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Ars Technica • Stephen Clark

NASA commits to SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch for ESA’s Rosalind Franklin Mars rover in 2028

NASA has confirmed its support for ESA’s Rosalind Franklin (ExoMars) mission, selecting SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy to launch the European Mars rover in 2028. The decision formalizes a key transatlantic roles mix—NASA backing the mission and SpaceX providing the class-leading heavy-lift ride—after years of program uncertainty.

2026-04-16T20:29:50.516542-07:00

Space.com

Artemis II Orion heat shield “aces” lunar reentry after Integrity splashdown

2026-04-17T06:14:26.590771-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Shenzhou-21 extends by a month as crew completes EVA-3 for Tiangong debris protection and inspection

2026-04-17T11:21:17.449783-07:00

European Spaceflight

CIRA confirms Space Rider reentry heat-shield can withstand thermal loads even when damaged

2026-04-16T08:12:30.375012-07:00

News Timeline

SpaceNews.com

Shenzhou-21 extends by a month as crew completes EVA-3 for Tiangong debris protection and inspection China’s Shenzhou-21 astronauts—Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang—have completed their third spacewalk outside the Tiangong space station. The mission is being extended by about a month, with the EVA focused on installing debris-protection hardware and inspecting the orbital outpost.

2026-04-17T11:21:17.449783-07:00

Shenzhou-21 extends by a month as crew completes EVA-3 for Tiangong debris protection and inspection

Space.com

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Artemis II Orion heat shield “aces” lunar reentry after Integrity splashdown NASA reports that the Orion “Integrity” heat shield performed “wonderfully” during Artemis II’s lunar return, meeting or exceeding expectations despite extreme reentry conditions (~2,800°C and ~40,000 km/h). Crew inspections shortly after splashdown found the shield in better-than-expected condition, supporting mission readiness for subsequent Artemis flights.

2026-04-17T06:14:26.590771-07:00

Artemis II Orion heat shield “aces” lunar reentry after Integrity splashdown

Space.com

New manufacturing method makes realistic lunar-soil simulant for faster rover resilience testing A new manufacturing technology could make it easier to produce realistic lunar-soil materials for testing rover durability and mobility. By improving how closely ground tests replicate lunar regolith, the approach aims to shorten validation cycles for hardware intended to operate on the Moon’s surface.

2026-04-17T02:08:49.240642-07:00

New manufacturing method makes realistic lunar-soil simulant for faster rover resilience testing

Space.com

Golden Spike teams with Honeybee Robotics to build unmanned lunar sample-collection rovers Golden Spike says it has partnered with Honeybee Robotics to design unmanned rovers for scientific sample collection tied to its planned commercial lunar missions. The approach targets how automated surface systems gather and return lunar materials as part of a broader commercial exploration strategy.

2026-04-17T01:52:46.857071-07:00

Golden Spike teams with Honeybee Robotics to build unmanned lunar sample-collection rovers

Ars Technica

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NASA commits to SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch for ESA’s Rosalind Franklin Mars rover in 2028 NASA has confirmed its support for ESA’s Rosalind Franklin (ExoMars) mission, selecting SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy to launch the European Mars rover in 2028. The decision formalizes a key transatlantic roles mix—NASA backing the mission and SpaceX providing the class-leading heavy-lift ride—after years of program uncertainty.

2026-04-16T20:29:50.516542-07:00

NASA commits to SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch for ESA’s Rosalind Franklin Mars rover in 2028

Universe Today

NASA-led plan to test lunar material flammability—challenging Earth-based fire screening standard NASA Glenn and Johnson Space Center researchers, with Case Western Reserve University, are outlining a mission to test how materials burn on the Moon’s surface. The work targets limits of the long-used NASA-STD-6001B Earth-based flammability screening, where flame behavior may differ in lunar environments.

2026-04-16T09:55:09.878107-07:00

NASA-led plan to test lunar material flammability—challenging Earth-based fire screening standard

SpaceNews.com

How space weather forecasting keeps astronauts (and satellites) safe

2026-04-16T09:33:19.032073-07:00

How space weather forecasting

SpaceNews.com

NASA seeks commercial and exploration partnerships to enable next-generation Earth science missions NASA is pursuing new Earth science mission concepts with “commercial” and “exploration” linkages, signaling an intent to integrate externally sourced capabilities and cross-mission technology needs. The approach reframes how Earth observation payloads and supporting services may be procured and delivered.

2026-04-16T09:24:52.550685-07:00

NASA seeks commercial and exploration partnerships to enable next-generation Earth science missions

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Space Exploration & Science Missions News

NASA commits to SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch for ESA’s Rosalind Franklin Mars rover in 2028

Artemis II Orion heat shield “aces” lunar reentry after Integrity splashdown

Shenzhou-21 extends by a month as crew completes EVA-3 for Tiangong debris protection and inspection

CIRA confirms Space Rider reentry heat-shield can withstand thermal loads even when damaged

News Timeline