Civil
China preparing Tianzhou-2 cargo mission to follow upcoming space station launch
A Long March 7 rocket has arrived at China’s coastal Wenchang spaceport to facilitate the Tianzhou-2 supply mission to a soon-to-launch space station module.
Atlantic Council calls for U.S. and allies to lead global efforts on space security
The Atlantic Council released a new report that calls on the United States and allies to advocate for new global rules for safe operations in outer space.
UAE selects new astronauts, including first woman
The United Arab Emirates doubled the size of its astronaut corps April 10 with the selection of two new astronauts, including the first woman, who will train at NASA starting later this year.
NASA delays first flight of Mars helicopter
NASA announced April 10 it was postponing the first flight attempt of the Ingenuity helicopter on Mars by at least three days after detecting a problem during a final pre-flight test.
General Atomics wins DARPA contract to develop nuclear reactor to power missions to the moon
DARPA awarded a $22 million contract to General Atomics to design a small nuclear reactor for space propulsion.
Biden administration proposes $24.7 billion budget for NASA in 2022
The White House released a first look at its budget proposal for fiscal year 2022 that includes an increase in funding for NASA, particularly Earth science and space technology programs.
Soyuz launches new crew to International Space Station
A Soyuz spacecraft carrying two Russian cosmonauts and one American astronaut arrived at the International Space Station April 9, a few hours after its launch from Kazakhstan.
U.S. intelligence report predicts heightened space competition between U.S. and China
A new report by ODNI projects that by 2040 China will be the most significant rival to the United States in space, competing on commercial, civil and military fronts.
New ESA director general outlines priorities
The new head of the European Space Agency has outlined his priorities for the next several years, ranging from improving relations with the European Union to increasing commercialization activities.
Bruno: The next big thing for ULA is a long-endurance upper stage
ULA is still betting on long-endurance upper stages and believes the technology has a bright future.
Op-ed | Build a Robot Base on Mars
The triumphant landing of the Perseverance rover has inspired all Americans, and indeed much of the world. President Biden should follow it up by launching the program to send humans to Mars.
Op-ed | Exporting is the final frontier for UK space and other high-tech industries
Following its departure from the European Union and as the UK looks to recover from the many impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, the country is seeking new economic growth opportunities.
Op-ed | Space Settlement Act should guide Nelson’s NASA tenure
As chair of the NASA oversight committee in the House in 1988, Bill Nelson presided over the adoption of the Space Settlement Act, a visionary declaration of Congress that could and should be a guiding theme as he takes on the top NASA leadership position.
Crew Dragon moves to new docking port at ISS
A SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft moved from one docking port to another on the International Space Station April 5, marking the start of a busy month spacecraft arrivals and departures on the station.
Russia continues discussions with China on lunar exploration cooperation
The Russian space agency Roscosmos anticipates additional negotiations with China at a conference in June, building upon an agreement on lunar exploration announced in February.
OSIRIS-REx to make final close approach to asteroid before heading back to Earth
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will make one final close approach to the asteroid it collected samples from next week before heading back to Earth.
