United States Archives

As Russia, India reach for Moon, NASA supporters work to stop budget cuts

As India and Russia race to land spacecraft on the Moon’s south pole, America’s space agency is staring down proposed budget cuts. India’s Chandrayaan-3 is poised to make a soft lunar landing, which would make the nation one of only four spacefaring powers to ever place a payload safely on the lunar surface.

ESA scientists: diamonds in the sky could signal early Supernova

There may be diamonds in the sky. The James Webb Space Telescope’s spectrometry gear identified carbon molecules in dust that formed during the universe’s infancy, but debate rages over just what they could be, the European Space Agency said in July.

How artificial intelligence in space will play key roles for the US Space Force

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will play key roles for the military, from helping humans parse through oceans of Earth observation data to maneuvering satellites as constellations grow ever larger, Space Force Lt. Gen. John Shaw predicted during an online discussion with America’s Future Series.

Spain signs up as 25th nation in Artemis pact

Officials from NASA and the U.S. State Department gathered in Madrid Tuesday as Science and Innovation Minister Diana Morant signed off for Spanish agreement to the Artemis Accords, marking the 25th nation to join the U.S.-led treaty to govern conduct in orbit and beyond.

U.S. budget proposals for 2024 would add $5 billion in space spending

Unclassified federal space spending would top $60 billion in 2024 under budgets proposed by the White House March 10, with an extra $5 billion planned for civil and military programs.

New congress names Space Committee leaders

With Republicans reclaiming a narrow majority in the U.S. House, leaders have spent January determining who will get gavels on the committees and subcommittees that set military and civil space policy and spending levels. In the Senate, Democrats kept control, leaving most of their top leaders o… Thank you for your interest in The Space…

International Space Station damage triggers apparent detente

A micrometeorite the width of a pencil tip sliced through a Soyuz spacecraft docked at the International Space Station at nearly 16,000 mph, wrecking a radiator for the spacecraft’s computers and delaying the return of three astronauts in orbit by months, officials from NASA and Russian space agency Roscosmos said during a rare joint news conference Wednesday.

New Leader Takes Space Force Helm as Dangers in Orbit Loom

Pentagon leaders emphasized the growing importance of missions in orbit Wednesday as they welcomed the second general to command the Space Force. The new chief of space operations, Gen. Chance Saltzman, pledged to get his young service ready for war.

November Space Council Meetings Could Shape Commercial Regulations

The National Space Council asked for comment on new commercial space systems and how the commercial space sector could be regulated during a pair of online meetings set for November. The council wants input from industry and the public. The move is part of a Biden Administration push to deal with issues including crowded orbits and the safety of space tourists.

U.S. Defense Strategy Document Pledges Commercial Space Protection

In a first-of-its-kind shift in stated strategy, the Biden Administration pledged, in a document that outlines Pentagon plans, to protect growing American commercial interests in space while advancing military space capabilities and international cooperation in orbit. Military space has returned to the spotlight in recent years after a slump that accompanied the end of the Cold War.