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SpaceNews.com • Jeff Foust

Interlune wins $6.9M NASA SBIR Phase III contract for lunar regolith payload to extract helium-3 and hydrogen

Seattle-based Interlune received a $6.9 million NASA SBIR Phase III contract to develop and test a payload suite designed to extract and measure helium-3 and hydrogen in lunar regolith. The 18-month Earth testing window feeds a 2028 mission on a commercial robotic lander.

2026-05-04T08:03:40.645846-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Artemis 3 mission details still missing as schedule slips

2026-05-02T18:33:09.478390-07:00

SpaceNews.com

NASA weighs 62% CLPS ordering-authority increase to $4.2B for expanded lunar lander cadence

2026-05-01T16:16:37.286477-07:00

SpaceNews.com

House appropriators advance NASA bill to hold funding at 2026 levels, rejecting proposed 23% cut

2026-04-30T08:59:14.862135-07:00

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Interlune wins $6.9M NASA SBIR Phase III contract for lunar regolith payload to extract helium-3 and hydrogen Seattle-based Interlune received a $6.9 million NASA SBIR Phase III contract to develop and test a payload suite designed to extract and measure helium-3 and hydrogen in lunar regolith. The 18-month Earth testing window feeds a 2028 mission on a commercial robotic lander.

2026-05-04T08:03:40.645846-07:00

Interlune wins $6.9M NASA SBIR Phase III contract for lunar regolith payload to extract helium-3 and hydrogen

SpaceNews.com

Artemis 3 mission details still missing as schedule slips More than two months after NASA announced revised plans for Artemis 3, the agency has provided limited specifics on the mission itself. The lack of updated publicly described objectives and configuration follows prior Artemis roadmap changes and continued decision-making as the lunar program’s timeline moves.

2026-05-02T18:33:09.478390-07:00

Artemis 3 mission details still missing as schedule slips

SpaceNews.com

NASA weighs 62% CLPS ordering-authority increase to $4.2B for expanded lunar lander cadence NASA is considering adding $1.6 billion to the ordering authority for its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, lifting the ceiling from $2.6 billion to $4.2 billion. The move supports an expanded delivery network already awarding 11 lunar missions to five contractors.

2026-05-01T16:16:37.286477-07:00

NASA weighs 62% CLPS ordering-authority increase to $4.2B for expanded lunar lander cadence

Payload

Space nuclear companies back FY27 budget bill as funding for multiple missions looms Executives in the space nuclear sector say a proposed FY27 budget bill could be a step-change for the industry, effectively underwriting “multiple missions” and potentially accelerating development paths they view as their biggest opportunities. The push underscores how near-term appropriations could determine pacing for space nuclear applications.

2026-05-01T06:06:33.389966-07:00

Space nuclear companies back FY27 budget bill as funding for multiple missions looms

Universe Today

NASA’s record-power lithium-metal-vapor magnetoplasmadynamic electric thruster successfully tested for future Mars trips NASA says its engineers completed a major milestone in high-power electric propulsion with a prototype lithium metal vapor (liquid lithium) magnetoplasmadynamic thruster. The system is intended to enable faster, more capable propulsion architectures for future Mars missions.

2026-04-30T20:39:44.778880-07:00

NASA’s record-power lithium-metal-vapor magnetoplasmadynamic electric thruster successfully tested for future Mars trips

Universe Today

Artemis II’s laser link shows what “calling home” from cislunar space requires During Artemis II’s April lunar flyby, NASA’s breakthrough laser communications system enabled unusually detailed downlink coverage—showing the technical demands of high-rate optical links when the spacecraft is far from Earth and radio alternatives are constrained.

2026-04-30T14:15:22.762399-07:00

Artemis II’s laser link shows what “calling home” from cislunar space requires

SpaceNews.com

House appropriators advance NASA bill to hold funding at 2026 levels, rejecting proposed 23% cut A House appropriations subcommittee advanced a spending bill that would keep overall NASA funding at 2026 levels, rejecting a proposed 23% reduction. The move sets up continued negotiations over the agency’s near-term budget baseline and any mission-level tradeoffs ahead of full House consideration.

2026-04-30T08:59:14.862135-07:00

House appropriators advance NASA bill to hold funding at 2026 levels, rejecting proposed 23% cut

Washington Post

Trump hosts Artemis II crew at the White House as NASA maps additional Moon missions through the end of his term and looks to 20 President Trump welcomed the Artemis II crew after their historic lunar flyby, highlighting what he says will become “more trips to the moon.” NASA also plans to extend Artemis missions beyond the current flight, with two lunar expeditions already set for 2028—including one intended to kick off construction of a lunar base.

2026-04-29T03:53:16.489706-07:00

Trump hosts Artemis II crew at the White House as NASA maps additional Moon missions through the end of his term and looks to 20

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NASA News

Interlune wins $6.9M NASA SBIR Phase III contract for lunar regolith payload to extract helium-3 and hydrogen

Artemis 3 mission details still missing as schedule slips

NASA weighs 62% CLPS ordering-authority increase to $4.2B for expanded lunar lander cadence

House appropriators advance NASA bill to hold funding at 2026 levels, rejecting proposed 23% cut

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