Tag: NASA
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Blue Origin’s rocket blowup could cause big problems for NASA — and a satellite slowdown for Amazon Leo
One day after Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded on its launch pad during a static-fire test, United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 successfully sent 29 Amazon Leo satellites into low Earth orbit. (ULA via YouTube) Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture is still assessing the damage from this week’s catastrophic New Glenn rocket explosion on…
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NASA Awards $300M Johnson Space Center Infrastructure Contract
Why is NASA investing $300M in Johnson Space Center infrastructure now? NASA has awarded a $300 million infrastructure contract to seven companies for construction and revitalization projects at Johnson Space Center, with all funds requiring obligation by September 30, 2026. The Johnson Space Center Multiple Award Construction Contract directly supports mission-critical facilities needed for the…
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NASA outlines nearly $1 billion investment into initial Moon Base missions
An artist’s rendering of a Blue Origin Blue Moon Mark 1 lunar lander deploying Astrolab’s Crewed Lunar Vehicle (CLV-1) on the surface of the Moon. Graphic: Astrolab NASA’s vision for a future, long-term sustained presence on the Moon gained more clarity on Tuesday as the agency announced a series of contract awards for future robotic…
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Preview: NASA updates progress towards established a Moon Base, Artemis 3 mission
NASA plans to build a planned moon base in three stages, starting with more frequent astronaut and cargo flights to the moon the develop the infrastructure needed to support long-duration crews. Image: NASA TV Nearly two months after first unveiling its big plans to establish a Moon Base at the lunar south pole, NASA leadership…
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NASA taps Blue Origin to deliver lunar rovers for Moon Base initiative
An artist’s conception shows Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander lowering an Astrolab rover to the lunar surface. (NASA Illustration) Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture has won NASA’s nod to deliver crew-carrying rovers to the lunar surface as part of the space agency’s decade-long plan to create a base near the moon’s south…
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NASA Awards First Moon Base Contracts to Four Companies
Which Companies Won NASA’s First Moon Base Development Contracts? NASA awarded the first contracts for lunar base development to four companies on May 26, marking a significant expansion of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program beyond basic payload delivery to permanent infrastructure development. The contracts focus on lander and drone systems that will support…
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SpaceX’s Starship V3—still a work in progress—mostly successful on first flight
SpaceX launched the first test flight of its upgraded Starship rocket and Super Heavy booster Friday, with mostly positive results. The powerful rocket, propelled by 33 methane-fueled main engines, climbed away from SpaceX’s Starbase launch facility in South Texas at 5:30 pm CDT (6:30 pm EDT; 22:30 UTC) Friday. Within a few seconds, the 408-foot-tall…
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SpaceX Launches Starship V3 in Major Test Flight Ahead of Planned IPO
SpaceX has launched its new Starship V3 rocket in a high-profile test flight from Texas after an earlier launch attempt was postponed because of a launch-tower malfunction. The uncrewed rocket lifted off shortly after 17:30 local time on Friday, marking the first flight of the latest Starship configuration, which stands approximately 124 meters tall. According…
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NASA’s Psyche spacecraft returns unfamiliar views of a familiar world
Not quite halfway through a six-year sojourn through the Solar System, a NASA spacecraft used a close encounter with Mars last week as a dress rehearsal for its arrival at the Solar System’s largest metal asteroid in 2029. The Psyche mission launched more than two-and-a-half years ago, in October 2023, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida,…
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Astrolab to Send Scientific Payloads to Lunar South Pole on FLIP Rover Mission
Astrolab is preparing to send a series of scientific payloads to the Moon later this year aboard its FLIP rover mission aimed at supporting future lunar exploration near the Moon’s south pole. The company said its FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform rover, known as FLIP, will carry multiple research instruments designed to study lunar surface conditions,…