ASCEND

ASCEND is the world’s first outcomes-focused, transdisciplinary conference designed to accelerate the building of our off-world future. It’s the premier opportunity to collaborate with 3,000+ civil and government leaders, national-security exp…

The 2020 Humans to Mars Summit

Are missions to the Moon by 2024 and Mars by 2033 achievable?
How will the 2020 Mars Rover advance the goal of getting humans to Mars?
If we find life on Mars, what next?

These are just a few of the questions that will be explor…

“Overstressed” NASA Mars exploration budget threatens missions

Cost overruns on a major rover mission and proposals for both sample return missions and a new orbiter are straining NASA’s Mars exploration program and threatening the future of two ongoing missions.

Op-ed | H.R. 5666 will launch the U.S. in the wrong direction

In his Feb. 3 SpaceNews opinion piece,  Louis Friedman argues that the NASA authorization bill that recently cleared a House space subcommittee is best  direction for America in space. The bill, H.R. 5666, would require the United States to abandon the moon after a flags and footprints lunar landing (while effectively preventing commercial firms from participating). We could not disagree more.

InSight to try to push mole into Martian surface

Engineers plan to use the robotic arm on its InSight Mars lander to push a heat flow probe into the surface, acknowledging that they have “few alternatives” if that effort fails.

Rocket nears spaceport for Chinese space station test launch

The first flight model of a rocket designed to launch modules for a Chinese space station is set to arrive at Wenchang spaceport for a crucial test mission.

A new look for life on Mars

Next year, multiple nations are launching spacecraft to Mars, drawn once again to help unravel the complexities of that world and tease out clues as to whether or not it could be an extraterrestrial habitat for life.

InSight heat flow probe suffers setback

A heat flow instrument on NASA’s InSight Mars lander suffered a setback Oct. 26 in its efforts to penetrate into the Martian surface.

Virgin Orbit to add extra rocket stage to LauncherOne for interplanetary missions

Virgin Orbit, while preparing for the first flight of its LauncherOne smallsat rocket, is in the process of choosing an engine for a three-stage variant that would be capable of sending payloads to other planets. 

InSight instrument resumes movement into Martian surface

A probe on NASA’s InSight Mars lander that has been stuck for months is moving deeper into the surface again thanks to an assist from the lander’s robotic arm.

Former NASA chief technologist to lead JPL planetary exploration program

A former NASA chief technologist will be joining the leadership of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as the center seeks to restructure its management of planetary missions.

InSight mission seeking new ways to fix heat flow probe

Members of the InSight mission team are using a break in spacecraft operations to study new ways to get one of the spacecraft’s key instruments to resume burrowing into the Martian surface.

Scientists worry about long-term future of NASA’s Mars exploration program

As NASA gears up a decade-long effort to return samples from Mars, some scientists are worried that the campaign may not leave any funding available for other robotic missions to the planet.

Op-ed | Making the moon and Mars possible

History is now repeating itself. President Trump has declared he wants to send astronauts to the moon by 2024 and then Mars by 2033. But, in other words, NASA is saying to Trump the same thing it said to Bush: “You can’t do your program until you do my program.”

Bridenstine says NASA planning for human Mars missions in 2030s

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said July 15 that, as NASA presses ahead with plans to return humans to the moon by 2024, he will not rule out a first human mission to Mars as soon as 2033.

European Mars lander suffers parachute damage in test

Development of a European-Russian Mars lander hit a setback when the spacecraft’s parachutes malfunctioned in a recent test, but project officials said they still have time to correct the problem before its launch in a year.