Deep Space Extra

Here is a list of news that were published in our Newsletter during the week of Jan 26, 2026:

Human Space Exploration

• NASA readies unique science experiments and tech demonstrations for Artemis II crew;
• NASA and SpaceX move up launch of Crew-12 astronauts to Feb. 11 as relief crew after ISS medical evacuation;
• How Artemis II will fly around the Moon;
• NASA’s upcoming mission is offering to ‘send your name around the Moon’;
• NASA launches Mars to table challenge to build Earth-independent food systems for deep space;
• Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal targets January 31 for SLS fueling test;
• 40 years after the space shuttle Challenger disaster, spaceflight remains far from routine
  Coalition Member in the News – Boeing;
• NASA’s Artemis II crewed mission to the Moon shows how U.S. space strategy has changed since Apollo and contrasts with China’s closed program;
• Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal as early as January 31
  Coalition Members in the News – Aerojet Rocketdyne, Amentum, Boeing, L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman;
• Artemis II astronauts enter quarantine ahead of historic NASA Moon launch;
• After half a century, NASA stands ready to send people back to the Moon;

Space Science

• NASA’s Juno spacecraft spots the largest volcanic eruption ever seen on Jupiter’s moon Io;
• NASA’s Juno spacecraft measures thickness of Europa’s ice shell;
• Goodbye Goldilocks: Scientists may have to look beyond habitable zones to find alien life;
• Biofilms may have sparked life on Earth and could sustain it in space;
• NASA seeks partners for Earth Science extended missions;
• New lunar regolith analysis challenges meteorite-water theory;
• The best map of dark matter has revealed never-before-seen structures;
• Help defend Earth from asteroids with your Unistellar telescope;
• Investigating the star that almost vanished for eight months;
• Dark energy survey scientists release analysis of all six years of survey data;
• Sinking ice on Jupiter’s moon Europa may be slowly feeding its ocean the ingredients for life;

Other News

• Launch pads struggle to keep pace with expanding industry
  Coalition Members in the News – Boeing, Lockheed Martin;
• NASA considering alternatives for Gateway logistics;
• Europe needs space spending to rise to 33% of U.S. levels: ESA boss;
• China’s humanoid robot connects to satellite in pioneering trial;
• Shuttle Challenger remembered at 40th anniversary of NASA disaster;
• Golden Dome is forcing the Pentagon to confront missile defense economics
  Coalition Members in the News – L3Harris, Lockheed Martin;
• NASA welcomes Oman as newest Artemis Accords signatory
• Florida State University researcher provides new insight into economic outcomes of the U.S. space race;
• Vandenberg announces new strategic plan;
• Rocket Lab’s new Neutron rocket suffers fuel tank rupture during test;

Major Space-Related Activities for the Week

• Wednesday marks the 40th anniversary of the shuttle Challenger tragedy that claimed the lives of seven crew, including Teacher in Space Christa McAuliffe and Hughes Aircraft payload specialist Greg Jarvis. The anniversary follows last week’s Day of Remembrance, NASA’s annual tribute to those that lost their lives in the 1967 Apollo 1 fire and 1986 and 2003 shuttle Challenger and Columbia tragedies.
• Friday marks the end of the current budget continuing resolution for the 2026 fiscal year that began October 1 without a fully appropriated federal budget. However, on Friday President Trump signed legislation that funds Commerce, Science and Justice activities for 2026 that includes NASA and NOAA. The Senate is in session this week starting Tuesday, but the House is not, except for pro forma sessions.
• The Commercial Space Week gathering, hosted in Orlando, Florida includes Tuesday’s Global Spaceport Alliance Spaceport Summit, Wednesday’s Space Mobility Conference and the Thursday/Friday SpaceCom/Space Congress conference.
• On Friday, NASA is hosting a Crew-12 mission overview and astronauts/cosmonaut pre-launch news briefings at 11 a.m. ET and 1 p.m. ET. The four Crew-12 members are preparing for launch to the ISS on February 15, perhaps sooner. They will replace the Crew-11 foursome that made an expedited return to Earth from the ISS earlier this month due to a health concern. NASA will provide virtual access to the briefings.

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