Space Exploration & Science Missions News

NASA Spaceflight

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NASA’s Roman Space Telescope nears Aug. 30 launch after final integration and rehearsal milestones

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is entering the final phase of launch preparations at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center, following its June arrival. Teams have completed several integration and rehearsal milestones ahead of the scheduled Aug. 30 liftoff, bringing the observatory closer to operations designed to expand space-based astronomical research.

Associated Press

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China postpones Chang’e-7 lunar south-pole mission hours before launch

China has delayed the Chang’e-7 robotic mission, which is designed to explore the lunar south pole and search for water ice. The postponement came hours before the planned launch from Hainan, with reports citing stormy weather and a safety and reliability assessment; no new target date was announced.

Space.com

NASA selects 18 NIAC concepts, including a plan to send 10,000 femtosats to Saturn

NASA has selected 18 proposals for Innovative Advanced Concepts awards, funding early-stage research into unconventional spaceflight technologies. The concepts include a swarm of 10,000 tiny “femtosats” for Saturn, underscoring the agency’s effort to explore high-risk ideas that could shape future planetary missions.

Space.com

Japan unveils MMX spacecraft ahead of Oct. 19 Phobos sample-return launch

Japan has revealed the spacecraft for its Martian Moons eXploration mission, scheduled to launch Oct. 19. MMX will travel to Mars’ moon Phobos, collect surface material and return the samples to Earth, providing a closer look at one of the Red Planet’s enigmatic satellites.

NASA

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Artemis II crew to receive Congressional Space Medal of Honor from Trump on Aug. 28

President Donald Trump will present the Congressional Space Medal of Honor to Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen during an Aug. 28 ceremony at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The crew is the first to fly around the moon in more than 50 years.

SpaceWatch Global

JAXA Sets October Launch for MMX Martian Moons Sample-Return Mission

JAXA has set an October launch target for its Martian Moons eXploration mission, a sample-return effort focused on the Mars region. The schedule establishes a near-term milestone for Japan’s planetary exploration program and a mission designed to bring material from the Martian moons back to Earth.

SpaceNews.com

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China’s Chang’e-7 lunar ice-hunting mission set for Sunday launch

China is preparing to launch Chang’e-7 late Sunday on a complex, multi-spacecraft mission to study the lunar south pole and land nearby. The mission will search for evidence of water ice, a resource of significant interest in future lunar exploration and surface operations.

New York Times

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NASA and Katalyst Space Cancel LINK Mission to Reboost Swift Gamma-Ray Observatory

NASA and Katalyst Space have abandoned an attempt to dock with and raise the orbit of the aging Swift observatory after persistent attitude-control problems disabled the LINK servicing spacecraft. The decision ends a low-cost effort to extend Swift’s operational life and preserve its gamma-ray science mission.