PROPOSED 24 PERCENT CUT TO NASA BUDGET ELIMINATES KEY ARTEMIS ARCHITECTURE, CLIMATE RESEARCH - The White House released its proposed federal spending budget for Fiscal Year 2026 on Friday and with it a series of deep cuts to most areas of discretionary spending, including to NASA. The requested cuts come, ironically, on National Space Day. If adopted as proposed, America’s space agency is facing a 24.3 percent funding cut, dropping it from about $24.8 billion in FY25 to $18.8 billion in FY26. The agency was hoping for a funding increase to get a number of programs back on track following two years of what amounted to spending cuts due to budgets being held at FY24 spending levels.   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 4)

SPACEX PUTS VANDENBERG LAUNCH ON HOLD - SpaceX is preparing for its third Falcon 9 launch of the month, which will send 26 Starlink V2 Mini satellites into low Earth orbit. SpaceX decided to forgo its launch opportunity on Saturday, but didn’t announce a reason for the scrub. The Starlink 15-3 mission will fly a south-easterly trajectory when it takes off from Space Launch Complex 4 East (SLC-4E) at Vandenberg Space Force Base. Liftoff is targeting Sunday, May 4, at 10:59 a.m. PDT (1:59 p.m. EDT, 1759 UTC).   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 4)

NEW IMAGES OF SOVIET VENUS LANDER FALLING TO EARTH SUGGEST ITS PARACHUTE MAY BE OUT - That soon-to-reenter Cosmos 482 is getting increased attention by satellite trackers – and new imagery provides some interesting details. The former Soviet Union's Cosmos 482 was lofted back in 1972. But that country's attempted Venus probe ran amuck during its rocket-assisted toss to the cloud-veiled world. Payload leftovers were marooned in Earth orbit, specifically the spacecraft's lander module/capsule intended to parachute onto the hellish landscape of Venus.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 3)

NASA ASTRONAUTS MCCLAIN AND AYERS REENTER STATION AND COMPLETE SPACEWALK - NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers concluded their spacewalk at 2:49 p.m. EDT. The total time was 5 hours and 44 minutes. It was the third spacewalk for McClain and the first for Ayers, and the 275th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.    More
(Source: NASA - May 3)

RUSSIAN SATELLITE TUMBLING OUT OF CONTROL - Cosmos 2553 is thought to be part of a Russian effort to develop a nuclear weapon that could indiscriminately fry many other satellites at once in Low Earth Orbit. That approach would threaten proliferated constellations that wouldn’t otherwise be affected by losing a few spacecraft to traditional anti-satellite weapons. According to a Reuters report, the craft has been alleged by US observers to be part of a Russian nuclear space weapon system.   More
(Source: SatNews - May 2)

SPACEX LAUNCHES 28 STARLINK SATELLITES ON FALCON 9 ROCKET FROM CAPE CANAVERAL - SpaceX kicked off of the month of May with the first of likely several Falcon 9 missions launching more of its Starlink V2 Mini satellites. Onboard the Starlink 6-75 mission were 28 of the internet supporting satellites, adding to the more than 7,300 currently on orbit. Liftoff from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station happened at 9:51 p.m. EDT (0151 UTC).   More
(Source: SpaceFlight Now - May 2)

STATION MANEUVERS TO AVOID ORBITAL DEBRIS - The Progress 91 thrusters were fired at 6:10 p.m. EDT Wednesday for 3 minutes, 33 seconds, to raise the orbit of the International Space Station to provide an extra margin of distance from a piece of orbital debris from a fragment of a Chinese Long March rocket launched in 2005.   More
(Source: NASA - May 2)

SPACEX'S NEXT PRIVATE ASTRONAUT MISSION TO ISS, AX-4, TO LAUNCH MAY 29 FOR AXIOM SPACE - The next private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS) is just a month away. Houston-based company Axiom Space announced on Tuesday (April 29) that it's targeting May 29 for the launch of its fourth crewed spaceflight to the orbiting lab, a mission known as Ax-4.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 2)

CHINA'S SHENZHOU 19 ASTRONAUTS RETURN TO EARTH AFTER 6 MONTHS ABOARD TIANGONG SPACE STATION - China's three-person Shenzhou 19 mission came home on Wednesday (April 30) after six months in orbit. The Shenzhou 19 spacecraft — carrying astronauts Cai Xuzhe, Song Lingdong and Wang Haoze — undocked from the Tiangong space station on Tuesday (April 29) at 4 p.m. EDT (2000 GMT; 4 a.m. on April 30 China Standard Time), according to Chinese space officials.   More
(Source: Space.com - May 2)

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