Aerospace America — To mark the 100th anniversary of Robert Goddard’s first flight with a rocket using liquid propellants, the Aerospace Corporation plans to publish new Goddard-themed STEM lessons plans.
Musk Says SpaceX Focus is on the Moon Rather than Mars
SpaceNews — A little more than a year after dismissing the moon as a “distraction,” Elon Musk says SpaceX will focus on lunar settlement before sending humans to Mars.
NASA Administrator Eyes Greater Collaboration with Pentagon
Air and Space Forces Magazine — “[NASA and the Pentagon] don’t need to have three bespoke initiatives underway,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said. That could mean using a NASA-certified launch vehicle for defense applications or sharing technology developments in areas like navigation, communications, and nuclear propulsion.
SpaceX IPO Could Drive Investor Interest in Other Space Companies
SpaceNews — An investor in two space companies that went public in the past year said an upcoming SpaceX initial public offering could generate new investor interest in the sector while also triggering a wave of consolidation.
US Space Nuclear Plans Are Rescued After 2025 Setback
Aviation Week — Congress injected $110-120 million for NASA to further nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) research and development and $50 million for nuclear electric propulsion (NEP) efforts under the recently passed appropriations bill. New NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has embraced nuclear propulsion and fission surface power as core to the agency’s mission.
Next Up in Pentagon’s Push for Defense Industry Reforms: Space
Air and Space Forces Magazine — Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth exhorted the U.S. space industry to step up its efforts in a forceful Feb. 2 speech at Blue Origin in which he called for a new era of American “space dominance.” Hegseth’s remarks were part of his “Arsenal of Freedom” tour of American defense firms across the country, in which he has touted acquisition reforms made last fall
Orbotic Systems Executes Commercial License for Aerospace DiskSat Technology
The National Law Review — Orbotic Systems plans to use Aerospace’s DiskSat form factor as a host spacecraft for a Very Low Earth Orbit (VLEO) sensor pathfinder, including integration studies for its WIND (Wind Ion Neutral Density) sensor. The effort is intended to support technical assessment and future mission planning related to VLEO operations.
NASA continues to work toward February launch of Artemis 2
SpaceNews — NASA says it is continuing to prepare for a possible Artemis 2 launch as soon as February, but with remarkably little publicity by the agency for the first crewed flight to the moon in more than 50 years.
Aerospace Names Former Northrop Grumman Executive Blake Bullock as EVP
GovCon Wire — As executive vice president, Bullock will lead Aerospace’s customer-facing organizations, research and laboratory capabilities, engineering backplane, and technology investment activities.
Artemis II: NASA Astronauts Gear Up for a Journey Around the Moon
CNN — Artemis II will send a group of four astronauts — NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch as well as the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen — on a trip around the moon, possibly as early as February.
