NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams flew to the ISS in the summer of 2024 for a routine eight-day test mission.

For example, NASA opted for a direct return of the samples to Earth, rather than placing them in orbit around the moon, which would require another vehicle to go and fetch them, Nelson said.

Four companies have won Nasa contracts to expand the agency’s Near Space Network. Specifically, its commercial “direct-to-Earth capabilities” services. Nasa describes this function as “a ...

Dec. 23 (UPI) --Space missions to the moon, Mars and beyond often get the most attention, but NASA's Near Space Network does a lot of heavy lifting for humankind's reach for the stars. NASA ...

Following stage separation, the booster landed on the SpaceX drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean roughly ...

The Carlsbad technology firm will employ its Real-Time Earth network — a global network of satellite ground stations — to beam data more efficiently for NASA’s direct-to-Earth capabilities.

Unlike the original plan, NASA has chosen for the direct return of the samples to Earth, bypassing extra steps to retrieve them from lunar orbit. Mr Nelson noted that the incoming administration ...