Missions
NASA changes crew for Boeing commercial crew test flight
NASA announced Jan. 22 that it is replacing an astronaut who was scheduled to fly on a commercial crew test flight later this year because of a medical issue.
ArianeGroup and PTScientists to study lunar lander mission for ESA
ESA has awarded a contract to a group that includes Europe’s largest launch services provider and a former Google Lunar X Prize competitor to study a concept for a mission to mine lunar regolith.
House spending bill fires warning shot at JWST
A new appropriations bill the House plans to vote on next week would provide $21.5 billion for NASA in 2019 but warns that any further problems with the James Webb Space Telescope could lead to its cancellation.
JPL is still at work, for now
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory may have to consider furloughing employees if the government shutdown lasts much longer.
Ball and SSL win study contracts for methane emission tracking satellite
The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) has awarded contracts to Ball Aerospace and Space Systems Loral to develop designs for a privately funded satellite to track methane emissions.
Astronomers foresee long future for Hubble
Despite a recent problem with one of its instruments, managers of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope are confident that the mission can continue to operate well into the next decade.
NASA delays SpaceX commercial crew test flight to February
NASA confirmed Jan. 10 that an uncrewed test flight of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft will now take place no sooner than February, due at least in part to the ongoing government shutdown.
Air Force to upgrade existing GPS ground control system while next-generation OCX lags
The Air Force awarded a $462 million contract to Lockheed Martin to continue the modernization of the GPS ground control system.
Shutdown grounds NASA’s airborne observatory
The ongoing partial government shutdown has grounded NASA's SOFIA airborne observatory amid reviews about how to operate that program in the future.
Astrophysics meetings, but not missions, disrupted by government shutdown
The ongoing partial government shutdown has upended aspects of a major astronomy conference this week but has not, for now, affected operations of NASA astrophysics missions.
Scientists pleased with TESS exoplanet mission
As the first discoveries from a new NASA exoplanet mission start rolling in, project officials are planning for the first in what they hope to be a series of extended missions for the spacecraft.
China’s lunar rover enters standby mode for ‘noon nap’ as Chang’e-4 tests continue
China’s Chang’e-4 lander and Yutu-2 rover have tested out payloads and systems on the far side of the moon, with the rover now taking a ‘noon nap’ as a precaution against high temperatures.
DigitalGlobe loses WorldView-4 satellite to gyro failure
The company said that while efforts are continuing to restore the spacecraft, "Maxar believes that WorldView-4 will likely not be recoverable and will no longer produce usable imagery."
Chang’e-4 returns first images from lunar farside following historic landing
China’s Chang’e-4 spacecraft made the historic first ever soft-landing on the far side of the moon Wednesday in a mission aims to reveal clues to the history of the solar system and paving the way for future exploration.
