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TechCrunch • Sean O'Kane

Blue Origin pauses New Shepard suborbital flights for at least two years to prioritise lunar work

Blue Origin will halt New Shepard tourist flights for at least two years, effectively shelving the suborbital vehicle as the company shifts personnel and funding to develop human lunar capabilities and pursue NASA moon-landing contracts. The move pauses a program that has carried 92 people to date.

2026-01-30T13:14:20.773079-08:00

NASA

NASA selects Axiom Space for fifth private astronaut mission to the ISS, targeted for 2027

2026-01-30T16:05:33.618918-08:00

NASA Spaceflight

FAA clears SpaceX Starship launches and landings at Kennedy Space Center; recommends up to 44 flights per year

2026-01-30T07:34:55.589539-08:00

NASA Spaceflight

Former SpaceX astronaut describes Johnson Space Center training with NASA’s newest astronaut class

2026-01-30T14:13:35.240437-08:00

News Timeline

Universe Today

Galileo NIMS archival data reveal first ammonia-bearing compounds on Europa Reanalysis of Galileo NIMS archival data has revealed the first spectral evidence of ammonia-bearing compounds on Europa's surface, concentrated in fracture regions. The finding implies altered ocean chemistry and recent subsurface-to-surface exchange, reshaping target selection and science goals for upcoming missions to assess habitability.

2026-01-30T16:13:36.318346-08:00

Galileo NIMS archival data reveal first ammonia-bearing compounds on Europa

NASA

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NASA selects Axiom Space for fifth private astronaut mission to the ISS, targeted for 2027 NASA has signed an order with Axiom Space for the fifth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, targeted to launch in 2027. The agreement continues NASA's use of commercial partners to provide crewed access and private astronaut services to the ISS.

2026-01-30T16:05:33.618918-08:00

NASA selects Axiom Space for fifth private astronaut mission to the ISS, targeted for 2027

Space.com

NASA prioritizes Artemis 2, complicating schedule for SpaceX Crew‑12 NASA has elevated Artemis 2 to top priority, forcing schedule adjustments that complicate timing for SpaceX's Crew‑12 ISS mission. The agency's focus on the lunar flyby is creating manifest conflicts and could shift commercial crew launch dates and station operations in the near term.

2026-01-30T15:30:02.291104-08:00

NASA prioritizes Artemis 2, complicating schedule for SpaceX Crew‑12

NASA Spaceflight

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Former SpaceX astronaut describes Johnson Space Center training with NASA’s newest astronaut class Training is underway for NASA’s newest astronaut candidate class at Johnson Space Center. A former SpaceX astronaut, now a NASA candidate, has discussed their transition and offered a first‑hand view of candidate training at JSC as the agency prepares crews for upcoming missions.

2026-01-30T14:13:35.240437-08:00

Former SpaceX astronaut describes Johnson Space Center training with NASA’s newest astronaut class

TechCrunch

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Blue Origin pauses New Shepard suborbital flights for at least two years to prioritise lunar work Blue Origin will halt New Shepard tourist flights for at least two years, effectively shelving the suborbital vehicle as the company shifts personnel and funding to develop human lunar capabilities and pursue NASA moon-landing contracts. The move pauses a program that has carried 92 people to date.

2026-01-30T13:14:20.773079-08:00

Blue Origin pauses New Shepard suborbital flights for at least two years to prioritise lunar work

Ars Technica

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NASA faces a crucial choice on a Mars spacecraft — and it must decide soon NASA must soon pick whether to proceed with a Mars spacecraft for a mission insiders call "important" and feasible, agency sources say. The decision's timing is pressing; officials are weighing options that will determine near-term Mars science and program schedules.

2026-01-30T08:09:35.898675-08:00

NASA faces a crucial choice on a Mars spacecraft — and it must decide soon

NASA Spaceflight

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FAA clears SpaceX Starship launches and landings at Kennedy Space Center; recommends up to 44 flights per year The FAA has issued a Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision approving SpaceX Starship launches and landings at Kennedy Space Center’s LC‑39A, recommending up to 44 launches per year. The ruling removes the primary environmental hurdle despite airline and sonic‑boom objections.

2026-01-30T07:34:55.589539-08:00

FAA clears SpaceX Starship launches and landings at Kennedy Space Center; recommends up to 44 flights per year

Universe Today

Perseverance confirms wave‑formed beaches and kaolinite in Jezero; captures 807‑ft crater‑rim drive New analyses of data from NASA's Perseverance rover confirm wave‑formed beach deposits and kaolinite 'white stones' in Jezero Crater—evidence for a long‑lived lake with subsurface water alteration and possibly tropical conditions—while mission video captures a 807‑ft (246 m) crater‑rim drive on Dec. 10, 2025.

2026-01-30T07:15:12.739926-08:00

Perseverance confirms wave‑formed beaches and kaolinite in Jezero; captures 807‑ft crater‑rim drive

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NASA News

Blue Origin pauses New Shepard suborbital flights for at least two years to prioritise lunar work

NASA selects Axiom Space for fifth private astronaut mission to the ISS, targeted for 2027

FAA clears SpaceX Starship launches and landings at Kennedy Space Center; recommends up to 44 flights per year

Former SpaceX astronaut describes Johnson Space Center training with NASA’s newest astronaut class

News Timeline