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TechCrunch • Sean O'Kane

Blue Origin pauses New Shepard flights for at least two years to prioritise lunar lander development

Blue Origin will pause New Shepard suborbital tourist flights for at least two years, effectively shelving its space‑tourism program as it redirects resources to accelerate development of human lunar capabilities and a crewed lander. The company says the move aligns with U.S. goals to return astronauts to the Moon.

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

NASA Spaceflight

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

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

NASA Spaceflight

FAA approves SpaceX Starship launches and landings at Kennedy Space Center; up to 44 launches/year

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

Ars Technica

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

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

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

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 flights for at least two years to prioritise lunar lander development Blue Origin will pause New Shepard suborbital tourist flights for at least two years, effectively shelving its space‑tourism program as it redirects resources to accelerate development of human lunar capabilities and a crewed lander. The company says the move aligns with U.S. goals to return astronauts to the Moon.

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

Blue Origin pauses New Shepard flights for at least two years to prioritise lunar lander development

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 approves SpaceX Starship launches and landings at Kennedy Space Center; up to 44 launches/year The FAA has issued a Final Environmental Impact Statement and Record of Decision approving SpaceX Starship launches and landings from Kennedy Space Center’s LC‑39A, establishing regulatory clearance and recommending an operational cap of up to 44 launches per year while rejecting airline sonic‑boom objections.

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

FAA approves SpaceX Starship launches and landings at Kennedy Space Center; up to 44 launches/year

Universe Today

Perseverance confirms wave‑formed beaches, subsurface water and kaolinite in Jezero — rover video shows 807‑ft (246 m) rim drive New science from NASA's Perseverance rover and a paper led by Alex Jones at Imperial College confirm wave‑formed beach deposits and signs of subsurface water in Jezero Crater, with kaolinite 'white stones' implying prolonged, warm conditions; NASA also released a visualization of the rover's 807‑foot (246 m) rim drive.

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

Perseverance confirms wave‑formed beaches, subsurface water and kaolinite in Jezero — rover video shows 807‑ft (246 m) rim drive

Reuters

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JWST pushes cosmic timeline: galaxy seen 280 million years after the Big Bang; cluster assembling by ~1 billion years NASA's JWST detected the most distant confirmed galaxy, MoM-z14—light from 280 million years after the Big Bang—and, with Chandra, imaged a surprisingly mature galaxy cluster assembling by roughly one billion years. Webb also released a new close-up of the Helix Nebula.

2026-01-30T07:14:09.112427-08:00

JWST pushes cosmic timeline: galaxy seen 280 million years after the Big Bang; cluster assembling by ~1 billion years

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NASA News

Blue Origin pauses New Shepard flights for at least two years to prioritise lunar lander development

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

FAA approves SpaceX Starship launches and landings at Kennedy Space Center; up to 44 launches/year

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

News Timeline