De Verenigde Staten zijn in shutdown. Dat is niet de eerste keer en wellicht zal het ook niet de laatste keer zijn. Maar het lijkt het moment om NASA verder te ontmantelen. Ook de Belgische ruimtevaart lijkt serieuze klappen te krijgen want er zijn drastische besparingen op komst. En Starship lijkt een goeie week verwijderd te zijn van een elfde testvlucht. Dat en nog veel meer in het Nieuws Uit De Ruimtevaart.

Bij de foto: Ondertussen wordt er in China de ene raket na de andere getest te worden. Zoals hier de tweede trap van de nieuwe Pallas 1 tijdens een recente static fire. Foto: Galactic Energy.

Belgisch ruimtevaartnieuws. 

Space Applications Services wordt partner in Starlab, een commercieel ruimtestation.
Starlab: Starlab Adds Space Applications Services as Strategic Partner, Equity Owner in Joint Venture.
Nieuwsblad: Belgisch bedrijf werkt mee aan ontwikkeling toekomstig ruimtestation Starlab.

Forse besparing op ruimtevaart in België?
VRT NWS: Belgische ruimtevaartsector waarschuwt: "Tot 1.000 jobs op het spel door geplande besparingen"

De lanceringen van de afgelopen week.

29.09.2025 – SpaceX lanceert Starlink-satellieten – Group 11-20 (VSFB).
Spaceflight Now: SpaceX launches 28 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB.
SpaceCom: SpaceX launches Starlink satellites from Vandenberg in California.

Filmpjes:
SpaceX: Watch Falcon 9 launch 28 Starlink satellites to orbit from California.
SciNews: SpaceX Starlink 307 launch and Falcon 9 first stage landing, 29 September 2025.

29.09.2025 – Chinese Lange Mars 2D lanceert Shiyan-30 1 & 2.
China in Space: 100th Long March 2D Launches Two New Test Spacecraft! [Long March 2D Y94].
China Daily: China successfully launches two new test satellites.
ECNS: Long March 2D rocket conducts 100th successful flight.
Space News: China sends experimental Shiyan-30 satellites into orbit as launch cadence intensifies.

Filmpjes:
SciNews: Long March-2D launches Shiyan-30 01-02.

01.10.2025 – RocketLab lanceert surborbitale Electron –HASTE/Justin.
Beperkte info over deze vlucht: RocketLab: Mission Overview.
Beelden vind je bv hier en hier.

03.10.2025 – SpaceX lanceert Starlink-satellieten – Group 11-39 (VSFB).
Spaceflight Now: SpaceX launches 3rd consecutive Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB, uninterrupted by a Cape mission.
SpaceCom: SpaceX launches Starlink satellites on 125th Falcon 9 mission of the year.

Filmpjes:
SpaceX via X: Watch Falcon 9 launch 28 Starlink satellites to orbit from California.
SciNews: SpaceX Starlink 308 launch and Falcon 9 first stage landing, 3 October 2025.

Te verwachten lanceringen.

??.11.2025 – New Glenn lanceert ESCAPADE naar Mars – Lanceerdatum nog niet bekend.
NASA: NASA, Blue Origin Invite Media to Attend Mars Mission Launch.
Space News: Preparations on track for second New Glenn launch.

Raketnieuws.

Opnieuw een tegenslag voor Firefly Aerospace – Alpha-raket ontploft bij test.
SpaceCom: Firefly Aerospace's Alpha rocket explodes during preflight test.
Ars Technica: Another setback for Firefly Aerospace’s beleaguered rocket program.
Spaceflight Now: Ground testing anomaly destroys Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha booster intended for next flight.
Space News: Firefly Alpha booster destroyed in ground test.

Galactic Energy test met succes PALLAS 1.
China in Space: Galactic Energy Fires Pallas-1 Second-Stage, Assembles Ceres-2 for Launch.
Space News: Galactic Energy secures $336 million, nears debut of new reusable and solid rockets.

Filmpje:
CGTN: China successfully test-fires second stage of PALLAS-1 rocket.

Geslaagde static fire voor 2de trap Nebula raket.
China In Space: Nebula-1's Second-Stage Conducts Static Fire Ahead of Launch Campaign.

Purdue University boekt Virgin Galactic vlucht in 2027.
Virgin Galactic: All-Boilermaker team to crew Virgin Galactic suborbital mission.
SpaceCom: Virgin Galactic to launch 'Purdue 1' human spaceflight in 2027.
Space News: Purdue University to fly dedicated suborbital research mission with Virgin Galactic.
Inside Outer Space: “Purdue 1” Mission: Virgin Galactic and Purdue University – Partnership Announced to Fly Professor, Alumni, and Student(s).

Blue Origin – Meer lanceringen op komst met New Shepard.
Inside Outer Space: Blue Origin’s Suborbital New Shepard: New Fleet, Increased Launch Rate Plans Unveiled.
Space News: Blue Origin to increase New Shepard flight rate and consider new spaceports.

Europa wil een herbruikbare upper stage.
ESA: ESA and Avio sign contract for a reuseable upper stage demonstration mission.
European Spaceflight: Avio Wins €40M ESA Contract to Design Reusable Upper Stage Demo.
Space News: ESA and Avio to study reusable upper stage.
Ars Technica: ESA will pay an Italian company nearly $50 million to design a mini-Starship.
NSF: ESA and Avio unveil plans for reusable Upper Stage rocket, echoing SpaceX’s Starship design.

Filmpje:
NSF Breaking Space: Europe Has A New Starship Copy - But Is It Too Late?

US Space Force zoekt nieuwe lanceerbasissen.
Air & Space Forces: Space Force Considers Ranges in Texas, Virginia, and More for Future Launches.

Bemande ruimtevaart / Ruimtestations.

Het ISS en de versleten ruimtepakken.
NASA Watch: OIG: ISS EVA Spacesuits Are Wearing Out.
Het betrokken rapport: “OIG – NASA’s Management of ISS Extravehicular Activity Spacesuits/” vind je hier (PDF).

ISS – De blogentries / On the ISS this week.
NASA ISS Blog: Crew Begins Week Configuring Advanced Physics, Space Tech Demo Hardware.
NASA ISS Blog: Crew Works Advanced Science Hardware and Conducts Lab Inspections.

SpaceCom: Astronauts welcome NASA's new 'ascans' | On the International Space Station Sept. 22-26, 2025.
SpaceCom: Astronauts work through the U.S. government shutdown | On the International Space Station Sept. 29-Oct. 3, 2025.

ISS – Meer nieuws uit het ruimtestation.
The Register: Engineers successfully reboost International Space Station after early Dragon abort.

Commerciële ruimtestations – CLD.
The Space Review: NASA needs to qualify, not certify. commercial space stations.
The Space Review: The present and future of NASA human spaceflight.

Spaceflight Now: Axiom Space taps Portuguese physiologist as first ‘Project Astronaut’.

CSS – Meer nieuws uit het Chinese ruimtestation.
SpaceCom: Chinese astronauts add debris shielding to Tiangong space station during 6-hour spacewalk.

Filmpjes:
CCTV: Shenzhou-20 Crew Sends Video Greetings from Space to Mark China's National Day.

Naar de Maan (en Mars).

Artemis 2 – Lancering in februari 2026 (?).
NASA: NASA Draws Closer to Artemis II Rocket Completion with Newest Addition.
Ars Technica: In their own words: The Artemis II crew on the frenetic first hours of their flight.

Artemis Accords.
NASA: NASA, International Partners Deepen Commitment to Artemis Accords.

Artemis – Naar de Maan en Mars.
Payload: Solstar Wins NASA Award for Lunar WiFi.
Payload: Astrobotic and Honda Join Forces on a Lunar Power System.
The Register: NASA administrator says US should have ‘village’ on Moon in a decade.
The Space Review: The economic reality of lunar competition: beyond the space race rhetoric.
SpaceCom: Astronauts on the moon and Mars? World space leaders lay out visions for an ambitious future.
Space Daily: Technique Could Reveal Hidden Habitats on Moon and Mars.

Filmpjes:
Space Capital: Lunar Mining? This is Where the Real Space Money Is.

ILRS – China naar de Maan.
Space Daily: Lunar soil melted into construction bricks by Chinese research team.

Starship – IFT 11 op 14 oktober (onze tijd).
SpaceX: SpaceX targeting Oct. 13 for next Starship megarocket launch.
NSF: SpaceX intensifies testing to ready Pad 2 at Starbase.
Ars Technica: SpaceX has a few tricks up its sleeve for the last Starship flight of the year.

SpaceX: Starship’s eleventh flight test.
Inside Outer Space: SpaceX Starship: Flight Test Eleven Details.

Filmpjes:
Lab Padre: SpaceX Pushes Ahead Towards Flight 11! - Spaceflight Weekly #186.
NSF: Starship Pad 2 Comes to Life | SpaceX Starbase.
NSF: SpaceX’s LAST Flight Before Block 3 Starship! | Starbase Update.
Lab Padre: Starbase Live 24/7 Multi Plex - SpaceX Starship Super Heavy Launch & Production Facility.
WAI: SpaceX Reveals Goal To Reach The Moon in 2026! Can It Even Be Done? 2026 PREVIEW!
NSF: "It looks like more concrete" | SpaceX Starbase.
Marcus House: Starship Flight 11 Is NOT What We Expected…

En nog een terublik op de 10de testvlucht.
SpaceX: Starship | Tenth Flight Test.

Op ontdekking door het zonnestelsel.

Blue Origin en Project Oasis.
Blue Origin: Blue Origin and Luxembourg Partner on Oasis-1 Mission to Map Lunar Resources.

Inside Outer Space: Blue Origin Rolls Out Multi-phase Moon Plan.
GeekWire: Blue Origin and its partners in Luxembourg unveil Project Oasis to map lunar resources.

SpaceCom: Mining the moon: Can you make money harvesting helium-3?
Gizmodo: Moon Helium Deal Is the Biggest Space Resource Grab Yet – Bluefors.

Meer nieuws uit de (inter)planetaire ruimte.

Venus:
SpaceCom: Mysterious crown-like features on Venus may finally have an explanation.
Universe Today: Scientists Discover First Evidence of Lava Tubes on Venus.
Space Daily: Invisible asteroids near Venus may pose long-term danger to Earth.
Universe Today: Venus' Clouds Are 60% Water, According To Reanalyzed Pioneer Data.

Aarde:
TerraWatch: Earth Observation Essentials: September 29, 2025.
Space Daily: Asteroid strike confirmed as cause of Silverpit Crater in North Sea.

Maan:
SpaceCom: Our moon's 2 sides are more different than we thought, lunar samples reveal.
Universe Today: Moon Missions Could Finally Reveal the Secrets of Dark Matter.
Space Daily: Moonquakes drive most new lunar landslides since 2009.
Space Daily: Moon rock study reshapes timeline of ancient lunar impacts.
Space Daily: Chinese study suggests excess argon in lunar soil may come from Earth wind.

Mars:
NASA Curiosity Status Report: Curiosity Blog, Sols 4668-4674: Winding Our Way Along.
SpaceCom: How excited should we be about the latest Mars potential biosignature discovery? 'It's arguably the best evidence we have so far'..
SpaceCom: Could China return the Perseverance rover's possible biosignature sample from Mars?
The Planetary Society: A biosignature on Mars? Unpacking Perseverance's Cheyava Falls find.
De versie via Planetary Radio vind je hier.
ESA (filmpje): Fly over Xanthe Terra with Mars Express.

Saturnus:
ESA: Cassini proves complex chemistry in Enceladus ocean.

Makemake:
10.09 – Universe Today: Makemake's Secret Finally Revealed.
11.09 – Space Daily: Methane gas revealed on dwarf planet Makemake by JWST observations.
28.09 – SpaceCom: This dwarf planet has gas: Makemake's methane surprises scientists.

Planetoïden:
Universe Today: The Asteroid Belt's Slow Disappearing Act.

Kamoʻoalewa:
China In Space: Tianwen-2 Nears Halfway Point in Trek to Target Asteroid Kamoʻoalewa.
CCTV (filmpje): China's Tianwen-2 Probe Captures Selfie with Earth.

3I/Atlas: 
NASA (filmpje): NASA Spacecraft Observe Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS as It Approaches Mars.
PhysOrg: Interstellar comet swinging past Mars as a fleet of spacecraft looks on.

Om af te ronden:
Werkgroep Maan en Planeten: Podcast: Recente ontwikkelingen in het zonnestelsel – september 2025.

Meer ruimtevaartnieuws.

Europa en “quantum secure communications”.
SAGA – Security And cryptoGrAphic.
ESA: Advancing Europe’s quantum secure communications from space.
Payload: ESA Continues to Bet Big on Quantum Comms.

Eerder dit jaar, over EuroQCI – European Quantum Communication Infrastructure.
ESA: ESA and European Commission to build quantum-secure space communications network.

Zie ook: 
ESA: Optical & Quantum Communications.
ESA: Safety & Security.
ESA: Eagle 1 – A QKD System.

Eerder hadden we het al over QKDSat welke met behulp van Redwire Belgium gebouwd gaat worden.
ESA: Secure communication via quantum cryptography.

Terugkeercapsules.
Ars Technica: Meet the Arc spacecraft: It aims to deliver cargo anywhere in the world in an hour.
Payload: Inversion Space Unveils Arc Reentry Vehicle.

Space News: The Exploration Company still studying Mission Possible reentry – Nyx.

President Trump en de Big Beautifull Bill – Shutdown.
21.09 – Air & Space Force: Say No to a Government Shutdown.
21.09 – Space Policy Online: Shutdown Showdown September 2025: The State of Play 10 Days Out.
27.09 – Space News: NASA Marshall director steps down.
30.09 – NASA Watch: It’s Shutdown Time.
30.09 – Space Policy Online: Senate Rejects Efforts to Keep Government Open After Midnight.
01.10 – Spaceflight Now: Report argues NASA is illegally using President’s Budget Request to circumvent Congress’ budgeting process.
01.10 – NASA Watch: NASA Memo: Orderly Shutdown Activities.
01.10 – SpaceCom: NASA closes doors to 15,000 employees as US government shutdown begins.
01.10 – NASA Watch: The Growing Threat Of Actual Layoffs.
02.10 – NASA Watch: Shutdown Update;
03.10 – Space Policy Online: Shutdown Continues With No Immediate End in Sight.

Misschien ook interessant om te lezen: “The Destruction of NASA’s Mission”.
Zie Inside Outer Space: Report: NASA Culture in Jeopardy voor de nodige links.

PWSA – Nieuws.
23.09 – Terran Orbital: Terran Orbital Completes Delivery of Satellite Bus Platforms to Lockheed Martin for the Tranche 1 Transport Layer.
23.09 – Satellite Today: Terran Orbital Completes Delivery of 42 Buses for SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer.

Space Force – Nieuws.
22.09: Breaking Defense: Space Force to get NOAA antennas to supplement Satellite Control Network.
22.09 – Breakding Defense: NRO needs AI to manage more than 200 (and counting) satellites, director says.
22.09 – Breaking Defense: Space Force will own next-gen neighborhood watch sats, based on commercial tech.
23.09 – Air & Space Force: Space Force Wants to Maneuver in Orbit. The Question Is How.
24.09 – Breaking Defense: In a first, Space Force to require refueling capability for next-gen neighborhood watch sats.
24.09 – Space News: Next chapter in space defense: Satellites that never stop moving.
25.09 – Breaking Defense: SPACECOM discussing expansion of joint space monitoring missions with allies.
01.10 – Space News: ExLabs wins Space Force contract for reconfigurable space platform.
03.10 – Payload: DARPA Awards Safran a Quantum PNT Contract.

Satellieten en cyberspace.
Air & Space Forces: New Satellite Will Help Cyber Defenders Train to Stop Hackers in Orbit.
Space News: The real space war is being fought in cyberspace.

Het gevaar komt uit Rusland en uit China.
Space News: China’s ‘near space’ legal warfare.

TASS: Russia working on multi-purpose satellite system for controlling drones.

Reuters: UK seeks to boost satellite defence amid growing space threats.
Podcast – Science in Action: A mystery satellite has been jamming GPS in Europe.
BBC: Russia targets UK military satellites on weekly basis.
TASS: UK Space Command head says Russian satellites monitoring British ones.

Golden Dome – Missile Defense Shield.
23.09 – Lockheed Martin: Layered Defense, Orbital Advantage: The Space Domain’s Rising Role.
23.09 – Space News: To Protect the Nation, the Golden Dome Must Be Capable of Protecting Itself.
01.10 – Space News: Satellite radios sought for Golden Dome interceptor demo.
02.10 – Space News: The spreadsheet behind the Golden Dome sticker shock.
03.10 – Air & Space Forces: MDA Extends Deadline for Golden Dome Proposals.

Nieuws van de NATO.
Breaking Defense: NATO investing $728M in new space capabilities, including a new ‘data lake’.

India wil “bodyguard satellites”.
News9 Live (filmpje): India Plans “Bodyguard Satellites” After Near Miss in Orbit Raises Security Concerns | News9.

Europa en de EU Space Act.
Payload: The EU Space Act Raises Questions.

Veel lees- en kijkplezier,

Koen