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Space.com • Elizabeth Howell

Voyager twin spacecraft reach very low power after nearly 50 years—NASA faces an end-of-mission cliff

NASA’s Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are still operating deep in interstellar space, but their power generation is now very low after nearly five decades. The agency’s ability to sustain operations is increasingly uncertain as systems continue to age and margins tighten.

2026-05-09T07:53:09.090996-07:00

NBC News

Pentagon launches new UAP “UFO” file release, including ~30 videos and Apollo-era materials

2026-05-08T08:49:56.355639-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Swift reboost mission completes environmental testing ahead of June launch for NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory

2026-05-08T14:58:34.189612-07:00

NASA

NASA JPL tests next-gen Mars helicopter rotor blades beyond Mach 1 in simulated Martian conditions

2026-05-07T11:50:12.271510-07:00

News Timeline

Space.com

Voyager twin spacecraft reach very low power after nearly 50 years—NASA faces an end-of-mission cliff NASA’s Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are still operating deep in interstellar space, but their power generation is now very low after nearly five decades. The agency’s ability to sustain operations is increasingly uncertain as systems continue to age and margins tighten.

2026-05-09T07:53:09.090996-07:00

Voyager twin spacecraft reach very low power after nearly 50 years—NASA faces an end-of-mission cliff

SpaceNews.com

Swift reboost mission completes environmental testing ahead of June launch for NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory NASA says the spacecraft built to reboost the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory—an astrophysics satellite facing orbital decay—has passed environmental tests and is on track for a June launch. The completed test campaign moves the mission into readiness for the upcoming launch window.

2026-05-08T14:58:34.189612-07:00

Swift reboost mission completes environmental testing ahead of June launch for NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory

Space.com

Blue Origin continues end-to-end testing of its first lunar lander at NASA centers ahead of later-this-year launch Blue Origin is running additional verification activity for its first lunar lander by testing the spacecraft at NASA facilities across the U.S. The work is intended to close remaining readiness items ahead of a lunar launch later this year and support mission preparation for a near-term return to the Moon.

2026-05-08T10:35:36.377115-07:00

Blue Origin continues end-to-end testing of its first lunar lander at NASA centers ahead of later-this-year launch

NBC News

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Pentagon launches new UAP “UFO” file release, including ~30 videos and Apollo-era materials The US Department of Defense began releasing a new tranche of declassified unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) files, including nearly 30 videos and additional images and transcripts. The disclosures also include material tied to NASA’s Apollo moon missions, with documents posted to a public portal as part of a broader transparency push.

2026-05-08T08:49:56.355639-07:00

Pentagon launches new UAP “UFO” file release, including ~30 videos and Apollo-era materials

European Spaceflight

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ESA starts risk-mitigation work to replace NASA contributions for LISA The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched efforts to reduce program risk by developing European alternatives to NASA’s planned contributions to the LISA mission. The move signals ESA’s intent to preserve mission continuity despite uncertainty around NASA-provided elements.

2026-05-08T04:10:07.547161-07:00

ESA starts risk-mitigation work to replace NASA contributions for LISA

SpaceNews.com

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SatVu’s HotSat-2 delivers first-light thermal imagery, signaling operational start for its high-resolution thermal intelligence SatVu has released first-light imagery from HotSat-2, its second satellite in a commercial high-resolution thermal imaging constellation. The initial “shakedown” imagery reportedly shows live thermal activity at three strategic energy sites spanning Cuba, India and Australia—marking a shift from development into operational thermal intelligence.

2026-05-07T20:11:29.782075-07:00

SatVu’s HotSat-2 delivers first-light thermal imagery, signaling operational start for its high-resolution thermal intelligence

SpaceNews.com

Lunar Outpost raises $30M to rework lunar rover designs for NASA’s revised Artemis architecture Lunar Outpost has raised $30 million as it revises its lunar rover designs to align with NASA’s updated Artemis architecture. The funding underscores how quickly commercial surface-mobility developers are being forced to adapt to changing program requirements as Artemis evolves.

2026-05-07T18:55:38.949080-07:00

Lunar Outpost raises $30M to rework lunar rover designs for NASA’s revised Artemis architecture

Space.com

New study ties the Moon’s South Pole–Aitken crater to a “decapitated” asteroid impact, refining a sample target for Artemis astr A new analysis argues that a disrupted, “decapitated” asteroid likely produced the Moon’s largest impact crater, South Pole–Aitken. The debris-scattering mechanism would have delivered deep mantle material toward the lunar south pole—guiding where Artemis may land to sample ancient lunar history.

2026-05-07T15:07:49.550844-07:00

New study ties the Moon’s South Pole–Aitken crater to a “decapitated” asteroid impact, refining a sample target for Artemis astr

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Space Exploration & Science Missions News

Voyager twin spacecraft reach very low power after nearly 50 years—NASA faces an end-of-mission cliff

Pentagon launches new UAP “UFO” file release, including ~30 videos and Apollo-era materials

Swift reboost mission completes environmental testing ahead of June launch for NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory

NASA JPL tests next-gen Mars helicopter rotor blades beyond Mach 1 in simulated Martian conditions

News Timeline