NASA and industry engineers have outlined a synchronal bimodal nuclear rocket concept that pairs nuclear thermal propulsion with electric power generation using a single reactor and two separate fluid loops. The design avoids the complicated mode-switching valves of earlier bimodal reactor concepts while still delivering high thrust and steady electric power for spacecraft systems. Researchers say the approach could cut crewed Mars transit time from roughly 620 days down to 335 days or fewer.
spectrum.ieee.org
· 2026-08-26
NASA hired startup Katalyst Space Technologies to launch an autonomous spacecraft called LINK to dock with the 21-year-old Swift observatory and push it into a stable orbit, mirroring Jared Isaacman's earlier scrapped plan to save the Hubble. The rushed, high-risk mission, assembled in record time after Isaacman became NASA administrator, ultimately fell apart before achieving its goal.
futurism.com
· 2026-08-26
A team from Texas A&M, NASA's Johnson Space Center, and Purdue University developed a system for managing multiple spacecraft around Gateway, the lunar-orbiting station NASA plans to launch no earlier than 2027. Using thousands of simulations, they created a 'string of pearls' approach that spaces waiting vehicles at set intervals ahead of or behind the station along its near-rectilinear halo orbit, accounting for navigation and thruster errors.
techspot.com
· 2026-08-26
MIT Lincoln Laboratory, working with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, built the Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System (O2O), which used infrared laser light instead of radio waves to send data from the spacecraft. During the mission the system downlinked nearly half a terabyte of data at speeds up to 260 megabits per second, delivering sharp footage of the moon's far side, a solar eclipse, and meteoroid impacts.
technologyreview.com
· 2026-08-25
A team led by associate professor Lahiru Jayakody at Southern Illinois University Carbondale has engineered yeast strains that break down PET plastic bottles combined with agricultural waste like corn stalks into a protein-rich, vanilla-flavored snack called µBites. The project grew out of NASA's Deep Space Food Challenge, and though it did not win the competition, NASA encouraged the team to keep refining the concept, leading to improved taste, aroma and color unveiled recently at the American Chemical Society Expo in Chicago.
cnet.com
· 2026-08-25
NASA and Caltech researchers are developing a large, flower-shaped spacecraft called a starshade that would fly in formation with a space telescope to block a star's glare. By blotting out starlight, the device would let astronomers directly observe faint, Earth-sized planets orbiting that star.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-08-25
NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is scheduled to launch atop a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket from Kennedy Space Center no earlier than 7:26AM Eastern on August 30, with live coverage starting at 6:20AM. If weather or technical issues delay the flight, a backup attempt is planned for August 31 at 7:22AM Eastern. NASA will also host a science briefing and prelaunch news conference on August 29.
engadget.com
· 2026-08-25
It has been two decades since the International Astronomical Union voted in August 2006 to strip Pluto of its planetary status, reclassifying it as a dwarf planet after astronomers discovered a similarly sized object, later named Eris, in 2005. The decision remains contentious, with figures like NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman and actor William Shatner recently arguing Pluto deserves to be called a planet again.
cnet.com
· 2026-08-24
NASA plans to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope as early as August 30 from Kennedy Space Center. The observatory matches Hubble's resolution but offers a field of view about 100 times larger, enabling it to map vast regions of sky to study dark matter and dark energy over a five-year primary mission. Scientists also expect it to detect as many as 200,000 new exoplanets, far surpassing the roughly 6,300 confirmed so far.
wired.com
· 2026-08-24
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