Deep Space Extra

Here is a list of news that were published in our Newsletter during the week of May 10, 2026:

Human Space Exploration

• Blue Origin’s lunar lander mockup is ready for NASA Artemis astronaut training
  Coalition Member in the News – Axiom Space;
• Will future missions to the Moon be sustainable? It may depend on whom you ask;
• Artemis II crewmates say space exploration depends on nations working together;
• Artemis III astronaut test flight will be ‘one of the most highly complex missions NASA has undertaken.’ These new details reveal why.
  Coalition Member in the News – Axiom Space;
• NASA bets big on nuclear engines to cut journey times to Mars;
• For a second time, poor weather scrubs Cargo Dragon mission launch to the space station;
• Poor weather causes NASA, SpaceX to scrub launch attempt of 34th Cargo Dragon mission to the space station
  Coalition Members in the News – Boeing, Northrop Grumman;
• After Gateway: the case for a middle power lunar consortium;
• See Artemis II’s amazing views of Earth in timelapse video taken from 12,000-photo drop;
• NASA retaining six-month ISS missions
  Coalition Members in the News – Boeing, Northrop Grumman;
• NASA’s Artemis III rocket is taking shape for 2027 launch to test lunar landers (photo);
• How NASA lunar scientists taught Artemis II astronauts to see the Moon with different eyes;
• SpaceX rocket launch from Florida for NASA to bring sonic boom today. What to know before liftoff;
• China focus: China launches Tianzhou-10 cargo craft to send space station supplies;
• NASA’s Artemis II astronauts saw flashes on the far side of the Moon that cameras struggle to capture. Here’s why scientists are excited.

Space Science

• NASA’s Perseverance rover is about to finish a marathon;
• Psyche spacecraft spies Mars ahead of May 15th gravitational assist;
• Uranus and Neptune could be full of rocks, new study suggests;
• James Webb Telescope reveals the universe’s hidden cosmic web in stunning detail;
• Astronomers may have found a record-breaking pair of black holes;
• Cannibal stars, AI and the Rubin Observatory could shed light on the mystery of dark energy;
• NASA’s Curiosity rover got its drill stuck on a rock. Here’s how they freed it;
• NASA’s Psyche probe is about to slingshot around Mars at 12,000 mph;
• New model finds the lower size limit for habitable exoplanets;
• Webb space telescope reveals rare planet pair that shouldn’t exist;
• NASA’s twin Voyager spacecraft are very low on power after nearly 50 years. How long can they keep going?;
• Tiny ‘metajets’ could use light to steer sails for interstellar travel;
• Rescue mission for NASA’s $500 million space telescope passes key testing milestone
  Coalition Member in the News – Northrop Grumman;

Other News

• What should you do if you meet an alien? Neil deGrasse Tyson offers a scientific perspective in ‘Take Me To Your Leader’ (interview);
• A ‘methalox comet’ over the USA;
• House appropriators reject deep cuts to NASA in FY2027;
• CBO estimates Golden Dome at $1.2 trillion, space-based interceptors biggest cost;
• SpaceX targets May 19 for debut of Starship Version 3, Launch Pad 2;
• Virgin Delta-class spaceplane begins production acceptance tests;
• Solar activity alert;
• FCC chair: Starlink isn’t enough. We need at least 3 satellite-to-phone services;
• Brian Hughes returns to NASA in charge of Kennedy and Wallops launch operations;

Major Space-Related Activities for the Week

• Congress is back in session, and on Wednesday at 11 a.m. EDT the full House Appropriations Committee is to markup the Commerce-Justice-Science appropriations measure that includes NASA’s budget request for the 2027 fiscal year that begins October 1, with virtual access to the hearing available;
• NASA’s 34th SpaceX Cargo Dragon mission to the seven-person ISS is planned for launch on Tuesday at 7:16 p.m. EDT with a docking on Thursday at 9:50 a.m. EDT and a pre-launch news briefing planned for Monday at 11 a.m. EDT. The news briefing, launch and docking are virtually assessable;
• Also, SpaceX is working toward the next test launch of its Super Heavy/Starship from south Texas possibly this week as part of the development of a NASA Human Landing System (HLS). As of the start of the week, a launch date for the 12th test flight of the Super Heavy/Starship elements had not been set.

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