Secret Spaceplane Launch, 75 Mice in Orbit, and Uranus’ New Moon – Space Highlights (Aug 20–21, 2025)

Satellite Launches & Missions 🚀

• SpaceX Launches Secret Spaceplane: The U.S. Space Force’s X-37B orbital test vehicle is set to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 (mission USSF-36) from Kennedy Space Center late on Aug. 21 news.satnews.com. This eighth flight of the reusable mini-spaceplane will trial advanced tech, including high-bandwidth laser communications and a cutting-edge quantum inertial sensor for navigation news.satnews.com. “OTV-8 exemplifies the X-37B’s status as the U.S. Space Force’s premier test platform for the critical space technologies of tomorrow,” said Air Force Rapid Capabilities Office director William Blauser news.satnews.com, underscoring the spaceplane’s role in pushing the envelope. The Falcon 9’s booster is planned to return for landing at Cape Canaveral following liftoff news.satnews.com.
• Russia’s ‘Noah’s Ark’ Biosatellite: On Aug. 20, Roscosmos successfully launched the long-awaited Bion-M No.2 research satellite aboard a Soyuz-2.1b rocket from Baikonur nasaspaceflight.com nasaspaceflight.com. The mission carries a menagerie of life to orbit – 75 mice and over 1,000 fruit flies, plus vials of microbes, plant seeds, and cell cultures – earning nicknames like “miniature mouse hotel” and a “Noah’s Ark” in space space.com space.com. These organisms will experience microgravity and heightened cosmic radiation for 30 days before the capsule parachutes back to Earth nasaspaceflight.com. Scientists aim to study how spaceflight affects biology at the molecular level, from radiation’s impact on tissues to potential long-term health effects space.com. Notably, the Bion-M2 payload also includes tubes of Moon dust simulant to see how lunar soil analogs are altered by a month in space – insights that could inform future Moon base construction space.com. This mission is Russia’s first orbital bio-laboratory since 2013, marking a revival of its space life-sciences program.
• Chinese Rocket Debuts Mexico’s ThumbSats: CAS Space, a Chinese commercial launch firm, carried out the 8th flight of its Kinetica-1 (Lijian-1) solid-fueled rocket on Aug. 19, from Jiuquan spaceport. The booster successfully deployed seven satellites into orbit, including two tiny 100-gram “ThumbSat” cubesats built by a Mexican startup – the first Mexican-built satellites launched on a Chinese rocket spacedaily.com spacedaily.com. One ThumbSat carries a camera for a “mirror-selfie” in orbit, while the other hosts an artistic experiment, blending science with creativity spacedaily.com. CAS Space hailed the mission as a landmark in China–Mexico space cooperation, and a breakthrough for China’s commercial launch industry expanding into the international market spacedaily.com. The company noted that Kinetica-1 has now lofted 70 satellites to date and emphasized its reliability and cost-effectiveness in delivering payloads to Sun-synchronous orbit spacedaily.com. (In related Chinese launch news, state-owned CASC is also preparing a separate mission from Wenchang this week, reflecting a very busy launch cadence in China.)
• Russian Military Launch from Plesetsk: In addition to Bion-M2, Russia’s Space Forces scheduled a classified payload launch on an Angara 1.2 rocket out of Plesetsk Cosmodrome early Aug. 21 nasaspaceflight.com. The booster was set to carry an unnamed Kosmos military satellite into a polar orbit – a trajectory typical for reconnaissance platforms covering all Earth latitudes nasaspaceflight.com. This mission is the second Angara 1.2 launch of 2025, as Russia gradually brings its new Angara family of rockets online to replace older Soviet-era launchers nasaspaceflight.com. (No details of the payload were released, given the mission’s defense nature. As of this report, the Angara launch was “go” for liftoff on schedule.)

Global Space Agency Developments 🌍

• NASA–ESA Ocean Satellite Arrives for Launch: Teams from NASA and ESA celebrated the arrival of the Sentinel-6B oceanography satellite at Vandenberg Space Force Base on the U.S. West Coast science.nasa.gov science.nasa.gov. After a trans-Atlantic sea voyage and cross-country trek, Sentinel-6B was delivered in a climate-controlled container on Aug. 18 to begin final preparations for launch this fall science.nasa.gov. Slated to lift off no earlier than November on a SpaceX Falcon 9, this NASA/ESA joint mission will carry on the critical task of tracking global sea-level rise started by its twin, Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, in 2020 science.nasa.gov science.nasa.gov. Sentinel-6B’s high-precision radar altimeter will map sea surface heights, helping scientists and governments improve climate models, coastal planning, and weather forecasting science.nasa.gov. With decades of U.S.–European collaboration behind it, the Sentinel/Jason series has been continuously monitoring Earth’s oceans since 1992 science.nasa.gov. The newly arrived satellite will undergo checkouts and fueling in California over the coming weeks to ensure it’s ready for its late-2025 launch window.
• Japan Joins ESA’s Asteroid Deflection Mission: In a big boost for planetary defense, Japan announced plans to join the European Space Agency’s upcoming mission to the asteroid Apophis, which will pass extremely close to Earth in 2029 english.kyodonews.net english.kyodonews.net. A source in Tokyo confirmed that Japan will contribute hardware and a launch vehicle for “Rendezvous with Apophis (Ramses)”, an ESA mission to rendezvous with Apophis in 2029 english.kyodonews.net english.kyodonews.net. Under the emerging plan, Japan’s space agency JAXA will provide specialized cameras and solar panels for ESA’s probe and use its new H3 rocket to launch it in April 2028 english.kyodonews.net. The probe would arrive in Feb. 2029 to study how Earth’s gravity affects Apophis – observing any surface shifts or “landslides” on the 340-meter space rock during its close approach english.kyodonews.net. While Apophis is not expected to hit Earth, scientists consider this flyby a golden opportunity to test planetary defense strategies and understand asteroid behavior under tidal forces. The collaboration, to be finalized at ESA’s ministerial meeting in November, also gives Japan a higher profile in asteroid exploration. (Notably, NASA had once planned its own Apophis mission, but it was canceled in 2020 english.kyodonews.net, leaving the field open for ESA and partners.) This new ESA–JAXA partnership underscores the growing international effort to guard Earth from potential asteroid threats english.kyodonews.net.
• India’s Ambitious Roadmap – Gaganyaan & a Mega-Rocket: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) outlined a packed agenda for the months ahead, signaling India’s rising space ambitions. ISRO Chairman S. Somanath confirmed that nine launches are planned in 2025, culminating in December’s first Gaganyaan test flight – an uncrewed mission that will carry a humanoid robot named Vyommitra to low Earth orbit as a precursor to crewed flights ndtv.com ndtv.com. “This year is declared as the Gaganyaan year… we will have the first uncrewed mission by December. A robot will go,” Somanath noted, emphasizing the program’s significance as India’s step toward human spaceflight ndtv.com. Following that, two more uncrewed tests are slated for 2026, before India attempts to send astronauts to orbit in 2027 ndtv.com. In parallel, ISRO announced progress on its next-generation heavy launcher. The agency is developing a giant rocket roughly 92 m tall (about a 40-story building), nicknamed Surya, aiming to loft 75 tonnes (75,000 kg) into orbit – a huge leap from India’s current LVM3 rocket capacity hindustantimes.com hindustantimes.com. “Today, we are conceiving a rocket to place 75,000 kg in low Earth orbit. The rocket is [the height] of a 40-storey building,” Somanath revealed in a speech, tracing ISRO’s growth from its early SLV-3 launcher (which could orbit just 35 kg) to this planned super-heavy vehicle hindustantimes.com. This future booster, still in development, would make India only the fourth nation to build a rocket of that scale (after the US, Russia, and China). ISRO also highlighted other upcoming projects – including a new NAVIC navigation satellite and launching a 6.5-ton American communications satellite on India’s LVM3 – as well as plans to triple India’s fleet of active satellites in the next few years hindustantimes.com hindustantimes.com. All told, the announcements underscore India’s intent to become a major player in both human spaceflight and heavy-payload launch services.

(Elsewhere in space agency news: NASA this week opened accreditation for a September event to introduce its 2025 astronaut candidate class and to preview the Artemis II Moon mission nasa.gov nasa.gov. The new astronaut class, selected from over 8,000 applicants, will be unveiled on Sept. 22, while NASA’s Artemis II crew (set to loop around the Moon in 2026) will give press briefings on their training and mission plans. These steps highlight NASA’s ongoing push toward returning humans to the Moon – and eventually Mars – in international partnership.)

Private Sector Updates 🛰️

• Blue Origin Pitches a Mars Comms Orbiter: Blue Origin – Jeff Bezos’ space company – unveiled a proposal for a Mars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO) to improve future Red Planet communications infrastructure militaryaerospace.com militaryaerospace.com. The concept, based on Blue Origin’s modular “Blue Ring” spacecraft platform, would use a hybrid electric/chemical propulsion system and deploy large roll-out solar arrays militaryaerospace.com. Equipped with steerable high-bandwidth antennas and even a set of small UHF relay satellites to drop into low Mars orbit, the MTO could provide continuous, broadband links for Mars landers and orbiters – essentially a “Mars data relay satellite” network militaryaerospace.com militaryaerospace.com. Blue Origin says its design could carry 1,000+ kg of additional payload (e.g. scientific instruments) and includes on-board AI for smart data processing militaryaerospace.com. The company has joined rivals Rocket Lab and Lockheed Martin in pitching such unsolicited Mars orbiter concepts to NASA militaryaerospace.com militaryaerospace.com. (NASA has not yet formally requested a Mars telecom satellite, but aging orbital relays like MAVEN and MRO will eventually need replacement.) This move shows Blue Origin’s eagerness to expand beyond Earth orbit – and to potentially fill a critical support role for upcoming Mars missions – even as SpaceX pursues its own direct Martian communications via Starlink-like networks militaryaerospace.com. Blue Origin’s MTO proposal is aligned to NASA’s timeline for late 2020s Mars missions and signals that competition to assist NASA at Mars is heating up in the private sector.
• Firefly Eyeing Launch Pads in Japan (and Europe): U.S. startup Firefly Aerospace is expanding globally. On Aug. 20, Japan’s Hokkaido Spaceport (HOSPO) announced a new memorandum of understanding with Firefly to study launching Alpha rockets from Japan spaceflightnow.com spaceflightnow.com. The Hokkaido Spaceport, located at Taiki on Japan’s northern island, bills itself as a commercial launch site for both domestic and international users, with facilities planned for small orbital rockets spaceflightnow.com. “We look forward to exploring the opportunity to launch our Alpha rocket from Japan, which would allow us to serve the larger satellite industry in Asia and add resiliency for U.S. allies,” said Firefly’s VP of Launch, Adam Oakes spaceflightnow.com. This feasibility study will flesh out technical and logistical requirements for an Alpha launch complex in Japan, potentially giving Firefly an Asian base of operations. The Texas-based company isn’t stopping there – Firefly is also working to launch from Europe. It recently inked an agreement with Sweden’s space agency to establish a pad at Esrange Space Center in Kiruna, Sweden spaceflightnow.com spaceflightnow.com. A U.S.–Sweden Technology Safeguards Agreement was signed in June, clearing regulatory hurdles for U.S. rockets to operate from Swedish soil spaceflightnow.com spaceflightnow.com. “Finalization of the [TSA] gets us one step closer to launching our Alpha rocket from Sweden and filling a void for the European satellite market,” Oakes noted spaceflightnow.com. Firefly has launched six Alpha vehicles so far (all from Vandenberg, CA) and is preparing its seventh launch once an ongoing mishap investigation concludes spaceflightnow.com. If Japan and Sweden come online, Firefly would join Rocket Lab in having transoceanic launch sites, boosting flexibility for customers. These moves reflect how new launch companies are globalizing, partnering with spaceports around the world to tap into regional markets and allies’ needs.
• Rocket Lab’s 70th Launch on Deck: Small-satellite launcher Rocket Lab confirmed that its 70th Electron mission is scheduled for this coming weekend spacedaily.com. The dedicated flight – cheekily nicknamed “Live, Laugh, Launch” – is targeting No Earlier Than Aug. 23 from Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand spacedaily.com. It will carry five satellites to a 655 km orbit for an undisclosed commercial client spacedaily.com. This comes less than three weeks after Rocket Lab’s last launch, underscoring the company’s rapid cadence as one of the most frequently flown orbital rockets worldwide spacedaily.com. The milestone 70th launch arrives just as Rocket Lab prepares to inaugurate a new pad at Wallops Island, Virginia, for its upcoming Neutron medium-lift rocket spacedaily.com. Maintaining a high tempo with Electron while readying Neutron’s debut shows Rocket Lab’s dual focus on reliable small launch and its next-gen booster. (It also highlights the growing demand for responsive launch services, as mega-constellation and government smallsat missions proliferate.)

Aside: Another private launch to watch is Blue Origin’s New Shepard suborbital flight, which was targeting Aug. 23. The NS-23 mission will carry over 40 research payloads (including student experiments and NASA-funded tech demos) to the edge of space and back blueorigin.com blueorigin.com. This would be Blue Origin’s 35th New Shepard launch, flying a suite of microgravity experiments for a few minutes of weightlessness. The launch was set to lift off from West Texas on Saturday morning (with a live webcast), pending final checks blueorigin.com. Successful completion will mark over 200 total payloads flown on New Shepard to date blueorigin.com, as Blue Origin continues catering to the suborbital research and tourism market.

Science & Tech Breakthroughs 🛰️🔭

• Webb Telescope Finds Uranus’ Hidden Moon: Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have discovered a previously unknown moon orbiting Uranus sciencedaily.com sciencedaily.com. The tiny moon – provisionally designated S/2025 U1 – is only about 6 miles (10 km) wide and had eluded detection even by Voyager 2 during its 1986 flyby sciencedaily.com sciencedaily.com. JWST’s infrared cameras spotted the dim object lurking between the orbits of Uranian moons Ophelia and Bianca sciencedaily.com sciencedaily.com. “We found a previously unknown satellite of the ice giant,” said Dr. Maryame El Moutamid of Southwest Research Institute, who led the observing team swri.org swri.org. The diminutive moonlet, likely composed of dark ice/rock like others in that region, brings Uranus’ moon count to 29 sciencedaily.com sciencedaily.com. Assuming its reflectivity is similar to nearby moons, it’s indeed around 6 miles across – far below Voyager’s detection threshold sciencedaily.com sciencedaily.com. JWST found it in a series of long-exposure images taken in February, revealing a faint point of light against Uranus’ glare sciencedaily.com. The discovery is exciting because it hints at more undiscovered mini-moons around Uranus and provides insight into the planet’s ring-moon system dynamics. The newfound moon orbits at the edge of Uranus’ inner ring system, and the team is now playfully debating a proper name (continuing the tradition of literary names from Shakespeare or Pope) swri.org. This result showcases JWST’s sharp vision for heliophysics – even beyond its exoplanet and galaxy observations – and gives planetary scientists a new target to study in Uranus’ complex environment.
• Hubble’s Dazzling New Galaxy Portrait: The Hubble Space Telescope delivered a visual treat this week, capturing a stunning new image of spiral galaxy NGC 2835 that blooms with rosy-pink nebulae sciencedaily.com sciencedaily.com. By using a special filter for H-alpha light (the red glow of warm hydrogen gas), Hubble revealed dozens of bright pink nebulae sprinkled along the galaxy’s spiral arms sciencedaily.com sciencedaily.com. These blushing patches mark stellar nurseries – regions where massive young stars are igniting and energizing clouds of gas – as well as the remnants of stars that died and left behind glowing shells sciencedaily.com. The image, released Aug. 20 as Hubble’s “Picture of the Week,” adds a new twist to our view of NGC 2835, a galaxy ~35 million light-years away in Hydra sciencedaily.com. Past images from Hubble and even the Webb telescope showed the galaxy’s spiral structure and blue star clusters, but the new H-alpha data makes the nebulae “pop” like flowers in bloom against the starry disk sciencedaily.com. By surveying H-alpha in NGC 2835 and 18 other nearby galaxies, astronomers aim to catalog over 50,000 nebulae and better understand how stars influence their environments as they form and explode sciencedaily.com. The richly detailed Hubble photo (with contributions from an international team of researchers) is not only mesmerizing to look at, but also a valuable dataset for studying the life cycle of stars on galactic scales. It’s a vivid reminder that even after 33 years in orbit, Hubble continues to produce scientific and visual marvels.
• Other Noteworthy Developments: The Sun made some news of its own – on Aug. 20, a spectacular coronal mass ejection (CME) was observed billowing off the Sun’s southeast limb following a prominence eruption watchers.news. While not directed at Earth, the large CME was a reminder of the Sun’s ongoing activity as it approaches solar maximum. Space weather forecasters are watching such events closely to assess any impacts on satellites or power systems. Meanwhile, in low Earth orbit, ISS Expedition 73 crew members continued research on astronaut health, examining how microgravity affects the brain, balance, and immune system, and even tending to a space agriculture experiment with new plant seed pillows nasa.gov ndtv.com. And on the business front, NASA and Northrop Grumman announced an upcoming Cygnus NG-19 cargo launch to the ISS (targeted for Aug. 22) and opened media accreditation for SpaceX’s Crew-8 mission slated later this year nasawatch.com. Each of these developments, though routine, feeds into the larger tapestry of progress in space exploration and utilization.

In just two days, the space sector saw multiple rocket launches across continents, significant mission milestones, bold new project announcements, and cutting-edge scientific discoveries. From a classified spaceplane flight and a biosatellite zoo in orbit, to international partnerships on asteroid defense and a new moon at Uranus, it’s clear that August 2025 is an exciting (and busy) time for space enthusiasts. As agencies and companies push forward – launching ever more frequently and reaching further – these back-to-back headlines highlight a new era of globally shared ambition beyond Earth. The cosmos is buzzing with activity, and every week brings us one step closer to feats that once seemed like science fiction. Watch this space – literally – as humanity’s off-world endeavors continue to accelerate. 🚀

Sources: news.satnews.com news.satnews.com news.satnews.com space.com nasaspaceflight.com spacedaily.com spacedaily.com militaryaerospace.com militaryaerospace.com spaceflightnow.com spaceflightnow.com spacedaily.com sciencedaily.com sciencedaily.com sciencedaily.com sciencedaily.com