Human Spaceflight & Space Stations News

New York Times • Richard Goldstein

Wally Funk, Mercury 13 and Blue Origin pioneer, dies at 87 after decades-long spaceflight dream

Wally Funk, a North Texas aviation trailblazer selected in 1961 for NASA’s all-female Mercury 13 astronaut program, died at 87. Blue Origin said Jeff Bezos invited her to fly on one of its rockets, fulfilling a spaceflight dream she pursued for more than six decades.

4 Sources

2026-07-09T09:59:25.062127-07:00

Payload

Auxilium Biotechnologies demonstrates scalable bioprinting of multiple organ tissues in orbit via ISS tech demo

2 Sources

2026-07-09T05:14:37.806766-07:00

Bloomberg

ispace charts a new “Lunar Access Integrator” role with Starship-based payload transportation

6 Sources

2026-07-08T21:16:51.845441-07:00

Associated Press

Artemis II astronauts return to Kennedy Space Center, reunite with Integrity capsule after record lunar flyby

4 Sources

2026-07-08T12:45:37.348989-07:00

Human Spaceflight & Space Stations News Timeline

New York Times

4 sources

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Wally Funk, Mercury 13 and Blue Origin pioneer, dies at 87 after decades-long spaceflight dream Wally Funk, a North Texas aviation trailblazer selected in 1961 for NASA’s all-female Mercury 13 astronaut program, died at 87. Blue Origin said Jeff Bezos invited her to fly on one of its rockets, fulfilling a spaceflight dream she pursued for more than six decades.

2026-07-09T09:59:25.062127-07:00

Wally Funk, Mercury 13 and Blue Origin pioneer, dies at 87 after decades-long spaceflight dream

Payload

2 sources

Auxilium Biotechnologies demonstrates scalable bioprinting of multiple organ tissues in orbit via ISS tech demo Auxilium Biotechnologies said it has created multiple types of organ tissues aboard the International Space Station, a milestone toward scalable in-orbit bioprinting. The company positioned the results as enabling future bioprinting use cases in space, building toward broader orbital manufacturing and medical applications.

2026-07-09T05:14:37.806766-07:00

Auxilium Biotechnologies demonstrates scalable bioprinting of multiple organ tissues in orbit via ISS tech demo

Universe Today

2 sources

Spaceflight stress may drive “accelerated aging” in the liver—UCF study links deep-space conditions to aging-like molecular chan Researchers at the University of Central Florida report that the combined stresses of spaceflight—radiation and weightlessness—can produce liver changes that resemble accelerated aging. The study also found matching genetic “fingerprints” in real astronaut blood samples, suggesting deep-space biology leaves consistent, measurable signatures.

2026-07-08T22:53:27.928231-07:00

Spaceflight stress may drive “accelerated aging” in the liver—UCF study links deep-space conditions to aging-like molecular chan

Bloomberg

6 sources

ispace charts a new “Lunar Access Integrator” role with Starship-based payload transportation ispace says it will launch a new lunar transportation and integration service aboard SpaceX’s Starship, repositioning as a “Lunar Access Integrator” by using a Mobile Cargo System to combine multiple customer payloads. The company tied the plan to Starship capacity and described it as an addition to its existing lunar logistics services using ULTRA landing modules.

2026-07-08T21:16:51.845441-07:00

ispace charts a new “Lunar Access Integrator” role with Starship-based payload transportation

Universe Today

1 source

Japan tests low-power nitrogen-from-air device that enables rice growth in simulated lunar soil Researchers in Japan built a low-power device that pulls nitrogen from the air and converts it into fertiliser. In experiments using simulated lunar soil, the team then successfully grew rice—an early step toward producing food and managing inputs for future lunar missions.

2026-07-08T17:01:32.078720-07:00

Japan tests low-power nitrogen-from-air device that enables rice growth in simulated lunar soil

Associated Press

4 sources

Artemis II astronauts return to Kennedy Space Center, reunite with Integrity capsule after record lunar flyby NASA’s Artemis II crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, alongside CSA’s Jeremy Hansen—has returned to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the first time since their historic, record-setting 10-day mission around the moon. The astronauts reunited with their capsule and the launch team more than three months after splashdown.

2026-07-08T12:45:37.348989-07:00

Artemis II astronauts return to Kennedy Space Center, reunite with Integrity capsule after record lunar flyby

CNBC

20 sources

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Blue Origin seeks first outside funding, targeting a $10B round and a $130B pre-money valuation Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is preparing its first external fundraising round, seeking roughly $10 billion in new private capital at a reported $130 billion valuation. The move, described in reporting based on sources, positions Blue Origin to accelerate capital strategy as market attention turns to space-sector financings following SpaceX’s IPO.

2026-07-08T05:45:56.159359-07:00

Blue Origin seeks first outside funding, targeting a $10B round and a $130B pre-money valuation

Universe Today

3 sources

Hayabusa 2 completes flyby of asteroid Torifune, passing within ~800 meters JAXA’s Hayabusa 2 has successfully executed its flyby of asteroid Torifune, coming to within about 800 meters of the surface. The maneuver adds to the spacecraft’s close-range reconnaissance campaign as it continues its itinerary beyond its primary target operations.

2026-07-07T13:30:31.124330-07:00

Hayabusa 2 completes flyby of asteroid Torifune, passing within ~800 meters

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