News

SpaceNews.com • Dan Garretson

Starliner and Artemis: commercial label vs. commercial discipline

A critical look at how the “commercial” label is applied to NASA’s Starliner crew taxi and the Artemis program, and whether that branding aligns with the programmatic rigor needed for complex human-spaceflight missions. The piece contrasts rhetoric with operational and contractual discipline.

2026-03-10T06:08:46.045766-07:00

Universe Today

Dimorphos shows first direct evidence of material transfer between binary asteroids

2026-03-10T04:48:12.082416-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Mars advocates: NASA's lunar return can advance crewed Mars goals

2026-03-09T21:09:09.942633-07:00

NASA

NASA's Van Allen Probe A to make uncontrolled reentry March 10 after nearly 14 years

2026-03-09T13:13:21.963557-07:00

News Timeline

SpaceNews.com

Starliner and Artemis: commercial label vs. commercial discipline A critical look at how the “commercial” label is applied to NASA’s Starliner crew taxi and the Artemis program, and whether that branding aligns with the programmatic rigor needed for complex human-spaceflight missions. The piece contrasts rhetoric with operational and contractual discipline.

2026-03-10T06:08:46.045766-07:00

Starliner and Artemis: commercial label vs. commercial discipline

Universe Today

Dimorphos shows first direct evidence of material transfer between binary asteroids University of Maryland researchers found fan-like patterns on Dimorphos, the asteroid hit by NASA’s DART mission, that are not imaging artifacts but the first direct evidence of material transfer between binary asteroids. Image correction, modelling and laboratory experiments reproduced the features and confirmed physical transfer.

2026-03-10T04:48:12.082416-07:00

Dimorphos shows first direct evidence of material transfer between binary asteroids

SpaceNews.com

Mars advocates: NASA's lunar return can advance crewed Mars goals Mars mission proponents say NASA's renewed human-return-to-Moon program can be leveraged as a practical stepping stone toward eventual crewed Mars missions, providing a near-term arena to develop and validate systems, operations and programmatic pathways needed for longer-duration interplanetary exploration.

2026-03-09T21:09:09.942633-07:00

Mars advocates: NASA's lunar return can advance crewed Mars goals

SpaceNews.com

Privately funded Lazuli telescope secures ~$500M; SSTL to build the spacecraft Privately backed Lazuli Space Telescope has raised roughly $500 million and contracted Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. to build its spacecraft. Designed to be larger than Hubble, the project applies a New‑Space, privately financed development model to pursue flagship‑class astronomy on a compressed schedule.

2026-03-09T15:22:22.904408-07:00

Privately funded Lazuli telescope secures ~$500M; SSTL to build the spacecraft

NASA

NASA's Van Allen Probe A to make uncontrolled reentry March 10 after nearly 14 years NASA's 600 kg (1,323 lb) Van Allen Probe A is expected to make an uncontrolled reentry on March 10 after almost 14 years in orbit. Launched in 2012 as part of a twin mission to study Earth's radiation belts, the spacecraft carries an estimated 1-in-4,200 chance of causing harm on the ground.

2026-03-09T13:13:21.963557-07:00

NASA's Van Allen Probe A to make uncontrolled reentry March 10 after nearly 14 years

Universe Today

Chang'e‑6 regolith: jagged, clingy lunar dust could enable in‑situ construction Researchers at Beihang University analyzed Chang'e‑6 samples returned from the lunar far side and found the regolith's jagged, clingy and electrostatically charged properties could be beneficial for in‑situ construction. The paper, published in Research, argues these mechanical traits may simplify building habitats and infrastructure using local material.

2026-03-09T09:58:05.181507-07:00

Chang'e‑6 regolith: jagged, clingy lunar dust could enable in‑situ construction

Space.com

❗️

China eyes Rimae Bode near‑side 'geological museum' for first crewed Moon landing China is considering Rimae Bode, a near‑side area described as a "geological museum," as the landing site for its first crewed lunar mission. The region combines volcanic plains and ancient highlands in a single traversable area, enabling sampling from deep lunar interior volcanics to massive impact debris.

2026-03-09T09:14:23.131560-07:00

China eyes Rimae Bode near‑side 'geological museum' for first crewed Moon landing

Space.com

European 'HealTech' self‑healing material could let spacecraft repair cracks in orbit European researchers are testing 'HealTech', a heat‑activated self‑healing material that flows into and repairs cracks. The approach aims to provide passive, in‑situ damage repair to improve spacecraft resilience against micro‑cracks, impacts and long‑term degradation without external intervention.

2026-03-09T06:08:44.238328-07:00

European 'HealTech' self‑healing material could let spacecraft repair cracks in orbit

Menu

Space Exploration & Science Missions News

Starliner and Artemis: commercial label vs. commercial discipline

Dimorphos shows first direct evidence of material transfer between binary asteroids

Mars advocates: NASA's lunar return can advance crewed Mars goals

NASA's Van Allen Probe A to make uncontrolled reentry March 10 after nearly 14 years

News Timeline