NASA News

Universe Today

NASA and commercial partners advance dual-track path from ISS experimentation to a permanent lunar presence

Eight early-stage companies have joined a national accelerator pairing International Space Station access with private investment, while NASA highlights next-generation commercial cargo landers intended to support a sustained human presence on the Moon. Together, the efforts connect near-term microgravity commercialization with longer-term lunar infrastructure development.

Space.com

NASA selects 18 NIAC concepts, including a plan to send 10,000 femtosats to Saturn

NASA has selected 18 proposals for Innovative Advanced Concepts awards, funding early-stage research into unconventional spaceflight technologies. The concepts include a swarm of 10,000 tiny “femtosats” for Saturn, underscoring the agency’s effort to explore high-risk ideas that could shape future planetary missions.

Space.com

NASA’s Johnson Space Center prepares for the commercial space-station era

A tour of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston highlights how the agency and private industry are already shaping the future of human spaceflight. The astronaut-training hub will need to evolve as commercial space stations expand the range of destinations and operational models beyond the ISS.

NASA

High activity

Artemis II crew to receive Congressional Space Medal of Honor from Trump on Aug. 28

President Donald Trump will present the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen during an Aug. 28 ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The crew is the first to fly around the moon in more than 50 years.

New York Times

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NASA and Katalyst Space Cancel LINK Mission to Reboost Swift Gamma-Ray Observatory

NASA and Katalyst Space have abandoned an attempt to dock with and raise the orbit of the aging Swift observatory after persistent attitude-control problems disabled the LINK servicing spacecraft. The decision ends a low-cost effort to extend Swift’s operational life and preserve its gamma-ray science mission.

Axios

NASA Aborts Attempt to Save Dying Space Telescope, Which Will Burn Up in Earth's Atmosphere

NASA has abandoned an effort to save a failing space telescope, leaving the spacecraft destined to reenter and burn up in Earth’s atmosphere. The decision marks the end of recovery efforts for a space-based observatory, though the available reporting does not identify the telescope or explain the failure.

SpaceNews.com

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Katalyst Space rescue mission fails, leaving NASA’s Swift observatory on course for reentry

NASA and Katalyst Space have called off an experimental mission to boost the aging Swift gamma-ray observatory after the recently launched servicing spacecraft suffered irredeemable technical problems in orbit. Without the rescue, Swift is expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere later this year, ending an effort to extend its operational life.

Air Data News

NASA unveils Boeing 737-700 paint scheme for reduced-gravity research aircraft

NASA has revealed the new livery of a 13-year-old Boeing 737-700 being converted into a reduced-gravity research aircraft at King Aerospace in Oklahoma. The airframe previously served for years as a classified U.S. Air Force flying testbed before transferring to NASA for its next mission.