This Week in Space Tech: Aug. 18 to 24, 2025
Here’s what mattered this week across launches, policy, and startups.
Launches and on-orbit ops
SpaceX notched its 100th Falcon 9 of 2025, lofting 24 Starlink satellites from Vandenberg and landing the booster at sea. Cadence remains relentless and reuse routine.
Rocket Lab’s Electron flew the “Live, Laugh, Launch” mission from New Zealand, deploying five satellites for a confidential customer to a 665 km circular orbit. It marked Electron’s 70th flight.
NASA’s CRS-33 cargo run lifted off at 2:45 a.m. EDT on Sunday with more than 5,000 pounds of science and supplies bound for the ISS. Docking was set for the following morning.
Starship Flight 10 did not fly on Aug 24. SpaceX scrubbed late in the countdown to troubleshoot a ground systems issue.
Programs and policy
Artemis III hardware processing moved into high gear at Kennedy. NASA began integrating the SLS core stage engine section, a visible step toward the program’s planned lunar landing sequence.
The UK government said the UK Space Agency will be absorbed into the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology by April 2026. Industry groups welcomed streamlining, while others warned about strategy drift.
Japan committed its H3 rocket to launch Europe’s Apophis flyby mission Ramses, deepening ESA-JAXA collaboration ahead of the asteroid’s 2029 close pass.
Startup and industry moves
SpinLaunch closed 30 million dollars to accelerate its Meridian Space broadband constellation, led by ATW Partners with Kongsberg as a strategic investor. It signals a pivot from pure kinetic launch R&D to satellite operations.