News

SpaceWatch Global • Joshua Faleti

NASA funds Max Space to accelerate testing of expandable lunar habitat technology for sustained lunar surface missions

NASA has selected Max Space for funding aimed at accelerating testing of its expandable habitat technology. The effort targets future human lunar surface applications, supporting development of a permanent lunar presence by validating deployable habitation approaches through earlier and faster technology testing.

2026-06-29T00:06:44.551000-07:00

NASA Spaceflight

Euclid expands survey work to backfill Milky Way center observations ahead of Roman Space Telescope launch

2026-06-28T14:55:25.575585-07:00

European Spaceflight

NASA delivers first braking engines for ESA Rosalind Franklin Mars mission; RHU procurement remains a gating item

2026-06-26T07:56:36.020069-07:00

Space.com

NASA awards a $30M Swift “rescue” mission ahead of Swift observatory’s atmospheric reentry risk

2026-06-26T05:13:34.708563-07:00

News Timeline

SpaceWatch Global

NASA funds Max Space to accelerate testing of expandable lunar habitat technology for sustained lunar surface missions NASA has selected Max Space for funding aimed at accelerating testing of its expandable habitat technology. The effort targets future human lunar surface applications, supporting development of a permanent lunar presence by validating deployable habitation approaches through earlier and faster technology testing.

2026-06-29T00:06:44.551000-07:00

NASA funds Max Space to accelerate testing of expandable lunar habitat technology for sustained lunar surface missions

NASA Spaceflight

❗️

Euclid expands survey work to backfill Milky Way center observations ahead of Roman Space Telescope launch Euclid has been operating outside its regular survey in support of NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope’s exoplanet program. The Roman observatory has arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, where technicians will prepare it for a SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch no earlier than Aug. 30.

2026-06-28T14:55:25.575585-07:00

Euclid expands survey work to backfill Milky Way center observations ahead of Roman Space Telescope launch

European Spaceflight

❗️

NASA delivers first braking engines for ESA Rosalind Franklin Mars mission; RHU procurement remains a gating item NASA has delivered the first braking engines for ESA’s Rosalind Franklin Mars mission, advancing key hardware needed for the spacecraft’s Mars entry and descent profile. Separate work continues to secure the required RHUs (radioisotope heater units), keeping power-system qualification on the critical path.

2026-06-26T07:56:36.020069-07:00

NASA delivers first braking engines for ESA Rosalind Franklin Mars mission; RHU procurement remains a gating item

Space.com

❗️

NASA awards a $30M Swift “rescue” mission ahead of Swift observatory’s atmospheric reentry risk NASA is launching the Swift Boost rescue mission on June 27 to save the nearly 22-year-old Swift observatory, which is being pulled down by Earth’s atmosphere. The agency will pay $30 million for a first-of-its-kind effort to restore the telescope’s orbit before it falls from space.

2026-06-26T05:13:34.708563-07:00

NASA awards a $30M Swift “rescue” mission ahead of Swift observatory’s atmospheric reentry risk

SpaceNews.com

❗️

ISS air-leak crisis worsens as Zvezda cracks elevate habitability risk; Expedition 74 schedules robotics-repair EVA under growin A Russian-built Zvezda service module has been leaking air through hairline cracks since 2019, with NASA auditors now rating it the ISS’s highest open safety risk. Expedition 74 is also preparing an upcoming spacewalk to repair a robotic arm, with advisers flagging longer-term health concerns as crewwork continues.

2026-06-26T05:11:38.062640-07:00

ISS air-leak crisis worsens as Zvezda cracks elevate habitability risk; Expedition 74 schedules robotics-repair EVA under growin

Universe Today

NASA Orion crew training emphasizes lunar reconnaissance skills for Artemis II astronauts Ahead of Artemis II’s far-side Moon flyby, NASA trained four astronauts to interpret and “read” the lunar environment using mission-support information beyond routine spacecraft piloting. The approach underscores how crew-developed situational awareness is being built into Artemis operations as NASA transitions toward sustained lunar work.

2026-06-26T04:13:05.250203-07:00

NASA Orion crew training emphasizes lunar reconnaissance skills for Artemis II astronauts

NASA

❗️

Rocket Lab wins NASA contracts for PolSIR and TSIS-2 science missions on Electron from New Zealand NASA selected Rocket Lab to provide three Electron launches covering two separate missions: PolSIR and TSIS-2, planned for early next year. The PolSIR payload will measure polarized submillimetre radiation from polar ice clouds, while TSIS-2 will observe solar irradiance and its spectral impacts, launched from Launch Complex 1 in Mahia, New Zealand.

2026-06-25T13:47:47.624199-07:00

Rocket Lab wins NASA contracts for PolSIR and TSIS-2 science missions on Electron from New Zealand

Space.com

Watchdog warns NASA needs at least $1B in launch-facility upgrades to sustain Artemis cadence NASA’s Artemis return-to-the-Moon plan is constrained by aging U.S. launch infrastructure, a watchdog warns, saying major upgrades are required for Artemis launches. The report estimates a minimum $1 billion program to bring facilities up to the demands of the Artemis schedule, amid rising launch activity.

2026-06-24T15:14:29.995446-07:00

Watchdog warns NASA needs at least $1B in launch-facility upgrades to sustain Artemis cadence

Menu

NASA News

NASA funds Max Space to accelerate testing of expandable lunar habitat technology for sustained lunar surface missions

Euclid expands survey work to backfill Milky Way center observations ahead of Roman Space Telescope launch

NASA delivers first braking engines for ESA Rosalind Franklin Mars mission; RHU procurement remains a gating item

NASA awards a $30M Swift “rescue” mission ahead of Swift observatory’s atmospheric reentry risk

News Timeline