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NASA has outlined a roughly $20 billion plan to establish a long-term base on the Moon, a strategy that would mark a major step beyond brief landing missions toward a sustained human presence on the lunar surface. The proposal covers infrastructure and operations for crews living and working on the Moon, and is drawing attention for its scale and ambition as the agency advances its broader lunar exploration goals.

NASA's Artemis II mission is set to send astronauts around the moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in 1972. Analysts note the half-century gap stems from shifting political priorities, shrinking budgets, the costly Space Shuttle and station programs, and scrapped return programs like Constellation. The mission marks a renewed push toward sustained lunar exploration under the Artemis program.

Experts, including former NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe, warn that while being struck by falling space debris remains far less likely than a lightning strike, the risk is growing as more objects reenter the atmosphere. They argue governments and companies should be required to use materials that fully burn up on reentry.

Margaret Hamilton, the computing pioneer who led development of the onboard flight software for NASA's Apollo missions, has died, according to MIT News. Hamilton coined the term 'software engineering' and her work was critical to the Moon landings, including the software that helped Apollo 11 land safely. Tributes are pouring in from the technology community honoring her legacy.

Space-related stocks including AST SpaceMobile and Rocket Lab appear to have found a floor following steep losses in July. Comments from Elon Musk saying NASA's vision of a Moon base 'will happen' are adding to the discussion around the sector's outlook, with investors weighing whether renewed enthusiasm for lunar exploration can support a recovery in the beaten-down space stocks.

Jeff Bezos has issued a stark warning that the United States must beat China in the race back to the moon, saying 'we have to beat China.' His comments sharpen the debate over US space priorities as NASA's Artemis programme and China's lunar plans compete to return humans to the lunar surface, and as Bezos's own Blue Origin competes for a central role in American Moon efforts.

NASA's Voyager 2 probe has recorded an enormous increase in plasma density in the interstellar space beyond the solar system, according to Italian astronomy outlet Passione Astronomia. The spacecraft, which crossed the heliopause in 2018, continues to send back data from over 11 billion miles away, and the unexpected density measurements are drawing attention from space enthusiasts and researchers alike.

Margaret Hamilton, the MIT computer scientist who led development of the onboard software for NASA's Apollo 11 mission, has died at the age of 90. Her code was critical to the 1969 moon landing, famously keeping the spacecraft on course during a computer overload moments before touchdown. She later received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and is widely credited with pioneering modern software engineering.

Scott Carpenter, the NASA Mercury astronaut who died on this day in 2013, is being remembered as the second American to orbit the Earth and the fourth American in space. His 1962 Aurora 7 mission made him a key figure in the early US space programme, and space history enthusiasts are marking the anniversary of his death.

Margaret Hamilton, the computer scientist who led development of the onboard flight software for Nasa's Apollo missions, including the software that helped land Apollo 11 on the moon in 1969, has died at the age of 90. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her pioneering work and is widely credited with helping found the field of software engineering.

NASA and the US Department of Energy announced they are advancing nuclear-powered technologies for space exploration, aiming to enable longer missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond. The joint effort covers nuclear propulsion and surface power systems, seen as key to faster, more capable deep-space missions.

A former SR-71 Blackbird engineer has spoken about a NASA program to revive the legendary Mach 3 reconnaissance aircraft. The comments offer a rare insider's perspective on what it would take to bring the iconic Blackbird back to operation, touching on the engineering and logistical challenges involved. The discussion has drawn attention from aviation enthusiasts and technology readers curious about the feasibility of restoring the historic aircraft.

A hardened rubber O-ring seal, stiffened by freezing overnight temperatures, caused the space shuttle Challenger to break apart just 73 seconds after liftoff, killing all seven crew aboard on 28 January 1986. French-language coverage of the disaster is circulating widely, retelling how engineers had warned against launching in the cold and how the failure of a single seal led to one of NASA's darkest moments.

NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 10, 2026 showcases the lunar farside, the hemisphere of the Moon permanently turned away from Earth. The image and article on NASA's science site highlight features of the Moon's hidden face, which was first photographed by the Soviet Luna 3 mission in 1959 and remains of interest to lunar science and exploration.

NASA's Curiosity rover has captured new Mastcam imagery of the Valle Grande area on Mars, taken on October 8, 2026, corresponding to Sol 5038 of the mission. The images, credited to NASA/JPL-Caltech and MSSS, are being shared among space enthusiasts and researchers following the rover's ongoing exploration of Gale Crater.

Margaret Hamilton, the software engineer who led development of the onboard flight software for NASA's Apollo program, has died at 90. Her team's code guided the Apollo lunar landings, and she is widely credited with coining the term 'software engineering'. Tributes are honoring her as a foundational figure in computing and spaceflight history.

Blue Origin has revealed a taller design for its planned lunar lander, while SpaceX carried out launches across its entire rocket lineup in the same period. The dual developments highlight the intensifying competition in the commercial space sector, with Blue Origin positioning itself for NASA lunar contracts as SpaceX continues an aggressive launch cadence.

A New York Times feature revisits Margaret Hamilton, who led the software development for NASA's Apollo guidance computer, writing the code that helped land humans on the Moon. The piece frames her career as evidence that computing was not always a male-dominated field, examining how computer science later became a 'boys' club' despite pioneering contributions from women like Hamilton.

NASA has published an overview of its Mars science objectives, laying out the key questions guiding its exploration of the red planet. The priorities include the search for signs of past life, studies of Martian geology and climate, and preparation for future human missions. The framework helps shape current and upcoming missions.

NASA has formally asked American companies to submit plans for commercial space stations, as the agency prepares for the retirement of the International Space Station and a shift toward privately operated orbital outposts. The move signals NASA's intent to become a customer of commercial low-Earth-orbit destinations rather than an operator, and industry responses will shape the future of US human spaceflight in orbit.

NASA's SPHEREx space telescope has observed 37 brown dwarfs, analysing the composition of their atmospheres, including clouds and methane. Brown dwarfs form like stars, from collapsing gas clouds, but lack the mass to sustain hydrogen fusion, making them something of a hybrid between stars and giant planets. The findings offer a clearer picture of how these objects fit into our understanding of both stellar and planetary formation.

NASA has published a new astronomy image described as a cosmic house of mirrors, showcasing a deep-space scene in which light from distant galaxies is warped and duplicated into multiple mirror-like images. The effect, typical of gravitational lensing by massive galaxy clusters, lets astronomers study objects far too faint or distant to see directly.

The French astronaut Sophie Adenot is returning to Earth, and NASA is trending in several countries as people follow the event live. The European Space Agency is streaming her return to Earth, drawing wide attention. Interest appears across Google trends in France, Brazil and Spain as viewers track the capsule's descent and landing.

Artemis II, NASA's upcoming crewed mission to fly around the Moon, is drawing fresh attention following annotated crew photos highlighting the four astronauts and their mission roles. The mission will be the first to carry humans beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. Interest is rising in Australia and Brazil as anticipation builds for the launch.