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• Jeff Foust
Virgin Galactic says it will postpone the start of commercial flights on its new suborbital spaceplane until early 2027, extending the development timeline by several months. The delay pushes back the company’s planned return to revenue-generating passenger operations.
Human Spaceflight & Space Stations
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Virgin Galactic says it will postpone the start of commercial flights on its new suborbital spaceplane until early 2027, extending the development timeline by several months. The delay pushes back the company’s planned return to revenue-generating passenger operations.
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Virgin Galactic has pushed the first commercial flight of its Delta-class suborbital spaceplane to February 2027 while raising prices for future spaceflight tranches. The company says $750,000 expeditions sold out early, cut its cash burn, and is asking the public to name the vehicle ahead of christening.
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A 26-kilogram radiation-shielding vest flown on a model human torso during NASA’s uncrewed Artemis I mission reduced exposure during simulated severe solar storms, a new study suggests. The result supports further development of wearable protection for astronauts on extended lunar and Mars missions.
COSPAR has re-elected Dr. Pascale Ehrenfreund as president following its 2026 assembly in Florence, which drew approximately 3,000 attendees. The event covered a broad range of space research and operations, from planetary science to human spaceflight, underscoring the organization’s role as a convening forum for the sector.
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MDA Space plans to adapt technology developed for Canadarm3, the robotic arm intended for NASA’s Gateway lunar-orbit station, for operations on the Moon’s surface after NASA put Gateway plans on hold. The shift preserves a role for the technology in lunar exploration despite changes to the station program.
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NASA’s latest Artemis updates span commercial robotic lunar landers, technology demonstrations for future surface habitats, and hardware development for the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. The agency’s progress report provides a cross-program view of preparations for Artemis III and subsequent missions to the Moon.
NASA and the European Space Agency are defining the infrastructure needed to support a sustainable lunar base, while Northrop Grumman and the Canadian Space Agency are adapting work from NASA’s planned Gateway station for future lunar-base applications.
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Jessica Meir and Anil Menon spent 6.5 hours outside the International Space Station on Aug. 6 installing mounting hardware for new rollout solar arrays. The upgrade is intended to provide additional power for the station, according to NASA.
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