NASA News

Ars Technica • Eric Berger

NASA says thermal-protection research has seen limited investment for decades, underscoring reusability and heat-shield challeng

Despite recent breakthroughs, the path to frequent, rapid reuse—such as SpaceX’s Starship approach—remains constrained by re-entry/thermal protection gaps. NASA indicates thermal protection research has not received substantial investment for decades, raising questions about the technical depth behind next-generation reusability timelines.

1 Source

2026-07-27T11:38:07.089625-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Blue Origin to test New Glenn upper stages at NASA Stennis Space Center

1 Source

2026-07-27T04:10:19.467774-07:00

Associated Press

Soyuz MS-28 brings U.S.-Russian ISS crew back after 241 days; Expedition 74 ends with Kazakhstan landing

28 Sources

2026-07-26T03:50:38.679958-07:00

NASA

NASA to support Blue Origin New Glenn second-stage hot-fire testing at Stennis B-2

5 Sources

2026-07-24T09:13:44.097651-07:00

NASA News Timeline

Ars Technica

1 source

NASA says thermal-protection research has seen limited investment for decades, underscoring reusability and heat-shield challeng Despite recent breakthroughs, the path to frequent, rapid reuse—such as SpaceX’s Starship approach—remains constrained by re-entry/thermal protection gaps. NASA indicates thermal protection research has not received substantial investment for decades, raising questions about the technical depth behind next-generation reusability timelines.

2026-07-27T11:38:07.089625-07:00

NASA says thermal-protection research has seen limited investment for decades, underscoring reusability and heat-shield challeng

Universe Today

2 sources

NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory: from concept to detailed “Great Observatory” plan for characterizing potentially habitable NASA outlines the development of the Habitable Worlds Observatory as the next “Great Observatory,” moving from earlier proposal stage to a more defined mission plan. The focus: observing and characterizing potentially habitable exoplanets, building on multi-year work to define objectives and approach.

2026-07-27T09:36:45.852099-07:00

NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory: from concept to detailed “Great Observatory” plan for characterizing potentially habitable

SpaceNews.com

1 source

Blue Origin to test New Glenn upper stages at NASA Stennis Space Center Blue Origin says it will use NASA’s Stennis Space Center to test New Glenn upper stages as it rebuilds its Cape Canaveral launch complex. The move shifts part of New Glenn’s development and validation work to Stennis infrastructure while Blue Origin continues ground-site recovery and integration planning.

2026-07-27T04:10:19.467774-07:00

Blue Origin to test New Glenn upper stages at NASA Stennis Space Center

Associated Press

28 sources

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Soyuz MS-28 brings U.S.-Russian ISS crew back after 241 days; Expedition 74 ends with Kazakhstan landing Roscosmos and NASA confirmed the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft returned safely on July 26, 2026, bringing Expedition 74’s joint U.S.-Russian crew—NASA astronaut Chris Williams plus Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev—down to Kazakhstan after 241 days aboard the ISS. Expedition 75 is set to run into spring 2027.

2026-07-26T03:50:38.679958-07:00

Soyuz MS-28 brings U.S.-Russian ISS crew back after 241 days; Expedition 74 ends with Kazakhstan landing

Space.com

1 source

NASA astronaut Chris Williams to return with two Russian cosmonauts from the International Space Station on July 26 NASA says astronaut Chris Williams and two Russian cosmonauts will come home from the International Space Station early Sunday, July 26. The agency will livestream the homecoming as the crew departs the orbiting lab for the return to Earth.

2026-07-25T03:05:12.143788-07:00

NASA astronaut Chris Williams to return with two Russian cosmonauts from the International Space Station on July 26

NASA

5 sources

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NASA to support Blue Origin New Glenn second-stage hot-fire testing at Stennis B-2 NASA and Blue Origin have finalized plans for second-stage hot-fire tests of New Glenn on the B-2 position of the Thad Cochran Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. The testing is intended to progress New Glenn’s development alongside Artemis-related objectives.

2026-07-24T09:13:44.097651-07:00

NASA to support Blue Origin New Glenn second-stage hot-fire testing at Stennis B-2

SpaceNews.com

1 source

NASA workforce reductions begin to ripple across major programs More than two dozen major NASA projects say they’ve been affected by the loss of roughly a fifth of the agency’s civil servant workforce over the past year. The impact signals operational strain across program execution and delivery timelines, as multiple initiatives contend with reduced staffing capacity.

2026-07-23T14:50:37.356395-07:00

NASA workforce reductions begin to ripple across major programs

Payload

2 sources

NASA sets $2B price tag for nuclear Mars mission Space Reactor-1 Freedom, targeting first fission-powered interplanetary spacecr NASA has put a $2 billion price tag on its Space Reactor-1 Freedom nuclear Mars mission, described as the first fission-powered interplanetary spacecraft. The announcement frames the program cost for a mission architecture built around nuclear propulsion for deep-space travel.

2026-07-23T05:50:38.159172-07:00

NASA sets $2B price tag for nuclear Mars mission Space Reactor-1 Freedom, targeting first fission-powered interplanetary spacecr