NASA

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…

NASA looks for ways to keep Artemis on track regardless of budget outcome
As the fiscal year 2020 appropriations process approaches its endgame, NASA leadership says it will find ways to keep efforts to return humans to the moon by 2024 on track even if the agency doesn’t get all the funding it’s requested.

NASA selects OSIRIS-REx asteroid sampling site
NASA announced Dec. 12 that it has selected the site on a near Earth asteroid where a spacecraft will touch down and collect samples, a task that has become more difficult than mission planners originally expected.

NASA approves Dec. 20 Starliner test flight
NASA gave its approval Dec. 12 to proceed with the launch later this month of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner commercial crew spacecraft on an uncrewed test flight to the International Space Station.

House preparing to introduce new NASA authorization bill
A House committee is finalizing its version of a NASA authorization bill that will cover many of the same topics as a Senate bill, but do so in different ways.

NASA to buy more commercial Earth observation data
NASA will seek continued access to Earth observation data gathered by commercial satellite constellations after a pilot program proved the value of those observations.

U.S. Group on Earth Observations calls for coordination, private sector engagement
SAN FRANCISCO – The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy released an updated plan for U.S. Earth observation Dec. 9 calling for improved coordination, greater engagement with the private sector and efforts to assess the value of t…

NASA and Boeing look ahead to long-term SLS production
As NASA marked the completion of the core stage of the first Space Launch System rocket, the agency and the rocket’s prime contractor are in the midst of negotiations for a long-term production contract for additional vehicles.

NASA Earth Science leaders anticipate low-cost launch options
NASA Earth Science leaders are enthusiastic about the potential for principal investigators to take advantage of new low-cost launch options.

SLS core stage declared ready for launch in 2021
NASA declared the long-delayed core stage for the first Space Launch System rocket complete Dec. 9, although the rocket’s launch is still more than a year away.

New dates set for commercial crew test flights
SpaceX will conduct an in-flight abort test of its Crew Dragon spacecraft in early January as the launch of Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner on an uncrewed test flight slips another day, NASA announced Dec. 6.

Bridenstine asks Congress to fully fund lunar lander program quickly
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine used a Dec. 5 speech on Capitol Hill to implore Congress to finish a fiscal year 2020 appropriations bill for NASA as soon as possible to give the agency funding to proceed on a lunar lander program.

Falcon 9 launches Dragon cargo spacecraft to ISS
A SpaceX Falcon 9 successfully launched a Dragon cargo spacecraft bound for the International Space Station Dec. 5 on a mission that will also perform a test of the rocket’s upper stage.

Founder Institute opens space accelerator with ties to NASA Ames
The Founder Institute, an accelerator with operations in 180 cities globally, is establishing a new program with ties to the NASA Ames Research Center.

6th Space Resiliency Summit
The 6th Annual Space Resiliency Summit is an educational summit which will convene senior intelligence officials, government leaders, academia, and solution providers to discuss the developing technology, infrastructure, and policies surrounding …

New NASA human spaceflight leader calls SLS “mandatory” for return to the moon
The new head of NASA’s human spaceflight programs affirmed his support for the Space Launch System Dec. 3, saying the long-delayed heavy-lift rocket is “absolutely mandatory” for returning humans to the moon.