Tag: NASA
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New crew arrivals and science highlight February aboard the ISS
Following the early departure of Crew-11 in mid-January due to a medical concern, the International Space Station began February with a crew of just three. Two cosmonauts, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev, and one NASA astronaut, Chris Williams, spent the first half of February conducting experiments and technology demonstrations, with Williams studying proximity operations in…
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Astrobotic to Supply Wheels for Italy’s Driveable Lunar Habitat
Astrobotic has been selected to build the wheels for a driveable lunar habitat planned by the Italian Space Agency, the company announced on Friday. The Pittsburgh-based firm secured a contract of undisclosed value from Thales Alenia Space to contribute wheel systems for Italy’s Multi-Purpose Habitation (MPH) lunar project. Astrobotic said the wheels will be designed…
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Voyager Technologies Invests in Max Space to Develop Expandable Lunar Habitats
U.S. space and defense company Voyager Technologies has made a multi-million-dollar strategic investment in Max Space to advance the development of expandable lunar habitats, the companies said. Voyager said the funding will support internal research and development focused on space habitats for long-duration lunar and deep-space missions, as well as accelerated engineering, manufacturing scale-up and…
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NASA inspector general assesses agency’s management of moon lander risk
An artist’s impression of an Apollo-era lunar module (left) and moon landers being built by Blue Origin (center) and SpaceX (right). Graphic: NASA Office of Inspector General NASA is working to reduce the risks of upcoming Artemis moon missions, but there are “gaps” in the agency’s approach, including in planned tests of some critical lander…
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ESA Seeks Proposals for Studies on European-Led Modular Space Station in Low Earth Orbit
The European Space Agency (ESA) has issued a call for tenders to conduct studies exploring the feasibility of a European-led, modular space station in low Earth orbit as the International Space Station approaches retirement. NASA announced in January 2022 that the ISS is expected to be decommissioned and deorbited in the first quarter of 2031…
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NASA Selects ULA’s Centaur 5 as Upper Stage for SLS Starting With Artemis 4
NASA has selected United Launch Alliance’s Centaur 5 upper stage for use on its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket beginning with the Artemis 4 mission, currently scheduled to launch no earlier than early 2028, according to contract documents released by the agency. Centaur 5 was originally developed as the upper stage for United Launch Alliance’s…
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Ding-dong! The Exploration Upper Stage is dead
In his 1961 novel The Winter of Our Discontent, John Steinbeck wrote of loss, “It’s so much darker when a light goes out than it would have been if it had never shone.” The death of NASA’s Exploration Upper Stage today represents the inverse of that sentiment. The world of spaceflight is so much brighter…
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Vast Raises $300 Million Series A and Secures $200 Million Debt for Haven Space Station
U.S. space company Vast said it has raised $300 million in a Series A funding round and secured an additional $200 million in debt financing to support development of its Haven commercial space station. The financing brings the company’s total new funding to $500 million and is intended to support production of the Haven station,…
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Former NASA chief turned ULA lobbyist seeks law to limit SpaceX funding
A former NASA administrator says he is “encouraged” that the US Congress is considering legislation to prevent NASA from spending more than 50 percent of its launch funding on any single provider. “America succeeds in space when American companies compete, innovate, and grow,” former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine wrote on LinkedIn. “I’m encouraged to see…
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NASA overhauls Artemis moon program — and Blue Origin’s lander may be given a bigger role
An artist’s conception shows the integrated design for the Blue Moon Mark 2 lander. (Blue Origin Illustration) NASA is reworking its Artemis moon program to add a test mission for commercial lunar landers in low Earth orbit next year, with a crewed lunar landing to follow in 2028 at the earliest. The revised plan raises…