Human Spaceflight & Space Stations News

Space.com • Tereza Pultarova

German named first European astronaut slated to fly to the Moon

A German has been named the first European astronaut slated to fly to the Moon — a milestone summed up as "No European has ever seen that before." The selection establishes Europe's first scheduled human lunar crewmember and begins mission-specific planning, training and operational preparations.

2025-12-01T12:08:57.835785-08:00

Ars Technica

Unsecured 20‑ton service platform discovered ahead of Soyuz launch

2025-11-28T08:45:43.278733-08:00

SpaceNews.com

ESA secures record €22bn ministerial package, but exploration programmes face funding shortfalls

2025-11-27T12:22:30.681208-08:00

Reuters

NASA trims Boeing Starliner crew missions to four, converts next flight to cargo as ISS nears retirement

2025-11-24T10:27:44.947231-08:00

Human Spaceflight & Space Stations News Timeline

Space.com

Blue Origin's NS-37 to fly first wheelchair-using tourist; ex‑SpaceX engineer Hans Koenigsmann aboard Blue Origin's upcoming NS-37 suborbital tourist flight will include the first wheelchair user to fly as a tourist and former SpaceX rocket engineer Hans Koenigsmann among its manifest. The mission underscores accessibility advances in commercial suborbital operations and brings a high‑profile engineering figure into Blue Origin's crewed cadence.

2025-12-03T13:08:22.594869-08:00

Blue Origin's NS-37 to fly first wheelchair-using tourist; ex‑SpaceX engineer Hans Koenigsmann aboard

Space.com

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Cosmonaut Oleg Artemiev removed from SpaceX Crew‑12 for violating U.S. national‑security rules U.S. authorities removed Russian cosmonaut Oleg Artemiev from the upcoming SpaceX Crew‑12 flight to the ISS after finding he violated U.S. national‑security regulations, officials said. An interdepartmental investigation is underway while Roscosmos frames the change as an internal reassignment.

2025-12-02T15:12:30.898134-08:00

Cosmonaut Oleg Artemiev removed from SpaceX Crew‑12 for violating U.S. national‑security rules

Space.com

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ISS simultaneously hosts eight spacecraft for first time after Cygnus XL reinstallation For the first time in its history, the International Space Station had all eight of its docking ports occupied simultaneously on Dec. 3, 2025, following the reinstallation of Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft. The milestone marks the current configuration's maximum on-orbit berthing and logistics capacity.

2025-12-02T13:08:11.716168-08:00

ISS simultaneously hosts eight spacecraft for first time after Cygnus XL reinstallation

Wall Street Journal

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How Blue Origin Plans to Beat SpaceX to the Moon Blue Origin’s recent successful launches are being used to build mission capabilities to deliver cargo — and ultimately crew — to the lunar surface, positioning the company to compete directly with SpaceX for return-to-Moon business. The campaign stacks suborbital and orbital flight experience toward planned lunar lander operations.

2025-12-02T09:11:48.349909-08:00

How Blue Origin Plans to Beat SpaceX to the Moon

SpaceNews.com

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Senate Puts NASA’s 'Athena Plan' on Trial — What It Means for Funding, Programs and Industry The Senate opened a high-profile inquiry into NASA's 'Athena' plan, interrogating Jared Isaacman's blueprint for reshaping agency organization, priorities and budget. Lawmakers warned the proposal could alter program funding and commercial partnerships, intensifying Capitol Hill oversight as Congress reviews NASA's leadership and fiscal direction.

2025-12-02T07:44:16.158450-08:00

Senate Puts NASA’s 'Athena Plan' on Trial — What It Means for Funding, Programs and Industry

Space.com

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German named first European astronaut slated to fly to the Moon A German has been named the first European astronaut slated to fly to the Moon — a milestone summed up as "No European has ever seen that before." The selection establishes Europe's first scheduled human lunar crewmember and begins mission-specific planning, training and operational preparations.

2025-12-01T12:08:57.835785-08:00

German named first European astronaut slated to fly to the Moon

Ars Technica

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Voyager's Dylan Taylor: why private space stations can be a viable business Voyager Technologies chairman Dylan Taylor checked in with Ars from the "space station frontier" to argue privately operated space stations can be a viable business. He lays out a commercial case for low Earth orbit habitats as potential successors to the International Space Station and a path to sustainability.

2025-12-01T10:49:16.986074-08:00

Voyager's Dylan Taylor: why private space stations can be a viable business

Reuters

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Damaged Shenzhou-20 spacecraft to return to Earth uncrewed for inspection China will send the damaged Shenzhou-20 return vehicle back to Earth without crew so experts can closely inspect the damage after the spacecraft was ruled unfit to fly mid-mission, state broadcaster CCTV reported Monday. The move enables hands-on forensic assessment that cannot be completed on orbit.

2025-12-01T06:39:36.239458-08:00

Damaged Shenzhou-20 spacecraft to return to Earth uncrewed for inspection

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