Tag: NASA
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Year in Space: Get ready for moon missions to take center stage in 2026
An artist’s conception shows the Orion spacecraft’s main engine firing during a lunar flyby, surrounded by eight auxiliary engines built by L3Harris’ Aerojet Redmond facility. (NASA Illustration) Lunar missions once felt like the domain of history books rather than current events, but an upcoming trip around the moon is poised to generate headlines at a…
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SPHEREx produces first all-sky map, highlights entire universe in infrared light
After launching in March and collecting near-infrared data throughout 2025, NASA’s SPHEREx observatory has completed its first map of the universe. The map, which is comprised of 102 infrared wavelengths, will allow SPHEREx’s team and astrophysicists to research the source of the early universe’s inflation and the distribution of organic molecules throughout the universe. “It’s…
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NASA loses contact with MAVEN, Perseverance continues roving around Jezero
In early December, NASA lost contact with its MAVEN spacecraft, which has been orbiting Mars since 2014. MAVEN was supposed to reestablish communications with NASA’s Deep Space Network on Dec. 6 after emerging from behind Mars during a routine blackout period when the spacecraft’s orbit takes it behind the red planet, blocking all communications to…
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Astronauts, launch teams practice Artemis 2 countdown
The four crew members of the Artemis 2 mission exit the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building during the Countdown Demonstration Test, a launch day rehearsal for the Artemis 2 mission. Image: Michael Cain/Spaceflight Now In a prelude to the real deal, the four astronauts of the Artemis 2 mission boarded their Orion spacecraft inside…
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Senate confirms Jared Isaacman as 15th NASA Administrator
Jared Isaacman, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the next administrator of NASA, appears before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025, at the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington. Image: NASA/Joel Kowsky Jared Isaacman was confirmed by the U.S. Senate to be NASA’s newest administrator on Wednesday afternoon. The…
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Rocket Lab launches 4 novel DiskSat satellites for U.S. Space Force, NASA
An overhead view of Aerospace’s DiskSat during launch preparations. Image: Rocket Lab A Rocket Lab Electron rocket launched four novel satellite buses minutes after midnight from Virginia on Thursday. The 20th launch of an Electron rocket was dubbed ‘Don’t Be Such A Square’ by the company and carried onboard the Space Test Program (STP)-S30 mission.…
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Roman telescope construction complete, moving into final testing ahead of 2027 launch
At the end of November, NASA’s next great telescope — the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope — officially finished construction. Teams at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland joined the inner and outer portions of the telescope, completing construction of the multi-billion-dollar telescope on schedule for launch atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy in May…
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All eight ISS docking ports occupied for the first time, Expedition 74 begins
After the arrival of the MS-28 spacecraft on Nov. 27, all eight docking ports on the International Space Station (ISS) were occupied for the first time in its 27-year history. November also marked 25 years of continuous human presence on the orbiting laboratory. With seven vehicles currently docked at the Station and seven crew members…
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Lunar Outpost’s MAPP Rovers: From Commercial Exploration to Artemis Integration
Founded in 2017 in Golden, Colorado, Lunar Outpost has rapidly evolved from a commercial lunar mobility startup to a key player in NASA’s Artemis program. On December 4, 2025, the company announced its selection for the Artemis IV mission, marking a significant transition from purely commercial operations to direct integration with NASA’s flagship crewed lunar…
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Orion hatch ‘blemish’ delays launch day rehearsal for Artemis 2 astronauts
Technicians with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems team use a crane to lift and secure NASA’s Orion spacecraft on top of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket in High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, for the agency’s Artemis 2 mission. Image: NASA/Kim…