➀ The UK's Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) is funding a space sustainability project worth £690,000 to test innovative rendezvous and proximity operations (RPO) missions. The project aims to identify bottlenecks and areas of uncertainty around licensing novel space activities, such as in-orbit refuelling, repair services, and active debris removal.➁ The UK could capture an estimated 25% share of the ISAM market by 2031, valued at £2.7 billion.➃ DSIT believes that an advanced RPO capability will underpin all future UK ISAM missions, with funding being received by Astroscale UK, D-Orbit, and ClearSpace.

➀ A large metal ring weighing over 1,100 pounds is suspected to be space debris and crashed in a Kenyan village; ➁ The Kenya Space Agency (KSA) is investigating the incident; ➂ Some experts doubt the origin of the debris, suggesting it could be from an airplane.

➀ Fleet Space, an Australian space startup, has raised AUS$150 million for its space-based mining insights. ➁ The funds will be used to expand ExoSphere, their end-to-end exploration platform, which utilizes 3D subsurface imaging and AI analysis. ➂ The company aims to accelerate the discovery of critical minerals needed for clean energy, with a focus on reducing environmental impact.

➀ A former NASA engineer has developed a satellite with Google and T-Mobile to enable space selfies; ➁ The satellite carries a Google Pixel smartphone and a camera to capture and beam back images; ➂ The service is free for T-Mobile account holders and Google Pixel smartphone users, or requires a subscription for others.

➀ Orbex has decided to switch its launch operations to SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland, Scotland, rather than building its own spaceport in Sutherland. This decision will allow the company to focus more funding on the development of a new medium-sized launch vehicle, Proxima. ➁ The move is expected to strengthen Orbex's position in the European space industry and support the growth of SaxaVord Spaceport. ➂ Orbex is also planning to increase its manufacturing capability in Forres, Inverness, to meet demand for its smaller vehicle, Prime.

➀ Inversion has raised $44 million in Series A funding for its space-based cargo delivery service; ➁ The company plans to use the funds to scale operations and develop its next-generation autonomous re-entry vehicle, Arc; ➂ Inversion aims to revolutionize the logistics industry with its innovative approach to delivering cargo to remote locations on Earth.

➀ Researchers have identified a possible source of long-period radio transients; ➁ The source, GLEAM-X J0704-37, is a low-mass star in a binary system; ➂ The discovery raises new questions about the energy output of M dwarfs.

➀ The National Physical Laboratory (NPL) and CGI have joined the Advisory Board of Space South Central, aiming to drive innovation and enhance satellite and space technologies. ➁ Space South Central's members contribute nearly 20% of the UK Space businesses' GDP. ➂ The UK Space sector employs 52,000 skilled professionals and achieves labor productivity 2.3 times the national average.

➀ NASA released a cozy 8-hour 4K fireplace video to celebrate the holiday season, featuring the heat of the SLS rocket's engines and the sounds of a crackling fire. The video is a loop of archival footage of the RS-25 engines that launched the Artemis I rocket. ➁ The Orion spacecraft reached a speed of 24,581 mph during re-entry into Earth's atmosphere. ➂ The video includes the sound of rocket engines and the crackling of wood fire, creating a warm and festive atmosphere.

➀ The Sombrero galaxy, known as Messier 104 (M104), is revealed in a new image from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, showing a smooth inner disk and an intricate outer ring. ➁ The image reveals the distribution of dust, which is an essential building block for astronomical objects in the universe. ➂ The Sombrero galaxy is not known for star formation, producing less than one solar mass of stars per year, and its central supermassive black hole is classified as a low luminosity active galactic nucleus.

➀ Firefly Aerospace raises $175 million for Alpha rocket and Elytra orbital vehicle development; ➁ The round was oversubscribed and valued the company at over $2 billion; ➂ The funds will be used for Elytra development, Alpha production, and hardware qualification for new vehicles.

➀ Astronomers captured the first close-up image of a dying star outside the Milky Way using ESO's VLTI; ➁ The star, WH G64, is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud; ➂ The image reveals an egg-shaped cocoon surrounding the star, possibly related to a supernova event.

➀ The Exploration Company (TEC) secures $160 million Series B funding for Nyx, a reusable spacecraft designed for space cargo transportation. ➁ Investors include Plural, Balderton Capital, NGP Capital, and Bessemer, with TEC describing it as the largest space Series B in Europe to date. ➂ The company aims to launch Nyx from any heavy launcher worldwide and is based in Planegg, Bavaria, with plans to grow the space transportation market.

➀ Teledyne e2v has released engineering models of the LX2160-Space, a 16-core Arm Cortex A72-based SoC processor designed for space demanding applications. ➁ The processor is suitable for heavy computing applications such as Earth Observation Satellites, Early Warning systems, and Telecom, with its 200k DMIPS capabilities and efficient power consumption. ➂ Characterization against radiation is ongoing, with plans to have a range of radiation-tolerant space grades qualified up to NASA Level 1 by H2 2025.

➀ Chinese researchers analyzed rock samples from the far side of the Moon returned by the Chang'e-6 mission; ➁ The samples revealed a volcanic history spanning billions of years; ➂ The oldest lunar basalt fragment dates back to 4.2 billion years ago, indicating high volcanic activity for at least 1.4 billion years.

➀ The Leonid meteor shower is set to peak this weekend, with meteors traveling up to 44 miles per second; ➁ The viewing conditions will be affected by a nearly full moon, but early morning hours can improve chances of seeing more meteors; ➂ The Leonids are derived from the parent comet, Comet Tempel-Tuttle, and were first discovered in 1865.

➀ This week's Beaver Moon is the last supermoon of the year; ➁ The supermoon occurs when the full moon coincides with the Moon's closest approach to Earth; ➂ The Beaver Moon has various cultural names and meanings across different regions.

➀ Gilmour Space Technologies receives the first launch permit for an Australian orbital rocket; ➁ The permit is for the maiden launch of the Eris rocket at Bowen Orbital Spaceport; ➂ The company aims to deliver payloads up to 305 kg to LEO using a proprietary hybrid engine.

➀ NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft, which flew by Uranus in 1986, provided data that has puzzled scientists for decades; ➁ New research suggests that the unusual conditions observed by Voyager 2 were due to a cosmic coincidence involving space weather; ➂ The findings may indicate that the five major moons of Uranus are geologically active.

➀ November will offer three meteor showers for skywatchers; ➁ The Southern Taurids peak tonight and tomorrow night, with the moon in its waxing crescent phase; ➂ The Northern Taurids peak on November 12, and the Leonids peak on November 18.