In answer to The Register’s Richard Speed, ESA DG Josef Aschbacher says they had good news from NASA two days ago, confirming their contributions to the Rosalind Franklin rover. They say an autumn 2028 launch is feasible and are aiming for that.

Quick maths from @nasaspaceflight.com reporter who points out @esa’s Human and Robotic Spaceflight programme is undersubscribed by around €800m. That’s quite the shortfall.

Artemis IV the earliest - and not to the surface. Two German astros - Gerst and Maurer - have repeatedly expressed their desire to go to the Moon, so I reckon it'll be one of them. But when A IV flies is very much TBD, of course.

Oh interesting - decision made at ESA Ministerial Council that the first European to head to the Moon will be German. Interested in more details.

Excited to experience #DubaiAirShow for the first time and looking forward to their space track and pavilion. If you’re going to be there too, drop me a message and say hello! :)

Awesome work from Blue Origin landing their first stage booster on the second ever attempt and a great looking launch of New Glenn. #NG2

Been a bit quiet as I’ve been travelling. First to Hanoi to run a SpaceWise Academy, currently in Oman, next stop Dubai where we’re taking an astronaut to meet students in a bunch of schools.

Two cosmonauts from the Soyuz MS-27 crew are preparing for a 5.5-hour spacewalk today. Hatch opening is set for 16:50 UTC (12:50 p.m. EDT). DETAILS, UPDATES: russianspaceweb.com/iss-vkd64.html

Woohoo! *Finally* the Apollo 10 capsule - the only Apollo capsule not in the US - is in the (new, free) *space* gallery at the Science Museum. I’ve waited a long time for this.

Sad that former astronaut Garrett Reisman needed to write this, but very very glad he did, and I hope people take note. www.thespacereview.com/article/5060/1

Got a UKSA notification today about “Six innovative new projects that will use satellite tech and AI to transform how Britain tackles climate change” (no, it doesn’t mention how). Total funding £1.5million - “supporting Government’s Industrial Strategy” “driving innovation, accelerating growth” etc

Starship scrub. :/ No go on weather. #Starship

Indeed.

SpaceX is now targeting Monday, August 25 for Starship’s 10th flight test. The 60-minute launch window from the company’s Starbase in Texas opens at 6:30 p.m. CT. Elon Musk says Sunday’s launch attempt was scrubbed to fix a “ground side liquid oxygen leak.”

IFT-10: SCRUB! SpaceX post on X: "Standing down from today's tenth flight of Starship to allow time to troubleshoot an issue with ground systems"; we'll stand by for an update on when the company might make another launch attempt

IFT-10: SpaceX reports propellant loading is underway

Who is still awake for #Starship launch - in UK or elsewhere? Will this be the one that gets them back on track?

When UK Space Agency is merged with DSIT, will Harwell stop being the HQ? It still bugs me that without a car you reach the cutting edge of British space via a slow local bus from Didcot Parkway. Last time I was there it broke down. (The bus that is..)

“It’s noteworthy how much of the language used to describe the introduction of the UK Space Agency as an executive agency is again being used to strip it of its limited independence.” 💯 europeanspaceflight.com/uk-space-age...

UK Space Agency to be merged with Dept of Science, Innovation and Technology - but will still retain its name as a unit in DSIT. Will this bring different gov stakeholders together to drive UK space - or distract from progress? gov.uk/government/new…#UKspacece

En route to the intriguing metallic asteroid Psyche, NASA's spacecraft of the same name looked back toward Earth... ...and got this view of our planet and its Moon as two tiny lights, floating in the great depths of space. 🔭🧪 www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-p...

Edinburgh book fest = astro-author friends come to visit🥳 Lovely Portobello tea with Dr Sheila Kanani @saturnsheila.bsky.social. If you've got 8-12yos in your life check out her latest "Can you get music on the moon?" It's jam-packed with wow inc Rosetta's singing comet and deafening bat volume! 🤗 🔭

Glad the Apollo 13 movie is getting reruns lately. This scene is even more moving today: right, Tom Hanks playing Jim Lovell; left, cameo appearance by actual Jim Lovell (1928 Mar 25 - 2025 Aug 7).

Via @apnews.com - Apollo 13 Lunar Mission Commander James Lovell Dies at 97 apnews.com/article/jame...

Oh no, I’ve just heard that Jim Lovell has died. The only human to go to the Moon twice and never set foot upon it. God speed sir.

🌍 Back to Europe! 🚀🌊 Less than 24 hours after splashdown, @esa.int project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski has landed in Cologne, Germany 🇩🇪, to continue human physiology research for the #Ignis mission. 🧬🤘The science must go on: esa.int/ESA_Multimed...

Felix Baumgartner: Extreme athlete who jumped from space dies after paragliding crash

Duhita Govindji of PA Consulting: “We need a targeted PR campaign for UK space”. #uksc2025 Hello UK space industry! I’m here to help tell your stories! Let’s talk!

Breaking the @spacegovuk’s own embargo, Head of UK Space Agency Paul Bate announces £1.6m of extra funding for the UK’s space cluster network this evening at a UK Space Ecosystem networking reception. More news tomorrow. #UKSC2025 #BreakingNews

Who else is in Manchester for the @ukspaceconference.bsky.social? Shame about the rain! #UKSC2025

Whoa. That's a sprite, an elusive, high-altitude electrical discharge from a thundercloud photographed by NASA astronaut Nichole Ayers from the ISS earlier today. With reported sightings going back more than a century, this phenomenon was first photographed in 1989.

BREAKING: SpaceX Starship explodes during static fire test

Double Speak About NASA Science nasawatch.com/space-scienc...

China's crewed Moon plans: China's human spaceflight agency plans both a pad abort test and an in-flight escape test at Max-Q for the Mengzhou crew spacecraft in 2025. mp.weixin.qq.com/s/kfKIn_Bpz-...

NOAA Halts Maintenance of Key Arctic Data at National Snow and Ice Data Center eos.org/research-and... #NOAA

No reason to leave the credit out of an image post, imo. There’s plenty of space to say that the bright blue dot is Earth seen from Saturn, and also credit the folks with the attribution they requested. CREDIT: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Space Science Institute

This Time Its Existential nasawatch.com/activism/thi... This time its existential. Deal with it. Stand up and say something. If you do not then no one else will. Embrace THAT challenge.

ispace has shared another update, following yesterday's landing attempt of its HAKUTO-R M2 “Resilience” lander on the Moon:

Tianwen-2 update: spacecraft is performing well and is 3 million km from Earth. Image of one of its fully deployed circular solar panels included. www.cnsa.gov.cn/n6758823/n67...

Uh oh. Loss of telemetry like that doesn’t bode well. Here’s hoping it was just a blip. Awaiting confirmation of what’s happened to #Hakuto_R

Looking for one place to track what’s happening with NASA’s space science budget? 💡 Our Space Policy Advocacy Hub has you covered, with the latest letters, updates, and resources you need to stay informed. Check it out ➡️ www.planetary.org/save-nasa-sc...

Just got this, looks like LPSC 2026 will be hosted but NOT by NASA as it had since the conference's inception. USRA/LPI will pick up the baton and run with it. www.hou.usra.edu/meetings/lps...

POTUS on Elon Musk's government contracts 🖥️ Truth Social / Donald J. Trump

We’re all tuned in to see if ispace manage to land on the Moon tonight right? Here’s wishing for soft landings! www.youtube.com/live/BVSMXQP...

So much big space news coming out of the US. It is sad to see such harsh cuts for NASA and I’m both shocked and not shocked that they have removed Jared Isaacman from NASA Admin role. I did wonder why they didn’t confirm him faster tbh.

Via #AviationWeek - Blue Origin will attempt to land an uncrewed prototype of its Human Landing System (HLS) on the Moon’s south pole this year. aviationweek.com/space/space-...

According to www.senate.gov/legislative/... Senate Executive Calendar 23 May 2025: the cloture motions with respect to the following nominations ripen: Jared Isaacman, of Pennsylvania, to be Administrator of NASA " I am sure that Jared Isaacman will enjoy being ripe.

New species of space-adapted bacteria discovered on China's Tiangong space station. Say hello to Niallia tiangongensis. | via #SpaceDotCom | by @andrewjonesspace.bsky.social www.space.com/space-explor...

Starship and Starbase status via Justin Davenport, as Flight 9 could be just days away. www.nasaspaceflight.com/2025/05/star...

Mmm - pretty sure the NBL has a scale replica of *part* of the ISS, not the *whole* ISS Rebecca Morelle. #BBCR4 #BBCR4Today