Space News reports, “Astrolab’s first lunar rover will carry four NASA payloads on a mission planned to launch later this year. Astrolab announced May 18 that it had reached agreements with four NASA centers to fly payloads on its FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform, or FLIP, rover scheduled to launch on Astrobotic’s Griffin-1 lander late this year.”
Full Story (Space News)
Tag: Astronautics
SpaceX Sends 6,500 Pounds of Cargo and Science Equipment to Space Station
CBS News reports, “SpaceX launched an unpiloted Dragon cargo ship Friday loaded with 6,500 pounds of supplies and equipment bound for the International Space Station, including nearly a ton of research gear, samples and other material for some 50 different science investigations.”
Full Story (CBS News)
Video
SpaceX Falcon 9 launches NROL-172 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base. (Launch occurs at 30:26 mark)
VideoFromSpace: YouTube
Region V Student Conference Brings Together a Community to Share Ideas and Celebrate Innovation
From the Institute
From 26 to 27 March, the AIAA Region V Student Conference was held at Iowa State University. The conference included everything from engaging technical presentations to conversations with passionate high school and college students, and it was clear the future of aerospace is in incredibly capable hands. What stood out most was the community of students, faculty, and professionals all coming together to support one another, share ideas, and celebrate innovation.
AIAA SciTech Forum Call for Content Closes This Thursday
FROM THE INSTITUTE
The Call for Content closes Thursday, 21 May, 8 p.m. ET USA. Join the list of respected industry experts by presenting and publishing your research at the forum. You have 65+ topics to select from.
Virgin Galactic Nears Operational Return With Upgraded Spaceplane Fleet
Space News reports, “Virgin Galactic said May 14 it remains on track, technically and financially, to start commercial flights of its next-generation suborbital spaceplane before the end of the year. In a first-quarter earnings call, company executives said work on its first SpaceShip vehicle is on schedule, with the completed airframe recently moving from its assembly hangar to a testing hangar at its production facility near Phoenix.”
Full Story (Space News)
NASA Alters Artemis 3 Launch Vehicle Configuration
Space News reports, “NASA plans to fly the Space Launch System on Artemis 3 without an upper stage as the agency begins to define revised plans for the mission. NASA, in a May 13 update on Artemis 3, said the SLS will launch with an inert ‘spacer’ in place of the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage on the mission. The spacer, being built at Marshall Space Flight Center, will have the same dimensions and interfaces as the ICPS.”
Full Story (Space News)
Starship V3 and Launch Pad 2 Set for Debut Mission May 19
Spaceflight Now reports, “SpaceX is now targeting no earlier than Tuesday, May 19, for the long awaited debut of the third major iteration of its Starship-Super Heavy rocket.” The mission will test a host of changes made to both the launch vehicle and the launch infrastructure as SpaceX prepares to support the Artemis 3 mission.
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
SpaceX Launches New Wave of NRO Reconnaissance Satellites
Spaceflight Now reports, “The National Reconnaissance Office flew its 13th mission supporting an intelligence-gathering constellation it calls the “proliferated architecture” on Monday night. As with the first dozen missions, this batch of satellites (of an undisclosed quantity) flew to orbit on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The mission, dubbed NROL-172, launched from Space Launch Complex 4 East at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Liftoff happened at 7:13:50 p.m. PDT (10:13:50 p.m. EDT / 0213:50 UTC), nearly four hours after the opening of the window.”
Full Story (Spaceflight Now)
Video
SpaceX Falcon 9 launches NROL-172 mission from Vandenberg Space Force Base. (Launch occurs at 30:26 mark)
Spaceflight Now: YouTube
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BryceTech to Steer Investment and Innovation Conversation at ASCEND 2026
FROM THE INSTITUTE
When ASCEND 2026 convenes in Washington, D.C., 19-21 May, BryceTech will step into a new role: curating a dedicated two-day track that aims to connect investors, entrepreneurs, and other stakeholders across the commercial space ecosystem. “We set this up … with the theme of investment and innovators,” said Elaine Gresham, director of the Space Center of Excellence at BryceTech, explaining that 19 May is designated as Investors Day and 20 May as Innovators Day.
Starship V3 Booster Roars to Life in Major SpaceX Test
SPACE reports that SpaceX just took a big step toward its next Starship test flight, firing up all 33 engines of the vehicle’s Super Heavy on the pad in Texas.
Full Story (SPACE)