Tag: NASA
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Euclid studies Milky Way center, supports future Roman observations
The European Space Agency (ESA) recently released a new picture of the center of the Milky Way galaxy, an area known as the galactic bulge. Containing over 60 million stars, the picture, taken by ESA’s Euclid space telescope, represents the largest and most detailed photo of this region to date. Euclid observed the area outside…
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AiRanaculus Wins NASA Contract to Advance Lunar Communications Technologies
Networking technology company AiRanaculus has secured a US$5 million contract from NASA to further develop communications technologies designed for future lunar and cislunar missions. The award, announced on 25 June under NASA’s Civilian Commercialization Readiness Pilot Program (CCRPP), will support the advancement of the company’s CLAIRE and INSPiRE platforms over a 24-month development programme. Advancing…
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Rocket Lab Wins NASA Contract for Three Electron Science Missions
Rocket Lab has secured a new launch contract from NASA to carry out three scientific missions using its Electron rocket, further expanding its government launch portfolio. The launches will support NASA’s Polarised Submillimetre Ice-cloud Radiometer (PolSIR) and Total and Spectral Solar Irradiance Sensor-2 (TSIS-2) missions, with liftoffs scheduled to begin in 2027 from Rocket Lab’s…
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Botswana to Join Artemis Accords as 68th Signatory
Botswana is set to become the 68th country to sign the Artemis Accords, joining the U.S.-led international framework that promotes peaceful and responsible civil space exploration. The signing ceremony will take place at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C., with Botswana’s Minister of Communications and Innovation, David Tshere, joining NASA Deputy Administrator Matt Anderson and U.S.…
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NASA backs dozens of projects on the space frontier, including some with Northwest connections
An artist’s conception shows the Blue Moon Mark 2 lander on the lunar surface. (Blue Origin Illustration) NASA has selected proposals from 37 companies, including several with Seattle-area connections, to further its plans to establish a long-term presence on the moon and enable human exploration of Mars. The companies applied to partner with NASA under…
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Pegasus Rocket to Launch Mission to Extend NASA Swift Observatory’s Orbit
A Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL rocket is scheduled to launch a robotic servicing spacecraft this weekend on a mission to extend the operational life of NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory by boosting it into a higher orbit. The mission will carry Katalyst Space’s LINK servicing spacecraft, which is designed to rendezvous with the Swift Observatory…
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NASA 2026 Human Lander Challenge Winners Named
Who Won NASA’s 2026 Human Lander Challenge for Lunar Life Support? NASA announced the winning university teams in the 2026 Human Lander Challenge on June 26, selecting student-developed solutions focused on environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS) for crewed lunar landers supporting the Artemis Program. The competition marks one of the agency’s primary mechanisms…
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13 years and $500 million for a stage adapter? Report justifies NASA cancellations.
Three months ago, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced the space agency was making a major pivot from building a space station in lunar orbit to a base on the surface. This “Ignition” event followed an earlier announcement in which NASA also said it was ending development of a new upper stage for its Space Launch…
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ESA Astronaut Tests EuroSuit Prototype Aboard ISS as Development Program Advances
A prototype of the European-developed EuroSuit intravehicular activity (IVA) spacesuit has undergone testing aboard the International Space Station (ISS), while a parallel water survival campaign has been completed on Earth as part of the suit’s ongoing development program. The EuroSuit initiative was launched by the French space agency CNES in late 2023 and is being…
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Loft Orbital and NASA JPL Partner to Demonstrate AI Software in Orbit
Loft Orbital has entered into an agreement with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to host and operate artificial intelligence software demonstrations in orbit as part of a NASA-funded Earth science technology program. The collaboration supports the Federated Autonomous MEasurement (FAME) project, which is funded by NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) and focuses on advancing…