Today In Space
Last Updated: Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025, 3:14 AM PDT
2025-09-18T03:14:49.762164-07:00 2025-09-18T03:14:49.762164-07:00 (2025-09-18T03:14:49.762164-07:00)

Rocket Lab pursues Mars telecommunications orbiter as NASA revives mission concept
By NASA Spaceflight: Rocket Lab—the operator of the world’s second-busiest orbital rocket—has been touting its vision for a….

MDA Space CEO: new satellite factory, D2D market after EchoStar–SpaceX deal, and MDA’s role in Europe’s Iris2
By Space Intel Report: PARIS — Canada’s MDA Space early next year opens its large-volume satellite manufacturing plant to produce….

Arianespace weighing higher Ariane 6 cadence — options to exceed 10 launches per year if demand materializes
By SpaceNews.com: Arianespace is weighing options to increase the launch rate of the Ariane 6 rocket beyond 10 per year if government and commercial demand supports it.

Northrop Grumman, NASA fix software safeguard that shut down cargo craft engine; ISS docking set for Thursday
By Reuters: NASA on Wednesday night resumed plans to moor an uncrewed cargo craft to the International Space Station after resolving an early engine-shutdown issue it said was caused by a "conservative safeguard" in the vehicle's software settings.

Poland Commits €470m for Six Satellites to Join EU IRIS² Secure-Communications Constellation
By European Spaceflight: Poland has committed 2 billion PLN (€470 million) to build six communications satellites as an added contribution to the IRIS2 constellation.

Small GEO manufacturers split on vertical integration: sovereignty vs. speed and scale
By SpaceNews.com: The fledgling small geostationary satellite manufacturing market is splitting across a spectrum of vertical integration strategies as companies weigh sovereignty, speed and scale in reshaping space-based communications.

Artemis 2 astronauts will double as human science experiments on their trip around the moon
By Space.com: The life of an astronaut comes with a lot of poking and prodding.