Space Exploration & Science Missions News

Bloomberg

ispace pivots to “Lunar Access Integrator,” offering unified lunar integration and transport on SpaceX’s Starship

Japan’s ispace says it will add a new lunar integration and transportation service using SpaceX Starship, moving beyond payload delivery into a broader role as a “Lunar Access Integrator.” The company also positions the service alongside its existing lunar transportation offerings using its ULTRA lunar lander modules.

4 Sources

2026-07-08T21:16:51.845441-07:00

Space.com

NASA funds Firefly Aerospace to design and manufacture Skyfall Mars helicopter aeroshell

1 Source

2026-07-08T13:13:51.290119-07:00

Associated Press

Artemis II astronauts return to Kennedy Space Center, reunite with Integrity capsule after record lunar flyby

4 Sources

2026-07-08T12:45:37.348989-07:00

Universe Today

ESA’s Euclid Telescope finds 31 record-breaking ancient quasars, probing early galaxy formation

3 Sources

2026-07-08T12:14:48.490719-07:00

Space Exploration & Science Missions News Timeline

Universe Today

2 sources

Spaceflight stress may drive “accelerated aging” in the liver—UCF study links deep-space conditions to aging-like molecular chan Researchers at the University of Central Florida report that the combined stresses of spaceflight—radiation and weightlessness—can produce liver changes that resemble accelerated aging. The study also found matching genetic “fingerprints” in real astronaut blood samples, suggesting deep-space biology leaves consistent, measurable signatures.

2026-07-08T22:53:27.928231-07:00

Spaceflight stress may drive “accelerated aging” in the liver—UCF study links deep-space conditions to aging-like molecular chan

Bloomberg

4 sources

ispace pivots to “Lunar Access Integrator,” offering unified lunar integration and transport on SpaceX’s Starship Japan’s ispace says it will add a new lunar integration and transportation service using SpaceX Starship, moving beyond payload delivery into a broader role as a “Lunar Access Integrator.” The company also positions the service alongside its existing lunar transportation offerings using its ULTRA lunar lander modules.

2026-07-08T21:16:51.845441-07:00

ispace pivots to “Lunar Access Integrator,” offering unified lunar integration and transport on SpaceX’s Starship

Universe Today

1 source

Japan tests low-power nitrogen-from-air device that enables rice growth in simulated lunar soil Researchers in Japan built a low-power device that pulls nitrogen from the air and converts it into fertiliser. In experiments using simulated lunar soil, the team then successfully grew rice—an early step toward producing food and managing inputs for future lunar missions.

2026-07-08T17:01:32.078720-07:00

Japan tests low-power nitrogen-from-air device that enables rice growth in simulated lunar soil

Space.com

1 source

NASA funds Firefly Aerospace to design and manufacture Skyfall Mars helicopter aeroshell NASA is funding Firefly Aerospace to design and manufacture the protective aeroshell for the Skyfall spacecraft’s descent stage, which will shield the Mars helicopter as it plunges through the Martian atmosphere. The award marks a key hardware step for the nuclear-powered Mars mission as system design and build progress.

2026-07-08T13:13:51.290119-07:00

NASA funds Firefly Aerospace to design and manufacture Skyfall Mars helicopter aeroshell

Associated Press

4 sources

Artemis II astronauts return to Kennedy Space Center, reunite with Integrity capsule after record lunar flyby NASA’s Artemis II crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, alongside CSA’s Jeremy Hansen—has returned to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the first time since their historic, record-setting 10-day mission around the moon. The astronauts reunited with their capsule and the launch team more than three months after splashdown.

2026-07-08T12:45:37.348989-07:00

Artemis II astronauts return to Kennedy Space Center, reunite with Integrity capsule after record lunar flyby

Universe Today

3 sources

ESA’s Euclid Telescope finds 31 record-breaking ancient quasars, probing early galaxy formation ESA’s Euclid space telescope has spotted 31 ancient quasars—among the oldest and most remote objects observed—using their redshifted light to peer into the dawn of the Universe. The findings include the earliest quasars ever identified and add new constraints on how the first galaxies formed and evolved.

2026-07-08T12:14:48.490719-07:00

ESA’s Euclid Telescope finds 31 record-breaking ancient quasars, probing early galaxy formation

Bloomberg

1 source

NASA considers sending a test version of its Mars rover to the Moon to validate hardware reuse for a future lunar base NASA is weighing a plan to fly a test version of its Mars rovers to the lunar surface as part of efforts to reuse existing hardware for a moon base. The proposal has drawn criticism from some stakeholders, raising questions about the approach and priorities for lunar exploration.

2026-07-08T08:19:46.591417-07:00

NASA considers sending a test version of its Mars rover to the Moon to validate hardware reuse for a future lunar base

Reuters

4 sources

ispace launches lower-cost lunar cargo service with SpaceX Starship and its moon lander Japanese lunar logistics provider ispace says it will begin a new, lower-cost lunar cargo business using SpaceX’s Starship Heavy rocket and a moon lander developed by SpaceX. The offering positions ispace to deliver a “ride-share” model for lunar shipments via Starship’s heavy-lift capacity.

2026-07-08T00:59:57.310429-07:00

ispace launches lower-cost lunar cargo service with SpaceX Starship and its moon lander

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