President Donald J. Trump issued the National Space Policy Wednesday. Through this policy, the president reaffirms his commitment to move space exploration goals beyond low-Earth orbit and return humans to the Moon for long-term exploration and utilization, followed by human missions to Mars and other destinations. “The National Space Policy reflects bold leadership in this resurgent era of…
Read More
Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich, a joint U.S.-European satellite built to measure global sea surface height, has sent back its first measurements of sea level. The data provide information on sea surface height, wave height, and wind speed off the southern tip of Africa. “We’re excited for Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich to begin its critical work studying sea level and helping…
Read More
NASA’s Science Mission Directorate has awarded prize funding of $100,000 each to six entrepreneurial startup companies under its pilot Entrepreneur’s Challengeprogram for concepts ranging from machine learning to enable exploration and other technologies to new ways to build instruments to study the universe. NASA partnered with Starburst, the global aerospace hub, to jointly launch a pilot program to engage…
Read More
The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine on the passing of Gen. Chuck Yeager: Today’s passing of Gen. Chuck Yeager is a tremendous loss to our nation. Gen. Yeager’s pioneering and innovative spirit advanced America’s abilities in the sky and set our nation’s dreams soaring into the jet age and the space age. He said, ‘You…
Read More
The latest SpaceX Dragon resupply spacecraft is on its way to the International Space Station with more than 6,400 pounds of science investigations, a new airlock, and other cargo after launching at 11:17 a.m. EST Sunday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft launched on a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy and is scheduled…
Read More
NASA has received an unmodified audit opinion on its Fiscal Year 2020 financial statements, marking the 10th consecutive “clean” opinion from an external auditor – the highest opinion that may be received. The auditor’s unmodified opinion is that NASA’s financial statements fairly present the agency’s financial position and results of operations. “Our prudent management of taxpayer resources, and…
Read More
NASA’s Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, Security, Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission has successfully stowed the spacecraft’s Sample Return Capsule (SRC) and its abundant sample of asteroid Bennu. On Wednesday, Oct. 28, the mission team sent commands to the spacecraft, instructing it to close the capsule – marking the end of one of the most challenging phases of the…
Read More
Two days after touching down on asteroid Bennu, NASA’s OSIRIS-REx mission team received on Thursday, Oct. 22, images that confirm the spacecraft has collected more than enough material to meet one of its main mission requirements – acquiring at least 2 ounces (60 grams) of the asteroid’s surface material. The spacecraft captured images of the sample collector head as it moved…
Read More
It will probably be another 100,000 years until the giant red star Betelgeuse dies in a fiery explosion, according to a new study by an international team of researchers. This is based on a study from The Australian National University (ANU), led by Dr Meridith Joyce. The research not only gives Betelgeuse a new lease on life, but shows it is both smaller and closer to Earth than…
Read More
SpaceX is targeting Thursday, October 22 at 12:14 p.m. EDT, 16:14 UTC, for its fifteenth Starlink mission, which will launch 60 Starlink satellites to orbit. Falcon 9 will lift off from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. There is a backup opportunity available on Friday, October 23 at 11:53 a.m. EDT, 15:53 UTC. Falcon 9’s…
Read More