Ars Technica (Space)
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Tech media outlet providing authoritative coverage of spaceflight technology and the commercial space industry.
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News•Feb 27, 2026
NASA Shakes up Its Artemis Program to Speed up Lunar Return
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced a sweeping overhaul of the Artemis program, cancelling the costly Exploration Upper Stage and standardizing the Space Launch System (SLS) configuration. Artemis III will now serve as a crew‑transfer mission, while Artemis IV becomes the first lunar landing, targeted for 2028 with an annual launch cadence beginning mid‑2027. The agency is accelerating partnerships with SpaceX and Blue Origin to field commercial landers, aiming to match historic Apollo launch rates and counter rising Chinese competition.
By Ars Technica (Space)
News•Feb 27, 2026
NASA Shakes up Its Artemis Program to Speed up Lunar Return
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced a sweeping overhaul of the Artemis program, cancelling the costly Exploration Upper Stage and standardizing the SLS rocket configuration. Artemis III will now perform an Earth‑orbit rendezvous with commercial landers instead of a lunar landing,...
By Ars Technica (Space)
News•Feb 14, 2026
NASA Has a New Problem to Fix Before the Next Artemis II Countdown Test
NASA is confronting a recurring hydrogen fuel leak on the Space Launch System ahead of Artemis II’s second countdown rehearsal. Technicians replaced seals on the Tail Service Mast Umbilicals, but a confidence test revealed reduced flow, prompting a filter swap before...
By Ars Technica (Space)
News•Jan 30, 2026
NASA Faces a Crucial Choice on a Mars Spacecraft—And It Must Decide Soon
NASA faces a deadline to award a $700 million Mars Telecommunications Orbiter (MTO) by the end of fiscal year 2026, aiming for a launch in the 2028 window. The congressional mandate ties the contract to companies that received 2024‑25 design‑study funding...
By Ars Technica (Space)
News•Jan 29, 2026
Do You Have Ideas About How to Improve America's Space Program?
The Space Ideation Challenge, launched by U.S. academic and defense leaders, offers a $125,000 prize pool to surface fresh concepts for America’s space program. It arrives as China’s capabilities close the gap with the United States and commercial firms like...
By Ars Technica (Space)
News•Jan 28, 2026
I Bought "Remove Before Flight" Tags on eBay in 2010—It Turns Out They're From Challenger
On the 40th anniversary of the Challenger disaster, the author uncovered that a lot of bright‑red “Remove Before Flight” tags purchased on eBay in 2010 were originally affixed to external tank ET‑26 for the STS‑51L mission. The tags bear “ET‑26”...
By Ars Technica (Space)
News•Jan 27, 2026
A WB-57 Pilot Just Made a Heroic Landing in Houston After Its Landing Gear Failed
NASA’s three‑engine WB‑57 research aircraft performed a gear‑up emergency landing at Ellington Field in Houston on Tuesday. The pilot kept the plane on the runway, allowing it to decelerate via friction, and the crew emerged unharmed. The WB‑57, a legacy...
By Ars Technica (Space)
News•Jan 22, 2026
All Sorts of Interesting Flags and Artifacts Will Fly to the Moon on Artemis II
NASA unveiled the Artemis II Official Flight Kit, a duffel‑bag‑sized collection of more than 2,300 items that will travel aboard the Orion spacecraft on the first crewed lunar flyby in over five decades. The kit blends historic relics—such as the “Legacy...
By Ars Technica (Space)
News•Jan 17, 2026
Managers on Alert for “Launch Fever” As Pressure Builds for NASA’s Moon Mission
NASA’s Artemis II crew‑flight is set to roll out from the Vehicle Assembly Building on Saturday, beginning an eight‑to‑ten‑hour crawl to Launch Complex 39B. The mission will carry four astronauts around the Moon, achieving the fastest human speed ever recorded and marking...
By Ars Technica (Space)
News•Jan 15, 2026
Key Senate Staffer Is “Begging” NASA to Get on with Commercial Space Stations
Senate staffer Maddy Davis told the Texas Space Coalition that Sen. Ted Cruz is pressing NASA to fast‑track Commercial LEO Destinations (CLDs) so a private space station is operational before the International Space Station retires in 2030. The Senate Commerce...
By Ars Technica (Space)
News•Jan 5, 2026
NASA’s Science Budget Won’t Be a Train Wreck After All
Congress approved a $24.4 billion NASA budget that trims science funding by only 1% to $7.25 billion for FY 2026, reversing the White House’s near‑50% cut proposal. The modest reduction keeps most planetary missions alive, including the DAVINCI Venus probe and the Habitable...
By Ars Technica (Space)
News•Jan 2, 2026
After Half a Decade, the Russian Space Station Segment Stopped Leaking
After five years of persistent micro‑leaks, the PrK transfer tunnel on the Russian segment of the International Space Station has been confirmed stable by NASA. The leaks, caused by microscopic cracks in the aging Zvezda‑adjacent module, were mitigated through repeated...
By Ars Technica (Space)