NASA’s first nuclear-powered spacecraft is heading to Mars, and its bringing helicopters

For years, nuclear propulsion sat in the same category as so many ambitious space ideas, impressive on paper, always a few ...
Real Engineering on MSN

NASA’s plutonium supply is shrinking - and future missions could feel it

NASA’s most ambitious deep-space missions rely on plutonium to generate power where solar energy stops being practical. But ...
Phys.org

NASA on track for future missions with initial Artemis II assessments

Following NASA's Artemis II mission successfully splashing down on Earth, engineers started diving into detailed analysis of data to assess how key systems and subsystems on the Orion spacecraft, ...
Space.com on MSN

Will SpaceX's Starship or Blue Origin's Blue Moon be ready for an Artemis moon landing in 2028?

After Artemis 2, NASA's moon return hinges on two unproven commercial landers, each of which faces major technical and ...
Hosted on MSN

NASA tests record 120 kW ion thruster for future Mars missions

NASA has successfully tested a 120-kilowatt lithium-fed magnetoplasmadynamic thruster, its most powerful ion engine to date, at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The technology, about 25 times stronger ...

Blue Origin moon lander completes testing at NASA vacuum chamber

Also known as Endurance, MK1 is an uncrewed cargo lander. It's a commercial demonstration mission to advance Human Landing ...