NASA Spaceflight
• Chris Bergin
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has detailed plans to standardize the Space Launch System, move toward a stretched Centaur V upper stage and stop work on Mobile Launcher 2. He tied the decisions to a goal of increasing SLS flight rates while reducing costs.
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NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman has detailed plans to standardize the Space Launch System, move toward a stretched Centaur V upper stage and stop work on Mobile Launcher 2. He tied the decisions to a goal of increasing SLS flight rates while reducing costs.
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After seven years of observations, the exoplanet TOI-2535 b has stopped passing in front of its star, making it appear to vanish. University of California, Los Angeles astronomer Samuel Yee and colleagues used NASA’s TESS data and ground-based telescopes to investigate the change and report an explanation for the planet’s disappearance from view.
Chandra data from AT 2016blu’s March 2026 outburst support a neutron star or black hole companion; astronomers have recorded 27 optical outbursts since 2012. Separately, ALMA observations reveal cool gas being ejected in a jet from a microquasar in the Large Magellanic Cloud.
Rep. Mike Haridopolos, who survived the “Blue Wave,” says bipartisan support for NASA’s Artemis program gives him confidence it can withstand political upheaval on Capitol Hill. The article offers no details on the scope of that support or any program funding and schedule implications.
NASA’s Curiosity rover is examining the surface composition of a site called Nazca to characterize it as thoroughly as possible before drilling. The work marks the next step in the rover’s investigation of the Martian surface, though the article provides no details on the planned sample or drilling schedule.
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Archer’s third-quarter update highlighted FAA issuance of a Special Airworthiness Certificate for its Midnight eVTOL and a planned first transition flight before year-end. The company also outlined progress toward completing its planned acquisitions of Wisk and Insitu, alongside new defense and Formula 1 partnerships.
Four volunteers completed NASA’s Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) mission on Oct. 31, concluding a 378-day simulated Mars mission. The effort was led by US Air Force test pilot Ross Elder and focused on crew health and performance in an exploration-mission analog.
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