Latest articles by Jeff Foust
National Space Council Seeks Urgency in NASA Exploration Plans
The National Space Council will likely press NASA at its upcoming meeting to speed up its plans to return humans to the moon.
Engineers Still Studying Problem with InSight Heat Flow Probe
Engineers are still trying to understand why one of the main instruments on NASA's InSight Mars lander is stuck just below the Martian surface.
SpaceX Preparing to Begin Starship Hopper Tests
SpaceX could begin initial tests of a prototype of the company’s next-generation Starship vehicle as soon as this week, Elon Musk says.
Rocket Lab Launch of DARPA Satellite Slips
Rocket Lab's first launch of the year has been pushed back to the second half of March because of the delayed arrival of its payload, an experimental military satellite.
Exos Aerospace Reflies Suborbital Rocket
Exos Aerospace flew its SARGE reusable sounding rocket for the second time March 2, but winds kept the rocket from achieving its planned altitude.
NASA Reassessing Date for First SLS Megarocket Launch
The director of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center said March 5 that the agency is "reassessing" the 2020 launch date for the first flight of its Space Launch System.
NASA to Replace Instrument on Europa Clipper Mission to Jupiter
NASA has removed an instrument previously selected for the Europa Clipper mission, citing cost growth, but will seek ways to replace it with a less complex design.
Pegasus Rocket Woes Continue to Delay NASA's ICON Mission
A persistent problem with a Pegasus rocket will keep a long-delayed NASA space science mission on the ground until at least this spring.
Shutdown to Delay First Element of NASA's Lunar Gateway
A five-week partial government shutdown could delay the launch of the first element of NASA's orbiting lunar outpost by as much as three months.
NASA Selects Space Weather Experiment for International Space Station
NASA has selected a space weather experiment to fly to the International Space Station as the agency's heliophysics program seeks to strike a balance between large and small missions.
Senate Bill Seeks Extension of the Space Station
A bill introduced by a bipartisan pair of senators Feb. 27 would authorize an extension of the International Space Station to 2030 and also make permanent human settlement of space a national goal.
NASA Unlikely to Return Mars Samples in the 2020s
Despite a new emphasis on a streamlined, "lean' sample return architecture, it's unlikely that suite of missions will be able to return Martian samples to the Earth before the end of the 2020s.
Companies Skeptical Commercial Lunar Landers Can Fly NASA Payloads This Year
As NASA selects payloads it plans to fly on commercial lunar landers, companies developing those spacecraft are skeptical any landers will be ready to fly this year, as the agency desires.
Firefly to Establish Rocket Factory and Launch Site in Florida
Firefly Aerospace announced agreements with state and federal agencies Feb. 22 to build a new factory for producing and launching its rockets from Florida's Space Coast.
Final Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Bill Secures $21.5 Billion for NASA
An appropriation bill signed into law Feb. 15 gives NASA $21.5 billion for fiscal year 2019, $1.6 billion above the administration's original request.
SpaceX Protests NASA Launch Contract Award
SpaceX has filed a protest over the award of a launch contract to United Launch Alliance for a NASA planetary science mission, claiming it could carry out the mission for significantly less money.
Mars One Company Goes Bankrupt
The company that was to finance Mars One has been liquidated, dealing a severe setback to the venture’s quixotic goals of one-way human missions to Mars.
NASA Center Director Nominated to Lead National Reconnaissance Office
The White House has nominated a longtime NASA center director and former acting administrator to be the next director of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO).
