Short Takes – 9-8-25 – Space Geek Edition

FAA approves increase in Falcon 9 launches while studying Starship environmental impacts. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: “The FAA said its analysis found there was no need for a more rigorous and lengthy environmental impact assessment. It did include several measures for SpaceX to follow to reduce effects on the environment, including limiting off-road driving to avoid killing a threatened species of snake in the area as well as minimizing use of artificial lighting.”

Red Hat and Axiom Space power on the first data center in low orbit. NotebookCheck.net article. Pull quote: “The aforementioned Red Hat Device Edge platform was specifically designed to deliver the best results when operating in environments with limited resources. In the case of deployments to space, the limited power isn't the only constraint, since the bandwidth available is also very low compared to what's available for labs located on our planet. Red Hat Device Edge is based on the company's MicroShift, which is a lightweight Kubernetes distribution optimized for such tasks.”

Pentagon announces senior U.S. Space Force leadership changes. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: “Maj. Gen. Gregory Gagnon has been nominated for a third star and will lead U.S. Space Force Combat Forces Command, the successor to Space Operations Command, at Peterson Space Force Base. The redesignated command reflects an increased focus on combat readiness and warfighting. Gagnon was previously deputy chief of space operations for intelligence.” Three other changes also reported.

NASA releases details on revised next phase of commercial space station development. SpaceNews.com article. Pull quote: “NASA plans to defer the certification of commercial stations and purchases of services from them to a future phase three of the program, with more details to be published by early December. That will involve the use of contracts, rather than Space Act Agreements, and be a full and open competition, allowing companies not selected for the C3DO awards to still compete for later services contracts.”

Tail of comet that's visiting from another star is growing, new telescope image shows. CBSNews.com article. Pull quote: “NASA previously said the comet is expected to make its closest approach to the sun in late October and pass between the orbits of Mars and Earth. The comet is expected to remain visible through September, then get too close to the sun to observe until it reappears on the other side of the solar body in early December.”