Rafael Mentges

USA planen Atomkraftwerke auf dem Mond - geht das überhaupt? Die NASA plant, einen Atomreaktor auf dem Mond zu errichten. Laut Medienberichten werden die Pläne in den USA konkreter. Wie realistisch ist das - und wie würde solch ein Atomkraftwerk auf dem Mond au...

I didn't expect the nuclear reactor on the Moon to become such a hot topic.

The main German public TV channels ARD and ZDF are picking up the topic with explainer segments and articles.

www.tagesschau.de/wissen/techn...

Sounds like this could be fun :)
www.unoosa.org/oosa/en/ourw...

Europe's humiliation is a comms strategy – and that's the problem - Euractiv Ostentatious humiliation may bring Europe some breathing space in the short term. But that will be worthles unless we effectively and jointly reduce dependency on the US.

🚨"Ostentatious humiliation may bring Europe some breathing space in the short term. But that will be worthless unless we effectively and jointly reduce dependency on the US."

Great op-ed by @nvondarza.bsky.social on the implications of the EU-US trade deal.

www.euractiv.com/section/poli...

🌡 July 2025: Third-warmest July globally at 16.68°C, 0.45°C above the 1991–2020 average. Europe saw its 4th warmest July with heatwaves in some regions and a record of 50.5°C in Türkiye. July’s SST was the 3rd highest on record. Details in the Climate Bulletin 👉 climate.copernicus.eu/surface-air-...

New Report Details Trump DoD's Space Spending Spree Between the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (BBB) and the Trump administration’s budget request, the Space Force could see a budget of $40.2B in fiscal 2026.

"In another estimate, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said that just the space-based missile interceptors line item could cost between $161B and $542B, depending on the size and scope of the Golden Dome’s coverage area."

payloadspace.com/new-report-d...

Good story here by Jeff Foust about big changes coming to the Commercial LEO Development (CLD) program.
Keith Cowing posted the text of the July 31 directive on NASAWatch. nasawatch.com/commercializ...

I love seeing flowers grow out of those tiny slits and cracks in the pavement. There is something oddly beautiful about that.

The US becomes less of a democracy with every day that passes.

DLR Completes Key Component for the Callisto Demonstrator’s Landing Legs DLR has completed a key component of the thermal protection system for the Callisto reusable booster demonstrator’s landing legs.

DLR has completed a key component of the thermal protection system for the Callisto reusable booster demonstrator’s landing legs.
europeanspaceflight.com/dlr-complete...

549 US Dollars for a 2-page pdf-document?

www.analysysmason.com/research/con...

Shocking German poll

NEW today from my colleague Sam Wilson is his annual US Defense Space Budget Brief, which breaks down the nearly 40% increase in spending for FY26: csps.aerospace.org/papers/fy-20...

In case you didn't know: Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is a remote sensing technology that uses radar signals from a satellite to create high-resolution images of Earth's surface. The main advantage over optical instruments is their ability to provide intelligence regardless of weather conditions.

Eycore and NanoAvionics to Deploy SAR Satellite for Europe Polish payload developer Eycore will fly its first SAR demonstrator on a Kongsberg NanoAvionics satellite bus.

Another European SAR company? I am all for competition but given the market size and assumed entry barriers/scale economies this seems to be a waste of resources?

Am I missing anything?

www.satellitetoday.com/imagery-and-...

Not sure. What was the decision making process here? Did COM cave to some powerful member states wishes?

There is a reason COM is responsible for trade policy and not MS. The reason is to prevent such disastrous outcomes as this one.

Now, everybody else has to rush to offer pointless promises to that wannabe dictator in the White House (like Switzerland at the moment).

I really wish the EU had coordinated with other countries to threaten and ultimately impose tariffs on the US in a strategic way (like they did in Trump's first term) to increase living costs especially in red states, to put pressure on Republicans and to ultimately contribute to US Democracy.

Another space to punch above our weight Comment from Auckland University: The success of NZ’s space sector can sometimes get short shrift in a country whose agricultural exports are often seen as our defining characteristic.

Via #Newsroom : Opinion: Another Punch Above Our Weight: The success of NZ’s space sector can sometimes get short shrift in a country whose agricultural exports are often seen as our defining characteristic : newsroom.co.nz/2025/08/03/a...

This isn't exactly new. NASA has been talking about putting Fission Surface Power on the lunar surface to support operations for some time. My bet is however this bunch will take credit for it, even though it predates them. www.nasa.gov/space-techno...

Wow, thank you so much!

Hi Jonathan, thank you for answering.

I used the Satellite Tonnage launched by Country data: planet4589.org/space/stats/...

I had a great time speaking with Bhavya Lal about the need for in-space nuclear power on this month's Space Policy Edition podcast. Available now on Apple, Spotify, or at planetary.org/radio

Excellent piece explaining handover problems at high speeds and the relation between frequencies and obstacles like trees.

And. of course, #Satcom: Some rail operators are exploring satellite internet services to improve connectivity.

Trump wants to kill NASA’s next-gen CO2 monitoring satellites. Why? Because measuring carbon dioxide confirms climate change and that blows up the “it’s a hoax” narrative. If you can’t argue with the data, destroy the sensors!

Donald Trump’s Super Pac has amassed almost $200mn thanks to a big injection of cash from the crypto industry, giving the president an enormous war chest ahead of the 2026 congressional elections. on.ft.com/4m08Qf1

Thanks! But I was looking for mass launched, not just the number of launches.

Mass launched to orbit

based on @planet4589.bsky.social data base.

Is there any data on India?

Via @arstechnica.com - The curious case of Russia’s charm offensive with NASA this week - arstechnica.com/space/2025/0...

ISRO Targets 10% Share in Global Satellite Launch Market The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has set its sights on securing 10% of the global commercial satellite launch market.

Via #KNNIndia - #ISRO Targets 10% Share in Global Satellite Launch Market - knnindia.co.in/news/newsdet...

Interesting result. It tells us a lot about the importance of inflation, misunderstanding of the causes of inflation and the Parliament's role, central bank independence and communication strategies, inflation bias.

Only the Swedes seem to have their priorities somewhat right.