Archive for the ‘Space News’ Category
Author: 
August 20th, 2025
Image credit: Mars Guy/NASA/JPL-Caltech/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Mars Guy notes that August 6 of this year marked the 13th anniversary of the NASA Curiosity rover landing on Mars.
“It was designed to last at least one Mars year, about 687 Earth days,” Mars Guy explains, “so it’s obviously outperformed all expectations, despite its questionable wheel design.”
Go to video at:
https://youtu.be/MLE785oPsUw?si=LgtQXUJuB94ovj1C
Meanwhile, a recent image of the wheel damage. Curiosity image taken by Left Navigation Camera on Sol 4634, August 19, 2025.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Posted in 
Artwork depicts Russia’s Bion-M No. 2 in Earth orbit.
Image credit: Roscosmos/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Russia’s Bion-M No. 2 is ready for departure at the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
It is a “Noah’s Ark” of space, loaded with 75 mice, over 1,000 fruit flies, cell cultures, microorganisms, plant seeds, and other items.
Departure time is August 20, at 1:13 AM U.S. Eastern Time aboard a Soyuz 2.1a booster.
Zero gravity: as quickly as possible
Roscosmos notes that specialists are making final preparations at the launch complex. Due to the flying of the biological samples, no more than 72 hours should pass from the moment the spacecraft is closed. “The task is to get into zero gravity as quickly as possible,” the Russian space agency adds.
Image credit: Roscosmos
Bion-M No. 2 is to be rocketed into a nearly circular orbit at an inclination of roughly 97 degrees, a pole-to-pole orbit, remaining in space for 30 days.
That orbit will increase the level of cosmic radiation by at least an order of magnitude compared to that on the Bion-M No. 1 spacecraft launched back in April 2013, placed in a different orbit and also flying for 30 days.
Bion-M No. 2 being prepared for departure. Image credit: Roscosmos
Deep space data
According to Russia’s Institute of Medical and Biological Problems (IBMP), Bion-M No. 2 is flying to obtain data, such as:
— Data on effects of microgravity and radiation susceptibility and damage to living beings in the environment of real deep space.
— General data applicable to the medical support of future space flights.
— Data on biological outcomes of space effects applicable to the general Earth medicine.
At the end of the 30 day mission, Bion-M No. 2’s menagerie of specimens is to parachute back to a Russian landing zone, touching down in the steppes of the Orenburg Region.
Return of Bion-M No. 1 in 2013..
Image credit: Roscosmos/IBMP/O. Voloshin
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab
China has made significant progress in its humans-on-the-Moon project, the ability to land two Chinese astronauts on the lunar surface by 2030.
On August 15, the first stage propulsion system of the Long March 10 (CZ-10) launch vehicle was successfully conducted at the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site, Hainan Province, China.
A cluster of seven YF-100K engines running on liquid oxygen-kerosene fuel burned for about 35 seconds.
The thrust scale in the test reached nearly 1,000 tons, a record in the history of China’s space program.
A shortened mockup of the first stage of the CZ-10 was used for the test, put through its paces at the new CZ-10 launch pad in Wenchang.
This first static fire test of the Long March-10 follows the successful zero-altitude escape flight test in June of the Mengzhou crewed spacecraft and an August landing and takeoff test of the Lanyue piloted lunar lander, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA).
Zero-altitude escape flight test in June 2025 of the Mengzhou crewed spacecraft.
Image credit: CCTV
China completed a comprehensive test of its crew-carrying Moon lunar lander Lanyue in north China’s Hebei Province, August 6, 2025. Image credit: CGTN//China Media Group.
Critical steps
Peng Yue, an engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation told China Central Television (CCTV):
Peng Yue, an engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.
Image credit: CCTV/Inside Outer Space screengrab.
“Conducting a power system test is one of the most critical steps in rocket development. It mainly assesses the thermal and mechanical environment created by simultaneously operating seven engines on a 5-meter-diameter core stage,” Peng said. “It’s also a key step to ensure system compatibility and to mitigate risks ahead of the rocket’s maiden flight.”
The Long March-10 carrier rocket series is developed to serve China’s manned lunar exploration missions, including two configurations — the Long March-10 rocket and Long March-10A rocket.
The Long March-10 rocket will undertake the launch missions of the crewed spacecraft and the lunar lander.
Image credit: CCTV/CNSA/Inside Outer Space screengrab
The Long March-10A will serve the launch missions of the Mengzhou crewed spacecraft and the uncrewed Tianzhou cargo craft in further developing China’s space station program.
For a video of the test, go to:
Image credit: CMSA/CCTV
During last week’s 6.5-hour spacewalk, China’s Shenzhou-20 astronauts completed vital inspections and installed protective equipment on the country’s space station.
The spacewalk, which took place Friday, represented the Shenzhou-20 crew’s third series of extravehicular activities since boarding the space station.
According to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA), crew members Chen Dong, Chen Zhongrui, and Wang Jie worked for approximately six-and-a-half hours and completed all related tasks, assisted by the space station’s robotic arm and a ground control team.
Inside the station’s Tianhe core module, Chen Zhongrui provided vital support.
Crewmember Chen Zhongrui provided support during the mission’s third spacewalk.
Image credit: CMSA/CCTV
Debris protection measures
“The main goal of this spacewalk was to identify thermal characteristics of key external equipment and critical components. This allows us to better understand their operational conditions and collect detailed data, which also supports future spacecraft design and advancing our thermal control technologies,” Liang Xiaofeng, an engineer with the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation, told China Central Television (CCTV).
The spacewalk involved installation of debris protection measures and auxiliary structural components, as well as inspection of external equipment and systems on the station’s exterior.
The Shenzhou-20 trio entered the Tiangong space station on April 25 this year. They have now completed half of their spaceflight journey.
Go to this video highlighting the Shenzhou-20’s third spacewalk at:
Image credit: SpaceX
A few days ago, the SpaceX Starship team released overview information regarding program issues.
On May 27, 2025, Starship’s ninth flight test suffered an “energetic event” near the aft end of the vehicle followed by loss of telemetry. Final data was received from the booster approximately 382 seconds into flight.
Image credit: SpaceX
On Wednesday, June 18, the Starship (Ship 36) preparing for the tenth flight test experienced an anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase in Texas.
For full details, go to:
https://www.spacex.com/updates#flight-9-report
For an update on the upcoming Starship Flight 10, go to:
“SpaceX Starship 10 Flight Test: Ready to Rumble”
https://www.leonarddavid.com/spacex-starship-10-flight-test-ready-to-rumble/
Image credit: Philippine Coast Guard
The Philippine Coast Guard has recovered floating rocket debris on August 14, bearing markings of the People’s Republic of China, along the shoreline of Sitio Gunting, Barangay Bonbon, Looc, Occidental Mindoro.
A local fisherman retrieved the floating debris, rocket leftovers allegedly linked to the Long March 7A rocket launch conducted by China between July 15-17. The fisherman discovered the object while fishing one nautical mile off Barangay Bonbon.
The debris, measuring about 10 feet wide and 14 feet long, was made of alloy material and bore the Chinese flag.
Image credit: Philippine Coast Guard
The Philippine Coast Guard continues to remind fishermen, coastal community residents, and other maritime stakeholders to immediately report sightings of unusual floating objects to the nearest Coast Guard unit for appropriate actions.
Danger and potential risk
Meanwhile, the Philippine Space Agency PhilSA has repeatedly cautioned citizens regarding China-launched rocket debris falling into local waters within estimated drop zones.
Image credit: Philippine Coast Guard
In pre-launch PhilSA communiqués they explain that leftover rocket parts are not projected to fall on land features or inhabited areas, but that “falling debris poses danger and potential risk to ships, aircraft, fishing boats, and other vessels that will pass through the drop zone.”
The Philippines have been on the receiving end of falling rocket segments from Chinese rocket launchings on numerous occasions. They are urging spacefaring nations to act responsibly and safeguard the interests of other states.
Image credit: Philippine Space Agency
Image credit: SpaceX
The tenth flight test of the SpaceX Starship is preparing to launch as soon as Sunday, August 24. The launch window will open at 6:30 p.m. CENTRAL TIME in Texas.
As is the case with all developmental testing, SpaceX explains, the schedule is dynamic and likely to change, so be sure to stay tuned to the Space X account for updates.
Operating envelope
In a SpaceX posting detailing the upcoming flight:
After completing the investigations into the loss of Starship on its ninth flight test and the Ship 36 static fire anomaly, hardware and operational changes have been made to increase reliability.
The upcoming flight will continue to expand the operating envelope on the Super Heavy booster, with multiple landing burn tests planned. It will also target similar objectives as previous missions, including Starship’s first payload deployment and multiple reentry experiments geared towards returning the upper stage to the launch site for catch.
Imagte credit: SpaceX
Flight experiments
The booster on this flight test is attempting several flight experiments to gather real-world performance data on future flight profiles and off-nominal scenarios. The Super Heavy booster will attempt these experiments while on a trajectory to an offshore landing point in the Gulf of America and will not return to the launch site for catch.
Following stage separation, the booster will flip in a controlled direction before initiating its boostback burn. This maneuver was demonstrated for the first time on Flight 9 and requires less propellant to be held in reserve, enabling the use of more propellant during ascent to enable additional payload mass to orbit.
Image credit: SpaceX
Test objectives
The primary test objectives for the booster will be focused on its landing burn and will use unique engine configurations. One of the three center engines used for the final phase of landing will be intentionally disabled to gather data on the ability for a backup engine from the middle ring to complete a landing burn. The booster will then transition to only two center engines for the end of the landing burn, entering a full hover while still above the ocean surface, followed by shutdown and drop into the Gulf of America.
The Starship upper stage will again target multiple in-space objectives, including the deployment of eight Starlink simulators, similar in size to next-generation Starlink satellites. The Starlink simulators will be on the same suborbital trajectory as Starship and are expected to demise upon entry. A relight of a single Raptor engine while in space is also planned.
Image credit: SpaceX
Stress the structure
The flight test includes several experiments focused on enabling Starship’s upper stage to return to the launch site.
A significant number of tiles have been removed from Starship to stress-test vulnerable areas across the vehicle during reentry. Multiple metallic tile options, including one with active cooling, will test alternative materials for protecting Starship during reentry. On the sides of the vehicle, functional catch fittings are installed and will test the fittings’ thermal and structural performance, along with a section of the tile line receiving a smoothed and tapered edge to address hot spots observed during reentry on Starship’s sixth flight test.
Starship’s reentry profile is designed to intentionally stress the structural limits of the upper stage’s rear flaps while at the point of maximum entry dynamic pressure.
Image credit: SpaceX
Production ramping up
Flight tests continue to provide valuable learnings to inform the design of the next generation Starship and Super Heavy vehicles.
With production ramping up inside Starfactory at Starbase alongside new launch and test infrastructure actively being built in Texas and Florida, Starship is poised to continue iterating towards a rapidly and fully reusable launch system.
A live webcast of the flight test will begin about 30 minutes before liftoff, which you can watch on X @SpaceX. You can also watch the webcast on the X TV app, as well as here at:
Russia’s biosatellite will house 75 mice for month-long stay in space.
Image credit: Roscosmos
Russia is preparing to loft a “miniature mouse hotel” into space.
The Bion-M No. 2 biosatellite is being readied for liftoff on August 20, placed into a pole-to-pole orbit. Onboard are 75 mice and other specimens to be exposed to 30 days of radiation before a parachute return to Russia.
Technicians work on the Bion-M No. 2 mission.
Image credit: Roscosmos
Lobbed spaceward atop a Soyuz-2.1b rocket from the Baikonur Cosmodrome the biosatellite is also being dubbed a “Noah’s Ark” loaded with the mice, more than 1,000 fruit flies, cell cultures, microorganisms and plant seeds.
Go to my new Space.com story – “Russia to launch 75 mice, 1,000 fruit flies on Aug. 20 to study spaceflight effects” – at:
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
On the NASA Curiosity rover team, scientists are continuing their exploration of the boxwork-forming region in Gale Crater, reports Lucy Lim, Planetary Scientist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.
“A successful 25-meter drive (about 82 feet) brought the rover from the “peace sign” ridge intersection to a new ridge site,” Lim adds. Several imaging investigations were recently pursued in, including Mastcam observations of a potential incipient hollow (“Laguna Miniques”), and of a number of troughs to examine how fractures transition from bedrock to regolith.
NASA’s Mars rover Curiosity captured this image of the three intersecting ridges in front of the robot that make a sort of “peace sign” shape. Curiosity acquired the image using its Left Navigation Camera on August 8, 2025, Sol 4623.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Contact science
“With six wheels on the ground, Curiosity was also ready to deploy the rover arm for some contact science,” Lim explains.
The robot’s Alpha Proton X-ray Spectrometer (APXSAPXS and arm-mounted Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) measurements were planned to explore the local bedrock at two points with a brushed Dust Removal Tool (DRT) measurement (“Santa Catalina”) and a non-DRT measurement (“Puerto Teresa”).
Curiosity Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) photo produced on Sol 4628, August 13, 2025.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS
A third MAHLI observation would be co-targeted with one of the Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) geochemical measurements on a light-toned block, “Palma Seca.”
Bedrock target
“Because we’re in nominal sols for this plan, we were able to plan a second targeted LIBS activity to measure the composition of a high-relief feature on another block, “Yavari” before the drive,” Lim reports.
Curiosity Chemistry & Camera (ChemCam) RMI photo taken on Sol 4629, August 14, 2025.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/LANL
The auto-targeted LIBS Autonomous Exploration for Gathering Increased Science (AEGIS) — a software suite on Curiosity — that executed post-drive on sol 4626 had fallen on a bedrock target and will be documented in high resolution via Mastcam imaging.
Lim says that two long-distance imaging mosaics were planned for the Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) remote imager (RMI): one on a potential scarp and lens in sediments exposed on the “Mishe Mokwa” butte in the strata above the rover’s current position, and the second on an east-facing boxwork ridge with apparently exposed cross-bedding that may be related to the previously explored “Volcán Peña Blanca” ridge.
Curiosity Right B Navigation Camera photo acquired on Sol 4629, August 14, 2025.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Atmospheric opacity
“As usual, the modern Martian environment will also be observed with camera measurements of the atmospheric opacity,” Lim points out. On the books, a Navcam movie to watch for dust lifting, and the usual Dynamic Albedo of Neutrons (DAN) and Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) passive monitoring of the temperature, humidity, and neutron flux at the rover’s location.
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 4629, August 14, 2025.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
“The next drive is planned to bring us to a spot in a hollow,” Lim concludes, “where we hope to plan contact science on the erosionally recessive hollow bedrock in addition to imaging with a good view of the rock layers exposed in the wall of another prominent ridge.”
Curiosity Left B Navigation Camera image taken on Sol 4629, August 14, 2025.
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona/Mars Guy/Inside Outer Space screengrab
Mars Guy explains that a forced retreat has led an interesting discovery by NASA’s Perseverance Mars rover at Jezero Crater.
In a new video episode, Mars Guy notes that every wheeled vehicle has its hill-climbing limit, even on the Red Planet with 38% the gravity of Earth.
The Perseverance robot recently met its limit on a steep slope with crumbly rocks that forced it to retreat, which led it to a little rock that’s part of a bigger story.
Go to the video at: https://youtu.be/7F9ETJJPT6I?si=5IFLoeBVs9m2JKIF
