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Payload • Elizabeth Howell

NASA ranks lunar technology pain points and maps FY26 space-tech funding to civil shortfalls and Ignition

NASA gathered stakeholder input to identify the technical challenges causing the biggest “headaches” for space technology—and then translated that feedback into 40 space-technology focus areas for FY26. The roadmap is shaped by civil space capability shortfalls and NASA’s new Ignition initiative to prioritize near-term investment bets.

2026-05-21T16:40:51.212228-07:00

Space.com

NASA’s TESS releases its most complete Earth-sky survey, identifying ~6,000 candidate exoplanet worlds

2026-05-21T05:11:30.433668-07:00

Payload

Report flags national-security risk in NASA-funded collaborations that may include Chinese researchers

2026-05-20T05:06:08.341331-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Starfighters Space pivots Texas site to microgravity parabolic tests as it reports Q1 2026 results

2026-05-20T07:22:40.272787-07:00

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Payload

NASA ranks lunar technology pain points and maps FY26 space-tech funding to civil shortfalls and Ignition NASA gathered stakeholder input to identify the technical challenges causing the biggest “headaches” for space technology—and then translated that feedback into 40 space-technology focus areas for FY26. The roadmap is shaped by civil space capability shortfalls and NASA’s new Ignition initiative to prioritize near-term investment bets.

2026-05-21T16:40:51.212228-07:00

NASA ranks lunar technology pain points and maps FY26 space-tech funding to civil shortfalls and Ignition

Space.com

NASA’s TESS releases its most complete Earth-sky survey, identifying ~6,000 candidate exoplanet worlds NASA’s exoplanet-hunting spacecraft TESS has published its most complete view of the sky over Earth, expanding the catalog of potential planets beyond the solar system. The new release highlights roughly 6,000 candidate worlds for follow-on confirmation and characterization.

2026-05-21T05:11:30.433668-07:00

NASA’s TESS releases its most complete Earth-sky survey, identifying ~6,000 candidate exoplanet worlds

mynorthwest.com

JWST study suggests Neptune’s moon Nereid is the lone intact survivor from the planet’s original satellite system A new study reports that Neptune’s third-largest moon, Nereid, may be an intact survivor from the planet’s primordial satellite system. Researchers used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to study Nereid in 2024, challenging earlier views of a more heavily disrupted past.

2026-05-20T11:09:52.842855-07:00

JWST study suggests Neptune’s moon Nereid is the lone intact survivor from the planet’s original satellite system

SpaceNews.com

Starfighters Space pivots Texas site to microgravity parabolic tests as it reports Q1 2026 results Starfighters Space says it is turning its Texas facility into a staging ground for microgravity flight testing in response to NASA’s request for information on commercial parabolic capabilities. Separately, the company filed its first-quarter 2026 Form 10-Q, underscoring the effort’s near-term financing and operational visibility.

2026-05-20T07:22:40.272787-07:00

Starfighters Space pivots Texas site to microgravity parabolic tests as it reports Q1 2026 results

Payload

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Report flags national-security risk in NASA-funded collaborations that may include Chinese researchers A new Congressional report says NASA has potentially funded or supported hundreds of scientific collaborations since 2015 that could involve Chinese researchers. The finding raises concerns that research partnerships enabled by NASA funding may introduce China-related security risks for U.S. interests.

2026-05-20T05:06:08.341331-07:00

Report flags national-security risk in NASA-funded collaborations that may include Chinese researchers

Ars Technica

NASA science chief calls for mass-produced satellites to accelerate science in space NASA’s science leadership says it wants to “get more science into space” by pursuing mass-produced satellites—seeking a repeatable, scalable approach to spacecraft delivery. The goal is to reduce friction in getting more missions out the door, enabling higher science throughput in orbit.

2026-05-19T13:54:40.358815-07:00

NASA science chief calls for mass-produced satellites to accelerate science in space

Space.com

NASA LOXSAT “orbital gas station” demo to validate in-space cryogenic oxygen transfer for Artemis NASA is preparing LOXSAT (Liquid OXygen Flight demonstration), a satellite mission intended to test technologies for in-space transfer and storage of cryogenic propellants. The in-orbit “gas station” capability is positioned as a key enabling step for Artemis missions targeting crewed return to the Moon.

2026-05-19T09:05:31.165123-07:00

NASA LOXSAT “orbital gas station” demo to validate in-space cryogenic oxygen transfer for Artemis

SpaceNews.com

U.S. Senate confirms Matt Anderson as NASA deputy administrator The U.S. Senate confirmed Matt Anderson as NASA Deputy Administrator on May 18, 2026, positioning him as the agency’s second-in-command. The confirmation follows multiple reports highlighting the role’s seniority within NASA leadership and its importance for day-to-day oversight.

2026-05-19T02:39:56.889170-07:00

U.S. Senate confirms Matt Anderson as NASA deputy administrator

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NASA News

NASA ranks lunar technology pain points and maps FY26 space-tech funding to civil shortfalls and Ignition

NASA’s TESS releases its most complete Earth-sky survey, identifying ~6,000 candidate exoplanet worlds

Report flags national-security risk in NASA-funded collaborations that may include Chinese researchers

Starfighters Space pivots Texas site to microgravity parabolic tests as it reports Q1 2026 results

News Timeline