NASA COLUMBIA SCIENTIFIC BALLOON FACILITY, New Mex. NASA recently launched a telescope designed and built by a team at University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell) and the space agency that aims to identify planets beyond the solar system and find other objects in space that would otherwise go unnoticed because they are hidden by the glare of nearby stars.

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. Katalyst Space Technologies has secured a contract from NASA to raise the orbit of the space agency's Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory; the observatory's orbit is decaying faster than NASA had anticipated due to higher-than-expected atmopsheric drag.

CEDAR PARK, Tex. Space and defense technology provider Firefly Aerospace won a $176.7 million NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) contract to deliver five NASA-sponsored payloads to the moon’s south pole in 2029.

HAMPTON, Virginia. NASA is testing a modular small satellite platform designed to accelerate deployment of spaceborne sensors and reduce mission costs, the agency announced in a statement.

MURRAY HILL, N.J. Communications-technology provider Nokia announced the final integration of Nokia’s Lunar Surface Communication System (LSCS) into the lander of the upcoming IM-2 mission, during which Nokia and collaboration partner Intuitive machines intend to deploy the first cellular network on the moon. 

PALMDALE, Calif. NASA and its design partners officially rolled out the X-59 quiet supersonic research aircraft on Friday, January 12, at prime contractor Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works facility Palmdale, California. The X-59 is the centerpiece of NASA’s Quesst mission, which aims to make sonic booms quieter, one of the major challenges to supersonic flight over land.

WASHINGTON. NASA chose its Phase 1 awardees in the 2024 NIAC [NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts] program, an endeavor that funds ideas NASA thinks could innovate for the greater good and transform future agency missions.