Tag: NASA
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AstroForge Plans 2027 Flight With AI in Control of Spacecraft
AstroForge plans to give its Solo artificial intelligence system control of a spacecraft on its Autonomy-1 mission in early 2027. The asteroid mining company said the vehicle will operate without commands from Earth after launch on the first flight of Stoke Space’s Nova Pathfinder rocket. Before then, AstroForge intends to fly Solo in a monitoring…
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NASA Simplifies Axiom Lunar Suit to Keep 2028 Artemis Landing on Schedule
NASA is developing a simplified version of Axiom Space’s lunar spacesuit to reduce schedule risk ahead of the first Artemis crewed landing, now planned for early 2028. Reportedly known internally as the “sortie suit,” the configuration would remove or defer some of the mass, complexity and long-duration capabilities included in the original Axiom Extravehicular Mobility…
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Space-Based Optical Communications Move From Flight Demonstrations to Operational Networks
Space-based optical communications are moving from experimental missions toward operational deployment as satellite operators seek higher-capacity alternatives to congested radio-frequency links. An industry assessment published September 20 said space-qualified laser terminals are now supporting data rates of up to 10 gigabits per second in orbital applications, while standardized optical inter-satellite links are becoming part of…
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NASA Powers Up Roman’s 300-Megapixel Camera, Checks Coronagraph Systems
NASA has activated the 300-megapixel Wide Field Instrument aboard the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and completed initial checks of its Coronagraph Instrument, confirming that both payloads survived launch and are operating in space. The commissioning milestones, including activation of Roman’s 18 infrared detectors on September 11, keep the observatory on schedule to release its…
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NASA Selects SpaceX Falcon 9 Rideshare to Launch StarBurst Gamma-Ray Mission in 2028
NASA selected SpaceX on September 18 to launch StarBurst, a small astrophysics satellite designed to detect short gamma-ray bursts associated with neutron star mergers. The spacecraft will fly no earlier than 2028 as a rideshare payload on a Falcon 9 Bandwagon mission from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.…
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Rubio Launches Space Catalyst Partnership to Direct U.S. Foreign Aid Toward Space Companies
Secretary of State Marco Rubio unveiled the State Department’s flagship space diplomacy initiative, the Space Catalyst Partnership, during an official visit to Lima on September 10, 2026. The initiative will direct foreign-assistance funding toward projects that use U.S. space goods and services, making space cooperation a tool for expanding overseas opportunities for American companies. Peru…
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NASA Powers On Roman Space Telescope Instruments During Journey to L2
Roman is still traveling to its destination in space, with NASA gradually powering on and checking its instruments along the way. NASA has activated the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s 300-megapixel Wide Field Instrument and completed initial checks of its Coronagraph Instrument, the agency said Sept. 15. The observatory, launched Aug. 30 on a SpaceX…
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Russia Launches Progress 96 Cargo Ship With Three Tons of Supplies for ISS (Video)
A Russian Soyuz rocket launched the robotic Progress 96 freighter from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on Sept. 16, 2026 at 9:33 a.m. EDT (1333 GMT). Progress 96 is loaded with about 3 tons of food, propellant and other supplies for the astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS). Credit: NASA Russia launched the uncrewed Progress…
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NASA’s Roman Space Telescope Fuel Savings Extend Potential Mission Life to 22 Years
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope could support at least 22 years of science operations—more than double its original 10-year fuel budget—after a highly accurate trajectory-correction burn used less than one-tenth of the propellant allocated for the maneuver, the agency announced September 14. Roman launched at 7:26 a.m. EDT on August 30 aboard a SpaceX…
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Victor Glover Takes Cal Poly Leadership Role After Artemis II Moon Mission
NASA astronaut Victor Glover has moved to emeritus status after piloting the Artemis II mission around the Moon in April 2026 and has begun a full-time role as executive advisor to California Polytechnic State University President Jeff Armstrong. Glover started the Cal Poly position on September 1 and plans to relocate from Houston to California…