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NASA says new Roman telescope's lifespan could more than double, to 22 years

NASA says new Roman telescope's lifespan could more than double, to 22 years

By Will Dunham WASHINGTON, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Even before the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope has reached its planned orbital position, NASA says its newest flagship observatory's potential operational lifespan may reach 22 years — more than double the length previously announced.
AP NewsAP News
NASA spacecraft discovers a huge new crater on the moon

NASA spacecraft discovers a huge new crater on the moon

Scientists have discovered a crater on the moon that's bigger than the Roman Colosseum, the result of a powerful impact two years ago
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SpaceX Falcon 9 Landing Team Receives Inaugural Neil Armstrong Space Prize for Reusable Rocket Technology

SpaceX Falcon 9 Landing Team Receives Inaugural Neil Armstrong Space Prize for Reusable Rocket Technology

The team responsible for developing and mastering the landing capability of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket has been awarded the first-ever Neil Armstrong Space Prize. The award, created by Purdue University, recognizes the team's significant contributions to making rocket reuse practical and scalable. The prize was presented during a ceremony at the Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C. The inaugural honorees include five SpaceX employees: Lars Blackmore, Shana Diez, Jon Edwards, Yoshiaki Kuwata, and Eduardo Velazquez, representing the larger Falcon 9 landing team. The Falcon 9, which debuted in June 2010, was designed with a reusable first stage, a goal that took several years to achieve. The first successful vertical touchdown of a Falcon 9 first stage occurred on December 21, 2015, at Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, followed by a successful landing on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean on April 8, 2016. These advancements have led to over 650 booster landings during orbital missions to date.
USA TodayUSA Today
Starship is due to fly again from Texas as SpaceX eyes major milestone

Starship is due to fly again from Texas as SpaceX eyes major milestone

The primary objective of SpaceX's next Starship flight is for the world's largest rocket to reach orbit for the first time in three years of tests.
USA TodayUSA Today
Get ready for fall weather. Here's when the equinox begins

Get ready for fall weather. Here's when the equinox begins

The fall equinox marks the first day of fall, which begins in less than a week.
Palm Beach PostPalm Beach Post
Bezos, Trump, Griffin: Which billionaire has largest Florida footprint?

Bezos, Trump, Griffin: Which billionaire has largest Florida footprint?

Nearly 50 of the wealthiest Americans on the new Forbes 400 list live in Florida. See who made the cut this year.
TrendlineTrendline
European Commercial Space Gateway Opens in Dübendorf, Offering Access to ISS and Starlab

European Commercial Space Gateway Opens in Dübendorf, Offering Access to ISS and Starlab

European Commercial Space Gateway Opens in Dübendorf, Offering Access to ISS and Starlab
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President Trump's Space Academy Initiative Faces Congressional Scrutiny and Funding Questions

President Trump's Space Academy Initiative Faces Congressional Scrutiny and Funding Questions

President Trump's administration has initiated the creation of a Space Academy, to be managed by NASA, with the goal of training both military and civilian professionals for space development. This follows the establishment of the U.S. Space Force during his first term. NASA recently issued a formal request for proposals from all 50 states to host the new academy, seeking a 300-acre site, ideally near existing NASA facilities or university campuses. The academy is projected to initially accommodate 1,200 undergraduates, with potential expansion to 4,000. While the initiative aims to secure U.S. dominance in space, it has drawn criticism from some members of Congress. Senator John Hickenlooper (D-CO) labeled the project as 'a duplicated, expensive, and unserious idea,' while Representative George Whitesides (D-CA) questioned its funding. Representative Zoe Loefgren (D-CA) emphasized that Congress intends to be involved in decision-making regarding the academy, regardless of the White House's preferences. Th...
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Rocket Lab Protests NASA's Mars Spacecraft Contract Award to Blue Origin

Rocket Lab Protests NASA's Mars Spacecraft Contract Award to Blue Origin

Rocket Lab has filed a protest with the U.S. Government Accountability Office regarding NASA's decision to award a $700 million contract for a Mars Telecommunications Network spacecraft to Blue Origin. Rocket Lab claims that NASA's award decision is inconsistent with eligibility criteria mandated by Congress and that the agency's technical review of Rocket Lab's proposal was 'punitive' and 'inconsistent,' containing incorrect assertions and conclusions. This protest follows NASA's selection of Blue Origin earlier this month to develop, launch, and operate a spacecraft designed to orbit Mars and relay transmissions to Earth. Blue Origin has expressed concern that the protest could delay the mission's planned 2028 launch, emphasizing the critical nature of timely deployment due to limited Mars launch windows. The dispute highlights a contentious procurement process that has involved technical proposals, political maneuvers, and public exchanges between the competing companies.
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NASA's Roman Space Telescope Exceeds Fuel Projections, Doubling Potential Mission Lifetime

NASA's Roman Space Telescope Exceeds Fuel Projections, Doubling Potential Mission Lifetime

NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is projected to have its operational lifetime more than doubled, from an initial 10 years to at least 22 years, due to significant fuel savings. This extended lifespan is attributed to several factors: the exceptional accuracy of its first mid-course correction maneuver, which used less than 10% of the budgeted fuel; additional fuel loaded prior to launch because the spacecraft was lighter than initially projected; and anticipated further savings from its upcoming second mid-course correction and orbital insertion. The first burn, executed on August 31, was over 99% accurate and consumed only about 40 pounds (18 kilograms) of fuel, far less than the 441 pounds (200 kilograms) allocated. The spacecraft's actual launch weight of 17,760 pounds (8,056 kilograms) was significantly below the conservative maximum weight of 21,605 pounds (9,800 kilograms) used for fuel budgeting, allowing for propellant tanks to be filled beyond the 10-year requirement. These efficiencies m...
Palm Beach PostPalm Beach Post
Nearly 50 Florida billionaires make Forbes 400 as wealth soars in 2026

Nearly 50 Florida billionaires make Forbes 400 as wealth soars in 2026

Jeff Bezos, Larry Ellison and other Florida billionaires climbed the Forbes 400. Here's who made the list.
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NASA Launches Public 'Adopt-a-Pixel' Campaign for Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

NASA Launches Public 'Adopt-a-Pixel' Campaign for Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

NASA has initiated a public engagement campaign, 'Adopt-a-Pixel,' for the upcoming Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. This initiative invites astronomy enthusiasts and the general public to symbolically 'adopt' pixels from the telescope's Wide Field Instrument (WFI) camera array. Participants can select or be assigned a specific coordinate within the 300-megapixel camera, receiving a digital certificate that details the technical specifications of their chosen pixel, its sensor identification, and explanatory notes on the cosmic phenomena it might capture. The campaign aims to connect the public with the technical intricacies of the mission, which is designed for large-scale panoramic surveys, covering a field of view 100 times larger than the Hubble Space Telescope while maintaining comparable spatial resolution.