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SpaceNews.com • Jeff Foust

Voyager Technologies to buy Astrobotic in a deal worth up to $300M, expanding lunar lander delivery, lunar power, and reusable r

Voyager Technologies has signed an agreement to acquire Astrobotic Technology for up to $300 million. The move is intended to deepen Voyager’s lunar strategy by adding end-to-end infrastructure layers—lunar delivery and power—alongside Astrobotic’s reusable lander and reusable suborbital-vehicle work.

2026-06-02T05:18:22.614963-07:00

SpaceNews.com

UK explores first-in-orbit mission for astronaut John McFall with physical disability aboard Vast’s Haven-1

2026-06-02T05:56:37.063884-07:00

SpaceNews.com

NASA scraps plans for a government-owned “core module,” keeps focus on privately operated commercial LEO stations

2026-06-02T01:11:19.244339-07:00

Bloomberg

France signs two-mission deal with Vast for ISS and Haven-1 flights, using SpaceX crew capsules

2026-06-01T13:45:26.558627-07:00

News Timeline

SpaceNews.com

UK explores first-in-orbit mission for astronaut John McFall with physical disability aboard Vast’s Haven-1 The UK government is in talks tied to a deal with US commercial space company Vast that would send Paralympian surgeon John McFall to Vast’s planned Haven-1 space station. Reporting frames the effort as a potential first for a person with a physical disability to live in orbit, targeting a 2027 timeline.

2026-06-02T05:56:37.063884-07:00

UK explores first-in-orbit mission for astronaut John McFall with physical disability aboard Vast’s Haven-1

SpaceNews.com

Voyager Technologies to buy Astrobotic in a deal worth up to $300M, expanding lunar lander delivery, lunar power, and reusable r Voyager Technologies has signed an agreement to acquire Astrobotic Technology for up to $300 million. The move is intended to deepen Voyager’s lunar strategy by adding end-to-end infrastructure layers—lunar delivery and power—alongside Astrobotic’s reusable lander and reusable suborbital-vehicle work.

2026-06-02T05:18:22.614963-07:00

Voyager Technologies to buy Astrobotic in a deal worth up to $300M, expanding lunar lander delivery, lunar power, and reusable r

SpaceNews.com

NASA scraps plans for a government-owned “core module,” keeps focus on privately operated commercial LEO stations NASA has reversed its March approach that contemplated developing a government-owned “core module” to support commercial space stations replacing the ISS later this decade. In a June 1 statement, NASA reaffirmed that it will instead keep backing privately owned and operated low-Earth-orbit platforms, including leaving its CLD program unchanged.

2026-06-02T01:11:19.244339-07:00

NASA scraps plans for a government-owned “core module,” keeps focus on privately operated commercial LEO stations

Bloomberg

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France signs two-mission deal with Vast for ISS and Haven-1 flights, using SpaceX crew capsules Vast has reached a French-government agreement to fly two French astronauts on Vast’s crewed missions, targeting the ISS and Haven-1 using SpaceX capsules. Announced through France’s Choose France Summit, the partnership coincides with Vast opening a Paris headquarters and setting a 2027 crewed-mission plan as NASA narrows station funding.

2026-06-01T13:45:26.558627-07:00

France signs two-mission deal with Vast for ISS and Haven-1 flights, using SpaceX crew capsules

European Spaceflight

Italy to Use Italian Navy Tall Ship as Human-Stress Analog for Long-Duration Spaceflight The Italian Space Agency (ASI) will use the Italian Navy’s 95-year-old tall ship as a platform to study how the human body responds to the stresses of long-duration spaceflight. The onboard research is intended to provide operational insight into physiological effects relevant to extended missions.

2026-05-31T07:27:33.819333-07:00

Italy to Use Italian Navy Tall Ship as Human-Stress Analog for Long-Duration Spaceflight

Associated Press

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Shenzhou-21 crew returns to Earth after nearly seven-month Tiangong stay, handing off via Shenzhou-22 China’s Shenzhou-21 astronaut crew parachuted into the Dongfeng landing site in Inner Mongolia, ending a ~7-month mission on the Tiangong space station. The return followed a station handover that used Shenzhou-22, launched empty in November 2025 to replace Shenzhou-20 after space-debris damage.

2026-05-29T06:10:27.080349-07:00

Shenzhou-21 crew returns to Earth after nearly seven-month Tiangong stay, handing off via Shenzhou-22

Bloomberg

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Blue Origin New Glenn explodes during Florida static hot-fire test, damaging LC-36 pad infrastructure Blue Origin’s New Glenn suffered a major anomaly during a planned static hot-fire at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (LC-36), triggering an explosion that destroyed the booster and upper stage and caused substantial pad damage, including a toppled launch tower. All personnel were accounted for; the event raises near-term execution risk for NASA’s Artemis-relevant timeline.

2026-05-28T19:10:16.075507-07:00

Blue Origin New Glenn explodes during Florida static hot-fire test, damaging LC-36 pad infrastructure

Bloomberg

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SpaceX trims its IPO valuation target to at least $1.8T while preparing a June marketing push and up-to-$75B raise SpaceX is reportedly targeting an IPO valuation of at least $1.8 trillion and raising up to $75 billion, with IPO marketing expected in June. The move comes as investors chase exposure to the rocket-and-AI company ahead of its expected public debut, driving a surge in speculative interest.

2026-05-28T18:54:23.030802-07:00

SpaceX trims its IPO valuation target to at least $1.8T while preparing a June marketing push and up-to-$75B raise

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Human Spaceflight & Space Stations News

Voyager Technologies to buy Astrobotic in a deal worth up to $300M, expanding lunar lander delivery, lunar power, and reusable r

UK explores first-in-orbit mission for astronaut John McFall with physical disability aboard Vast’s Haven-1

NASA scraps plans for a government-owned “core module,” keeps focus on privately operated commercial LEO stations

France signs two-mission deal with Vast for ISS and Haven-1 flights, using SpaceX crew capsules

News Timeline