Today In Space
Last Updated: Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025, 1:58 PM PST
2025-01-05T13:58:05.047987-08:00 2025-01-05T13:58:05.047987-08:00 (2025-01-05T13:58:05.047987-08:00)
ESA to use launch competition to test georeturn reforms
By SpaceNews.com: An upcoming European launch competition will be an early test of efforts by ESA to modify its approach to georeturn policies.
Amazon’s satellite project pushes ahead with UK broadband plans
By Financial Times: Filings show Kuiper initiative held meetings with MoD as tech group bids to rival Starlink.
There’s a Traffic Jam Forming at U.S. Rocket Launchpads
By Wall Street Journal: The nation’s busiest spaceports are fielding record demand, spurring new efforts to develop launch sites in landlocked states and even at sea.
SpaceX to attempt first payload deployment, engine reuse during Starship Flight 7
By Spaceflight Now: In a response to a user on X, formerly Twitter, SpaceX Founder Elon Musk said that SpaceX was aiming for Jan. 10. For starters, this mission will feature the first Block 2 Starship upper stage, tail number S33.
SpaceX launches UAE’s Thuraya-4 mobile connectivity satellite
By SpaceNews.com: SpaceX launched the Thuraya-4 voice and data connectivity satellite Jan. 3 for Space42, the United Arab Emirates’ recently formed AI-powered space technology champion.
Next-Generation Satellite Thuraya 4-NGS Launched by Falcon 9
NASA will announce update to Mars sample return plans on Jan. 7. Here's how to listen in
By Space.com: NASA's beleaguered Mars Sample Return program currently faces extreme costs of up to $11 billion and a timeline that could reach 2040.
Small satellite constellation could reveal black holes like never before
By Space.com: "Currently, features under a certain size simply cannot be imaged.".