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Scientists Respond to the Planned Termination of the Only U.S. Antarctic Research Vessel – State of the Planet

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Science

Scientists Respond to the Planned Termination of the Only U.S. Antarctic Research Vessel – State of the Planet

On July 28, 170 researchers sent a letter to the National Science Foundation (NSF) and Congress after NSF’s 2026 budget request included plans to end its lease of a U.S. research vessel in the Southern Ocean near Antarctica. The Nathaniel B. Palmer has been in operation for over 30 years and is the only U.S. research vessel icebreaker—a uniquely designed ship that navigates through frozen waters and can perform long-term scientific missions. The letter’s signatories, including 10 from Columbia University, are urging a reconsideration of this decision in the name of scientific progress. Nathaniel B. Palmer, the only U.S. Antarctic research vessel icebreaker, is set to have its lease terminated in October. (Credit: Michael Van Woert, NOAA NESDIS, ORA via Commons) “In general, the r...

SpaceX launches Indonesian communications satellite following three days of scrubs – Spaceflight Now

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SpaceX

SpaceX launches Indonesian communications satellite following three days of scrubs – Spaceflight Now

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket streaks across the sky on Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025, to begin the Nusantara Lima mission. Image: John Pisani / Spaceflight Now Update Sept. 11, 10:44 p.m. EDT: SpaceX successfully deployed the Nusantara Lima satellite Update Sept. 10, 5:55 p.m. EDT: SpaceX scrubbed the mission, targeting no earlier than Sept. 11. SpaceX succeeded in launching a communications satellite from an Indonesian company following three days of mission scrubs. Possible technical issues got in the way of a launch attempt Wednesday evening after back-to-back days of weather delays on Monday and Tuesday. Less than 30 minutes after liftoff, the Nusantara Lima (N5) satellite was deployed into a geosynchronous transfer orbit. It’s the latest satellite from Pasifik Satelit Nusantara (PSN). SpaceX w...

NASA Uses Colorado Mountains for Simulated Artemis Moon Landing Course

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SpaceX

NASA Uses Colorado Mountains for Simulated Artemis Moon Landing Course

NASA has certified a new lander flight training course using helicopters, marking a key milestone in crew training for Artemis missions to the Moon. Through Artemis, NASA will explore the lunar South Pole, paving the way for human exploration farther into the solar system, including Mars. The mountains in northern Colorado offer similar visual illusions and flight environments to the Moon. NASA partnered with the Colorado Army National Guard at the High-Altitude Army National Guard Aviation Training Site near Gypsum, Colorado, to develop the foundational flight training course. “Artemis astronauts who will land on the Moon will need to master crew coordination and communication with one another,” said Paul Felker, acting deputy director of flight operations at NASA’s Johnson Space Center ...

Space Development Agency, SpaceX to launch next-gen national security satellites – Spaceflight Now

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SpaceX

Space Development Agency, SpaceX to launch next-gen national security satellites – Spaceflight Now

21 satellites manufactured by York Space Systems for Space Development Agency’s upcoming Tranche 1 Transport Layer launch. Image: York Space Systems The first in a series of launches supporting a burgeoning satellite constellation for the Space Development Agency (SDA) is set to take flight Wednesday morning from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California. The SDA was formed as an independent agency 2019 with the goal of safeguarding the United States against hypersonic weapons and offering a network of satellites and ground support systems that could unify the Department of Defense’s capabilities across a “resilient, threat-driven space surveillance and communications architecture,” according its establishing memorandum. It became a part of the U.S. Space Force in October 2022. The 21 sate...

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NASA

NASA — Send Your Name Around the Moon

On this day 50 years ago, human beings embarked on a journey to set foot on another world for the very first time. At 9:32 a.m. EDT, millions watched as Apollo astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins lifted off from Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, flying high on the most powerful rocket ever built: the mighty Saturn V.As we prepare to return humans to the lunar surface with our Artemis program, we’re planning to make history again with a similarly unprecedented rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS). The SLS will be our first exploration-class vehicle since the Saturn V took American astronauts to the Moon a decade ago. With its superior lift capability, the SLS will expand our reach into the solar system, allowing astronauts aboard ...