Civil
Stories about US and international civil space missions, including those led by NASA and ESA.
NASA Awards LTV, Lunar Transport Contracts
“For those waiting patiently, the grand return is close at hand,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said during a press conference at NASA HQ.
Better Moon-Tech Tops NASA Stakeholder Wishlist
Two years ago, NASA asked the space community what technical challenges are giving people the biggest headaches to help NASA prioritize its space tech investments.
ESA Approves Two Scout Science Missions
Europe is on a mission to prove that groundbreaking science can be done on the cheap.
NASA-Funded Research May Create Chinese Security Risk, Report Says
NASA has potentially funded or supported hundreds of scientific collaborations since 2015 that might involve Chinese researchers, a new Congressional report says.
NASA Lays Out Preliminary Artemis III Mission Plan
Artemis III, expected to fly in 2027, will bring astronauts to LEO to test capabilities that will be necessary for the planned Moon landing in 2028.
Isaacman Continues to Defend Budget Cuts to Congress
The hearing also gave Isaacman a chance to provide more detail on the agency’s top objective: accelerate the US return to the Moon.
Lawmakers Promise to Reject Proposed NASA Cuts—Again
“I simply do not believe that this budget proposal is capable of supporting what President [Donald] Trump himself has directed the agency to accomplish,” Babin said.
Axiom Space’s Suit Set to Fly in 2027
“From a production standpoint, we’re putting together the first qualification suit,” Michael López-Alegría, the company’s chief astronaut, told Payload. “That continues regardless of what they say.”
Voyager Technologies Wins Its First Private ISS Mission
Axiom Space was the only provider for the first five PAMs awarded by NASA, but new players have entered the competition in 2026.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman On Artemis, Budget, And Establishing a Lasting Space Vision
“There’s a lot of passionate people out here. They can do incredible things from a scientific perspective,” Isaacman told Payload. “I don’t know how many of them have ever pulled together a financial model, and driven execution on some of these things, to say what should or shouldn’t be the right budget.”
CLD Companies Say NASA Is Wrong. NASA Says Prove It.
“I’m not surprised that CLD providers didn’t like what we had to say,” Isaacman told Payload on the sidelines of the Space Symposium. “So, prove we got it wrong.”
White House Requests $18.8B FY27 Budget for NASA
The budget proposal includes the same top line as the administration’s fiscal 2026 request, and would make similar cuts to NASA’s science and STEM missions.
CLPS Companies Excited For NASA’s ‘Opportunity Bomb’ Lunar Plan
Last week, NASA laid out a vision for a lunar base that’s built and supplied through monthly uncrewed lunar landings, with launches beginning as soon as next year.It’s no surprise that CLPS companies are raring to go.
