the Wright brothers to the present, drawing participants from across the USA and internationally to accelerate innovation. This inaugural week unites government, industry and academia and incorporates multiple events. September 8-10, American Astronautical Society (AAS) Glenn Space Technology Symposium is in its 7th year and expects 200+ attendees from 10+ states / countries for sessions on innovation in power systems, communications, AI applications and more. Included are a pitch competition, and Astronaut Doug Wheelock for a luncheon keynote. Its organizing committee of 30+ are from NASA, industry and universities. September 11 is the Ohio Space Forum, with speakers to address increasing the statewide space industry, as well as The City Club of Cleveland luncheon with NASA Astronauts Sunita Williams and Doug Wheelock on the subject Space Exploration for the Benefit of All. September 12-13, NASA Discovery Days at Great Lakes Science Center is free and draws thousands. Sunita “Suni” Williams presents September 12, and Doug Wheelock is present both days. Featured are interactive exhibits like driving a rover, Augmented / Virtual Reality headsets, Mars habitat demos and trying on Smithsonian spacesuits.  Together, these events build upon the Ohio legacy of the 1962 NASA fair and the “all-Ohio” STS-70 Space Shuttle mission and propel contributions to human space exploration. (Image Credits: AAS, OSW, NASA, et al)

 

Ongoing…

● Jun 10 – Sep 30 — Adventures in Astronomy, Online / Bridgeport CT: Adventures in Astronomy-Approaching Infinity; 17 Zoom classes with George Roush.

Aug 25 – Oct 1 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Online / Reston VA: Orbital Mechanics and Mission Simulation Course; instructor Ken Ernandes of L3Harris and Florida Institute of Technology.

Aug 26 – Sep 15 — NASA, Online / Washington DC: Accepting Proposals for 2026 Human Exploration Rover Challenge.

☆ NET Sep — Rocket Factory Augsburg, Launch RFA One / TBD, SaxaVord Spaceport, Shetland Islands, ScotlandRFA.space plans inaugural orbital launch since receiving vertical launch license from UK Civil Aviation Authority.

o Sep 7-12 — EuroPlanet, American Astronomical Society, Helsinki, Finland: EPSC-DPS 2025 (EuroPlanet Science Congress); includes session TP11 Lunar Space Environment.

★ NET Q3 — United Launch Alliance, Launch Vulcan VC4L / Dream Chaser CRS2 Flight 1, SLC41, Cape Canaveral SFS FL: Uncrewed Sierra Space ~9-meter-long space plane to deliver ~3,500kg of cargo to ISS, whose Astronauts will use Canadarm2 to grapple and dock it.

WEDNESDAY

Sep 10 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer B, SLC-4E, Vandenberg SFB CA: Space Development Agency mission to polar orbit for increased connectivity.

● Sep 10 — NASA, Online / Houston TX: RSVP Due: Briefings for media representatives on Artemis II mission; to be held Sep 23-24.

☾ Sep 10 — Moon: At perigee, distance 364,767 km, 02:14.

☆ Sep 10 — Apollo Asteroid 2025 QV9: Near-Earth Flyby (0.013 AU)

THURSDAY

 Sep 11 — Roscosmos, Launch Soyuz 2.1a / Progress MS-32 (93P), Baikonur Cosmodrome 31/6, Kazakhstan: Resupply mission to the International Space Station from spaceport operated by Russia within Kazakhstan.

☆ Sep 11 — Apollo Asteroid 2009 FF: Near-Earth Flyby (0.017 AU)

FRIDAY

Sep 12 — American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Rocky Mountain Section, Colorado Springs CO: Annual Technical Symposium.

☾ Sep 12 — Moon: 0.99° N of Pleiades, 13:00; within circle of diameter 5.27° with Uranus and the Pleiades, 14:00; 5.3° N of Uranus, 15:00.

☆ Sep 12 — Apollo Asteroid 2025 QL11: Near-Earth Flyby (0.015 AU)

SATURDAY

★ Sep 13 — SpaceX, Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 17-10, SLC-4E, Vandenberg SFB CA: Satellites for mega-constellation.

Sep 13 — Mars: 2.17° NNE of Spica, 07:00.

☆ Sep 13 — Apollo Asteroid 2022 SS2: Near-Earth Flyby (0.006 AU)

SUNDAY

● Sep 14-16 — Space Generation Advisory Council, AMOS, Maui, Hawai’i: 8th annual EMER-GEN® Program; mentoring and networking on space careers for young professionals and students; US$345-445.

o Sep 14-19 — Imperial College London, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, London, United Kingdom: 39th International Electric Propulsion Conference (IEPC): Electric Propulsion, a Gateway to the Cosmos; topics include Lessons from BepiColombo and On-Orbit Operations.

☾ Sep 14 — Moon: At last quarter, 00:34; 4.2° N of M35 cluster, 20:00.

☆ Sep 14 — Amor Asteroid 2025 QV6: Near-Earth Flyby (0.046 AU)

25 Jul 2026
  • Mission Milestone
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir takes command of ISS during changeover, followed by three Expedition 74 crew members returning to Earth.
26 - 30 Jul 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
AAS hosts, and AIAA co-hosts, specifically AAS Space Flight Mechanics Committee and AIAA Astrodynamics Technical Committee. At Hilton Whistler Resort & Spa.
26 Jul 2026
  • Mission Milestone
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Sergey Mikayev and Christopher Williams set to undock from ISS in Soyuz MS-28, triggering the start to Expedition 75 with Commander Jessica...
27 Jul 2026
  • Launch
SLC-4E (~35°N), Vandenberg SFB CA, USA
Another batch of 24 satellites for SpaceX's Starlink space-based Internet service.
27 - 28 Jul 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Exeter, United Kingdom
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the creation of the Astrophysics Group at the University of Exeter, we are pleased to announce the international...
28 Jul 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Online
10:30 ET, Boeing to announce its 2nd quarter 2026 financial results.
29 Jul 2026
  • Space / Astro Events
Moon Orbit
14:37 UTC / 04:37 HST.
29 Jul 2026
  • Launch
Wenchang Space Launch Center, ~19°N, Hainan Island, China
Undisclosed payload on China's Long March 7A rocket from Hainan Island.
29 Jul 2026
  • Launch
Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (TSLC), ~39°N, Shanxi, China
Unknown payload launching from Launch Complex 9A launch pad.
29 Jul 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Online
Set to launch August 30, this 2pm EDT briefing will feature NASA personnel Shawn Domagal-Goldman, Jackie Townsend, Julie McEnery, and Jeremy Perkins.
30 - 31 Jul 2026
  • Space / Astro Events
Worldwide
Emanating from ~6km-wide comet with 5.3-year Solar orbit, visible in constellation Aquarius near star Delta Aquarii, fast, faint meteors peak on this night, best...
30 - 31 Jul 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
London, United Kingdom
The International Research Conference is a federated organization dedicated to bringing together a significant number of diverse scholarly events for presentation within the conference...
30 Jul 2026
  • Launch
SLC-40 (~28°N), Cape Canaveral SFS FL, USA
Launch window opens 03:09am EDT for classified payload to launch for the US National Reconnaissance Office.
31 Jul 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Venice, Italy
to be held December 2-4, 2026 in Venice, Italy. Interstellar space is not the domain of any one discipline. It demands insight from across the...
01 - 09 Aug 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Florence, Italy
Includes ~150 meetings covering the fields of COSPAR Scientific Commissions / Panels / Task Groups, such as SC B: The Earth-Moon System, Planets, and...
02 - 07 Aug 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Fukuoka, Japan
From 02 to 07 August 2026, a few thousand geoscientists across diverse disciplines will gather at the 23rd annual meeting of the Asia Oceania Geosciences...
03 Aug 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Online
Occurring at 12pm ET with NASA, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA), and SpaceX, followed by and 2PM ET briefings with the crew itself: 12...
04 Aug 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Online
Holding its first financial results telecon 4:30pm EDT, after going public on June 12, 2026.
05 Aug 2026
  • Observation / Anniversary
Mars Surface
NASA Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory) rover surpasses another full year of operations on Mars surface today; launched Nov 26, 2011 – landed Aug 5,...
06 Aug 2026
  • Launch
Andøya Spaceport, ~63°N, Norway
2nd test flight of Isar Spectrum launch vehicle, to carry 5 cubesats to SSO, and ESA "Boost!" experiment: * CyBEEsat (TU Berlin) * TriSat-S...
07 Aug 2026
  • Launch
Tanegashima Space Center, ~30°N, Japan
Japan to launch 04:30 local time the MICHIBIKI No. 7 | Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZS-7) navigation satellite.
09 - 25 Aug 2026
  • Meeting / Conference / Symposium
Sun Moon Lake, Taiwan
This international lunar science meeting has two objectives: to provide a platform for leading experts to review recent advances across lunar research, from the...
25 Jul 2026
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir takes command of ISS during changeover, followed by three Expedition 74...
26 - 30 Jul 2026
Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
AAS hosts, and AIAA co-hosts, specifically AAS Space Flight Mechanics Committee and AIAA Astrodynamics Technical...
26 Jul 2026
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Sergey Mikayev and Christopher Williams set to undock from ISS in Soyuz MS-28,...
27 Jul 2026
SLC-4E (~35°N), Vandenberg SFB CA, USA
Another batch of 24 satellites for SpaceX's Starlink space-based Internet service.
27 - 28 Jul 2026
Exeter, United Kingdom
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the creation of the Astrophysics Group at the University...
28 Jul 2026
Online
10:30 ET, Boeing to announce its 2nd quarter 2026 financial results.
29 Jul 2026
Moon Orbit
14:37 UTC / 04:37 HST.
29 Jul 2026
Wenchang Space Launch Center, ~19°N, Hainan Island, China
Undisclosed payload on China's Long March 7A rocket from Hainan Island.
29 Jul 2026
Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center (TSLC), ~39°N, Shanxi, China
Unknown payload launching from Launch Complex 9A launch pad.
29 Jul 2026
Online
Set to launch August 30, this 2pm EDT briefing will feature NASA personnel Shawn Domagal-Goldman,...
30 - 31 Jul 2026
Worldwide
Emanating from ~6km-wide comet with 5.3-year Solar orbit, visible in constellation Aquarius near star Delta...
30 - 31 Jul 2026
London, United Kingdom
The International Research Conference is a federated organization dedicated to bringing together a significant number...
30 Jul 2026
SLC-40 (~28°N), Cape Canaveral SFS FL, USA
Launch window opens 03:09am EDT for classified payload to launch for the US National Reconnaissance...
31 Jul 2026
Venice, Italy
to be held December 2-4, 2026 in Venice, Italy. Interstellar space is not the domain of...
01 - 09 Aug 2026
Florence, Italy
Includes ~150 meetings covering the fields of COSPAR Scientific Commissions / Panels / Task Groups,...