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SpaceNews.com • Jeff Foust

White House seeks $18.8B for NASA in FY2027, a 23% cut with deep reductions to science

The White House FY2027 "skinny" budget requests $18.8 billion for NASA — 23% below FY2026 — and proposes steep reductions to science and STEM programs, with administration plans that would cut science funding nearly in half while prioritizing lunar base initiatives. Advocacy groups urge Congress to reject the proposal.

2026-04-03T08:38:02.850876-07:00

Reuters

SpaceX pushes next Starship test flight from April to May, Musk says

2026-04-03T11:10:36.264127-07:00

Space.com

Artemis II Flight Day 3: Crew Prepares First Trajectory Correction Burn and Historic Lunar Observations

2026-04-03T04:18:42.562483-07:00

Universe Today

Habitable Worlds Observatory will need precision astrometry to weigh Earth‑like exoplanets, paper argues

2026-04-03T06:18:40.908171-07:00

News Timeline

Reuters

SpaceX pushes next Starship test flight from April to May, Musk says SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the company's next Starship test flight has slipped from April to May, delaying the orbital test campaign by roughly one month. SpaceX did not provide a detailed reason for the postponement or a firm launch date.

2026-04-03T11:10:36.264127-07:00

SpaceX pushes next Starship test flight from April to May, Musk says

SpaceNews.com

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White House seeks $18.8B for NASA in FY2027, a 23% cut with deep reductions to science The White House FY2027 "skinny" budget requests $18.8 billion for NASA — 23% below FY2026 — and proposes steep reductions to science and STEM programs, with administration plans that would cut science funding nearly in half while prioritizing lunar base initiatives. Advocacy groups urge Congress to reject the proposal.

2026-04-03T08:38:02.850876-07:00

White House seeks $18.8B for NASA in FY2027, a 23% cut with deep reductions to science

Universe Today

Habitable Worlds Observatory will need precision astrometry to weigh Earth‑like exoplanets, paper argues The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is aimed at directly imaging Earth‑like exoplanets and obtaining atmospheric spectra, but a new arXiv preprint by Kaz Gary et al. says images and spectra alone won't suffice. HWO will require precision astrometry to measure planet masses—essential to interpreting biosignature signals.

2026-04-03T06:18:40.908171-07:00

Habitable Worlds Observatory will need precision astrometry to weigh Earth‑like exoplanets, paper argues

Space.com

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Artemis II Flight Day 3: Crew Prepares First Trajectory Correction Burn and Historic Lunar Observations After a successful translunar injection burn on April 2 and an eight‑hour crew rest, the four‑person Artemis II team entered Flight Day 3 preparing the mission’s first trajectory correction burn. NASA posted a highlights video as the crew received assignments to collect historic lunar observations during the 10‑day flyby.

2026-04-03T04:18:42.562483-07:00

Artemis II Flight Day 3: Crew Prepares First Trajectory Correction Burn and Historic Lunar Observations

SpaceNews.com

NASA convenes Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium 2026 Spring Meeting to focus lunar surface research and technology NASA’s Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC) 2026 Spring Meeting runs April 28–30, with an April 28 session at the Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg Center in Washington, DC and follow-on sessions April 29–30. The meeting gathers stakeholders to advance lunar surface research, technology and collaboration.

2026-04-02T21:47:05.595864-07:00

NASA convenes Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium 2026 Spring Meeting to focus lunar surface research and technology

SpaceNews.com

NASA reorients Swift to extend lifetime ahead of planned reboost mission NASA reoriented the Swift astrophysics spacecraft to extend its operational life as its orbit decays, buying time for a planned reboost mission later this year that will attempt to raise Swift’s orbit. The temporary changes preserve science operations and position the satellite for the recovery attempt.

2026-04-02T16:52:22.181336-07:00

NASA reorients Swift to extend lifetime ahead of planned reboost mission

Payload

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CLPS firms eye major opportunity as NASA plans monthly uncrewed lunar landings NASA outlined a Moon-base strategy relying on monthly uncrewed landings to build and resupply a phased surface base, with launches starting as soon as next year. Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) vendors see a sustained market for landers, logistics and payload deliveries if cadence is realized.

2026-04-02T15:20:06.504426-07:00

CLPS firms eye major opportunity as NASA plans monthly uncrewed lunar landings

Space.com

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Passengers, photographers and a viral fan capture NASA's Artemis II launch NASA's Artemis II launch produced dramatic public moments — airline passengers aboard a Spirit Airlines flight filmed the SLS/Orion ascent, photographers worldwide paired the Pink Moon with the mission, and a young space fan went viral, underscoring intense public visibility for the agency's crewed lunar flyby.

2026-04-02T15:06:28.993455-07:00

Passengers, photographers and a viral fan capture NASA's Artemis II launch

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NASA News

White House seeks $18.8B for NASA in FY2027, a 23% cut with deep reductions to science

SpaceX pushes next Starship test flight from April to May, Musk says

Artemis II Flight Day 3: Crew Prepares First Trajectory Correction Burn and Historic Lunar Observations

Habitable Worlds Observatory will need precision astrometry to weigh Earth‑like exoplanets, paper argues

News Timeline