Deep Space Extra

Here is a list of news that were published in our Newsletter during the week of Mar 8, 2026:

Human Space Exploration

• Northrop Grumman’s 1st ‘Cygnus XL’ cargo spacecraft departs the space station
  Coalition Member in the News – Northrop Grumman;
• NASA now targeting April 1 for Artemis II’s launch around the Moon
  Coalition Member in the News – Lockheed Martin;
• SpaceX is ‘about 4 weeks’ away from launching its most powerful Starship yet, Elon Musk says;
• NASA IG applauds NASA contracting for Artemis HLS, raises concerns about crew safety;
• New Roscosmos-NASA leadership meeting planned for 2026 Roscosmos CEO;
• China’s 1st Moon astronauts could land in Rimae Bode, a ‘geological museum’ on the lunar nearside;
• Congress wants the International Space Station to keep flying until 2032. Here’s why
  Coalition Member in the News – Axiom Space;
• Japan’s 1st HTV-X cargo craft leaves the International Space Station (photo)
  Coalition Member in the News – Northrop Grumman;
• NASA contract confirms selection of ULA’s Centaur 5 as new upper stage for the SLS rocket
  Coalition Member in the News – Boeing;

Space Science

• NASA project leader blames next-generation X-ray telescope cancellation on agency mismanagement;
• The early universe was hot, dense, and soupy;
• Astronomers collect rare evidence of two planets colliding;
• Researchers create a nanoengineered light sail that won’t melt;
• NASA’s DART planetary defense mission reveals asteroids hurling ‘cosmic snowballs’ at each other;
• Astronomers capture birth of a magnetar, confirming link to some of universe’s brightest exploding stars;
• The Moon was hit again: NASA scientists discover a newly formed crater;
• Astrophysicists trace the origin of valuable metals in space, from colliding stars to merging galaxies;
• NASA administrator talks to Science about studying the Moon, Mars and Earth;
• An interstellar comet packed with alcohol? What ALMA found in 3I/ATLAS;
• Chinese scientists map chemical composition of the Moon’s far side using AI model;
• Where are all the aliens? Maybe space weather is scrambling their transmissions;
• Astronomers produce the largest image ever taken of the heart of the Milky Way;
• NASA’s DART mission did more than just nudge an asteroid, study says;

Other News

• Amid crowded skies, FAA kills rule aimed at regulating space junk
  Coalition Members in the News – Boeing, Lockheed Martin;
• Senate Committee advances NASA deputy administrator nominee;
• PI Day geomagnetic storm watch;
• Old NASA science satellite plunges back to Earth;
• Firefly Aerospace’s Alpha rocket reaches orbit on 1st launch since explosive accidents last year (video)
  Coalition Member in the News – Lockheed Martin;
• SpaceX is ‘about 4 weeks’ away from launching its most powerful Starship yet, Elon Musk says;
• Incoming! 1,300-pound NASA satellite will crash to Earth on March 10;
• Future spacecraft could fix their own damage using ‘self-healing’ materials;
• Blue Origin is expanding its Space Coast footprint;

Major Space-Related Activities for the Week

• The Senate Commerce Committee is scheduled to meet Thursday at 10 a.m. EDT, to vote on the president’s nomination of Matthew Anderson to become NASA’s deputy administrator, or second in charge of the agency. His March 5 hearing before the Commerce Committee proceeded smoothly with bipartisan support to proceed towards the vote.
• On Tuesday, Florida International University’s (FIU’s) Washington office plans a 12:30 p.m. EDT, fireside chat, virtual and in-person, with Laura Delgado López to discuss her recent report comparing space security perspectives of key space nations in Latin America with those of the U.S.
• The American Astronautical Society’s annual Goddard Space Science Symposium meets Thursday-Friday at the National Housing Center in Washington, followed by the Goddard Memorial Dinner, or “Space Prom.” Topics include future human exploration of the Moon and Mars and standing up commercial orbital space stations.
• At 7 a.m. EDT, Thursday, Northrop Grumman’s MS-23, or 23rd resupply mission to the ISS is to depart while filled with trash for a destructive re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere on Friday.
• The Senate is in session this week, the House is recessed except for pro forma sessions.

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter:
Don’t miss the latest developments in space policy, science, and exploration with Deep Space Extra, delivered directly to your inbox from Monday to Friday.