NASA News

Universe Today • Evan Gough

NASA’s Psyche mission uses Mars gravity assist to capture time-lapse video and confirm instrument performance

NASA released new imagery and a time-lapse video from the Psyche spacecraft’s Mars flyby, produced as the probe used the planet’s gravity assist to accelerate and refine its trajectory toward its metal-rich asteroid target. NASA also tested Psyche’s other onboard instruments to verify they were operating correctly.

4 Sources

2026-07-21T14:37:17.655190-07:00

Politico

NASA nuclear Mars mission slated to cost more than $2B, excluding science payload delivery costs

1 Source

2026-07-21T09:17:47.862775-07:00

Space.com

NASA-Artemis III to use SpaceX Starlink laser terminals on Orion for HD/4K video and data-heavy downlinks

1 Source

2026-07-21T10:07:35.730508-07:00

Space.com

Artemis III set for unprecedented complexity: 4 astronauts, 3 spacecraft, 2 weeks in orbit

1 Source

2026-07-20T09:22:13.785463-07:00

NASA News Timeline

Universe Today

4 sources

NASA’s Psyche mission uses Mars gravity assist to capture time-lapse video and confirm instrument performance NASA released new imagery and a time-lapse video from the Psyche spacecraft’s Mars flyby, produced as the probe used the planet’s gravity assist to accelerate and refine its trajectory toward its metal-rich asteroid target. NASA also tested Psyche’s other onboard instruments to verify they were operating correctly.

2026-07-21T14:37:17.655190-07:00

NASA’s Psyche mission uses Mars gravity assist to capture time-lapse video and confirm instrument performance

Space.com

1 source

NASA-Artemis III to use SpaceX Starlink laser terminals on Orion for HD/4K video and data-heavy downlinks NASA is partnering with SpaceX to equip the Artemis III Orion spacecraft with Starlink laser communications terminals. The upgrade is intended to support high-definition—reported as 4K—video transmission and enable higher-throughput, data-heavy mission downlinks during the Artemis III timeframe.

2026-07-21T10:07:35.730508-07:00

NASA-Artemis III to use SpaceX Starlink laser terminals on Orion for HD/4K video and data-heavy downlinks

Politico

1 source

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NASA nuclear Mars mission slated to cost more than $2B, excluding science payload delivery costs NASA’s nuclear Mars mission is projected to cost over $2 billion, but that figure does not include the additional expense of the science mission the new spacecraft would carry to the Red Planet. The total program cost will therefore be higher once science delivery requirements are accounted for.

2026-07-21T09:17:47.862775-07:00

NASA nuclear Mars mission slated to cost more than $2B, excluding science payload delivery costs

Space.com

1 source

Artemis III set for unprecedented complexity: 4 astronauts, 3 spacecraft, 2 weeks in orbit NASA is positioning Artemis III as its most complex mission to date, requiring tight coordination across the launch and rendezvous of three different spacecraft. With a crew of four planned and an early two-week in-orbit phase, mission design and integration timelines become central to execution.

2026-07-20T09:22:13.785463-07:00

Artemis III set for unprecedented complexity: 4 astronauts, 3 spacecraft, 2 weeks in orbit

Space.com

2 sources

Artemis II astronauts visit ESA’s ESTEC in Netherlands as post-flight outreach to European teams begins Artemis II crewmembers visited ESA’s ESTEC technical centre in the Netherlands on 13 July, marking the first stop in a planned series of post-mission visits to the European organizations that supported the program. The astronauts also reflected publicly on the mission’s personal and collective significance.

2026-07-20T08:15:18.272882-07:00

Artemis II astronauts visit ESA’s ESTEC in Netherlands as post-flight outreach to European teams begins

Universe Today

2 sources

Artemis III: NASA to Run 2027 ‘Dress Rehearsal’ Lander Rendezvous & Docking Ahead of 2028 Moon Return NASA plans Artemis III as a key demonstration in 2027, before the first Artemis astronauts land on the Moon’s surface in 2028. The mission will let teams on Earth and in orbit rehearse rendezvous and docking between commercial human landing systems and the Orion spacecraft.

2026-07-18T20:05:32.160288-07:00

Artemis III: NASA to Run 2027 ‘Dress Rehearsal’ Lander Rendezvous & Docking Ahead of 2028 Moon Return

Universe Today

None source

NASA’s Artemis III Lander Test Will be a "Dress Rehearsal" for Returning to the Moon!

2026-07-18T20:05:32.160288-07:00

NASA’s Artemis III Lander Test

SpaceNews.com

1 source

NASA ends Draper lunar lander effort after major development delays NASA and Draper have terminated plans for a lunar lander mission following significant delays in development of the spacecraft. The cancellation marks a setback for the program’s timeline and underscores continuing schedule risk in lunar surface systems procurement.

2026-07-17T17:10:04.484630-07:00

NASA ends Draper lunar lander effort after major development delays