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• Jeff Foust
NASA officials say the SR-1 nuclear electric propulsion mission is still expected to launch in late 2028. The agency has provided limited detail on the mission’s cost and schedule, leaving key program parameters unclear despite the stated launch outlook.
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NASA officials say the SR-1 nuclear electric propulsion mission is still expected to launch in late 2028. The agency has provided limited detail on the mission’s cost and schedule, leaving key program parameters unclear despite the stated launch outlook.
On Oct. 29, 1991, Galileo passed asteroid Gaspra and took images while traveling at about 18,000 mph. The encounter added an asteroid observation to the spacecraft’s journey to Jupiter, demonstrating how a planetary mission could gather science during its cruise through the solar system.
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NASA has formally integrated a Blue Origin Blue Moon Mark 2 test article into the revised Artemis III low-Earth-orbit flight profile. The move comes as Blue Origin works toward a potential return to flight by late 2026 and seeks selection for Artemis IV.
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NASA astronaut Anil Menon and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Joshua Kutryk spent seven hours and 11 minutes outside the International Space Station installing and unfurling its seventh new roll-out solar array. The upgrade is intended to support the outpost’s power needs through its planned retirement in 2030; the EVA also marked the 100th U.S. ISS spacewalk under the stated counting method.
NASA has set an ambitious timetable for its lunar program, with Artemis III potentially flying in summer 2027 and two crewed landings planned for 2028. The mission’s rocket assembly has reached a major milestone, while its astronauts met President Donald Trump as they train for a critical test flight of the lunar lander.
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A reddish meteorite recovered in Mali’s Sahara in 2022 formed in the Martian crust at least 4.1 billion years ago, scientists say. The rock may be the oldest of the 435 meteorites from Mars known on Earth, and a NASA-funded study details its age and origins.
NASA’s experimental X-59 QueSST is flying east from California to Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with a stop in Texas, for an appearance at a NASA air show. The trip comes on the first anniversary of the aircraft’s initial flight, after it completed more than 40 test flights during its first year.
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The article argues that NASA needs SpaceX more than SpaceX needs NASA, giving the company and its chief executive leverage in their relationship. It raises questions about the agency’s dependence on a commercial provider, though the supplied article details no specific contracts, missions or policy changes.
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