Space Exploration & Science Missions News

Associated Press • Leer En Español

Soyuz MS-28 brings U.S.-Russian ISS crew back after 241 days; Expedition 74 ends with Kazakhstan landing

Roscosmos and NASA confirmed the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft returned safely on July 26, 2026, bringing Expedition 74’s joint U.S.-Russian crew—NASA astronaut Chris Williams plus Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev—down to Kazakhstan after 241 days aboard the ISS. Expedition 75 is set to run into spring 2027.

19 Sources

2026-07-26T03:50:38.679958-07:00

SpaceNews.com

NASA and ESA ground facilities in Spain spared in major wildfire

1 Source

2026-07-25T19:27:40.878099-07:00

Payload

ESA awards ispace-EUROPE €65M contract to develop and fly MAGPIE, Europe’s first lunar polar-ice rover

6 Sources

2026-07-24T05:49:48.342512-07:00

Payload

NASA sets $2B price tag for nuclear Mars mission Space Reactor-1 Freedom, targeting first fission-powered interplanetary spacecr

2 Sources

2026-07-23T05:50:38.159172-07:00

Space Exploration & Science Missions News Timeline

Associated Press

19 sources

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Soyuz MS-28 brings U.S.-Russian ISS crew back after 241 days; Expedition 74 ends with Kazakhstan landing Roscosmos and NASA confirmed the Soyuz MS-28 spacecraft returned safely on July 26, 2026, bringing Expedition 74’s joint U.S.-Russian crew—NASA astronaut Chris Williams plus Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev—down to Kazakhstan after 241 days aboard the ISS. Expedition 75 is set to run into spring 2027.

2026-07-26T03:50:38.679958-07:00

Soyuz MS-28 brings U.S.-Russian ISS crew back after 241 days; Expedition 74 ends with Kazakhstan landing

SpaceNews.com

1 source

NASA and ESA ground facilities in Spain spared in major wildfire Key ground-station infrastructure operated in Spain for NASA and the European Space Agency avoided serious damage as major wildfires swept through the country. The incident threatened critical space-support operations, but the facilities remained intact and were not reported as sustaining major impacts.

2026-07-25T19:27:40.878099-07:00

NASA and ESA ground facilities in Spain spared in major wildfire

Payload

1 source

Lunar Outpost plans to send NVIDIA chips to the Moon Lunar Outpost says it will fly NVIDIA chips to the Moon, underscoring how the industry’s “chip race” is increasingly intersecting with the renewed push to return to lunar operations. The announcement frames onboard compute hardware as a key enabler for next-generation lunar missions.

2026-07-24T05:49:48.484882-07:00

Lunar Outpost plans to send NVIDIA chips to the Moon

Payload

6 sources

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ESA awards ispace-EUROPE €65M contract to develop and fly MAGPIE, Europe’s first lunar polar-ice rover ESA has awarded ispace-EUROPE a €65 million contract to complete MAGPIE’s development and deliver the lunar rover to the Moon, targeting a 2029 mission. MAGPIE will fly on ispace’s Mission 4 lander, with ispace serving as mission prime under ESA-JAXA Luxembourg collaboration.

2026-07-24T05:49:48.342512-07:00

ESA awards ispace-EUROPE €65M contract to develop and fly MAGPIE, Europe’s first lunar polar-ice rover

Payload

2 sources

NASA sets $2B price tag for nuclear Mars mission Space Reactor-1 Freedom, targeting first fission-powered interplanetary spacecr NASA has put a $2 billion price tag on its Space Reactor-1 Freedom nuclear Mars mission, described as the first fission-powered interplanetary spacecraft. The announcement frames the program cost for a mission architecture built around nuclear propulsion for deep-space travel.

2026-07-23T05:50:38.159172-07:00

NASA sets $2B price tag for nuclear Mars mission Space Reactor-1 Freedom, targeting first fission-powered interplanetary spacecr

Space.com

2 sources

Artemis II pilot urges safer landing approach for next moon missions, weighing equatorial touchdown over south-pole site NASA is targeting the lunar south pole for its first crewed Artemis landing, but Artemis II astronaut Victor Glover argues Artemis should consider an easier, safer landing location. He suggests the lunar equator could reduce landing risk and improve mission execution for later Artemis flights.

2026-07-23T05:02:42.902476-07:00

Artemis II pilot urges safer landing approach for next moon missions, weighing equatorial touchdown over south-pole site

Politico

1 source

NASA leadership signals funding is in hand for expanded lunar return under new head NASA’s new agency head says Isaacman is not seeking additional money from the GOP as the agency aims to return to the Moon and push farther than the next-generation lunar plans. The message centers on having the cash needed to proceed with mission execution rather than additional appropriations.

2026-07-22T18:49:18.305075-07:00

NASA leadership signals funding is in hand for expanded lunar return under new head

Space.com

1 source

NASA reclassifies a near-Earth object as a comet after nearly 30 years of observations; implications for comet discovery and pla After nearly 30 years, NASA determined a near-Earth asteroid is actually a comet. The finding could expand astronomers’ ability to identify more hidden comets and, by improving characterization of near-Earth small bodies, strengthen long-term planetary defense efforts.

2026-07-22T12:08:21.189330-07:00

NASA reclassifies a near-Earth object as a comet after nearly 30 years of observations; implications for comet discovery and pla

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