NASA
NASA announces new astronauts as safety panel recommends strategic planning for space exploration
NASA announced a new class of astronauts that will be eligible for missions to the moon on the same day the agency’s safety advisers called for strategic planning to ensure success in those exploration efforts.
Astra to perform next launch from Cape Canaveral
Small launch vehicle developer Astra Space announced Dec. 6 that it will conduct its next launch from a pad at Cape Canaveral in January, carrying a set of cubesats for NASA.
India’s Chandrayaan-2 maneuvered to avoid close approach to NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter
India’s Chandrayaan-2 lunar orbiter maneuvered in October to avoid a close approach to NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) spacecraft, a conjunction both agencies have acknowledged but have said little more about.
NASA to award SpaceX three more commercial crew flights
NASA announced Dec. 3 its intent to purchase three more commercial crew missions from SpaceX as a hedge against further delays in the certification of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner.
Northrop Grumman wins NASA contract for SLS booster production
NASA awarded a contract to Northrop Grumman Dec. 2 for the production of several pairs of Space Launch System solid rocket boosters as well as development of a new version of the booster.
NASA awards funding to three commercial space station concepts
NASA issued awards Dec. 2 valued at more than $400 million to three groups of companies to advance development of commercial space stations, keeping those efforts on track to succeed the International Space Station by the end of the decade despite skepticism from the agency’s inspector general.
NASA inspector general warns of space station gap
Concerns about the long-term viability of some existing International Space Station modules and the potential of delays in development of commercial space stations heighten the risk of a gap in low Earth orbit destinations, a new report warns.
NASA postpones ISS spacewalk because of debris
NASA postponed a spacewalk outside the International Space Station by two astronauts just hours before it was scheduled to start after getting a warning that debris would pass close to the station.
JWST undamaged from payload processing incident
Launch preparations for NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope will resume after testing found no damage to the spacecraft from a payload processing incident earlier this month.
Falcon 9 launches DART
A SpaceX Falcon 9 successfully launched a NASA mission that will deliberately collide with a near Earth asteroid to test a technique that could be used to deflect the trajectory of any future asteroid on a collision course with the Earth.
NASA ready to launch DART planetary defense demonstration mission
NASA is ready to launch its first mission devoted to planetary defense, a spacecraft that will collide with the moon of a small asteroid to test the ability to deflect it.
JWST launch slips after payload processing incident
NASA announced Nov. 22 that it is delaying the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope by at least four days to investigate an incident that took place preparing the spacecraft for launch in French Guiana.
NASA considers innovative business model for $500 million Earth Science campaign
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory is soliciting information on how private sector innovation could help researchers make the most of a $500 million budget to obtain data on Earth’s changing surface.
Court ruling describes rejection of Blue Origin HLS lawsuit
A federal judge rejected Blue Origin’s lawsuit again NASA’s Human Landing System procurement on nearly every ground, even after the company offered to further increase its contribution to the program.
New report calls for U.S. strategy to boost space economy
U.S. national security space organizations released a report Nov. 18 proposing ways to boost the nation’s space economy and technology base.
NASA selects Intuitive Machines for CLPS lunar landing mission
NASA awarded a $77.5 million contract to Intuitive Machines Nov. 17 for the delivery of four payloads to the surface of the moon in 2024.
Nelson and Rogozin talk about ASAT test
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson spoke with his Russian counterpart a day after a Russian antisatellite test, as others in the Russian government dismissed the threat to space sustainability that test created.
NASA inspector general warns of further delays in returning humans to the moon
NASA’s plans to return humans to the moon, which it already pushed back to at least 2025, could be further delayed, the agency’s inspector general warned Nov. 15.
Astrophysics decadal survey recommends NASA terminate SOFIA
The future of NASA’s SOFIA airborne observatory remains in limbo after the astrophysics decadal survey gave the program, proposed for termination by NASA, a vote of no-confidence.
Crew-3 arrives at ISS
A Crew Dragon spacecraft docked with the International Space Station Nov. 11, less than 24 hours after its launch from Florida.
