NASA
Every Cosmic Herald story on NASA — missions, launches, discoveries, and the business of space, newest first.
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NASA & Agencies
NASA's SPEARS Solid-State Battery Cells Hold Up in Moon-Grade Cold, With Limits
NASA's SPEARS prototype solid-state cells ran from 80 C down to -60 C, kept going at reduced performance to -80 C, and came through exposure from 100 C to -170 C undamaged. Lunar south pole nights reach -200 C, though, and these are still small lab cells that have never flown.
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NASA & Agencies
Artemis II's Christina Koch Leaves the Flight Line as NASA Readies an Artemis Update
Six months after flying around the Moon, Christina Koch is giving up spaceflight eligibility to become NASA's acting deputy chief engineer. She is the last of the four Artemis II astronauts to take a new role, and NASA has set an Oct. 23 briefing on Artemis III and its 2028 landing plan.
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NASA & Agencies
NASA Offers $150,000 to Stop Moonwalkers From Becoming 'Walking, High Voltage Capacitors'
NASA's $150,000 Lunar Grounding Challenge wants a device that safely drains static charge from Artemis astronauts at the lunar south pole before they touch the lander. NASA's design case puts the suit near -100 kV.
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NASA & Agencies
Crew-12 Comes Home: Sophie Adenot's Record 237-Day Flight Ends in Cologne
Crew-12's Dragon Freedom splashed down off Los Angeles on Oct. 8 after 237 days. Two days later ESA's Sophie Adenot landed in Cologne holding a new European record for the longest single spaceflight, and ESA is pointing to December's ministerial meeting in Rome.
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NASA & Agencies
NASA and DOE Sign Pact Covering Space Nuclear Power From Fuel to Flight
NASA and the Energy Department signed an MOU covering space fission power and propulsion from fuel production to launch and operations. It backs SR-1 Freedom, a Mars mission set for 2028, and a lunar surface reactor that is meant to be ready for launch by 2030.
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NASA & Agencies
NASA Picks GIMLI to Probe the Marius Hills Pit for a Moon Base Lava Tube
NASA's new GIMLI payload will carry radar, seismometers, a gravimeter and cameras to the Marius Hills Pit to find out whether the hole opens into a lava tube big enough to shelter future Moon Base crews.
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NASA & Agencies
Crew-12 Heads Home: Dragon Undocking Set for Oct. 7 as Crew-13 Settles In Aboard the Station
NASA and SpaceX are targeting 8:05 a.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct. 7, to undock Crew-12 from the ISS, with a Pacific splashdown off California around 11:34 a.m. Thursday. Crew-13 arrived after an Oct. 1 launch, and ESA's Sophie Adenot heads home with three spacewalks totalling 19 h 42 min.
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NASA & Agencies
Artemis Accords Reach 76 Signatories as Four Nations Join in Five Days
NASA says Albania, Croatia, Cote d'Ivoire and San Marino lifted Artemis Accords participation to 76 countries, with the last two signing on consecutive days, just before the Principals' Meeting in Antalya opens Oct. 5.
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NASA & Agencies
Roman Space Telescope's Three Ground Stations Pass Peak-Rate Data Test Ahead of 2027 Science Start
NASA confirms all three ground stations tracking the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope can receive its data at the full 500 Mbps rate, clearing a key hurdle before science operations begin in early 2027.
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NASA & Agencies
Albania Becomes 73rd Nation to Sign the Artemis Accords
Albania signed the Artemis Accords at NASA Headquarters on September 21, 2026, becoming the 73rd nation to join the U.S.-led framework for peaceful, transparent space exploration.
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NASA & Agencies
NASA Buys Three More SpaceX Crew Flights, Pushing Dragon's ISS Contract to $5.92 Billion
NASA added Crew-15, Crew-16 and Crew-17 to SpaceX's commercial crew contract for $946 million, bringing Dragon to 17 missions and a $5.92 billion total, with work running through 2030.
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NASA & Agencies
Two Satellites, One Ocean: Sentinel-6 Duo Times a Late-Blooming El Niño for Hurricane Forecasters
NASA says its Sentinel-6 satellite pair, flying 30 seconds apart, is cross-checking ocean-height data during a strong, late-arriving 2026 El Niño just as hurricane season peaks.
