NASA News

NASA Spaceflight

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SpaceX looks beyond Falcon 9 as Starfall targets in-space logistics and Boeing advances Starliner cargo plans

SpaceX is positioning its Starfall capsule to address microgravity access and point-to-point cargo delivery while the company considers life after Falcon 9. Separately, Boeing says redesign work on CST-100 Starliner is progressing ahead of a potential 2026 cargo mission to the International Space Station.

Ars Technica

Engineers plan a satellite-capture attempt to save NASA’s Swift mission

Engineers are preparing a capture—or attempted capture—of NASA’s Swift satellite in an effort to preserve the mission. The operation would rely on another spacecraft sent specifically to assist Swift, underscoring the technical complexity of extending the life of an established space observatory.

SpaceNews.com

NASA disputes estimate that repurposing Mars rover for lunar mission could cost more than $1 billion

NASA is evaluating whether an engineering model of a Mars rover can be converted into a lunar rover, but a reported cost estimate above $1 billion has drawn a rejection from the agency’s leader. The dispute highlights the financial stakes of reusing existing spacecraft hardware for new planetary missions.

NASA Spaceflight

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NASA deal adds Stennis test capacity as Blue Origin rebuilds New Glenn pad after explosion

NASA and Blue Origin have agreed to test New Glenn engines at NASA’s historic Stennis Space Center stand, giving the company an alternative to capacity constrained by the May static-fire explosion at Launch Complex 36 as it works toward a return to flight before the end of 2026.

SpaceNews.com

NASA says Boeing Starliner-1 work is making “good progress” but offers no launch date

NASA continues to assess flight opportunities for Starliner-1 as work with Boeing on the CST-100 vehicle advances. A NASA official characterized progress as “good” but declined to provide a target launch date, leaving the timing of the program’s next uncrewed mission unresolved.

Flying Magazine

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Columbia’s Warning: The Organizational Failures That Still Threaten Flight Safety

An examination of the Columbia space shuttle disaster argues that the failures behind the tragedy were not unique to a single mission. The same weaknesses can persist across aerospace operations, from maintenance hangars to flight decks, making organizational discipline and safety oversight as critical as technical performance.

eVTOL Insights

Wisk and NASA Simulate Multi-Aircraft Autonomous Operations in Controlled Airspace

Wisk Aero and NASA completed a simulation of multi-aircraft autonomous flight operations in controlled airspace, testing how autonomous aircraft could operate together within existing airspace-management environments. The exercise advances Wisk’s development of autonomous aviation systems and provides NASA with additional data on future airspace integration.

SpaceNews.com

Roman Space Telescope on track for late-August launch, nine months ahead of schedule

NASA says its next flagship space telescope, the Roman Space Telescope, is on track for a late-August launch—about nine months ahead of its previous schedule. The update signals progress on remaining development and readiness milestones for the mission.