Posted: Sat, Apr 4 11:02 AM ET (1502 GMT)
For the second year in a row, the White House has proposed a steep cut in NASA's budget that would disproportionately affect science and the ISS. The Office of Management and Budget released its fiscal year 2027 budget proposal Friday that requested $18.8 billion for NASA, a 23% cut from what the agency received in 2026. The proposal followed many of the same patterns as the 2026 budget proposal a year ago, including a 47% cut in science and reductions in space technology and International Space Station operations. The budget does provide additional funding for NASA's exploration programs, including plans for a lunar base. The proposal was criticized by Democratic members of Congress and advocacy groups, who called on appropriators to ignore the proposal when drafting their spending bills.

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  Orlando Sentinel article
•  Reuters article

Posted: Sat, Apr 4 11:00 AM ET (1500 GMT)
Artemis 2 is headed for the moon after a maneuver Thursday evening. The Orion spacecraft fired its main engine for nearly six minutes starting at 7:49 pm EDT (2349 GMT) on its translunar injection burn. That maneuver put Orion on a free-return trajectory around the moon, with the closest approach occurring April 6. NASA officials said Thursday evening that the spacecraft is working well, with only minor technical issues being worked by the crew. Artemis 2 is the first crewed mission to fly to the vicinity of the moon since Apollo 17 in late 1972.

Related Links:

•  SpaceNews article
•  AP article
•  Space.com article
•  Ars Technica article
•  NASA press release

First Tianlong-3 launch fails
Posted: Sat, Apr 4 10:55 AM ET (1455 GMT)
The first launch of the Tianlong-3 rocket by Chinese company Space Pioneer failed on Friday. The rocket lifted off at 12:17 am EDT (...

SLS launches Artemis 2
Posted: Sat, Apr 4 10:54 AM ET (1454 GMT)
The first human mission to the moon in more than 50 years successfully launched Wednesday. NASA's Space Launch System rocket lifted off from the...

SpaceX confidentially files for IPO
Posted: Sat, Apr 4 10:49 AM ET (1449 GMT)
SpaceX has confidentially filed plans to go public. While the company made no formal announcement, industry sources said Wednesday that SpaceX did file with the...