NASA News

Space.com

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope set for Aug. 30 launch on SpaceX Falcon Heavy

NASA says the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is scheduled to launch Aug. 30 aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy. The observatory will travel nearly 1 million miles from Earth to reach the same orbital “sweet spot” as the James Webb Space Telescope, enabling wide-field science aimed at discoveries currently impossible from existing assets.

Via Satellite

Katalyst Space reports attitude-control technical issues on LINK spacecraft during NASA Swift rescue mission

Katalyst Space says it has encountered technical problems with the attitude control system on its recently launched LINK spacecraft. The issue arose on a mission intended to rescue NASA’s Swift, prompting attention on in-orbit guidance and control performance for spacecraft-servicing operations.

SpaceNews.com

Boeing and NASA continue working to schedule CST-100 Starliner’s next cargo flight to the space station

Boeing says it remains in coordination with NASA to determine when the CST-100 Starliner commercial crew vehicle can fly its next mission to the International Space Station as a cargo flight. The update centers on scheduling decisions tied to readiness and mission planning.

Associated Press

High activity

Link spacecraft on NASA’s Swift reboost rescue mission reports reaction wheel and thruster failures, spinning in uncontrolled at

Katalyst Space Technologies says its Link satellite—launched nearly a month ago to reboost NASA’s Swift astrophysics observatory—has developed attitude control problems. Preliminary findings indicate two of Link’s three reaction wheels are inoperable, with reported thruster issues driving an uncontrollable spin that disrupts communications.

Space.com

NASA loads fuel for Roman Space Telescope ahead of August launch

NASA has secured the fuel supply for its next-generation Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, positioning the observatory for an August launch. The fueling milestone advances Roman’s final countdown work, building on its recent arrival at Kennedy Space Center for prelaunch servicing.

Payload

White House sets sweeping vision for U.S. R&D enterprise with major implications for space science

The White House released a broad strategy for America’s R&D enterprise, outlining priorities that carry direct downstream implications for how space science programs are funded, structured, and scaled. The plan’s scope signals potential shifts in research focus areas, timelines, and coordination across relevant space science stakeholders.

SpaceNews.com

NASA selects Advanced Space to fly successor to CAPSTONE for cislunar rendezvous and proximity testing

NASA has selected Advanced Space to build and fly a successor mission to CAPSTONE, targeting cislunar smallsats. The effort will test rendezvous and proximity operations around the Moon, validating mission techniques needed for future lunar logistics and more complex spacecraft interactions.

Ars Technica

High activity

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.