Public Asks Congress To Save VIPER
More than 2,000 supporters ranging from engineers to space enthusiasts signed a letter last week led by the Planetary Society asking lawmakers to add the program back into NASA’s budget.
Jacqueline Feldscher
Space Force Boosts Bonus To Help Retention
The Space Force has raised its max reenlistment bonus for some members of the service to $180,000, an $80,000 increase from the previous year.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 Returns to Flight
The mission, which launched from Florida, successfully put 23 Starlink birds into orbit.
Star Catcher Closes $12.25M Seed Round
The startup intends to build a constellation of satellites in LEO that can harness solar power and efficiently send it to other sats in greater concentrations.
How Artemis Got Its Name
“We had one clear objective on this plan: make Artemis uncancelable.”
Planetary Sunshade Foundation Brings its Message to DC
Advocates for placing a sunshade in space to address global warming were in DC last week educating officials on Capitol Hill and beyond about the benefits of the technology.
Report Recommends More Federal Spending in CRS
The commercial remote sensing industry is on the rise but needs more backing from the government to reach its full potential, according to a report released Wednesday.
Space Policy in a Second Trump Term
The Trump administration’s top priority, according to Autry, is likely to be “kicking Artemis into high gear” and ensuring Artemis III—the first crewed mission to the lunar surface since Apollo—remains on track to avoid getting beaten by the Chinese.
D-Orbit USA Rolls Out Satellite Bus Plans
Italian space logistics startup D-Orbit launched a US branch on Wednesday that will transform the startup’s flight-proven orbital transfer vehicle into a satellite bus to better court American government customers.
House To Consider NASA Reauthorization Act
“It’s been far too long since the last comprehensive NASA authorization and we’re overdue for Congressional guidance and direction,” Rep. Frank Lucas (R-OK), the chair of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, told Payload in a statement, adding that his top priorities in the markup include the Moon to Mars pipeline, operations in LEO after the ISS, and balancing the science portfolio.
House Unveils $25.2B NASA Funding Proposal
The topline budget included in the draft bill from the House Appropriations Committee would give the agency $303.6M more than it received in fiscal 2024.
Report Highlights Space Force’s Long-Term Research Gap
The Space Force should boost its use of venture capital funding to have more influence over where private entities are focusing their science and tech investments, according to a RAND report.