Tag: NASA

NASA’s Giant Moon Rocket Rolls Out for Artemis II

The New York Times reports, “On Saturday morning, a mammoth crawler began transporting the Space Launch System vehicle, the Orion capsule and the launch tower — 14 million pounds altogether — from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launchpad 4.2 miles away. It reached the launchpad at 6:42 p.m. Eastern. Now, final preparations will begin — hooking up connections for electrical power and propellants and performing checks of key systems. That will lead up to a dress rehearsal of the countdown in early February.”
Full Story (New York Times – Subscription Publication)

Quantum Cameras Poised to Transform Space-Based Intelligence

Defense One reports, “Can quantum physics enable better, cheaper, faster satellite photos? In a month or two, a startup will test a ‘quantum camera’ for space-based imaging. If it works, it could slash the cost of missile defenses and give smaller NATO allies and partners spy-satellite capabilities that were once exclusive to major powers. Funded in part by NASA and DARPA, the Boston-based Diffraqtion is testing a radically different way to make images from photons.”
Full Story (Defense One)

NASA Cuts ISS Crew Mission Short Over Astronaut Health Concern in Unprecedented Move

The Washington Post reports, “For the first time in the International Space Station’s history, NASA said it was cutting short a crew mission after an astronaut “experienced a medical situation.” “It’s in the best interests of our astronauts to return Crew-11 ahead of their planned departure,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told reporters at a news conference Thursday, without naming the astronaut or specifying what the problem was.”
Full Story (Washington Post)

NASA Readies Artemis 2 Rocket for Rollout Ahead of Historic Crewed Lunar Mission

SPACE reports, “NASA said Friday that it plans to return the Crew 11 to Earth next week, just one day after announcing that a crew member had suffered a medical issue that would require the crew to shorten its trip to the International Space Station. According to NASA, Crew 11 is targeting a departure from the space station aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endeavour capsule ‘no earlier’ than 5 p.m. Eastern Time on Jan. 14, with a splash down off the coast of California at about 3:40 a.m. Eastern Time on Jan. 15.”
Full Story (CBS News)

NASA Plans Early Return for Four ISS Crew Members After Medical Incident

Ars Technica reports, “NASA officials said Thursday they have decided to bring home four of the seven crew members on the International Space Station after one of them experienced a ‘medical situation’ earlier this week. The space agency has said little about the incident, and officials have not identified which crew member suffered the medical issue. James ‘JD’ Polk, NASA’s chief health and medical officer, told reporters Thursday the crew member is ‘absolutely stable’ but that the agency is ‘erring on the side of caution’ with the decision to return the astronaut to Earth.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)

AIAA Congratulates Jared Isaacman as NASA Administrator

FROM THE INSTITUTE
Jared Isaacman was confirmed as NASA Administrator on 17 December 2025. “Congratulations to Jared Isaacman on his confirmation as NASA’s 15th administrator. His leadership comes at a pivotal time for the agency as it advances ambitious exploration goals, strengthens partnerships across government and industry, and delivers scientific and technological value for the nation.”

SpaceX Pulls Off Dual-Coast Starlink Launch Doubleheader

SpaceX launched two Falcon 9 rockets Wednesday, each carrying Starlink satellites, one from Kennedy Space Center in Florida and another from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. As SPACE reports, “First up was a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 29 of the broadband internet relay units (Group 6-99) into low Earth orbit from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The satellites were successfully deployed about an hour and five minutes after the 8:42 a.m. EST (1342 GMT) liftoff … Then came 27 more Starlink satellites (Group 15-13), riding atop a Falcon 9 rocket launched from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. Lifting off at 10:27 a.m. EST”
Full Story (SPACE – videos)

Rocket Lab Readies Electron for Space Force–NASA DiskSat Test Flight

Space News reports, “A U.S. Space Force and NASA experiment is set to launch later this week to test a new small-satellite architecture designed for operations in very low Earth orbit. Four flat, disk-shaped satellites known as DiskSats are scheduled to launch no earlier than 12:00 a.m. Eastern on Dec. 18 aboard a Rocket Lab Electron rocket from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at Wallops Island, Virginia. The mission, designated STP-S30, was accelerated from an initial target of spring 2026.”
Full Story (Space News)

A Half Century of Deep Space Exploration Is Just the Beginning

FROM THE INSTITUTE
For 50 years, Lockheed Martin and NASA have collaborated to advance understanding of the solar system, designing, building, and operating the spacecraft and instruments that transformed planetary science into precise, data‐driven exploration. During the “50 Years of Deep Space Exploration” session at the HUB during AIAA AVIATION Forum and ASCEND in July, Whitley Poyser, Lockheed Martin’s Director of Deep Space Exploration Mission Segment, traced this partnership from its origins in 1975 through today’s ambitious missions – and offered a glimpse of what lies ahead.
Full Story (Aerospace America)