Space security, threats and rapid innovation
Thursday, 02 October 2025 13:21
In this week’s episode of Space Minds, host David Aireosto speaks with Steve Kitay— former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy, former head of Microsoft’s space initiatives, and now Senior Vice President for Space Defense at True Anomaly.
Port Canaveral preps for more rocket recoveries with third crane
Thursday, 02 October 2025 13:10This request seems a bit unusual, so we need to confirm that you're human. Please press and hold the button until it turns completely green. Thank you for your cooperation!
Press and hold the button
If you believe this is an error, please contact our support team.
185.132.36.159 : 2d49e31d-7165-4081-8056-5cd74d41
Fly over Xanthe Terra with Mars Express
Thursday, 02 October 2025 12:00
Video:
00:03:16
ESA’s Mars Express takes us on another mesmerising flight over curving channels carved by water, islands that have resisted erosion, and a maze of hilly terrain.
Central to the tour is a 1300 km-long outflow channel called Shalbatana Vallis. It cascades down from the highland region of Xanthe Terra to the smoother lowlands of Chryse Planitia.
Billions of years ago, water surged through this channel, creating many of the features we see today.
The tour culminates in a spectacular view of a 100 km-wide impact crater, smashed out of Mars’s surface when it collided with a space rock.
Enjoy the flight, and be
Preparations on track for second New Glenn launch
Thursday, 02 October 2025 10:12
Preparations for the second launch of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket, carrying a NASA Mars mission, remain on track for liftoff in the next few weeks.
Will Pentagon procurement reforms really stick this time?
Thursday, 02 October 2025 10:00
Moon rock study reshapes timeline of ancient lunar impacts
Thursday, 02 October 2025 06:04
When Apollo 17 astronauts returned with lunar rock sample 76535, they unknowingly carried back a fragment that would continue to puzzle scientists for decades. The rock formed nearly 50 kilometers below the Moon's surface yet shows little evidence of the violent shocks expected from such depths.
Many researchers assumed it was excavated by the colossal impact that created the South Pole-Ai Moonquakes drive most new lunar landslides since 2009
Thursday, 02 October 2025 06:04
A Chinese-led research team has identified 41 new landslides on the Moon since 2009, concluding that endogenic moonquakes, not fresh impacts, are the primary trigger. The finding redefines understanding of active surface processes and highlights geohazard risks for future lunar bases.
For decades, scientists debated whether lunar landslides stem mainly from internal seismic activity, impac Scalable lunar power study launched by Honda and Astrobotic
Thursday, 02 October 2025 06:04
Honda Motor Co. and Astrobotic Technology have entered a joint development agreement to investigate scalable lunar power solutions that combine Honda's regenerative fuel cell (RFC) system with Astrobotic's Vertical Solar Array Technology (VSAT) and LunaGrid service. The collaboration aims to deliver continuous and reliable power for extended lunar surface operations, particularly during the two- Evidence of a past, deep ocean on Uranian moon, Ariel
Thursday, 02 October 2025 06:04
Growing evidence suggests that a subsurface ocean lurks beneath the icy surface of Uranus' moon Ariel, but new research, published in Icarus, characterizes the possible evolution of this ocean, and found that it may have once been over 100 miles (170 kilometers) deep. For perspective, the Pacific Ocean averages 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) deep.
"Ariel is pretty unique in terms of icy moons," Out-of-this-world ice geysers on Saturn's Enceladus
Thursday, 02 October 2025 06:04
In the 17th century, astronomers Christiaan Huygens and Giovanni Cassini trained their telescopes on Saturn and uncovered a startling truth: the planet's luminous bands were not solid appendages, but vast, separate rings composed of countless nested arcs.
Centuries later, NASA's Cassini-Huygens (Cassini) probe carried the exploration of Saturn even further. Beginning in 2005, it sent back ESA and Avio advance design of reusable rocket upper stage
Thursday, 02 October 2025 06:04
ESA has signed a contract with Avio to develop a demonstration mission for a reusable rocket upper stage, marking a step toward fully reusable European launch systems. The program will define system requirements, explore disruptive solutions, and deliver preliminary designs for both flight and ground infrastructure.
The initiative builds on previous industrial work and aims to reduce risks Pulsar Fusion to Demonstrate Advanced Propulsion on Momentus Vigoride Mission
Thursday, 02 October 2025 06:04
Momentus Inc. has signed a contract to launch a demonstration mission for Pulsar Fusion's next-generation Hall Effect Thruster (HET) propulsion system. The U.S.-based satellite services provider will integrate Pulsar's technology aboard its Vigoride orbital service vehicle, with launch scheduled for late 2026.
The mission is designed to provide Pulsar with an in-orbit platform to validate Maintaining US space dominance requires rapid and reliable delivery of new systems
Thursday, 02 October 2025 06:04
Winning in space depends on accelerating the way capabilities are developed and delivered, Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman told thousands attending the Air, Space and Cyber Conference on Sept. 23. He emphasized that future superiority hinges on force design, system acquisition, and delivering tools Guardians can employ immediately.
Saltzman cited recent progress in GPS accur Germany pledges EUR35 bn for space defence against Russia, China
Thursday, 02 October 2025 06:04
Germany will spend 35 billion euros ($41 billion) on outer space defence by 2030, Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said Thursday, citing the threat posed by Russia and China.
"Russia and China have in recent years rapidly expanded their capabilities for conducting warfare in space," he said.
"They can disrupt, jam, manipulate or even physically destroy satellites. In space, there are n