Nik Proxima - Space Policy Wonk
@nik-proxima.bsky.social
Managing Editor of Space Scout
Space Policy PhD Student
Believer in a Better Tomorrow
Space Policy PhD Student
Believer in a Better Tomorrow
Pinned
Just a bit about me - I’m Nik, I’m a space policy student from DC, who wrote the alternate history Proxima: A Human Exploration of Mars! I’m also the managing editor of @spacescout.bsky.social - an intersectional news outlet covering all things space!
What an incredible machine. This is the power of NASA Science and Technology in action, improving life on Earth for all of us. Congrats to the X-59 team on a successful first flight!
📸 by Jared M Hamilton.
📸 by Jared M Hamilton.
October 28, 2025 at 7:48 PM
What an incredible machine. This is the power of NASA Science and Technology in action, improving life on Earth for all of us. Congrats to the X-59 team on a successful first flight!
📸 by Jared M Hamilton.
📸 by Jared M Hamilton.
Reposted by Nik Proxima - Space Policy Wonk
H3 launches first HTV-X cargo spacecraft
Japan launched the first of a new generation of cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station, with potential applications beyond low Earth orbit.
Japan launched the first of a new generation of cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station, with potential applications beyond low Earth orbit.
H3 launches first HTV-X cargo spacecraft
Japan launched the first of a new generation of cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station, with potential applications beyond low Earth orbit.
spacenews.com
October 26, 2025 at 12:51 AM
H3 launches first HTV-X cargo spacecraft
Japan launched the first of a new generation of cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station, with potential applications beyond low Earth orbit.
Japan launched the first of a new generation of cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station, with potential applications beyond low Earth orbit.
Reposted by Nik Proxima - Space Policy Wonk
With Artemis II approaching I know a lot of news outlets are starting to look for in depth photos and knowledge of this mission.
I have a significant backlog of photos already available from the Artemis Program and will be on site covering the mission in the lead up to the launch in February.
I have a significant backlog of photos already available from the Artemis Program and will be on site covering the mission in the lead up to the launch in February.
September 28, 2025 at 8:29 PM
With Artemis II approaching I know a lot of news outlets are starting to look for in depth photos and knowledge of this mission.
I have a significant backlog of photos already available from the Artemis Program and will be on site covering the mission in the lead up to the launch in February.
I have a significant backlog of photos already available from the Artemis Program and will be on site covering the mission in the lead up to the launch in February.
Reposted by Nik Proxima - Space Policy Wonk
We face an uncertain future with spaceflight in the next 10 years, but do not forget that in our exploration of space we must continually reflect on who we are and why we go. Do our motivations for space accurately guide us, or lead us astray?
July 22, 2025 at 5:37 PM
We face an uncertain future with spaceflight in the next 10 years, but do not forget that in our exploration of space we must continually reflect on who we are and why we go. Do our motivations for space accurately guide us, or lead us astray?
Where are America's space stations? The CLD program continues to hit snags in its development, threatening future leadership.
Read more here: www.spacescout.info/2025/06/wher...
Read more here: www.spacescout.info/2025/06/wher...
Where are America’s Commercial Space Stations in 2025?
The ISS is aging rapidly, and a replacement is desperately needed. As America’s posture in low Earth orbit threatens to slip away, where are its commercial stations in 2025?
www.spacescout.info
June 10, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Where are America's space stations? The CLD program continues to hit snags in its development, threatening future leadership.
Read more here: www.spacescout.info/2025/06/wher...
Read more here: www.spacescout.info/2025/06/wher...
Reposted by Nik Proxima - Space Policy Wonk
Everyone's dogfighting in space. These RPOs were separate from the SPADEX. Speaking of, the SPADEX included a power transfer from 1 sat to the other; it "involved operating a heater element in one of the satellites through power from the other satellite"
www.ndtv.com/india-news/i...
www.ndtv.com/india-news/i...
Indian Satellites Practising "Dogfights" In Space. What It Means
India is conducting a rare and very sophisticated "dogfight" in space between a 'chaser' and 'target' satellite orbiting nearly 500 kilometers above the Earth.
www.ndtv.com
May 4, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Everyone's dogfighting in space. These RPOs were separate from the SPADEX. Speaking of, the SPADEX included a power transfer from 1 sat to the other; it "involved operating a heater element in one of the satellites through power from the other satellite"
www.ndtv.com/india-news/i...
www.ndtv.com/india-news/i...
Reposted by Nik Proxima - Space Policy Wonk
NASA: TRACERS Mission Now Targeting No Earlier Than Summer for Launch science.nasa.gov/blogs/tracer...
NASA’s TRACERS Mission Now Targeting No Earlier Than Summer for Launch - NASA Science
NASA’s TRACERS (Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites) now is targeting no earlier than summer 2025 for launch in order to give the mission spacecraft team additional ...
science.nasa.gov
May 4, 2025 at 9:30 PM
NASA: TRACERS Mission Now Targeting No Earlier Than Summer for Launch science.nasa.gov/blogs/tracer...
Reposted by Nik Proxima - Space Policy Wonk
First Quarter Moon on Sunday evening at 6.21 PM (UTC+7).
May 4, 2025 at 9:21 PM
First Quarter Moon on Sunday evening at 6.21 PM (UTC+7).
Reposted by Nik Proxima - Space Policy Wonk
Rep. Chu Sounds Alarm on White House’s Proposed Budget Cuts to Mars Sample Return
chu.house.gov/media-center... #Mars #NASA #Astrobiology
chu.house.gov/media-center... #Mars #NASA #Astrobiology
April 16, 2025 at 5:11 PM
Rep. Chu Sounds Alarm on White House’s Proposed Budget Cuts to Mars Sample Return
chu.house.gov/media-center... #Mars #NASA #Astrobiology
chu.house.gov/media-center... #Mars #NASA #Astrobiology
The launch of Minotaur this afternoon from Vandy is a powerful reminder of non-proliferation. When that vehicle was built, it was hopefully never going to be used - a delivery mechanism for nuclear warheads now turned into an orbital launch vehicle.
April 16, 2025 at 8:27 PM
The launch of Minotaur this afternoon from Vandy is a powerful reminder of non-proliferation. When that vehicle was built, it was hopefully never going to be used - a delivery mechanism for nuclear warheads now turned into an orbital launch vehicle.
Planetary Defense remains a policy area with an incredible degree of unknowns. We must engage in proactive, multilateral cooperation to ensure the safety of the planet against hazardous NEO threats.
March 27, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Planetary Defense remains a policy area with an incredible degree of unknowns. We must engage in proactive, multilateral cooperation to ensure the safety of the planet against hazardous NEO threats.
Attempting to spin up the writing gears for a new Medium article, stay tuned folks....
March 25, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Attempting to spin up the writing gears for a new Medium article, stay tuned folks....
Reposted by Nik Proxima - Space Policy Wonk
This weekend NASA lifted the Core Stage of the second SLS rocket into place on Mobile Launcher 1. This 212 foot tall stage is the backbone of the SLS rocket, and is responsible for the majority of the energy needed to reach orbit.
📸NASA
📸NASA
March 24, 2025 at 9:15 PM
This weekend NASA lifted the Core Stage of the second SLS rocket into place on Mobile Launcher 1. This 212 foot tall stage is the backbone of the SLS rocket, and is responsible for the majority of the energy needed to reach orbit.
📸NASA
📸NASA
2024 YR4’s odds of hitting Earth continue to go up. It is not a certain impact yet, but it is a reminder that planetary defense requires a global response with a wide range of impact studies.
The impact and potential deflection are only a part of a critical chain of events.
The impact and potential deflection are only a part of a critical chain of events.
February 18, 2025 at 8:08 PM
2024 YR4’s odds of hitting Earth continue to go up. It is not a certain impact yet, but it is a reminder that planetary defense requires a global response with a wide range of impact studies.
The impact and potential deflection are only a part of a critical chain of events.
The impact and potential deflection are only a part of a critical chain of events.
Reposted by Nik Proxima - Space Policy Wonk
I wrote about a tragedy that was way too close to home. The crash of AA5432 and PAT25 is a watershed moment.
Read more here: nikproxima.medium.com/a-reflection...
Read more here: nikproxima.medium.com/a-reflection...
A Reflection on Human Factors
After a tragic crash on the Potomac River, the time for a reckoning looms.
nikproxima.medium.com
January 31, 2025 at 9:46 PM
I wrote about a tragedy that was way too close to home. The crash of AA5432 and PAT25 is a watershed moment.
Read more here: nikproxima.medium.com/a-reflection...
Read more here: nikproxima.medium.com/a-reflection...
It is a fundamentally strange experience living in DC and experiencing the culture shift. Space policy work continues, but to what end? It feels beyond bizarre to be here.
February 15, 2025 at 11:43 PM
It is a fundamentally strange experience living in DC and experiencing the culture shift. Space policy work continues, but to what end? It feels beyond bizarre to be here.
I wrote about a tragedy that was way too close to home. The crash of AA5432 and PAT25 is a watershed moment.
Read more here: nikproxima.medium.com/a-reflection...
Read more here: nikproxima.medium.com/a-reflection...
A Reflection on Human Factors
After a tragic crash on the Potomac River, the time for a reckoning looms.
nikproxima.medium.com
January 31, 2025 at 9:46 PM
I wrote about a tragedy that was way too close to home. The crash of AA5432 and PAT25 is a watershed moment.
Read more here: nikproxima.medium.com/a-reflection...
Read more here: nikproxima.medium.com/a-reflection...
Reposted by Nik Proxima - Space Policy Wonk
#SBAG - What HWO might look like keeping in mind too that what we thought JWST would look like when it started was a far cry from what got launched.
January 8, 2025 at 9:36 PM
#SBAG - What HWO might look like keeping in mind too that what we thought JWST would look like when it started was a far cry from what got launched.
Well. I feel like I’ve been thrown in a new direction.
Two possible paths forward: a skycrane derived, JPL led approach or a commercial option to get the MAV to the surface. A watershed moment for science policy, that’s for sure.
Two possible paths forward: a skycrane derived, JPL led approach or a commercial option to get the MAV to the surface. A watershed moment for science policy, that’s for sure.
I don’t pretend to know what’ll come of the Jan. 7 MSR announcement, but it is absolutely a shift for planetary science. This flagship mission is now an experiment for how we conduct the kind of cutting edge research required by a sample return mission, and execute on programs.
January 8, 2025 at 12:06 AM
Well. I feel like I’ve been thrown in a new direction.
Two possible paths forward: a skycrane derived, JPL led approach or a commercial option to get the MAV to the surface. A watershed moment for science policy, that’s for sure.
Two possible paths forward: a skycrane derived, JPL led approach or a commercial option to get the MAV to the surface. A watershed moment for science policy, that’s for sure.
Reposted by Nik Proxima - Space Policy Wonk
Chromata, one of the four Diamond Cities of the Cassini Dependencies. While most Saturnian void cities are made from parked asteroids, Chromata and her sister orbitals are built out of deconstructed moonlets within Saturn's ring system.
#hibourverse
#hibourverse
January 5, 2025 at 12:00 AM
Chromata, one of the four Diamond Cities of the Cassini Dependencies. While most Saturnian void cities are made from parked asteroids, Chromata and her sister orbitals are built out of deconstructed moonlets within Saturn's ring system.
#hibourverse
#hibourverse
I don’t pretend to know what’ll come of the Jan. 7 MSR announcement, but it is absolutely a shift for planetary science. This flagship mission is now an experiment for how we conduct the kind of cutting edge research required by a sample return mission, and execute on programs.
January 3, 2025 at 11:52 PM
I don’t pretend to know what’ll come of the Jan. 7 MSR announcement, but it is absolutely a shift for planetary science. This flagship mission is now an experiment for how we conduct the kind of cutting edge research required by a sample return mission, and execute on programs.
Reposted by Nik Proxima - Space Policy Wonk
Astranis has launched their first operational batch of MicroGEO satellites, beginning a wave of deployment in GEO.
Read more from @nik-proxima.bsky.social here: www.spacescout.info/2024/12/astr...
Read more from @nik-proxima.bsky.social here: www.spacescout.info/2024/12/astr...
Astranis Aims to Breathe New Life into GEO
On December 29, 2024, a new breed of geostationary satellites took flight – powered into space by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. From One to Many, the first Astranis Block 2 mission, is the first …
www.spacescout.info
December 30, 2024 at 8:09 PM
Astranis has launched their first operational batch of MicroGEO satellites, beginning a wave of deployment in GEO.
Read more from @nik-proxima.bsky.social here: www.spacescout.info/2024/12/astr...
Read more from @nik-proxima.bsky.social here: www.spacescout.info/2024/12/astr...
New Glenn was successfully static fired last night in preparation for its maiden flight, now targeting early 2025. This vehicle is a behemoth, the largest and most powerful rocket fired at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station since Titan IV.
Can’t wait to see this monster spread its wings.
Can’t wait to see this monster spread its wings.
December 28, 2024 at 8:58 PM
New Glenn was successfully static fired last night in preparation for its maiden flight, now targeting early 2025. This vehicle is a behemoth, the largest and most powerful rocket fired at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station since Titan IV.
Can’t wait to see this monster spread its wings.
Can’t wait to see this monster spread its wings.
Reposted by Nik Proxima - Space Policy Wonk
Almost a year ago (Jan 20, 2024) one little JAXA lunar lander made a successful soft Moon landing... on its nose... 🛰️. And then promptly refused to stop analysing rocks through 3 lunar night that should have frozen it solid 🔭. SLIM mission operations are now over, and here is a summary 🧪.
www.isas.jaxa.jp
December 26, 2024 at 12:11 PM
Almost a year ago (Jan 20, 2024) one little JAXA lunar lander made a successful soft Moon landing... on its nose... 🛰️. And then promptly refused to stop analysing rocks through 3 lunar night that should have frozen it solid 🔭. SLIM mission operations are now over, and here is a summary 🧪.