Space Policy & International Cooperation News

Bloomberg • Allyson Versprille

NASA invites competitors to challenge SpaceX's Artemis moon-landing contract amid Starship delays

NASA has opened a competition for companies to bid on the crewed lunar-landing contract currently held by SpaceX, citing delays with the Starship vehicle. The move signals agency frustration with schedule slips and seeks redundancy ahead of upcoming Artemis missions.

2025-12-09T20:10:38.681807-08:00

Space.com

Shenzhou-21 crew perform 8‑hour EVA to inspect debris‑damaged Shenzhou‑20; return vehicle ruled unfit for reentry

2025-12-09T11:05:35.834228-08:00

NASA

Soyuz lands in Kazakhstan, returning Jonny Kim and two Roscosmos cosmonauts after eight‑month ISS mission

2025-12-08T19:50:51.856165-08:00

Universe Today

Accident at Baikonur destroys maintenance cabin, indefinitely halts Russia’s crewed and cargo launches to the ISS

2025-12-06T17:54:02.709431-08:00

Space Policy & International Cooperation News Timeline

Bloomberg

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NASA invites competitors to challenge SpaceX's Artemis moon-landing contract amid Starship delays NASA has opened a competition for companies to bid on the crewed lunar-landing contract currently held by SpaceX, citing delays with the Starship vehicle. The move signals agency frustration with schedule slips and seeks redundancy ahead of upcoming Artemis missions.

2025-12-09T20:10:38.681807-08:00

NASA invites competitors to challenge SpaceX's Artemis moon-landing contract amid Starship delays

Breaking Defense

Mitchell Institute: DoD must define Space Force and sister-service roles to secure 'space superiority' As the U.S. Space Force approaches its sixth birthday, a Mitchell Institute paper by retired USAF Col. Jennifer Reeves warns the Department of Defense must clarify roles and close 'gaps and seams' between the Space Force and sister services to preserve space superiority and operational resilience.

2025-12-09T13:48:36.674892-08:00

Mitchell Institute: DoD must define Space Force and sister-service roles to secure 'space superiority'

Breaking Defense

Mitchell Institute: US Department of Defense Must Clarify Space Force and Service Roles to Secure 'Space Superiority'

2025-12-09T13:48:36.674892-08:00

Mitchell Institute: DoD Must C

Space.com

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Shenzhou-21 crew perform 8‑hour EVA to inspect debris‑damaged Shenzhou‑20; return vehicle ruled unfit for reentry Shenzhou‑21 crew members Zhang Lu and Wu Fei conducted an eight‑hour spacewalk to inspect and photograph damage to a window on the docked Shenzhou‑20 vehicle following a suspected orbital‑debris strike. Beijing has declared the return capsule unfit for reentry, leaving the station crew dependent on an alternate lifeboat.

2025-12-09T11:05:35.834228-08:00

Shenzhou-21 crew perform 8‑hour EVA to inspect debris‑damaged Shenzhou‑20; return vehicle ruled unfit for reentry

Space.com

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National Academies: First crewed Mars missions should prioritize search for life A new National Academies report lays out a detailed blueprint for the first three crewed expeditions to Mars, declaring that the highest science priority for initial missions is a search for past or present life and prebiotic chemistry. The study frames life detection as the central objective guiding mission planning.

2025-12-09T08:12:57.765295-08:00

National Academies: First crewed Mars missions should prioritize search for life

Space Intel Report

Terran Orbital: four takeaways on industrialising space as competition turns orbital operations contested Terran Orbital distilled four takeaways urging the sector to industrialize satellite production and operational practices as global competition accelerates and space becomes a contested domain. The company frames scaling manufacturing, strengthening resilience and aligning industry-policy approaches as prerequisites for sustaining commercial and national capabilities.

2025-12-09T07:04:25.211348-08:00

Terran Orbital: four takeaways on industrialising space as competition turns orbital operations contested

SpaceNews.com

U.S. Should Stop Treating China’s Lunar Ambitions as a Race Framing China’s lunar ambitions as a head‑to‑head race with the United States risks pushing Washington into reactionary policies that prioritize speed over sustainable strategy, international cooperation and durable cislunar governance. Policymakers should recalibrate rhetoric and planning to balance competition, collaboration and resilient capabilities.

2025-12-09T06:05:18.489844-08:00

U.S. Should Stop Treating China’s Lunar Ambitions as a Race

Space.com

Aetherflux unveils 'Galactic Brain' — orbiting AI data centres powered by space-based solar Aetherflux unveiled 'Galactic Brain', a proposal to deploy orbiting AI data centres powered by space-based solar, framing the programme as an effort to 'build an American power grid in space.' The company says the architecture would deliver continuous on-orbit power and compute for large-scale AI workloads.

2025-12-09T04:05:09.250238-08:00

Aetherflux unveils 'Galactic Brain' — orbiting AI data centres powered by space-based solar

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