SpaceNews.com
• Jeff Foust
NASA and Katalyst Space have called off an experimental mission to boost the aging Swift gamma-ray observatory after the recently launched servicing spacecraft suffered irredeemable technical problems in orbit. Without the rescue, Swift is expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere later this year, ending an effort to extend its operational life.
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NASA and Katalyst Space have called off an experimental mission to boost the aging Swift gamma-ray observatory after the recently launched servicing spacecraft suffered irredeemable technical problems in orbit. Without the rescue, Swift is expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere later this year, ending an effort to extend its operational life.
NASA astronaut Anil Menon and French astronaut Sophie Adenot removed a failed antenna during an Aug. 18 spacewalk at the International Space Station, but ran out of time before installing its replacement. The antenna repair will therefore require a subsequent spacewalk or other planned intervention.
European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot is scheduled to make history on Aug. 18 as the first French woman to conduct a spacewalk. The event will be broadcast live, offering viewers access to a milestone in France’s human-spaceflight participation.
Speaking to more than 8,000 people at Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre on Aug. 3, 2026, the Artemis II crew thanked NASA and its contractors. The mission’s pilot highlighted the responsibility of manually flying Orion, saying he remained “blown away” by the trust placed in him.
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NASA has invited the Indian Space Research Organisation to collaborate on its planned Moon Base Mission, which aims to establish a permanent crewed outpost near the lunar south pole after 2032. The invitation marks a new phase in U.S.-India cooperation on human lunar exploration.
Northrop Grumman plans to adapt technology developed for HALO, the habitation and logistics module originally intended for NASA’s canceled lunar space station, to support development of the Artemis moon base. The move preserves existing hardware and design work within NASA’s evolving lunar architecture.
A radiation-blocking vest has flown to the Moon and back, demonstrating an alternative to shielding an entire spacecraft. The approach could help protect astronauts from space radiation while reducing the mass and complexity associated with spacecraft-wide shielding, though the article provides no performance metrics or mission details.
Paragon Space Development Corp. has laid off 70 employees after NASA halted work on a module being developed for the lunar Gateway, underscoring the workforce and supplier impact of program-level changes. The company was a subcontractor on the affected module.
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