November 10-16, 2025 / Hawai`i Island, USA
Vol 44, Week 45: Lunar Broadcast Precursor — Terrestrial Edition
Rival Rockets: SpaceX and Blue Origin Pitch NASA with Simplified Paths to Moon
Blue Origin and SpaceX each submit streamlined proposals for Artemis 3 to get Astronauts to Moon south pole in 2027, Blue Origin throwing its hat in the ring for this mission instead of just Artemis 5. Blue Origin EscaPADE launch on New Glenn becomes then a direct precursor. (EscaPADE twin Mars orbiters to arrive there September 2026.) SpaceX launches Transporter-15 rideshare this week (payload costs ~US$300,000 for 50kg) on a Falcon 9, the rocket now proposed to take Artemis 3 Astronauts in a Crew Dragon capsule for docking in Earth orbit with the Human Landing System, rather than originally proposed lunar orbit rendezvous via Starship launch. Starship in-orbit refueling would still be required, with demo planned for next year. SpaceX has received payment from NASA for 49 achievements in a total US$2.89B contract, but likely has invested $30B of its own funds. Blue Origin proposes modifying Mk1 Moon lander to use as a booster to propel Mk2 lander from Earth orbit to Moon, avoiding in-orbit refueling. Mk1 lander demo with only 2 NASA instruments launching on New Glenn late 2025 / early 2026 to move along its $3.4B NASA Artemis contract, an amount it matches, with Mk1 taking VIPER to lunar surface on following trip. NASA may issue a full Request for Proposals for Artemis 3, and Lockheed Martin may respond. (Image Credits: SpaceX, Reddit, NASA – Bill Ingalls, Blue Origin)
Lunar Polar Volatiles Conference to run parallel with Lunar Surface Science Workshop
The 2nd Lunar Polar Volatiles Conference runs November 12–14 in Honolulu HI. It hosts planetary scientists with 59 abstracts submitted and oral sessions live-streamed. The University of Hawaii at Mānoa organizes the event, building on the 2022 Boulder CO, USA meeting (125 attendees, 60 presentations) and 2018 Maryland precursor (80 participants, 40 abstracts). The scope covers orbital and in-situ lunar polar volatiles data, spatial distribution models, crater erosion, Artemis landing geology and Mercury / Ceres volatiles. Lunar Surface Science Workshop LSSW #29 runs November 13–14 online. It focuses on NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which fosters rapid delivery of scientific, exploration and technology payloads to lunar surface and orbit. The session disseminates results from early CLPS landers, including Intuitive Machines Odysseus (tipped over in Oceanus Procellarum), Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost 1 (upright in Mare Crisium), and Intuitive Machines Athena (tipped over near Mons Mouton). It provides updates on upcoming flights like Draper lander and Astrobotic Griffin. Discussions highlight lessons learned and solicit community input on future lunar measurements and demonstrations to support Artemis robotic and crewed missions. Participants will review the first USA lunar surface measurements in over 50 years. (Image Credits: NASA)
Humans in Space
International Space Station, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 73 seven-member crew includes 3 from Roscosmos: Sergey Ryzhikov, Alexey Zubritsky and Oleg Platonov, 1 from JAXA: Kimiya Yui, and 3 from NASA: Jonny Kim, Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke — all of whom are unloading 4,400kg cargo from JAXA HTV-X1 craft but latter 3 expecting backpay upon NASA operations resumption; Yui publishing photos of Comet Lemmon, HTV-X arrival, Earth, auroras and the latest supermoon; Expedition 73 to continue to undocking of Soyuz MS-27 craft, scheduled for December 9.
Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou 21 three-member crew, Commander Zhang Lu, Flight Engineer Wu Fei and Payload Specialist Zhang Hongzhang, includes youngest-ever taikonaut, Wu Fei; crew are conducting 27 scientific and applied-research projects during their mission, including working with live mice that were chosen after rigorous testing to evaluate presumed physical and psychological adaptability to microgravity; video of the mice show them apparently in good spirits and with a sense of well-being in their habitat with food, nests and directional airflow for cleanliness.
Lunar Enterprise News: 3 Lunar Rovers: Alike Yet Different │ Duffy or Isaacman – Who is Better for Urgent Moon Goals? │ Blue Origin First Moon Lander Launching this Year? │ Lunar Development Cooperative Offers Transnational Framework for Sustainable Lunar Economy
Near-Earth Objects Close Approaches – Mon Nov 10: Apollo Asteroid 2020 VK4 (0.041 AU); Tues Nov 11: Aten Asteroid 2012 VC26 (0.034 AU); Fri Nov 14: Apollo Asteroid 2025 US11 (0.032 AU)
First Women Land on the Moon in…
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Events
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Astronaut Scholarship Foundation Fall Auction
OnlineOnline auction to raise scholarship funds, of items such as NASA Astronaut mementos. 99% / 4-star rating from Charity Navigator for Astronaut Scholarship Foundation.
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Earth and Space Experience for Educators
El Paso TX, USAFeaturing astrogeology, Spaceport America tour, et al with Kirby Runyon and Mark Wagner.
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Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 6-87
SLC-40 (~28°N), Cape Canaveral SFS FL, USA29 satellites; 1st stage B1096 to land on barge JRTI.
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AST SpaceMobile Third Quarter 2025 Results Webcast
OnlineAST SpaceMobile, Inc. will host a live broadcast of this event on Monday, November 10, 2025 at 5:00 PM EST.
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Launch Ceres-1 / Unknown payload
Jiuquan Space Launch Center, ~41°N, Gansu, ChinaSolid-propellant launch vehicle of private aerospace company Galactic Energy of Beijing to provide low-cost commercial launches.
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2025 Middle East and Africa Regional IAU Meeting (MEARIM7)
Amman, JordanHeld every 3 years under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU), MEARIM brings together astronomers, space scientists, researchers, academics and policymakers with space agency and international scientific institution reps, to foster regional and global collaboration for astronomy and space sciences.
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Northern Taurids Meteor Shower Peak
WorldwideFrom Comet Encke dust cloud, with peak rate 5 per hour. Moon is 53% full.
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2nd Lunar Polar Volatiles Conference
Honolulu HI, USAIn-person, with oral presentations live-streamed for a remote audience. Focus on insights from orbital and in-situ missions, modeling, and experiments.
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Global Space Enablers Network (GSEN) Net-Connect Meetup Online
OnlineMeet fellow space system builders around the world at Net Connect, the 6th since founding of GSEN at International Astronautical Congress 2024 in Milan, Italy.
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Planetary Sample Science Seminar
OnlinePresentation by Mousumi Roy of University of New Mexico: Diffusion / Exchange Driven Equilibration During Melt-Wallrock Interaction on the Moon. Join here: https://sservi.nasa.gov/casa-moon-seminar-series Hosted by CASA Moon, SSERVI, Institute of Meteoritics at UNM, University of New Mexico Grand Challenge, Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) and RASSLE (Research Activities Supporting Science […]
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Webinar: The Role of Space-Based Interceptors in Golden Dome
OnlineGuests: Todd Harrison, Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute Patrick Binning, Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering Todd Stevens, Vice President, Strike, Deterrence & Missile Defense, Lockheed Martin Space Host: Sandra Erwin, Senior Staff Writer, SpaceNews
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Maryland Space Business Roundtable Luncheon
Greenbelt MD, USALuncheon speaker is Kevin Kelly, Partner at Actum, to speak on Federal science and space budgets, policy and programs. Notice to furloughed government personnel: MSBR recognizes that at this time you are considered a private citizen, and we cordially invite you to attend the luncheon as our guest, at no […]
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Firefly Aerospace to Announce 3rd Quarter 2025 Financial Results
OnlineFirefly Aerospace (Nasdaq: FLY), a space technology company, announced it will release its 3rd quarter 2025 financial results, for the period ended September 30, 2025, on Wednesday, November 12, 2025, after market close. Its stock trades on the NASDAQ exchange, New York City, that closes at 4:00 PM. Firefly will […]
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3 Years in Space: Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment (CAPSTONE)
Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit / Cislunar SpaceNASA 12-U CubeSat Capstone acting as a pathfinder for planned International Lunar Gateway surpasses another year around Moon today; launched in 2022.
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Intuitive Machines Q3 Earnings Conference Call
OnlineIntuitive Machines (NASDAQ: LUNR) will have a conference call before the market opens at 9:00 AM on Thursday, November 13, to discuss 3rd Quarter financial results.
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Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 6-89
SLC-39A, ~29°N, Kennedy Space Center FL, USA29 satellites to LEO for Starlink. 1st Stage B1092 to land on ASOG drone ship after this 8th use.
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27th China Hi-Tech Fair (CHTF)
Shenzhen, ChinaAt Shenzhen World Exhibition & Convention Center (Bao'an); 400,000+ expected to attend. (CASC) is scheduled to unveil its commercial space tourism program. Event has an aerospace and space exhibition area. Last year's fair marked a shift from government-led to market-driven operations, becoming the first large-scale government exhibition to adopt a market-oriented […]
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MDA Space Third Quarter 2025 Earnings Conference
OnlineMDA Space Ltd. (TSX: MDA), a trusted mission partner to the rapidly expanding global space industry, today announced that it will release its third quarter 2025 financial results before market open on Friday, November 14, 2025. The management team of MDA Space will host a conference call and webcast to […]
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Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 6-85
SLC-40 (~28°N), Cape Canaveral SFS FL, USA28 Starlink satellites; 1st stage B1078 to land on JRTI ocean barge after this 24th use.
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Startup Startcamp Bremen SPACE
Bremen, Germany"From Idea to Startup in 54 Hours". At Digital Industry Hub Bremen, Konrad-Zuse-Straße 6a 28359 Bremen, Germany. Limited to 50 tickets except to watch the pitches on Sunday night. STARTUP STARTCAMP BREMEN SPACE is designed for those who are interested to (co-)start a SPACE, SPACE-ENABLED, or SPACE-RELATED startup: Transform a […]
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AIAA San Francisco Section Annual Banquet
Mountain View CA, USAAt Moffett Field Museum, which may be viewed before and after the banquet
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Launch Haste / VAN
SLC-2, ~38°N, Wallops Flight Facility VA, USASub-orbital launch under Rocket Lab’s Hypersonic Accelerator Suborbital Test Electron (HASTE) program. Wallops Flight Facility is on Wallops Island east of Virginia, United States, is operated by the Goddard Space Flight Center and supports missions for NASA and other federal agencies.
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4th Anniversary of Artemis 1 Mission Launch
Nationwide USASpace Launch System and the Artemis 1 mission are observed today for its successful uncrewed flight Nov 16 – Dec 11, 2022.
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Leonids Meteor Shower Peak
WorldwideFrom Comet Tempel-Tuttle (55P) dust cloud, peak rate 15 per hour. Moon is 9% full.
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Launch Falcon 9 / Sentinel-6B
SLC-4E (~35°N), Vandenberg SFB CA, USASentinel-6B extends Sentinel series into a 4th decade of measuring sea levels to ~3cm for ~90% of world oceans and to ~10 years of recording atmospheric temperatures.
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Stem Cell Research and Biomanufacturing in Space
Online09:00-10:30 PST; Webinar with Arum Sharma of Center for Space Medicine Research at Cedars-Sinai.
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Conference on the Commercial Lunar Landscape and Policy Needs
Vienna, AustriaCommercial Lunar Operators' Perspectives on the Safety and Sustainability of Lunar Activities; session titles include: Working Group on Legal Aspects of Space Resources, World Intellectual Property Organization Video, Lunar Surface Issues, Top 3 Priorities for Lunar Safety and Sustainability, others; at Vienna International Centre.
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Outer Planets Assessment Group Meeting
OnlineIncludes updates on Europa Clipper, JUICE, Juno, New Horizons, JAXA Mission to Saturn Workshop; Online only.
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Dubai Airshow 2025
Dubai, United Arab Emirates“Space” is one of 9 conference tracks. One speaker is Andreas Heitmann, Program Director, SpaceFounders, a space-tech accelerator, supporting 70+ startups from 20 countries that have collectively raised over €220 million.
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Launch Barracuda hypersonic test platform
Spaceport Nova Scotia, CanadaDutch company T-Minus Engineering aims for suborbital launch of Barracuda hypersonic test platform; launch window open November 18 daily through November 24.
