Human Spaceflight & Space Stations News

Space.com

Virgin Galactic is finally revealing its new Delta-class spaceship this week

Space.com

NASA’s yearlong Mars simulation ends as crew exits habitat; underwater analog tests probe spacewalk safety

Four volunteers who spent more than a year living and working in a simulated Mars mission are due to leave their habitat on Saturday, Oct. Separately, analog astronaut Michaela Musilova led low-visibility underwater “spacewalks” to test astronaut safety and communications protocols—using terrestrial simulations to examine challenges crews may face during space missions.

SpaceWatch Global

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Voyager to manage Interstellar Lab plant-growth experiment on the ISS

Voyager will manage Interstellar Lab’s BioPod EDEN ISS experiment, which will study plant growth in microgravity. The work is intended to inform future space agriculture, linking an ISS research project with technologies for growing plants beyond Earth.

FlightGlobal

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NASA and two commercial lander providers revise plans to accelerate 2028 lunar landing

NASA said the designs and flight plans for its two commercial crewed Moon landers have changed as the agency works toward a 2028 landing. The agency will decide which provider lands astronauts first, according to a report, making the revised plans relevant to both providers’ development schedules.

Space.com

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Analog astronauts simulate space mission underwater in Florida, living and working at 22 feet for several days

Commander Dr. Musilova and her crew spent several days living and working 22 feet underwater in Florida as aquanauts, simulating a space mission. The exercise uses an underwater environment to prepare people for the demands of human space missions.

European Spaceflight

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Australia counters ESA’s offer for ISS mission seat for astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg

Australia has submitted a counteroffer to the European Space Agency over the cost of sending astronaut Katherine Bennell-Pegg on a mission to the International Space Station. The proposed funding has drawn domestic criticism, with the government accused of haggling over the price of the historic mission.

European Spaceflight

Australia Counters ESA’s Offer for Mission to ISS for Bennell-Pegg

SpaceWatch Global

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NASA shifts Artemis III docking test to 2027 as it targets crewed Moon landing in 2028

NASA’s revised Artemis plan moves the Orion docking test with SpaceX’s Starship and Blue Origin’s Blue Moon landers to Artemis III in summer 2027, with a crewed lunar landing now planned for Artemis IV in 2028. The agency also outlined challenges and added testing milestones for both lander providers.