Weekly Space Report 

By Natalia Godlewska (Chief Space News Editor)

Space Technology Studies now in Poland

The AGH (Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza) University of Krakow announced the launch of a new Master’s program in Space Technologies. Entire program will be taught in English and will focus on preparing students for future careers in space industry. This is the first program of its kind in Poland and one of the few in Europe. There are three specializations to choose from: Upstream – Designing and building space technologies, Downstream – Analyzing and utilizing data from space missions, Biomedical- Space medicine and life support technologies. This Master’s program represents a significant advancement in space education in Poland, offering students a comprehensive and practical pathway into the space industry.​

SpaceX is breaking new record

In March 2025, SpaceX set a new record of shortest turnaround time between two launches from the same pad. This is the 3rd time that SpaceX is beating its own record. The turnaround record establish at Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station was 3 days, 21 hours, 41 minutes in year 2023 and 2 days, 15 hours, 53 minutes in 2024. Achieved in March this year turnaround time was just 2 days, 8 hours, 59 minutes, 40 seconds. The rapid turnaround between two Starlink missions, shows SpaceX’s huge commitment to enhance launch efficiency and support for satellite deployment. As we can see SpaceX is setting a new standard in the aerospace industry for launch pad readiness and utilization.

Progress in Lunar Gateway Component 

NASA’s Aremis program has reached a significant milestone with the delivery of the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) module. HALO will be a critical component of the Lunar Gateway space station, which is designed to support future lunar missions and serve as a staging point for deep space exploration. The Development of HALO is part of NASA’s collaboration with international and commercial partners to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon. HALO will offer command and control capabilities, data handling, energy storage, power distribution, thermal regulation, and advanced communication systems, including the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Lunar Link for high-rate lunar communication. Date for launch is set no later than December 2027 for the combined launch of HALO and the Power and Propulsion Element (PPE), which will provide solar electric propulsion, making Gateway the most powerful spacecraft of its kind ever flown.

Sun emits powerful solar flares

On April 1, the Sun emitted a significant M5.6-class solar flare from sunspot region AR4046. Solar flares are intense bursts of radiation resulting form release of magnetic energy associated with sunspots, classified based on x-ray brightness. This specific flare was directed toward Earth, placing our planet in the potential path of associated solar emissions. This event could cause geomagnetic storms that can affect satellite operations, navigation systems, and power grids. But also we could observe it as auroras, enhanced displays of the Northern and Southern Lights, resulting from interactions between solar particles and Earth’s magnetic field. This shows that Sun’s activity is increasing, that means the Sun is approaching the peak of its 11-year solar cycle. During this period are expected more frequent and intense solar flares and coronal mass ejections (CMEs).