Ars Technica
• Eric Berger
The NASA chief expressed concern that China could deny other nations access to parts of the Moon’s South Pole, underscoring the potential strategic consequences of competing lunar exploration efforts and the importance of determining which country establishes a presence first.
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The NASA chief expressed concern that China could deny other nations access to parts of the Moon’s South Pole, underscoring the potential strategic consequences of competing lunar exploration efforts and the importance of determining which country establishes a presence first.
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Starfish Space has completed its first full-scale Otter satellite-servicing spacecraft and assigned it to a customer mission, following two orbital tests of smaller prototypes. The vehicle is slated for Transporter-18 and will demonstrate close inspection and docking technologies for inoperable satellites under NASA’s SSPICY mission.
Isaacman said he will provide an update next month on efforts to accelerate Artemis, acknowledging that many elements must come together before the landing. The comments signal an impending assessment of the program’s schedule and readiness as NASA works toward its lunar objectives.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency benefited strategically from an unexpected delay affecting a Chinese lunar mission, framing the development within intensifying US-China competition in lunar exploration. His comments underscore the importance Washington places on schedule and execution as both nations pursue ambitious Moon programs.
NASA has selected a far-infrared space telescope to become the first mission in a new line of billion-dollar astrophysics observatories. The decision establishes the agency’s initial project under the program and advances a major space-based effort focused on far-infrared astronomy.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency wants to rebuild its X-plane portfolio with experimental aircraft exploring higher speeds, greater altitudes and new propulsion technologies. The effort would restore a platform for flight research aimed at advancing capabilities beyond current operational aircraft.
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A former NASA chief is raising concerns that Beijing’s lunar exploration plans extend beyond scientific discovery, describing them as an intended strategy to dominate the “high ground of the twenty-first century.” The warning frames lunar activity as a strategic and geopolitical competition.
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NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman shared a silhouette evoking the SR-71 Blackbird as the agency signals a renewed focus on high-speed flight. The image suggests NASA may be exploring a follow-on experimental aircraft, though no program details or formal commitment were provided.
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