Ars Technica (Space)
Tech media outlet providing authoritative coverage of spaceflight technology and the commercial space industry.
A Unique NASA Satellite Is Falling Out of Orbit—This Team Is Trying to Rescue It
The 21‑year‑old Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory is spiraling toward re‑entry, and NASA has awarded Katalyst Space Technologies a $30 million contract to build and launch a robotic servicing vehicle, Link, to reboost the satellite. Katalyst must design, test, and launch the mission within nine months, targeting a June 1 Pegasus XL launch to reach Swift’s low‑inclination orbit before atmospheric drag makes docking impossible. The rescue aims to extend Swift’s unique gamma‑ray burst detection capabilities, which remain irreplaceable among U.S. assets. Success would mark the first commercial satellite‑to‑satellite servicing of a spacecraft not originally designed for capture.
NASA Wants to Know How the Launch Industry's Chic New Rocket Fuel Explodes
NASA and the U.S. Space Force are conducting controlled detonations of methane‑liquid‑oxygen (methalox) propellants to quantify their explosive potential. Tests at Eglin Air Force Base began with C‑4 baselines, progressed to unmixed methane and LOX, and will scale to 20,000‑pound...
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,...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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”...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
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...
Safety Panel Says NASA Should Have Taken Starliner Incident More Seriously
NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel warned that the agency should have formally declared the Starliner crewed‑flight anomalies a high‑visibility close call. In June 2024, Starliner’s thrusters overheated and helium leaks threatened docking, forcing astronauts Wilmore and Williams to stay on...
