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, Scotland: RFA.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)

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At the Spokane Convention Center. The meeting will have a broad scope, with a wide-ranging...
Spokane WA, USA
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18:12 HST // 04:12 UTC on Oct 26.
Moon Orbit
25 Oct 2026
Change clocks back 1 hour, from Summer Time to Standard Time.
Europe
26 Oct 2026
NASA craft imaging Sun and solar phenomena surpasses another full year in space today; launched...
Heliocentric Orbit
26 - 27 Oct 2026
The 10th edition offers a unique opportunity to celebrate the evolution of the Moon Village...
Bangkok, Thailand
26 - 28 Oct 2026
Convene, connect, and collaborate at the 19th annual von Braun Space Exploration Symposium! This year’s...
Huntsville AL, USA
27 - 30 Oct 2026
Theme: “Bridging the Asia-Pacific: Advancing a Trusted and Inclusive Space Future”.
Bangkok, Thailand
27 - 28 Oct 2026
Themes include: Space & the Arctic; Space & AI; Space & International Collaboration. There is...
Oslo, Norway
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Oslo Spaceport Norway offers monthly a knowledgeable speaker and opportunity for networking, 17:00-20:00 local time;...
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45 satellites to launch for Amazon Leo, formerly named Project Kuiper. This LEO mega constellation...
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Astronauts Anil Menon and Joshua Kutryk will perform a 6.5-hour EVA to completely install and...
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