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This digest covers space-related developments from September 14 to 20, 2025, summarizing key advances, announcements, launches, and policy shifts across the global space sector.
Weekly Metrics Snapshot
This week saw 4 orbital launches across 2 countries (USA, China), deploying a combined total of roughly 56 payloads (mostly communications satellites) plus one ISS cargo ship. Two SpaceX Falcon 9 missions delivered 28 and 24 Starlink broadband satellites into low Earth orbit. China’s Long March 2C carried four experimental “space Internet” demonstrator satellites on Sept. 16. In addition, SpaceX launched Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus NG-23 (S.S. William C. “Willie” McCool) to the International Space Station on Sept. 14, delivering about 11,000 pounds of supplies and experiments. Overall, activity was driven by commercial satellite deployments and ISS resupply missions.
This Week’s Top Stories
SpaceX launches Northrop Grumman’s new Cygnus XL cargo ship to ISS
SpaceX successfully launched the first flight of Northrop Grumman’s larger Cygnus XL spacecraft on Sept. 14, 2025. The upgraded Cygnus (named S.S. William C. “Willie” McCool) carried over 11,000 pounds of supplies, scientific experiments and CubeSats into low-Earth orbit on a Falcon 9 rocket. This mission (NG-23) will dock the freighter with the International Space Station later this week, expanding cargo capacity for the ISS crew. read more
SpaceX launches 28 Starlink broadband satellites
On Sept. 18, SpaceX sent 28 additional Starlink internet satellites into orbit aboard a Falcon 9 rocket (Starlink 10-61 mission) from Cape Canaveral. This flight was the company’s 117th Falcon 9 launch in 2025 and further expands its low-orbit broadband constellation. The satellites were released into low Earth orbit about an hour after launch, continuing SpaceX’s rapid deployment campaign to provide global internet service. read more
China tests space-based Internet constellation with new satellite launch
On Sept. 16, China launched a Long March 2C rocket from Jiuquan carrying multiple experimental satellites for a planned space-based Internet network. The payload included a series of “Space-based Internet Technology Demonstrator” satellites, among them a GalaxySpace CubeSat with a novel roll-up flexible solar array to test Internet-of-Things relay technology. This mission advances China’s efforts to develop a national satellite Internet constellation. read more
Japan’s Akatsuki Venus orbiter mission formally concludes
Japan’s space agency announced on Sept. 18 that it has officially ended operations of the Akatsuki spacecraft after more than 8 years in orbit around Venus. Launched in 2010, Akatsuki far exceeded its original one-year design life and provided groundbreaking data on Venus’s atmosphere, including the discovery of the largest-ever stationary gravity wave in a planetary atmosphere. Communication with Akatsuki had been lost in April 2024, and the mission concludes with a legacy of valuable science. read more
Blue Origin completes NS-35 New Shepard suborbital flight
Blue Origin resumed flights on Sept. 18 with its 35th New Shepard mission (NS-35) after a month-long delay. The uncrewed vehicle carried more than 40 scientific payloads on its suborbital flight from West Texas, including 24 student experiments selected through NASA’s TechRise challenge. This New Shepard mission demonstrates continued use of private suborbital rockets for microgravity research and education. read more
In Case You Missed It
- Russia’s Progress 85 cargo spacecraft successfully docked with the ISS on Sept. 13, delivering standard resupply stores to station crew members read more
- The U.S. Space Force’s space rapid capabilities office awarded contracts to Blue Origin and defense firm Anduril to develop a prototype one-hour rocket cargo delivery system read more
- JetBlue announced it will use Amazon’s upcoming Project Kuiper satellite constellation to upgrade in-flight Wi-Fi on select aircraft starting in 2027 read more
- NASA’s Wallops team launched two high-altitude scientific balloons from Fort Sumner, New Mexico on Sept. 19, carrying atmospheric and cosmic-dust research instruments as part of its Fall 2025 campaign read more
- SpaceX moved a new Starship upper stage to its Boca Chica launch pad in preparation for the next high-altitude test flight in Texas read more
Upcoming Events
- NordSpace Taiga test launch (Sept. 22/23, 2025): Maiden flight of Canada’s first privately developed Taiga rocket from the Atlantic Spaceport in Newfoundland (suborbital test “Getting Screeched In”) read more
- Partial solar eclipse (Sept. 21, 2025): A partial solar eclipse will be visible from New Zealand, eastern Australia, parts of Antarctica and the Pacific islands on the evening of Sept. 21 read more
- SpaceX Falcon 9 – NROL-48 mission (Sept. 21, 2025): Launch of a classified National Reconnaissance Office payload from Vandenberg Space Force Base (West Coast USA) read more
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- Blue Origin New Glenn – NASA ESCAPADE (Sept. 29, 2025): Second New Glenn rocket launch (NET Sept 29) will carry NASA’s twin ESCAPADE Mars-bound cubesats (Blue and Gold) from Cape Canaveral read more
Key Takeaways
This week’s developments highlight the accelerating pace of global space activity. Commercial launch providers dominated the launch manifest, deploying dozens of satellites for communications networks and routine station resupply. SpaceX’s multiple Falcon 9 flights continued to expand the Starlink broadband constellation while also delivering critical cargo to the ISS. NASA and partners are gearing up for new science missions (for example, the upcoming IMAP heliosphere probe), and private companies are increasingly fulfilling research and defense needs (e.g. on-demand rocket cargo delivery and suborbital research flights).
Internationally, space programs are demonstrating broader capabilities and cooperation. China’s space agency tested next-generation Internet satellites (including private-sector hardware), reflecting Beijing’s push into commercial space networks. Japan marked the end of a long-lived Venus mission, underscoring progress in planetary science. In the U.S., military and civilian agencies are working with industry on ambitious projects (such as next-generation rockets and rapid-launch systems). Overall, the week reinforced the global trend toward diversified space infrastructure – satellite networks, exploration missions and defense assets – all growing in parallel.
10 Best-Selling Science Fiction Books Worth Reading
Dune
Frank Herbert’s Dune is a classic science fiction novel that follows Paul Atreides after his family takes control of Arrakis, a desert planet whose spice is the most valuable resource in the universe. The story combines political struggle, ecology, religion, and warfare as rival powers contest the planet and Paul is drawn into a conflict that reshapes an interstellar civilization. It remains a foundational space opera known for its worldbuilding and long-running influence on the science fiction genre.
Foundation
Isaac Asimov’s Foundation centers on mathematician Hari Seldon, who uses psychohistory to forecast the collapse of a galactic empire and designs a plan to shorten the coming dark age. The narrative spans generations and focuses on institutions, strategy, and social forces rather than a single hero, making it a defining work of classic science fiction. Its episodic structure highlights how knowledge, politics, and economic pressures shape large-scale history.
Ender’s Game
Orson Scott Card’s Ender’s Game follows Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, a gifted child recruited into a military training program designed to prepare humanity for another alien war. The novel focuses on leadership, psychological pressure, and ethical tradeoffs as Ender is pushed through increasingly high-stakes simulations. Often discussed as military science fiction, it also examines how institutions manage talent, fear, and information under existential threat.
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy begins when Arthur Dent is swept off Earth moments before its destruction and launched into an absurd interstellar journey. Blending comedic science fiction with satire, the book uses space travel and alien societies to lampoon bureaucracy, technology, and human expectations. Beneath the humor, it offers a distinctive take on meaning, randomness, and survival in a vast and indifferent cosmos.
1984
George Orwell’s 1984 portrays a surveillance state where history is rewritten, language is controlled, and personal autonomy is systematically dismantled. The protagonist, Winston Smith, works within the machinery of propaganda while privately resisting its grip, which draws him into escalating danger. Frequently categorized as dystopian fiction with strong science fiction elements, the novel remains a reference point for discussions of authoritarianism, mass monitoring, and engineered reality.
Brave New World
Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World presents a society stabilized through engineered reproduction, social conditioning, and pleasure-based control rather than overt terror. The plot follows characters who begin to question the costs of comfort, predictability, and manufactured happiness, especially when confronted with perspectives that do not fit the system’s design. As a best-known dystopian science fiction book, it raises enduring questions about consumerism, identity, and the boundaries of freedom.
Fahrenheit 451
Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 depicts a future where books are outlawed and “firemen” burn them to enforce social conformity. The protagonist, Guy Montag, begins as a loyal enforcer but grows increasingly uneasy as he encounters people who preserve ideas and memory at great personal risk. The novel is often read as dystopian science fiction that addresses censorship, media distraction, and the fragility of informed public life.
The War of the Worlds
H. G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds follows a narrator witnessing an alien invasion of England, as Martian technology overwhelms existing military and social structures. The story emphasizes panic, displacement, and the collapse of assumptions about human dominance, offering an early and influential depiction of extraterrestrial contact as catastrophe. It remains a cornerstone of invasion science fiction and helped set patterns still used in modern alien invasion stories.
Neuromancer
William Gibson’s Neuromancer follows Case, a washed-up hacker hired for a high-risk job that pulls him into corporate intrigue, artificial intelligence, and a sprawling digital underworld. The book helped define cyberpunk, presenting a near-future vision shaped by networks, surveillance, and uneven power between individuals and institutions. Its language and concepts influenced later depictions of cyberspace, hacking culture, and the social impact of advanced computing.
The Martian
Andy Weir’s The Martian focuses on astronaut Mark Watney after a mission accident leaves him stranded on Mars with limited supplies and no immediate rescue plan. The narrative emphasizes problem-solving, engineering improvisation, and the logistical realities of survival in a hostile environment, making it a prominent example of hard science fiction for general readers. Alongside the technical challenges, the story highlights teamwork on Earth as agencies coordinate a difficult recovery effort.
10 Best-Selling Science Fiction Movies to Watch
Interstellar
In a near-future Earth facing ecological collapse, a former pilot is recruited for a high-risk space mission after researchers uncover a potential path to another star system. The story follows a small crew traveling through extreme environments while balancing engineering limits, human endurance, and the emotional cost of leaving family behind. The narrative blends space travel, survival, and speculation about time, gravity, and communication across vast distances in a grounded science fiction film framework.
Blade Runner 2049
Set in a bleak, corporate-dominated future, a replicant “blade runner” working for the police discovers evidence that could destabilize the boundary between humans and engineered life. His investigation turns into a search for hidden history, missing identities, and the ethical consequences of manufactured consciousness. The movie uses a cyberpunk aesthetic to explore artificial intelligence, memory, and state power while building a mystery that connects personal purpose to civilization-scale risk.
Arrival
When multiple alien craft appear around the world, a linguist is brought in to establish communication and interpret an unfamiliar language system. As global pressure escalates, the plot focuses on translating meaning across radically different assumptions about time, intent, and perception. The film treats alien contact as a problem of information, trust, and geopolitical fear rather than a simple battle scenario, making it a standout among best selling science fiction movies centered on first contact.
Inception
A specialist in illicit extraction enters targets’ dreams to steal or implant ideas, using layered environments where time and physics operate differently. The central job requires assembling a team to build a multi-level dream structure that can withstand psychological defenses and internal sabotage. While the movie functions as a heist narrative, it remains firmly within science fiction by treating consciousness as a manipulable system, raising questions about identity, memory integrity, and reality testing.
Edge of Tomorrow
During a war against an alien force, an inexperienced officer becomes trapped in a repeating day that resets after each death. The time loop forces him to learn battlefield tactics through relentless iteration, turning failure into training data. The plot pairs kinetic combat with a structured science fiction premise about causality, adaptation, and the cost of knowledge gained through repetition. It is often discussed as a time-loop benchmark within modern sci-fi movies.
Ex Machina
A young programmer is invited to a secluded research facility to evaluate a humanoid robot designed with advanced machine intelligence. The test becomes a tense psychological study as conversations reveal competing motives among creator, evaluator, and the synthetic subject. The film keeps its focus on language, behavior, and control, using a contained setting to examine artificial intelligence, consent, surveillance, and how people rationalize power when technology can convincingly mirror human emotion.
The Fifth Element
In a flamboyant future shaped by interplanetary travel, a cab driver is pulled into a crisis involving an ancient weapon and a looming cosmic threat. The story mixes action, comedy, and space opera elements while revolving around recovering four elemental artifacts and protecting a mysterious figure tied to humanity’s survival. Its worldbuilding emphasizes megacities, alien diplomacy, and high-tech logistics, making it a durable entry in the canon of popular science fiction film.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
A boy and his mother are pursued by an advanced liquid-metal assassin, while a reprogrammed cyborg protector attempts to keep them alive. The plot centers on preventing a future dominated by autonomous machines by disrupting the chain of events that leads to mass automation-driven catastrophe. The film combines chase-driven suspense with science fiction themes about AI weaponization, time travel, and moral agency, balancing spectacle with character-driven stakes.
Minority Report
In a future where authorities arrest people before crimes occur, a top police officer becomes a suspect in a predicted murder and goes on the run. The story follows his attempt to challenge the reliability of predictive systems while uncovering institutional incentives to protect the program’s legitimacy. The movie uses near-future technology, biometric surveillance, and data-driven policing as its science fiction core, framing a debate about free will versus statistical determinism.
Total Recall (1990)
A construction worker seeking an artificial vacation memory experiences a mental break that may be either a malfunction or the resurfacing of a suppressed identity. His life quickly becomes a pursuit across Mars involving corporate control, political insurgency, and questions about what is real. The film blends espionage, off-world colonization, and identity instability, using its science fiction premise to keep viewers uncertain about whether events are authentic or engineered perception.
