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SpaceNews.com • Jeff Foust

NASA reorients Swift to extend lifetime ahead of planned reboost mission

NASA reoriented the Swift astrophysics spacecraft to extend its operational life as its orbit decays, buying time for a planned reboost mission later this year that will attempt to raise Swift’s orbit. The temporary changes preserve science operations and position the satellite for the recovery attempt.

2026-04-02T16:52:22.181336-07:00

Payload

CLPS firms eye major opportunity as NASA plans monthly uncrewed lunar landings

2026-04-02T15:20:06.504426-07:00

Space.com

Passengers aboard commercial flights photograph Artemis II launch from the sky

2026-04-02T15:06:28.993455-07:00

Ars Technica

Artemis II secures critical trans‑lunar burn as crew manage in‑flight email outage and toilet glitch

2026-04-02T10:01:14.506330-07:00

News Timeline

SpaceNews.com

NASA reorients Swift to extend lifetime ahead of planned reboost mission NASA reoriented the Swift astrophysics spacecraft to extend its operational life as its orbit decays, buying time for a planned reboost mission later this year that will attempt to raise Swift’s orbit. The temporary changes preserve science operations and position the satellite for the recovery attempt.

2026-04-02T16:52:22.181336-07:00

NASA reorients Swift to extend lifetime ahead of planned reboost mission

Payload

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CLPS firms eye major opportunity as NASA plans monthly uncrewed lunar landings NASA outlined a Moon-base strategy relying on monthly uncrewed landings to build and resupply a phased surface base, with launches starting as soon as next year. Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) vendors see a sustained market for landers, logistics and payload deliveries if cadence is realized.

2026-04-02T15:20:06.504426-07:00

CLPS firms eye major opportunity as NASA plans monthly uncrewed lunar landings

Space.com

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Passengers aboard commercial flights photograph Artemis II launch from the sky Passengers aboard nearby commercial aircraft captured NASA's Artemis II launch from the sky, recording striking photos and video of the SLS‑Orion stack's ascent. The airborne vantage offered a rare, in‑flight perspective on a crewed lunar‑launch event and underscores public visibility of major launch operations.

2026-04-02T15:06:28.993455-07:00

Passengers aboard commercial flights photograph Artemis II launch from the sky

Ars Technica

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Artemis II secures critical trans‑lunar burn as crew manage in‑flight email outage and toilet glitch Artemis II completed a decisive engine burn Thursday that put the four‑person crew on an irreversible trajectory around the Moon while astronauts dealt with minor but revealing in‑flight problems — a Microsoft Outlook outage and a toilet malfunction. The episode highlights both operational validation and the mission's public profile.

2026-04-02T10:01:14.506330-07:00

Artemis II secures critical trans‑lunar burn as crew manage in‑flight email outage and toilet glitch

SpaceNews.com

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Moog flight‑control systems steer successful Artemis II launch Moog Technology's flight‑control systems successfully steered the Artemis II launch, providing guidance and control across critical launch phases and contributing to the mission's on‑orbit departure. The milestone validates Moog's flight‑control performance and underscores supplier integration with NASA and prime contractors.

2026-04-02T08:07:23.087547-07:00

Moog flight‑control systems steer successful Artemis II launch

Space.com

JWST reveals obscured star formation in striking new images New James Webb Space Telescope images expose star formation previously hidden behind dust, revealing structural detail and emission that were invisible at shorter wavelengths. Scientists say the images keep delivering unexpected insights, underscoring JWST's continuing ability to probe obscured processes in galaxy evolution.

2026-04-02T08:07:22.497403-07:00

JWST reveals obscured star formation in striking new images

European Spaceflight

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Italy signs cooperation pact with NASA to support U.S.-led Artemis lunar surface base Italy and NASA have signed an agreement to cooperate on development of the U.S.-led Artemis lunar surface base, formalizing Italian participation in surface infrastructure, science payloads and ground communications. The pact aligns Italian contributions with NASA's recently restructured, phased ~$20 billion lunar surface-base plan.

2026-04-02T02:06:02.393046-07:00

Italy signs cooperation pact with NASA to support U.S.-led Artemis lunar surface base

New York Times

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China’s moon program accelerates as U.S. launches lunar flyby The U.S. launched a lunar flyby Wednesday, while Beijing is pursuing its own moon program with formidable focus—releasing photos and videos and stepping up missions. These parallel moves highlight intensifying competition over lunar science, operations and strategic presence in cislunar space.

2026-04-01T21:21:40.967519-07:00

China’s moon program accelerates as U.S. launches lunar flyby

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Space Exploration & Science Missions News

NASA reorients Swift to extend lifetime ahead of planned reboost mission

CLPS firms eye major opportunity as NASA plans monthly uncrewed lunar landings

Passengers aboard commercial flights photograph Artemis II launch from the sky

Artemis II secures critical trans‑lunar burn as crew manage in‑flight email outage and toilet glitch

News Timeline