Weekly New Space Economy Newsletter February 24, 2025

New Space Economy
Market Research, Analysis, and Resources

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Articles From The Previous Week

The Maury Island Incident: A Deep Dive into an Early UFO Mystery

The Maury Island Incident, a purported UFO sighting and subsequent investigation that occurred in June 1947, holds a unique and controversial place in UFO lore. It predates the widely publicized…

The Universe in a Nutshell

The universe is a vast and intricate system, encompassing everything that exists, from subatomic particles to colossal galaxies. It operates under fundamental laws that determine its structure, movement, and evolution…

Uranus Rotates on Its Side

Uranus stands out in the solar system due to its unique axial tilt, which causes it to rotate on its side. Unlike most planets, which have relatively small axial tilts,…

Hibernation: The Key to Deep Space Exploration?

Space travel has long captured the imagination of humanity, with dreams of exploring distant planets and stars. Yet, one major hurdle stands in the way of these ambitious journeys: the…

The Siberian Volcanoes Extinction Theory

The Siberian volcanoes extinction theory suggests that massive volcanic eruptions in Siberia played a major role in one of Earth’s worst mass extinctions. This event, known as the Great Dying,…

Monkey in Orbit: Primate Pioneers

When space agencies were preparing for human spaceflight, scientists sought subjects that could provide insights into how the human body would respond to extreme conditions beyond Earth. Primates, due to…

How Big is the Universe

The vastness of the universe is beyond human comprehension, yet advancements in astronomy and cosmology have allowed scientists to estimate its scale. The observable universe refers to the region of…

The Risks of Bringing Extraterrestrial Samples Home: Protecting Earth from Potential Contamination

When scientists collect samples from Mars, asteroids, or other celestial bodies, a primary concern is preventing contamination. There are two types of contamination considered. Forward contamination is carrying Earth's microbes…

Top 10 Episodes of Star Trek: Discovery

Alright, let's dive into Star Trek: Discovery! This series has sparked a lot of discussion and has taken Star Trek in a new direction visually and narratively. It's still relatively young compared to…

ULA Sale Status as of February 2025

As of February 22, 2025, the sale of United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, has not yet been finalized.

The Largest Asteroid Is Almost a Dwarf Planet

Ceres is the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. With a diameter of approximately 940 kilometers (about 585 miles), it stands out among the countless smaller…

The Fastest Things in Space

Light moves at an astonishing speed of approximately 299,792 kilometers per second (186,282 miles per second) in a vacuum. This speed represents the maximum velocity at which information or physical…

International Crew Manifest 2020–2027: As of February 2025

The International Crew Manifest 2020–2027, sourced from SpaceShuttleAlmanac.com, provides a detailed timeline of human spaceflight missions, highlighting crewed and suborbital flights from 2020 through 2027. The chart includes spacecraft, mission…

The Anthropic Principle: Is the Universe Fine-Tuned for Life?

The idea that the universe possesses properties finely tuned to allow life has been a subject of interest for scientists and philosophers alike. Many of the fundamental physical constants have…

The International Space Station Travels at 28,000 km/h

The International Space Station (ISS) orbits Earth at an astonishing speed of approximately 28,000 kilometers per hour (17,500 miles per hour). This high velocity enables the ISS to complete a…

Titan Rockets: America’s Heavy-Lift Launch Vehicles

The Titan rocket family emerged from the U.S. Air Force’s need for a powerful and reliable intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) during the Cold War. The program began in the 1950s…

The Technological Mirror: Why We Might Only Find Extraterrestrial Life Like Our Own

The search for extraterrestrial life is one of humanity's most enduring quests. For decades, we've scanned the skies, listening for signals and searching for signs of life beyond Earth. But…

How Artificial Intelligence Could Facilitate Communication with an Alien Species

The prospect of encountering an alien species has long captured human imagination. Whether through science fiction or serious scientific inquiry, the idea of establishing contact with beings from another world…

Colliding plasma ejections from the Sun generate huge geomagnetic storms − studying them will help scientists monitor future space weather

While geomagnetic storms can lead to gorgeous aurora displays, they can also damage satellites and GPS.

Why Space Smells Like Burnt Metal

Space is a vacuum, meaning there is no atmosphere to carry scents in the way humans experience them on Earth. However, astronauts who have returned from spacewalks consistently report a…

The Role of Lunar Gateway in NASA’s Artemis Program

NASA's Lunar Gateway serves as a strategically positioned space station designed to support long-duration missions beyond Earth's orbit. Located in a near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO) around the Moon, this platform…

The Truth About the Wow! Signal

On August 15, 1977, astronomer Jerry R. Ehman detected an unusual radio signal while working on a project at the Big Ear radio telescope at Ohio State University. The observatory…

NASA Sets Coverage for Intuitive Machines’ Next Commercial Moon Launch

Carrying NASA science and technology to the Moon as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, the Intuitive Machines IM-2 mission is targeted to…

NASA Awards Delivery Order for NOAA’s Space Weather Program

NASA, on behalf of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has awarded a delivery order to BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems Inc. of Boulder, Colorado, to build spacecraft…

NASA Awards Planetary Defense Space Telescope Launch Services Contract

NASA has selected SpaceX of Starbase, Texas, to provide launch services for the Near-Earth Object (NEO) Surveyor mission, which will detect and observe asteroids and comets that could potentially pose…

NASA Marks Artemis Progress With Gateway Lunar Space Station

NASA and its international partners are making progress on Gateway – the lunar space station that will orbit the Moon as a centerpiece of the agency’s Moon to Mars architecture.

NASA’s PUNCH Mission to Revolutionize Our View of Solar Wind

Earth is immersed in material streaming from the Sun. This stream, called the solar wind, is washing over our planet, causing breathtaking auroras, impacting satellites and astronauts in space, and…

Hubble Spies a Spiral That May Be Hiding an Imposter

The sparkling spiral galaxy gracing this NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope image is UGC 5460, which sits about 60 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. This image combines four…

Sols 4458-4460: Winter Schminter 169

Earth planning date: Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025 During today’s unusual-for-MSL Tuesday planning day (because of the U.S. holiday on Monday), we planned activities under new winter heating constraints. Operating Curiosity…

From Chemicals to Cells: Understanding the Origins of Life

The question of how life began on Earth is one of the most fundamental and challenging in science. It's a journey from simple chemicals to the complex, self-replicating systems that…

55 Years Ago: Preps for Apollo 13 and 14, Apollo 12 Crew on World Tour

With two months to go before flight, the Apollo 13 prime crew of James Lovell, Thomas Mattingly, Fred Haise, and backups John Young, John Swigert, and Charles Duke continued to…

NASA Stennis Teams Install New Production RS-25 Engine for Upcoming Hot Fire

NASA marked a key milestone Feb. 18 with installation of RS-25 engine No. E20001, the first new production engine to help power the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket on future…

NASA Invites Media to Simulated Mars Habitat Before Next Mission

Media are invited to visit NASA’s simulated Mars habitat on Monday, March 10, at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The simulation will help prepare humanity for future missions…

Artemis II Rocket Booster Stacking Complete

Engineers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida completed stacking the twin SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters – seen in this Feb. 19, 2025, photo – inside the…

How Anti-Satellite Weapons (ASATs) Threaten Global Stability

Anti-satellite (ASAT) weapons pose a growing risk to space operations and global stability. These weapons, designed to disable or destroy satellites, have gained attention as more nations develop capabilities to…

60 Years Ago: Ranger 8 Moon Photos Aid in Apollo Site Selection

Before Apollo astronauts set foot upon the Moon, much remained unknown about the lunar surface. While most scientists believed the Moon had a solid surface that would support astronauts and…

Frozen Wanderers: A Deep Dive into the World of Comets

Comets are celestial bodies composed primarily of ice, dust, and rock, often referred to as "dirty snowballs." These objects travel through the solar system, sometimes putting on spectacular displays visible…

Messenger’s Legacy: What We Learned About Mercury from Orbit

Observations from NASA’s MESSENGER spacecraft provided the most detailed maps of Mercury’s surface ever produced. Before the mission, knowledge of the planet’s terrain was limited to imagery captured by Mariner…

Top 10 Star Trek Captains

The Star Trek franchise has introduced us to a constellation of iconic starship captains over its nearly six-decade run. From the bold explorers of the final frontier to the steadfast…

Asteroid Impact Risk: When Do We Act?

Asteroids and comets, remnants from the early solar system, frequently cross paths with Earth's orbit. The overwhelming majority of these Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) are small, posing no significant threat, and…

A Spoonful of a Neutron Star Would Weigh Billions of Tons

Neutron stars are among the densest objects in the universe. These remnants of massive stellar explosions are composed almost entirely of neutrons that have been packed together under extreme gravitational…

The Kessler Syndrome and Its Impact on Space Warfare

The concept of the Kessler Syndrome was introduced by NASA scientist Donald J. Kessler in 1978. He warned of a scenario in which the density of objects in low Earth…

Could Aliens Be Watching Us Right Now?

The question of whether extraterrestrials are monitoring life on Earth has intrigued scientists and the general public for decades. Advances in astronomy and technology have expanded humanity’s understanding of the…

Can You Hear Sounds in Space?

This article explores the nature of sound in space and space exploration science.

Cutting funding for science can have consequences for the economy, US technological competitiveness

The jury’s out on whether the US is still at the top of global science. Proposed cuts to major agencies could mean completely ceding that title.

Rethinking Earth’s Water Origins

The article An Impact-Free Mechanism to Deliver Water to Terrestrial Planets and Exoplanets, which was recently published in Astronomy & Astrophysics (A&A, 692, A70, 2024), presents a novel approach to…

The Multiverse Theory: Could There Be Infinite Parallel Universes?

The idea of parallel universes suggests that beyond the observable cosmos, there may exist countless other realms, each with its own unique laws of physics, histories, and possibilities. This concept…

The Classification of Stars: Understanding Stellar Types and Their Characteristics

Stars, the brilliant spheres of hot gas that light up the universe, come in many forms. From massive blue giants to faint red dwarfs, these celestial bodies are classified based…

The Fastest Planet in the Galaxy Has Been Found

A study was recently published titled A Candidate High-velocity Exoplanet System in the Galactic Bulge published in The Astronomical Journal by Sean K. Terry et al. (2025). This study tells…

Are Numbers a Universal Concept, and Will Extraterrestrial Intelligence Use Numbers the Same Way We Do?

Numbers are fundamental to human understanding, shaping everything from daily activities to advanced scientific exploration. They allow us to quantify objects, measure distances, and predict outcomes with remarkable accuracy. Yet,…

The Mysterious Signals from Deep Space

For decades, astronomers have detected unexplained signals from deep space, challenging existing knowledge of cosmic phenomena. Among the most intriguing are fast radio bursts (FRBs), extremely brief but intense pulses…

How Rockets Launch Into Space: From Liftoff to Orbit

Rocket launches are among the most awe-inspiring achievements of human engineering. They propel payloads—such as satellites, astronauts, and scientific instruments—beyond Earth’s atmosphere and into orbit. Despite their complexity, the basic…

Why Did the Mighty Saturn V Have Fins? A Deep Dive into Rocket Stability

The Saturn V rocket remains a symbol of human ambition and engineering prowess. This colossal machine, responsible for launching humanity toward the Moon, incorporated a range of innovative design features.…

TRAPPIST-1e: A Potential Earth Twin?

TRAPPIST-1e is one of seven known exoplanets orbiting the ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1, located approximately 39 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Aquarius. It is considered one of the…

Saturn V: The Rocket That Took Us to the Moon

In the early years of the Space Race, the United States aimed to develop a powerful launch vehicle capable of sending humans beyond Earth's orbit. The Saturn V emerged as…

What is the Habitable Worlds Observatory and Why is it Important?

The enduring quest to discover life beyond Earth is poised to take a dramatic leap forward with the development of the Habitable Worlds Observatory. This ambitious, planned space-based telescope represents…

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