Space Operations Mission Directorate

NASA’s Push Toward Commercial Space Communications Gains Momentum  – NASA

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NASA’s Push Toward Commercial Space Communications Gains Momentum  – NASA

NASA’s commercial partners are actively demonstrating next-generation satellite relay capabilities for spaceflight missions, marking a significant step toward retiring the agency’s Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) system and adopting commercial services. The demonstrations – ranging from real-time spacecraft tracking during launch to transmitting mission commands and scientific data – are part of NASA’s Communications … Read more

NASA Ignites New Golden Age of Exploration, Innovation in 2025 – NASA

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NASA Ignites New Golden Age of Exploration, Innovation in 2025 – NASA

With a second Trump Administration at the helm in 2025, NASA marked significant progress toward the Artemis II test flight early next year, which is the first crewed mission around the Moon in more than 50 years, as well as built upon its momentum toward a human return to the lunar surface in preparation to … Read more

NASA Astronaut Jonny Kim to Discuss Eight-Month Space Station Mission – NASA

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NASA Astronaut Jonny Kim to Discuss Eight-Month Space Station Mission – NASA

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim will recap his recent mission aboard the International Space Station during a news conference at 3:30 p.m. EST Friday, Dec. 19, from the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Watch the news conference live on NASA’s YouTube channel. Learn how to stream NASA content through a variety of online platforms, including … Read more

NASA Astronaut Chris Williams to Discuss Upcoming Launch, Mission – NASA

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NASA Astronaut Chris Williams to Discuss Upcoming Launch, Mission – NASA

NASA will host a news conference at 2 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Oct. 1, from the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to highlight the upcoming mission of astronaut Chris Williams to the International Space Station. The news conference will stream live on NASA’s website and YouTube channel. Learn how to watch NASA content through a … Read more

NASA’s Deep Space Communications Demo Exceeds Project Expectations – NASA

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NASA’s Deep Space Communications Demo Exceeds Project Expectations – NASA

The project has exceeded all of its technical goals after two years, setting up the foundations of high-speed communications for NASA’s future human missions to Mars. NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications technology successfully showed that data encoded in lasers could be reliably transmitted, received, and decoded after traveling millions of miles from Earth at distances … Read more

NASA Selects Six Companies to Provide Orbital Transfer Vehicle Studies – NASA

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NASA Selects Six Companies to Provide Orbital Transfer Vehicle Studies – NASA

NASA has selected six companies to produce studies focused on lower-cost ways to launch and deliver spacecraft of various sizes and forms to multiple, difficult-to-reach orbits. The firm-fixed-price awards comprise nine studies with a maximum total value of approximately $1.4 million. The awardees are: Arrow Science and Technology LLC, Webster, Texas Blue Origin LLC, Merritt … Read more

NASA Sets Coverage for Agency’s SpaceX Crew-11 Launch, Docking – NASA

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NASA Sets Coverage for Agency’s SpaceX Crew-11 Launch, Docking – NASA

NASA will provide coverage of the upcoming prelaunch and launch activities for the agency’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station. Liftoff is targeted for 12:09 p.m. EDT, Thursday, July 31, from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The targeted docking time is approximately 3 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 2. Watch … Read more

Fourth NASA-Enabled Private Flight to Space Station Completes Safely – NASA

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Fourth NASA-Enabled Private Flight to Space Station Completes Safely – NASA

The NASA-supported fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, Axiom Mission 4, completed its flight as part of the agency’s efforts to demonstrate demand and build operational knowledge for future commercial space stations. The four-person crew safely returned to Earth, splashing down off the coast of California at 5:31 a.m. EDT on Tuesday, … Read more

NASA to Provide Coverage of Axiom Mission 4 Departure from Station – NASA

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NASA to Provide Coverage of Axiom Mission 4 Departure from Station – NASA

NASA will provide live coverage of the undocking and departure of the Axiom Mission 4 private astronaut mission from the International Space Station. The four-member astronaut crew is scheduled to undock from the space-facing port of the station’s Harmony module aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft at approximately 7:05 a.m. EDT Monday, July 14, pending weather, … Read more

NASA, SpaceX Invite Media to Watch Crew-11 Launch to Space Station – NASA

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NASA, SpaceX Invite Media to Watch Crew-11 Launch to Space Station – NASA

Media accreditation is open for the launch of NASA’s 11th rotational mission of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft carrying astronauts to the International Space Station for a science expedition. NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission is targeted to launch in the late July/early August timeframe from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space … Read more