NASA News

Payload

TRL11 to Provide Imaging Systems for NASA-Contracted SR-1 Freedom Mars Mission

TRL11 has secured a NASA contract to develop imaging systems for Space Reactor-1’s SR-1 Freedom mission to Mars. The award positions the company to supply mission-critical imaging technology for a nuclear-powered—or space reactor-enabled—Mars exploration effort.

Ars Technica

NASA chief says agency will pursue only “good deals” with international partners

NASA’s chief said the agency is no longer focused on making every international partner happy, emphasizing instead that cooperation must deliver favorable value to the United States. The remarks signal a more transactional approach to international partnerships, though no specific agreements or programs were identified.

Reuters

High activity

NASA weighs 10 or more Starliner missions as SpaceX wins $950 million for three additional ISS flights

NASA is discussing a potential block of 10 or more low-Earth-orbit missions with Boeing’s Starliner, despite risks encountered during its 2024 crewed test. At the same time, NASA is extending SpaceX’s Crew Dragon contract by three additional ISS missions worth about $950 million.

Ars Technica

High activity

NASA plans more Boeing Starliner missions and support for certification of a new rocket

NASA intends to order additional Boeing Starliner missions and help certify a new rocket, signaling continued agency support for the crew capsule despite its troubled development. The approach would preserve Starliner as part of NASA’s human-spaceflight and transportation architecture while requiring further certification work.

SpaceNews.com

Eight African nations sign Artemis Accords, raising questions over a path to the moon

Eight African nations have signed the Artemis Accords, expanding participation in the U.S.-led framework for lunar exploration. The agreements create an opening for deeper U.S.-Africa space cooperation, but the signatories still need a practical pathway from political alignment to meaningful lunar roles.

Reuters

NASA says Roman Space Telescope’s potential operational life could reach 22 years

NASA says the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope could operate for as long as 22 years—more than twice its previously announced lifespan—even before reaching its planned orbit. The extended mission would give the flagship observatory substantially more time to conduct wide-field space science and sustain long-term research programs.

Associated Press

High activity

NASA’s LRO identifies 222-meter lunar crater from a 2024 impact event

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter detected a previously unrecognized crater roughly 222 meters wide, formed when an asteroid or comet struck the Moon in May 2024. The event, named McGetchin, is estimated to occur about once a century and offers a fresh record of lunar surface evolution.

Space.com

NASA begins powering on Roman Space Telescope instruments during journey to its operational orbit

NASA has started activating instruments aboard the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope for the first time as the observatory travels nearly 1 million miles to its final orbit. The commissioning milestone precedes Roman’s scientific mission to study the universe with a wide field of view.