Enhanced SpaceX Dragon to Deorbit ISS - SpaceNews This Week (2025)

At a July 17 briefing, NASA and SpaceX officials provided new details about the United States Deorbit Vehicle (USDV) spacecraft NASA selected SpaceX to build June 26 under a contract worth up to $843 million.

The USDV will be based on SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft but with a redesigned, larger trunk section with more Draco thrusters. The spacecraft will have 46 Draco thrusters, 16 for attitude control and 30 to perform the maneuvers needed to lower the station's orbit at the end of its life, said Sarah Walker, director of Dragon mission management at SpaceX.

Maxar Intelligence unveils first images from next-generation WorldView Legion satellites

WorldView Legion is Maxar's latest constellation of high-resolution Earth imaging satellites, designed to increase the company's imaging capacity and revisit rates. These satellites are capable of collecting 30 cm-class imagery, providing detailed views of the Earth's surface for a wide range of applications, from defense and intelligence to urban planning and disaster response.

Firefly CEO leaves company

In a brief statement late July 17, Firefly announced that Bill Weber was no longer the chief executive of the launch vehicle and lunar lander company. The announcement came two days after Payload reported that the company was investigating claims that Weber had an "inappropriate relationship" with a female employee of the company.

KBR to acquire defense and space contractor LinQuest for $737 million

The deal, announced July 16 and expected to close in the third or fourth quarter of 2024, would allow KBR to bolster its footprint in the national security space sector, which has expanded since its 2020 acquisition of Centauri.

Astra completes deal to go private

Following three years of public trading, the company announced July 18 that it had closed a deal announced earlier this year with the company's co-founders, Chris Kemp and Adam London, to take the company private at 50 cents per share. Shares had closed at 53.9 cents July 17.

NASA cancels VIPER lunar rover

NASA announced July 17 that it would end development of the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rove (VIPER) mission due to development delays and rising costs. The rover, to be sent to the south polar region of moon on a commercial lander called Griffin from Astrobotic Technology, would have explored terrain including permanently shadowed regions to better understand the extent and form of water ice there.

NASA space technology head leaves the agency

NASA announced July 16 that Kurt "Spuds" Vogel, associate administrator for space technology, was retiring from the agency, effective immediately. The announcement did not disclose the reason for his departure.

U.S. nuclear command satellites need hardening against attacks, report warns

The Atlantic Council's Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security released a study July 15 titled "Modernizing Space-Based Nuclear Command, Control, and Communications" that recommends steps to protect space-based elements of the U.S. nuclear command, control and communications (NC3) system. The report comes amid growing concerns about Russia's development of space-based nuclear weapons and the vulnerability of critical military satellites.

U.S. military to award $3 billion contract for AI-driven intelligence

The program, known as Long-Range Enterprise Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Activity (LEIA), seeks to procure a wide spectrum of commercial data and advanced AI-driven analytics, integrating information from ground, aerial, and space-based platforms. The LEIA contract is expected to be awarded later this year. It is a full and open competition and several firms are expected to compete for the award.

NASA's CAPSTONE is testing "Autopilot" software suite for cislunar operations

CAPSTONE is testing a software suite that manages autonomous station keeping, identifies anomalous spacecraft behavior, and provides rapid navigation and maneuvering, which is expected to prove useful for future operations in lunar orbit, such as those of the Gateway space station.

On July 16th, 1969 the world watched in great wonder as the massive, dragon-fire-spitting Saturn V rocket lifted off launchpad 39A at Kennedy Space Center and soared toward the skies on a mission for all mankind — Apollo 11. Aboard the tiny and crampedColumbiacommand module were Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins, headed for the moon.

Of course, we know the rest of this grand and magnificent history and we still marvel at the extraordinary feat that was finally achieved on July 21stwhen both Armstrong and Aldrin embossed human footprints in the lunar dust. That astounding achievement may have happened over a half-century ago but its imprint on culture, on scientific exploration, on human understanding, on America and indeed, on the world, is still strong and deep.

On a very broad and basic level, when I think of Apollo 11, I'm reminded of what Americans are capable of, particularly when we're unified and focused on important shared goals. Americans make up a nation of great vision with citizens who are often willing to take a few calculated gambles in order to see that vision become reality.

Refuellable satellites offer critical edge amidst intensifying threats in space

By Daniel Faber, Shawn Hendricks and Adam Harris, July 16, 2024

How AI improves operations on NOAA GOES-R weather and environmental satellites

By Zhenping Li, July 19, 2024