Artemis Is Not Exploration, It Is Infrastructure: The Real Race Is For Lunar Fuel Depots

By BPN News Desk April 2, 2026

Op-Eds Opinion

The return to the Moon is being marketed as humanity’s next giant leap, a continuation of the legacy of the Apollo program. But strip away the nostalgia and the carefully crafted messaging, and a different picture emerges. The timing, the target locations, and the scale of investment suggest

Science Space & Astronomy

NASA Launches New Supercomputer Athena

By BPN News Desk January 31, 2026

NASA has launched its most powerful and efficient supercomputer named Athena at the Ames Research Center in California. Athena is designed to support a wide range of science and space exploration needs and expands the agency’s high-end computing capability. Performance and Capability The new system delivers over 20 petaflops of peak performance, meaning it can […]

Science Space & Astronomy

NASA Advances Artemis II With Fueling Test

By BPN News Desk January 28, 2026

NASA is preparing a critical fueling test for its Artemis II mission, moving the spacecraft and rocket closer to an expected launch window in early February 2026. The test is part of pre-launch checks at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Fueling Test and Launch Preparations Technicians are planning a “wet dress rehearsal”, in […]

Science Space & Astronomy

NASA to Bring ISS Crew Home Early Over Medical Issue

By BPN News Desk January 10, 2026

NASA has decided to return a group of astronauts from the International Space Station earlier than scheduled due to a medical concern involving one crew member. The agency said the decision was taken as a precaution to ensure the astronaut receives further medical evaluation on Earth. The astronauts are part of a SpaceX crew mission […]

Science Space & Astronomy

First Spacewalk of 2026 Set for January 8

By BPN News Desk January 7, 2026

NASA has confirmed that the first spacewalk of 2026 will take place on Thursday, January 8, outside the International Space Station (ISS). The spacewalk is part of ongoing maintenance and upgrade work on the orbiting laboratory and will be streamed live to the public. Crew and Mission Tasks Two NASA astronauts, Mike Fincke and Zena […]

Science Space & Astronomy

NASA Loses Contact With MAVEN Mars Orbiter

By BPN News Desk December 12, 2025

NASA has confirmed that it lost contact with its MAVEN spacecraft, which has been orbiting Mars for more than a decade. The communication drop occurred on December 6, after the spacecraft passed behind the planet during its normal orbit. When MAVEN was expected to re-establish contact after emerging from Mars’ far side, mission controllers did […]

Op-Eds Opinion

Why NASA’s Biosignatures Matter for India’s Next Mars Mission

By BPN News Desk September 22, 2025

When NASA’s Perseverance rover drilled into the Martian surface and found minerals like vivianite and greigite along with strange “leopard spot” textures, the world paused. Scientists cautiously called them “potential biosignatures” — features that could be remnants of microbial life. It isn’t proof yet, but it’s the closest we have ever come to answering the […]

Science Space & Astronomy

NASA Speeds Up Plan for Moon Nuclear Reactor

By BPN News Desk August 8, 2025

NASA aims to place a nuclear reactor on the Moon by around 2030. Interim NASA chief Sean Duffy has directed the agency to fast-track development of a 100-kilowatt reactor. NASA must appoint a project leader and invite proposals from private companies within 60 days. Why a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon? Solar panels are not […]

Science Space & Astronomy

India-US Team Successfully Sends Earth Observer to Orbit

By BPN News Desk July 31, 2025

India’s GSLV‑F16 rocket successfully launched the NASA–ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar (NISAR) satellite on July 30 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. The satellite was placed in a sun-synchronous polar orbit at an altitude of 743 km. The mission marks a significant milestone in India–US space cooperation and is among the most advanced Earth […]

Space & Astronomy

Elon Musk Announces SpaceX’s Mission to Retrieve Astronauts from ISS

By BPN News Desk January 29, 2025

On January 28, 2025, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk announced that, following a directive from President Donald Trump, SpaceX will expedite the return of NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry “Butch” Wilmore from the International Space Station (ISS). The two astronauts have been aboard the ISS since June 2024, initially arriving via Boeing’s Starliner