WFIRST
NASA renames WFIRST space telescope after pioneering woman astronomer
NASA announced May 20 it is renaming a major space telescope under development after an astronomer who led the agency’s early work in space-based astronomy, even as the mission remains under threat of cancellation.
WFIRST, proposed for cancellation, is approved for development
NASA has approved a major astrophysics mission to go into the next phase of its development even as the administration seeks once again to cancel it.
White House requests significant NASA budget increase to fund Artemis program
The White House is proposing to increase NASA’s budget by more than two and a half billion dollars in fiscal year 2021, providing substantially increased funding for the Artemis program while seeking once again to cancel several science and education programs.
WFIRST passes preliminary design review
A NASA space telescope recently completed a major review and is making good progress, project officials say, despite uncertainty about its funding.
Senate appropriators advance bill funding NASA despite uncertainties about Artemis costs
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill Sept. 26 that would give $22.75 billion for NASA, but expressed some frustration about the lack of details in the agency’s plans to return humans to the moon.
Senate bill offers $22.75 billion for NASA in 2020
A Senate appropriations subcommittee approved a spending bill Sept. 24 that would provide $22.75 billion for NASA in fiscal year 2020, including much, but not all, of what the agency sought in additional funding for the Artemis program.
WFIRST telescope passes preliminary design review
The telescope for a major NASA astrophysics mission has passed a key review that the agency says keeps it on track for launch in the mid-2020s despite uncertainty about its funding for 2020 and beyond.
House bill restores funding to Earth science and astrophysics missions
House appropriators criticized NASA for seeking to cancel “legacy” science and education programs in favor of new exploration efforts, moving money back to those missions while remaining silent on the administration’s accelerated lunar return.
Foust Forward | Expanding budgets for an expanding universe
There’s little doubt, though, that JWST will eventually launch, even if the March 2021 date slips. The same isn’t the case for the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), NASA’s next flagship astrophysics mission.
WFIRST faces funding crunch
A NASA astrophysics mission that avoided cancellation last year could still face budget problems if it evades another termination threat this year, agency officials warned this week.
NASA criticized for proposed budget cuts
NASA’s fiscal year 2020 budget request is facing scrutiny from nearly all quarters for its proposals to cut science missions and education programs as well as defer work on an upgraded version of the Space Launch System.
Op-ed | The rocky landscape for astrophysics
Aside from the gaping hole in capabilities that WFIRST was uniquely designed to fill in the 2020s, NASA's projected out-year budget delivers a knock-out punch to future U.S. leadership in space astrophysics
NASA budget proposal targets SLS
The White House’s fiscal year 2020 budget request for NASA proposes to delay work on an upgraded version of the Space Launch System and would transfer some of that vehicle’s payloads to other rockets.
Senator seeks assurances on JWST and WFIRST funding
As Congress works to finalize a fiscal year 2019 spending bill for NASA, a senator is asking colleagues to secure the future of two of NASA’s largest astrophysics missions.
NASA weighs delaying WFIRST to fund JWST overrun
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said July 25 that, in order to address the delays and cost overruns with the James Webb Space Telescope, the agency may seek to slow down development of another flagship astrophysics mission.
NASA studying potential additional cuts in WFIRST
A NASA astrophysics mission that passed a key milestone after making cost reductions is studying potential additional cuts to one of its instruments.
Bridenstine offers senators reassurances on NASA programs
In his first congressional testimony since becoming NASA administrator a month ago, Jim Bridenstine sought to reassure Senate appropriators about the status of several agency programs threatened with cancellation, as well as his own views on climate change.
Bridenstine optimistic WFIRST will avoid cancellation
As House appropriators approved a spending bill May 17 that partially restores funding for a NASA astrophysics mission slated for cancellation, the agency’s administrator said he was “90 percent” confident that the mission will continue.
Astronomers resist NASA push to delay astrophysics decadal survey
With uncertainty about the future of two large space telescopes, NASA is continuing to suggest that the next decadal survey for astrophysics be postponed, a move opposed by many astronomers.
