Upcoming test to demonstrate Orion’s launch abort system in flight

The next major milestone in the development of the spacecraft designed to take humans back to the moon will be a three-minute test flight this week to ensure astronauts can escape in the event of an emergency.

Apollo 11 Memories ‘Seared in My Mind’: Q&A with Presidential Historian Douglas Brinkley

The 50th anniversary of the first moonshot journey is weeks away, and during this June 14 interview, Brinkley offered both a historian's perspective as well as a few personal anecdotes about being a boy and staying up late to watch the mission unfold on his television.

NASA selects Titan drone for next New Frontiers mission

NASA announced June 27 it will send a spacecraft to Titan, the largest moon of Saturn, to fly across its surface to study how life there, and on the early Earth, could have developed.

NASA selects planetary mission proposals large and small

As NASA selects its next major planetary science mission, the agency is also funding studies of very small missions that seek to capitalize on advances in smallsat technology.

Starmus V

Starmus V brings a stellar line-up of Nobel Prize Winners and prominent figures from science and art for its fifth festival in June 2019.

Timed to coincide with the approching 50th anniversary of the moon landings, Starmus V will take place…

NASA seeks proposals for commercial ISS modules

WASHINGTON — NASA issued a call for proposals for commercial modules that could be added to the International Space Station, although one industry executive warns that such facilities may not be as lucrative as NASA believes.

NASA issued …

GAO recommends NASA develop contingency plan for ISS access amid commercial crew delays

A new Government Accountability Office report called on NASA to develop a contingency plan to maintain access to the station after next September should commercial crew vehicles suffer additional delays.

NASA contractors support Artemis cost estimate

Companies involved in NASA’s exploration program agree with a recent estimate by the head of NASA that landing humans on the moon by 2024 will require an additional $20 billion to $30 billion for the agency.

Contractors continue to win award fees despite SLS and Orion delays

A new report from the Government Accountability Office found that the prime contractors for the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft received hundreds of millions of dollars in award fees despite continued issues that will likely lead to further delays in the programs.

Executive order could reduce number of NASA advisory committees

An executive order calling for an across-the-board reduction in federal advisory groups could force NASA to shut down several of the committees that support the agency.

House members seek to bolster commercial space offices in appropriations bill

The full House is unlikely to make major changes in NASA funding when it takes up an appropriations bill this week, but members will seek changes for two other agencies involved in space issues.

NASA to seek proposals for Gateway logistics

NASA will issue a formal call for proposals later this summer for cargo transportation services for its lunar Gateway, seeking to model that effort on the space station’s commercial cargo program.

Bridenstine to meet with international partners on lunar plans at Paris Air Show

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine plans to meet with international counterparts in Paris this week to discuss cooperation on the agency’s Artemis lunar program, but says those discussions are still in their early stages.

Psyche mission clears review

A NASA mission to a metallic asteroid has passed a major review, but questions remain about its ability to remain on budget and schedule.

FCC dismisses studies of potential 5G interference with satellite weather observations

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission defended the use of spectrum for 5G wireless services while a key senator called for a hearing on potential interference such services could have with space-based weather observations.

Paying for Artemis: How much will it cost to go back to the moon?

NASA has laid out a rough plan for what it now calls the Artemis program, including what needs to be built — SLS and Orion, a “minimal” Gateway and lunar landers — and how it can come together in time for a 2024 landing. What the agency has been less forthcoming about, though, is how much it will cost.