Posted: Sun, Jan 18 8:08 AM ET (1308 GMT)
NASA rolled out the SLS/Orion stack for the Artemis 2 mission Saturday in preparation for a launch as soon as early February. The vehicle, mounted on its mobile launch platform, left the Vehicle Assembly Building just after 7 am EST (1200 GMT), arriving at Launch Complex 39B nearly 12 hours later. The mission will be the first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. NASA says it is working towards a launch between February 6 and 11, but cautioned that schedule depends on progress they make at the pad, including a wet dress rehearsal. NASA does not plan to set a formal launch date until after that countdown test. There are additional launch opportunities in early March and April.

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Posted: Sun, Jan 18 8:04 AM ET (1304 GMT)
Congress has passed a spending bill that largely rejected proposed steep cuts at NASA. The Senate passed the minibus appropriations bill on a 82-15 vote Thursday, a week after the House overwhelmingly passed the measure. The bill includes $24.4 billion for NASA in fiscal year 2026, slightly less than what it received in 2025 but far more than the $18.8 billion requested by the White House in May. It restores funding for science and space operations close to 2025 levels. However, the bill accepts NASA’s proposal to cancel the Mars Sample Return program, directing some funding to technologies that could be used for future Mars missions.

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•  SpaceNews article
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Galactic Energy returns Ceres-1 to flight
Posted: Sun, Jan 18 8:01 AM ET (1301 GMT)
China conducted its fourth launch in three days on Thursday. A Ceres-1S rocket, operated by Galactic Energy, lifted off at 3:10 pm EST (...

Crew-11 returns to Earth
Posted: Sun, Jan 18 8:00 AM ET (1300 GMT)
Four astronauts are back on Earth after a medical issue accelerated their return. The Crew Dragon spacecraft Endeavour splashed down off the coast from San...

Euletsat orders 340 additional OneWeb replacement satellites
Posted: Sun, Jan 18 7:57 AM ET (1257 GMT)
Eutelsat has ordered an additional 340 OneWeb replacement satellites from Airbus Defence and Space. The companies announced the order Monday, a little more than a...