JIM BRIDENSTINE

The last time anyone visited the moon was in December 1972, during NASA's Apollo 17 mission. Since then, there have been many foiled plans to go back.

Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine joined the board of directors of spacecraft propulsion startup Phase Four, the company told CNBC.

Two former NASA administrators, Jim Bridenstine and Charles Bolden, said that Russia could be a difficult space partner.

The risk of collisions in space, the fate of the United States in orbit after the space station retires and continuing debates over NASA's path back to the moon dominated a two-hour hearing on Thursday (Oct. 21) held by a Senate committee focused on space and science.

Space industry leaders like former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine made their arguments on Capitol Hill Thursday to extend the life of the International Space Station.

"We're only just now scratching the surface" of space exploration, Jim Bridenstine, who ran NASA during the Trump administration, said after Jeff Bezos' launch.

Two billionaires plan to both take their first spaceflights within days of eachother.

It is unclear who might join Whitson and Shoffner on their mission. An Axiom spokesman said that would be revealed at a later date. But recently, the Discovery Channel announced it was hosting a competition for a seat on a future Axiom mission to the space station. Former NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine also said last year that Tom Cruise was working with the company to shoot scenes for a movie on the station.

There's a new NASA chief in town. Today (May 3), former U.S. senator Bill Nelson (D-Fla.), 78, was sworn in as the agency's 14th administrator.

Nelson said he wanted both previous administrators there “to show the continuity and bipartisanship with which you run the nation’s space program, particularly NASA.”

The Senate has confirmed Bill Nelson, a former Florida senator who once flew on the space shuttle, to be the next NASA administrator.

See the best photos on Space.com this week.

These are the top space stories this week from Space.com.

Florida’s former Sen. Bill Nelson is set to become NASA’s next administrator if confirmed by the Senate, after President Joe Biden officially nominated the Brevard County native to lead the space agency on Friday. Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine stepped down in January, the day Biden was sworn into office. Steve Jurczyk stepped in as the acting NASA administrator on Jan. 20. Senator Bill Nelson to lead our agency. If confirmed he will be the third NASA administrator to have achieved spaceflight.

President Joe Biden has chosen Nelson, a former senator from Florida who flew on the space shuttle to lead NASA. Scott Applewhite, File)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – President Joe Biden has chosen a former senator from Florida who flew on the space shuttle right before the Challenger accident to lead NASA. Biden on Friday announced his intent to nominate Bill Nelson as the space agency's administrator. “There has been no greater champion, not just for Florida’s space industry, but for the space program as a whole than Bill,” Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, said in a statement. Plenty of qualified candidates,” retired space shuttle director and program manager Wayne Hale tweeted earlier this month.

Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine stepped down in January, the day Biden was sworn into office. RUMINT: Former Sen. Bill Nelson (Fla.) is said to be Biden admin pick for NASA administrator, killing several birds with one stone: strong relationship with POTUS, congressional savvy. @Genevaexpat — Breaking Defense (@BreakingDefense) February 22, 2021Steve Jurczyk stepped in as the acting NASA administrator on Jan. 20. AdWhoever Biden nominates to lead NASA will still need to be confirmed in the Senate. Nelson did not support Bridenstine’s confirmation as NASA administrator, arguing the head of NASA should be someone in the spaceflight industry.

It's "Mars madness" day for space fans as the life-seeking Perseverance rover mission targets an epic landing on the Red Planet today (Feb. 18). You can watch the Mars landing live here and on Space.com's homepage, courtesy of NASA. Related: How to watch NASA's Perseverance rover land on MarsLive updates: Follow the Perseverance Mars rover's landing! Join our forums here to discuss the Perseverance Mars rover landing. Perseverance rover's Mars landing: Everything you need to knowNASA worked hard to get the Perseverance launch finished on time with these new changes.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Thursday (Feb. 4) that President Joe Biden will carry on the Artemis program to land humans on the moon in the coming years. (Image credit: NASA via collectSPACE.com)Psaki's comments, which were in answer to a reporter's question, did not mention NASA's 2024 target for the first crewed Artemis moon landing , a deadline set by the Trump administration. In December, before Biden took office, NASA named an "Artemis team" of 18 astronauts who are eligible for flight assignments, including the Artemis 2 flight around the moon that's currently scheduled for 2023, the Artemis 3 landing mission slated for 2024, and future opportunities in Artemis. Related: What is NASA's Artemis Program? Late in his tenure, Bridenstine said full funding for NASA's human landing systems would be "needed to achieve a 2024 moon landing," and meeting that goal would become "more and more difficult" with less money.

NASA's former chief Jim Bridenstine just joined a private equity firm that invests in the aerospace and defense sectors. Related: Outgoing NASA chief Jim Bridenstine calls for unity in space exploration pursuits"Innovation is found in small and mid-market companies," Bridenstine, Acorn's new senior adviser, said in a statement Monday (Jan. 25). "I'm excited to join this firm and work with disruptors that provide needed innovation to the aerospace and defense industries." The Biden administration appointed senior-level NASA official Steve Jurczyk as acting administrator on Jan. 21, one of 34 acting leaders announced hours after the presidential inauguration. View DealOutgoing NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine peers at the B-2 Test Stand at Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, prior to a hot fire test Jan. 16, 2021, of the core stage for the agency's Space Launch System rocket.

Bridenstine said in November that he would step down as NASA chief when the Biden administration took over, according to an Aerospace Daily & Defense Report. Related: Presidential visions for space: From Ike to Biden"That is a terrible way to look at space exploration," he added. That won't happen without internal NASA unity and buy-in from political leaders, which will be required for a long-term effort like Artemis, he said. In that video, he also thanked NASA's employees for all their hard work, saying that serving as NASA chief was "a job of a lifetime." Jurczyk will serve in this role until President Biden's choice for NASA chief , which he has not yet named, is sworn in.

(AP Photo/John Raoux)ORLANDO, Fla. – In his final 24 hours leading NASA, Jim Bridenstine had a message for the next space agency head: science and discovery should always be uniting. It has been my great honor to serve as your @NASA Administrator. “There’s no doubt that being the NASA administrator is unlike any other job on the planet. Deputy Administrator Jim Morhard is also leaving NASA on the final day of the Trump administration. NASA associate administrator Steve Jurczyk will serve as acting NASA administrator until Biden nominates and the Senate confirms his pick.

The core stage for the first flight of NASA’s Space Launch System rocket is seen in the B-2 Test Stand during a hot fire test Jan. 16, 2021, at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi. NASA attributed the automatic shutdown to the strict test limits meant to protect the core stage so it can be used on the first Artemis flight. At this rate, the 212-foot core stage made by Boeing is down to about six “tanks” on its lifespan. President-elect Joe Biden has yet to name who will lead the space agency through a critical time in the ambitious timeline to return to the lunar surface. The outgoing administrator did have some advice for whoever next leads the U.S. space agency, urging the next agency head to keep politics out of space exploration.

In this Saturday, Jan. 16, 2021 photo made available by NASA, the core stage for the first flight of NASA's Space Launch System rocket undergoes a hot fire test at NASA's Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss. On Tuesday, Jan. 19, 2021, NASA blamed the automatic shutdown on the strict test limits. All four engines fired for barely a minute, rather than the intended eight minutes, on the test stand at NASA's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi. NASA said it can adjust the test limits if a second test is deemed necessary, to prevent another premature shutdown. The Artemis program is working to put astronauts back on the moon by 2024, a deadline set by the Trump administration.

NASA’s rocket charged with taking the agency back to the moon fired its four main engines Saturday afternoon, but the test in Mississippi was cut short after a malfunction caused an automatic abort, News 6 partner Florida Today reports. The 212-foot Space Launch System core stage fired its four RS-25 main engines at Stennis Space Center just before 5:30 p.m. Eastern time, sending a plume of exhaust towering above the B-1/B-2 test stand. “Still have four good engines, right?”The engines fired for 12 more seconds after the exchange before an automatic, computer-controlled shutdown was called. Once complete, the core stage will be loaded onto a barge and shipped from Mississippi to a dock near the Vehicle Assembly Building at KSC. The Boeing-built core stage, under development for nearly a decade, uses previously flown space shuttle main engines.

The four first stage of NASA Space Launch System moon rocket was test fired Saturday at the agency's Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, but an engine shutdown about a minute after ignition, triggering an abort. The SLS rocket put on a spectacular show while its four RS-25 engines were firing, sending billowing clouds of steam into the sky above the Stennis Space Center. The engine nozzles then were to be hydraulically moved to verify the flight computer's ability to steer the huge rocket as required. But about 50 seconds after engine ignition, a test controller called out "MCF on engine 4," using an acronym that stands for "major component failure." The fully assembled SLS rocket will weigh 5.75 million pounds, stand 322 feet tall and generate 8.8 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, making it the most powerful operational rocket in the world.

NASA's Artemis program to land humans on the moon by 2024 faces fresh challenges after a fiscal 2021 NASA spending bill allocated less money to the human landing system than what the agency requested. Congress released an omnibus spending bill Monday (Dec. 21) allotting $23.3 billion to NASA. While NASA will receive $642 million more than fiscal year 2020, the bill falls about $2 billion short of the agency's $25.246 billion request, according to SpaceNews. Allocating $1.1 billion for space technology programs, at the same level as 2020 but much less than the administration's $1.6 billion request. The 2021 U.S. spending bill also included $2 billion for Space Force, the newest branch of the American armed forces.

Col. Michael Hopkins, a NASA astronaut, recites the U.S. Space Force oath of enlistment while on the International Space Station on Friday, Dec. 18, 2020. Hopkins voluntarily transferred to the Space Force after 27 years serving in the Air Force. "Today you will be the first Space Force astronaut [who] will be living in space. (Image credit: USSF)Hopkins earlier said that his decision to switch services came as a result of his experience working with what had been Air Force Space Command, but has now been transferred to the Space Force. At least one other member of NASA's active astronaut corps, Air Force Col. Nick Hague, has also requested to transfer to the Space Force.

The first woman and next man on the moon will come from this elite group. Vice President Mike Pence introduced the astronauts Wednesday at the close of his final meeting as chairman of the National Space Council. The space agency is aiming for a moon landing by 2024, although the chances of that happening are growing increasingly dim. Half of the NASA astronauts have spaceflight experience. “The history is awesome, but we’re here to look toward the future,” Acaba told reporters after the announcement.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – Vice President Mike Pence will travel to Brevard County on Dec. 9 to chair his final meeting of the National Space Council at Kennedy Space Center. Then he will chair the 8th meeting of the National Space Council at Kennedy Space Center, according to the White House. Wednesday’s meeting will happen at the Saturn V Center at Kennedy Space Center at 12:30 p.m. The vice president is expected to deliver remark’s on NASA’s Artemis program and space achievements made under President Donald Trump’s leadership. During the past four years, Trump’s guidance of the space program was ambitious.

Gen. Charles Yeager talks to members of the media following a re-enactment flight commemorating his breaking of the sound barrier 65 years earlier, at Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. Yeager, the first pilot to break the sound barrier, died Monday, Dec. 7, 2020, at age 97. Yeager died Monday, his wife, Victoria Yeager, said on his Twitter account. Among the flights he made after breaking the sound barrier was one on Dec. 12. President Harry S. Truman awarded him the Collier air trophy in December 1948 for his breaking the sound barrier. ___This version corrects that Yeager flew an F-15, not an X-15, when he was 79.

The Crew-1 mission is commanded by NASA astronauts Mike Hopkins with fellow NASA astronaut Victor Glover as pilot. Space Station Spots Crew-1 Dragon SpaceX's Crew-1 Crew Dragon spacecraft Resilience is seen from a distance of 200 kilometers in this zoomed-in view from the International Space Station on Nov. 16, 2020. Trump and Biden Hail SpaceX Launch President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden have both issued statements via Twitter on today's successful Crew-1 astronaut launch by SpaceX. Astronauts entering Crew Dragon The Crew-1 astronauts have begun entering their Crew Dragon ‘Resilience’ spacecraft. Crew-1 astronauts arrive at launch site The four-astronaut crew of SpaceX's Crew-1 mission for NASA have arrived at their Kennedy Space Center launch site for their planned Nov. 14 launch to the International Space Station.

ORLANDO, Fla. – NASA and SpaceX will once again have to thread the needle for Sunday evening’s Crew-1 astronaut launch. An approaching cold front will bring increasing clouds and the threat of scattered downpours to the Space Coast. The 45th Weather Squadron downgraded the launch probability of Sunday’s launch from 60% go to 50%. Launch concerns SundayWeather pushed back the initial launch scheduled for Saturday evening. Wave heights as of Sunday morningThere will be a few stray showers earlier in the day Sunday if you’re planning on getting a good spot for the scheduled launch.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – SpaceX and NASA are now targeting Sunday to launch four astronauts to the International Space Station from Kennedy Space Center due to weather concerns. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine confirmed the 24-hour delay Friday afternoon, saying it was because of weather at sea and onshore winds. Should there be a launch abort, the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft would shuttle away for a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean, carrying the astronaut crew to safety. There are certain weather criteria that must be met on land for the rocket to launch and at sea in the event of an abort. “For NASA this booster and SpaceX this booster is very important for us.

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine speak with NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken prior to a scrubbed launch on May 27, 2020. Live updates: SpaceX's Crew-1 astronaut launch for NASARelated: NASA urges COVID caution for spectators of SpaceX Crew-1 launchSomething extremely bogus is going on. SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks with NASA personnel after the successful launch of Demo-2 on May 30, 2020, in the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. You can watch SpaceX's Crew-1 launch for NASA live here at Space.com on Saturday beginning at 3:30 p.m. EST (1930 GMT). Editor's note: This story was updated at 7:30 p.m. EST on Nov. 13 with the new Crew-1 launch date of Nov. 15 and to add comments from Benji Reed and Norm Knight.

Friday’s postponement news came after SpaceX chief Elon Musk disclosed he had gotten mixed test results for COVID-19 and was awaiting the outcome of a more definitive test. “I can assure everyone that we’re looking good for the (crew) launch and all of the critical personnel involved,” said SpaceX’s Benji Reed, senior director for human spaceflight. “So ‘Elon Musk Tests Negative for Covid’ is an equally correct title,” he tweeted. The upcoming crew flight comes just three months after the end of the test flight with Hurley and Bob Behnken, both NASA astronauts. NASA and SpaceX are especially eager to retrieve this first-stage booster; it will be used for the next crew launch.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – It’s very unlikely Elon Musk will be at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Sunday when his company SpaceX launches four astronauts for NASA to the International Space Station after he received several positive and negative COVID-19 tests. The billionaire tweeted Thursday he took four rapid antigen tests for the virus, two came back negative and two came back positive. “I’ll tell you when somebody test positive for COVID. Here at the Kennedy Space Center and across NASA. Kennedy Space Center closed to most workers in March when the virus first began showing up in Florida.

NASA is all set for its first operational commercial crew mission with SpaceX, and will celebrate by broadcasting numerous events for the launch, dubbed Crew-1 . Crew-1 will carry four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS), one more than the standard three-person crew of a Russian Soyuz. Participating Crew-1 astronauts are Crew Dragon commander Michael Hopkins (NASA), pilot Victor Glover (NASA), mission specialist Shannon Walker (NASA) and mission specialist Soichi Noguchi (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency). Live updates: SpaceX's Crew-1 astronaut launch for NASACrew-1 follows on from the shorter, successful Demo-2 mission that launched in May to the space station with two NASA astronauts, demonstrating that a SpaceX Crew Dragon could safely ferry people to space. Blast-off for Crew-1 is scheduled for 7:49 p.m. EST Saturday (Nov. 14) (0049 GMT Sunday, Nov. 15) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

"You need somebody who has a close relationship with the president of the U.S. ... somebody trusted by the administration …. including OMB [Office of Management and Budget], National Space Council , National Security Council," Bridenstine told Irene Klotz, space editor for Aviation Week, Aerospace Daily & Defense Report's parent publication. For example, Bridenstine seems optimistic about NASA and American space exploration more broadly going forward. including OMB, National Space Council, National Security Council. “There is a political agreement that America needs to do big things in space exploration, that we need to lead the world ...

The head of Russia's space agency criticized NASA's plans to return to the moon of being "too U.S.-centric" as the heads of seven space agencies met virtually at the 71st International Astronautical Congress. "In our view, the lunar Gateway in its current form is too U.S.-centric," Rogozin said at the virtual meeting, through an interpreter. The Gateway is a lunar orbit space station meant as an outpost for visits to the lunar surface by astronauts. Related: Europe will help build NASA's moon-orbiting Gateway space stationRogozin did not completely close the door on the Gateway, however, expressing the hope that the design of a docking module allows for visits. The ILRS is to be constructed across a similar timeline to that of NASA's crewed Artemis program.

Scientists say the moon’s shadowed, frigid nooks and crannies may hold frozen water in more places and in larger quantities than previously suspected. Another NASA scientist on the call, Dr. Jacob Bleacher, touched on the importance of water for the agency’s exploration plans. “We confirmed water on the sunlit surface of the Moon for the 1st time using @SOFIAtelescope,” Bridenstine tweeted. “We don’t know yet if we can use it as a resource, but learning about water on the Moon is key for our #Artemis exploration plans.”Earlier, NASA tweeted, “Happy Monday, skygazers! We don’t know yet if we can use it as a resource, but learning about water on the Moon is key for our #Artemis exploration plans.

Space agencies are at a crucial pivot point as international consortiums embark on ambitious endeavors like returning samples from Mars and sending human missions to the moon, according to a recent panel discussion. The Artemis work builds upon decades of space agency cooperation on the International Space Station, Bridenstine said during the panel. "This collaboration is critically important," Bridenstine said of NASA's Artemis work with ESA. The equipment can also analyze samples of the moon on site, which has been done at Mars before — for example, on NASA's Curiosity mission . "Space exploration is really a pillar in nurturing and sustaining industrial excellence," Zeminiani said.

For the first time ever, a NASA probe has performed a sample-snagging operation on an asteroid in deep space. Members of NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample-return mission team celebrate after receiving word that the probe completed an attempt to collect samples of asteroid Bennu 207 million miles from Earth on Oct. 20, 2020. Related: NASA's OSIRIS-REx asteroid-sampling mission in picturesAn artist's depiction of NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft approaching asteroid Bennu for its sampling attempt. The asteroid Bennu, as seen by NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft on Dec. 2, 2018. The OSIRIS-REx team will spend the next week or so assessing how much asteroid material was collected.

The planet Mars has been a target for space exploration for decades, but 2020 stands out with three different missions from the U.S., China and UAE now headed to the Red Planet. The International Mars Society will celebrate those missions, the search for life and more in a virtual convention this week and you can tune in live. The Mars Society's 2020 Convention is underway now and will run through Oct.18, with over 150 speakers over four days. Mars Society founder Robert Zubrin, author of 2019's "The Case for Space," will kicked the convention off with an opening plenary speech Thursday. To learn more about the Mars Society, its 2020 convention and how to join or support the group, visit its website here: https://www.marssociety.org/.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA’s new moonshot rules: No fighting and littering. The space agency released a set of guidelines Tuesday for its Artemis moon-landing program, based on the 1967 Outer Space Treaty and other agreements. Founding members include the U.S., Australia, Canada, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. The coalition can say, “Look, you’re in this program with the rest of us, but you’re not playing by the same rules,” Bridenstine said. ___The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education.

Eight nations have signed the Artemis Accords , a set of principles outlining the responsible exploration of Earth's nearest neighbor, NASA officials announced today (Oct. 13). But he stressed that the Artemis Accords are fully consistent with pre-existing treaties, including the most important one — 1967's Outer Space Treaty (OST), which forms the basis for international space law. The Artemis Accords state that the use of space resources can benefit humanity. Such mining activities will be conducted in full compliance with the OST, the Artemis Accords stress. (The Accords already covered Mars as well as the moon ; NASA intends for the Artemis work to serve as a stepping stone for crewed missions to the Red Planet in the 2030s.)

The sensors and computer — tested during the booster’s descent and touchdown — will hitch another suborbital ride with Blue Origin. Led by Amazon founder Bezos, Washington state-based Blue Origin is leading a team of companies to develop a lunar lander for astronauts. Tuesday’s launch was the first in nearly a year for Blue Origin: The pandemic stalled operations. Blue Origin said its staff is maintaining social distancing and taking other safety measures. Blue Origin said it needs a couple more flights before launching people — tourists, scientists and professional astronauts — on short hops.

"I'm excited to share the first photos of the NASA worm and ESA [European Space Agency] logo that will be on the Artemis I mission. I am looking forward to seeing the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft take flight with these iconic symbols," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine wrote on Twitter on Wednesday (Sept. 30). Linked to a bygone era, the worm gradually gained a retro-cool status, leading to NASA returning the logo to flight earlier this year. NASA’s "worm" logo and the European Space Agency's (ESA) logo have been added to the aft wall of the Orion spacecraft's crew module adapter for the Artemis I mission. The worm was also recently added to the Artemis I Orion, along with the ESA logo.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Jim Bridenstine said if an immediate $3 billion is not appropriated for the Human Landing System, NASA’s goal to get back to the Moon by 2024 would be at risk. The lunar lander only received about 20 percent of full funding in a House spending bill passed in July. “NASA has had a history of seeing programs get developed and then canceled,” Bridenstine testified. “Space has generally always been a very bipartisan effort and that’s encouraging and needed now more so than ever,” Dale Ketcham of Space Florida said. “I just want to thank NASA for their commitment to using the private sector to do things.”

The U.S. military aims to get a nuclear thermal rocket up and running, to boost its ability to monitor the goings-on in Earth-moon space. The money will support DARPA's Demonstration Rocket for Agile Cislunar Operations (DRACO) program, whose main goal is to demonstrate a nuclear thermal propulsion (NTP) system in Earth orbit. Such improvements in propulsion technology are needed for "maintaining space domain awareness in cislunar space — the volume of space between the Earth and the moon," the DRACO description reads. "We are proud to support DRACO and the development and demonstration of NTP, a significant technological advancement in efforts to achieve cislunar space awareness," Gryphon CEO P.J. DARPA is not alone in seeing great promise in NTP systems.

On Friday, the agency released its first-ever agency wide economic impact report. According to the report, 43 states receive an economic impact of more than $10 million. Of those 43 states, eight have an economic impact of $1 billion or more, reports News 6 partner Florida Today. In Florida, NASA’s economic output was $5.9 billion. “With an investment of just one-half of 1% of the federal budget, NASA generates significant total economic output annually.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The International Space Station made a space debris shuffle Tuesday evening to avoid getting smacked by one of the millions of pieces of space junk in low-Earth orbit. This wasn’t the first or the last time the ISS will move to avoid space debris. Time for Congress to provide @CommerceGov with the $15 mil requested by @POTUS for the Office of Space Commerce. Time for Congress to provide the U.S. Commerce Department with the $15 million requested by POTUS for the Office of Space Commerce,” Bridenstine said in a tweet Tuesday. The mot recent episode of WKMG’s podcast Space Curious offered a look at the problem space junk creates and what’s being done about it, click here to read more and listen to the full episode below.

The International Space Station, photographed by Expedition 56 crewmembers from a Soyuz spacecraft in October 2018. NASA astronauts Andrew Feustel and Ricky Arnold and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Artemyev executed a flyaround of the orbiting laboratory to take pictures of the station before returning home after spending 197 days in space. The International Space Station just dodged a fast-moving hunk of orbiting junk. Controllers maneuvered the station away from a potential collision with a piece of debris today (Sept. 22) at 5:19 p.m. EDT (2119 GMT). The station has now made three such moves in 2020 alone, Bridenstine said today in another tweet, stressing that "debris is getting worse!"

NASA and the United States Space Force are banding together for the future of human spaceflight. Today (Sept. 22), NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and U.S. Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. John "Jay" Raymond announced a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between NASA and the U.S. Space Force. This agreement officially joins the two entities in collaboration with regard to "human spaceflight, U.S. space policy, space transportation, standards and best practices for safe operations in space, scientific research and planetary defense," NASA said in a statement . Space Force looks forward to future collaboration, as NASA pushes farther into the universe for the benefit of all." And that's why it was important to create the Space Force, that's why it's important for NASA to partner with the Space Force."

NASA is definitely targeting the moon's south pole for a crewed landing in 2024 — but that timeline will be difficult to achieve if Congress doesn't open its purse strings, and fast, agency chief Jim Bridenstine said. "And there is no talk or trades or anything else about anything other than going to the south pole at NASA." But he said that NASA will continue asking for the $3.2 billion, stressing that getting the full amount is "critically important" to achieving the 2024 crewed landing. These two steps are very unlikely to happen before Oct. 1, when the 2021 fiscal year begins. The private sector will supply the Artemis crewed lunar lander(s), whose services NASA will procure.

"For the first mission, Artemis 3 , our objective is to get to the south pole," Bridenstine said. But the hoped-for resource has made the moon's south pole a priority destination. And if the agency is focused on the moon's equatorial region, a handful of sites immediately pop out as intriguing: the six Apollo landing sites , where astronauts explored between 1969 and 1972. And revisiting an Apollo landing site would have impacts beyond science, Bridenstine said. "Just the inspiration of going back to an original Apollo site would be pretty amazing as well," he said.

The astronaut pair were the first to launch on the SpaceX spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center on May 30 to the International Space Station, marking the first human spaceflight from U.S. soil since 2011. About a dozen private vessels in the splashdown area were told to leave as they attempted to approach the SpaceX spacecraft. Outside of those vessels Coast Guard boats should be the only other ones in the area for 10 miles. On Sunday, the private boats could be seen surrounding the recovery effort on the NASA livestream. The lesson learned here is we probably need more Coast Guard assets, maybe some more SpaceX and NASA assets as well, Shotwell said.

NASAs Perseverance rode a mighty Atlas V rocket into a clear morning sky in the worlds third and final Mars launch of the summer. the mission will yield lessons that could pave the way for the arrival of astronauts as early as the 2030s. Because going to Mars is hard, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said just before liftoff. The rover will store half-ounce (15-gram) rock samples in dozens of super-sterilized titanium tubes. Samples taken straight from Mars, not drawn from meteorites discovered on Earth, have long been considered the Holy Grail of Mars science, according to NASAs now-retired Mars czar, Scott Hubbard.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket that will launch to Mars arrives at Space Launch Complex 41 at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Tuesday, July 28, 2020, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. The rocket scheduled to launch on Thursday will land on Mars in February 2021 and the Mars 2020 rover, named Perseverance, will study Martian geology. (AP Photo/John Raoux)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. The summers third and final mission to Mars featuring NASA's most elaborate life-hunting rover is on the verge of liftoff. The rover Perseverance will follow Chinas rover-orbiter combo and a United Arab Emirates orbiter, both launched last week. First things first, though: Good flying weather is forecast for United Launch Alliance's Atlas V rocket.

On Wednesday, July 29, 2020, SpaceX and NASA cleared the Dragon crew capsule to depart the International Space Station and head home after a two-month flight. (NASA via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Tropical weather barreling toward Florida could delay this weekends planned return of the first SpaceX crew. On Wednesday, SpaceX and NASA cleared the Dragon crew capsule to depart the International Space Station and head home after a two-month flight. SpaceX is already preparing to launch a second crew to the space station at the end of September. NASA wants six weeks between the splashdown and the launch of the next Dragon crew, for capsule inspections and reviews.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Astronauts squeezed in one last spacewalk Tuesday before turning their attention to the all-important end to SpaceXs first crew flight. NASAs Bob Behnken and Chris Cassidy floated out of the International Space Station on their fourth and final spacewalk in under a month. It was the 10th spacewalk in each of their careers, tying the U.S. record set by previous space station residents. SpaceX is aiming for a splashdown off the Florida coast in August the first splashdown for astronauts in 45 years. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said once Tuesday's spacewalk is finished, the astronauts are going to be focused like a laser on coming home."

They were the first to hitch a ride to the International Space Station on Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon. SpaceX and NASA are targeting September for the next launch of Dragon with astronauts from Kennedy Space Center. On Friday, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said SpaceX and NASA are targeting Aug. 1 for a departure of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour by its passengers, and a splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean on Aug. 2. NASA has paid the Russian space agency about $84 million a seat to fly its astronauts to and from the International Space Station. SpaceX and Boeing were selected in 2014 to develop American-made spacecraft to take over transporting NASA astronauts to space.

Three countries the United States, China and the United Arab Emirates are sending unmanned spacecraft to the red planet in quick succession beginning in July 2020. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. Mars is about to be invaded by planet Earth big time. Each spacecraft will travel more than 300 million miles (483 million kilometers) before reaching Mars next February. Only the U.S. has successfully put a spacecraft on Mars, doing it eight times, beginning with the twin Vikings in 1976. The United Arab Emirates and China are looking to join the elite club.

WASHINGTON NASA is naming its Washington headquarters after Mary Jackson, the space agencys first African American female engineer whose story was portrayed in the popular film Hidden Figures.Jackson started her NASA career in 1951 as part of a segregated unit of female mathematicians at what is now Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia. Jackson was later promoted to engineer and retired from NASA in 1985. Mary W. Jackson was part of a group of very important women who helped NASA succeed in getting American astronauts into space, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement Wednesday. Part of the street in front of NASA headquarters is called Hidden Figures Way" and a computer research facility at Langley is named for Katherine Johnson, another of the Hidden Figures mathematicians, who died in February. A NASA facility is also named for her in West Virginia, her home state.

Throughout May testing of the raw sewage at the Cape Canaveral Wastewater Treatment Facility detected no presence of the novel coronavirus - that is, until the week of May 26. What they found was that for the weeks of May 6, 12 and 19, the virus concentration per liter of sewage in Cape Canaveral was zero. Biobot gave the results to the city on Wednesday, and city officials said they alerted county health and emergency officials. According to Fridays data from the Department of Health, Cape Canaveral has just eight cases of COVID-19. Cape Canaveral officials said in a statement that the sewage results are an important reminder that everyone should continue to take COVID-19 very seriously.

(NASA/JPL-Caltech via AP)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. NASAs next Mars rover is honoring all the medical workers on the front lines of the coronavirus battle around the world. With just another month until liftoff, the space agency on Wednesday revealed a commemorative plate attached to the rover, aptly named Perseverance. The rover team calls it the COVID-19 Perseverance plate, designed in the last couple months. If the rover isn't launched by mid-August, it would need to wait until 2022 when Earth and Mars are back in proper alignment. The United Arab Emirates and China also are preparing spacecraft for launch to the red planet by mid-August.

ORLANDO, Fla. Kathy Lueders, the cool head behind NASAs Commercial Crew Program for the past eight years, will now oversee the U.S. space agencys human spaceflight office, becoming the first woman in this role. Anyone who has followed developments as SpaceX and Boeing prepared to fly NASA astronauts under the agencys Commercial Crew Program will recognize Lueders. She has been the head of the program since its infancy, now Lueders will oversee all of human spaceflight operation. From Commercial Cargo and now Commercial Crew, she has safely and successfully helped push to expand our nations industrial base. As head of the Commercial Crew Program, Lueders offered a cool head to a program that has faced delays but has proven a success after SpaceXs first astronauts launch last month.

Amateur astronauts, private space stations, flying factories, out-of-this-world movie sets this is the future the space agency is striving to shape as it eases out of low-Earth orbit and aims for the moon and Mars. But the future is incredibly exciting, NASA astronaut Kjell Lindgren said the day before SpaceXs historic liftoff. The ticket price which includes 15 weeks of training and more than a week at the space station is about $55 million. Beginning in 2024, Axiom plans to build its own addition to the 260-mile-high (420-kilometer-high) outpost to accommodate its private astronauts. SpaceX still has to get NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken safely back to Earth this summer in its Dragon capsule.

The two astronauts will fly on a SpaceX test flight to the International Space Station. Once on board the space station, Hurley said the capsule, newly named Endeavour after the retired shuttle, handled extremely well. He was the pilot on the last U.S. spaceship to visit the space station — the last shuttle flight, by Atlantis, in July 2011. Until Saturday, SpaceX had launched only space station supplies or satellites. Even so, getting the two astronauts safely to orbit and then the space station had everyone breathing huge sighs of relief.

The first attempt to launch NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley was scrubbed Wednesday due to weather. Veteran NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley are the lone passengers onboard the Crew Dragon spacecraft. As part of NASA’s commercial crew program, the U.S. space agency selected SpaceX and Boeing to develop spacecraft to fly NASA astronauts. Crew Dragon hatch closesSpaceX teams have closed the hatch to the Crew Dragon capsule at Launch Complex 39A. Webcast will go live at ~11:00 a.m. EDT → https://t.co/bJFjLCilmc pic.twitter.com/AXDGNfqv0K — SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 30, 20207:40 a.m.

SpaceX and NASA teams conducted a flight readiness review Friday ahead of a second attempt. On the technical side, things look good, as Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon are healthy and ready for launch, NASA officials said. SpaceX and NASA launch teams will hear the latest weather projections from the U.S. Air Force 45th Weather Squadron on Saturday morning before making the call to launch. [MORE COVERAGE: Where to watch SpaceX Crew Dragon launch on the Space Coast]Bridenstine stressed Friday, the launch will happen when everything aligns. When it does happen, the liftoff will mark the first time since 2011 that NASA astronauts have launched from Florida.

The Falcon 9, with the Crew Dragon spacecraft on top of the rocket, is scheduled to liftoff from Launch Pad 39-A Saturday. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. SpaceX pressed ahead with its second attempt to launch astronauts for NASA a historic first for a private company but more stormy weather threatened more delays. Elon Musks company came within 17 minutes Wednesday of launching a pair of NASA astronauts for the first time in nearly a decade from the U.S., before the threat of lightning forced a delay. NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said managers were debating whether to bump the next launch attempt from Saturday to Sunday to take advantage of a slightly improved forecast at Kennedy Space Center. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex reopened Thursday, after a 2 1/2-month shutdown, and within a few hours, all 4,000 tickets were snapped up for Saturdays launch attempt.

The reason NASA and SpaceX have set days and times to launch Astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station depends on a lot of factors, outside of the weather alone. The International Space Station is home to hundreds of science experiments and astronauts from several counties. On May 12, Northrop Grummans Cygnus cargo craft departed the space station. When you talk about launching to the International Space Station, your launch window is not a window at all. Bridenstine said NASA and SpaceX will get another weather update from the 45th Weather Squadron at 4 p.m. Friday.

We are go for launch! NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine wrote on Twitter earlier in the day. SpaceX and NASA will continue monitoring liftoff and downrange weather as we step into the countdown, Bridenstine added. Over the past nine years, NASA astronauts have had to hitch rides into orbit aboard Russias Soyuz spacecraft. The last time NASA launched astronauts into space aboard a new vehicle was four decades ago at the start of the shuttle program. They are expected to remain at the space station for several weeks, assisting a short-handed crew aboard the orbital laboratory.

NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken head to launch pad 39 to board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket during NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., May 27, 2020. We are go for launch! NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine wrote on Twitter, although looming storm clouds off Floridas coast potentially could force a postponement of the mission until Saturday. SpaceX and NASA will continue monitoring liftoff and downrange weather as we step into the countdown, Bridenstine added. The astronauts then emerged from the building, waved to family members and onlookers including Vice President Mike Pence and hopped into a Tesla vehicle to drive to the launch pad. The astronauts are scheduled to blast off from the same launch pad used in 2011 by NASAs final space shuttle flight, piloted by Hurley.

NASA astronauts Douglas Hurley and Robert Behnken head to launch pad 39 to board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket during NASA's SpaceX Demo-2 mission to the International Space Station from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, U.S., May 27, 2020. We are go for launch! NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine wrote on Twitter, although looming storm clouds off Floridas coast potentially could force a postponement of the mission until Saturday. SpaceX and NASA will continue monitoring liftoff and downrange weather as we step into the countdown, Bridenstine added. The last time NASA launched astronauts into space aboard a brand new vehicle was four decades ago at the start of the shuttle program. SpaceX successfully tested Crew Dragon without astronauts last year in its first orbital mission to the space station.

A SpaceX rocket is ready to boost two NASA astronauts into orbit Wednesday, the first launch of Americans from the U.S. in nearly a decade. CAPE CANAVERAL A SpaceX rocket is ready to boost two NASA astronauts into orbit Wednesday, the first launch of Americans from the U.S. in nearly a decade. Riding aboard the brand new SpaceX Dragon capsule for the historic flight: veteran NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken. NASA hired SpaceX and Boeing in 2014 to transport astronauts to the space station, after commercial cargo shipments had taken off. Development of SpaceX's Dragon and Boeing's Starliner capsules took longer than expected, however, and the U.S. has been paying Russia to launch NASA astronauts in the interim.

Todays launch, the first to launch astronauts from U.S. soil for the first time in nearly a decade, was scrubbed with just moments to spare due to weather. [READ MORE: Its official: NASA and SpaceX are go to launch astronauts from Kennedy Space Center]"No launch for today safety for our crew members @Astro_Doug and @AstroBehnken is our top priority," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine tweeted, using a lightning emoji. The flight the long-held dream of SpaceX founder Elon Musk would have marked the first time a private company sent humans into orbit. A solemn-sounding Musk said he felt his responsibilities most strongly when he saw the astronauts wives and sons just before launch. NASA hired SpaceX and Boeing in 2014 to transport astronauts to the space station in a new kind of public-private partnership.

Hours before the planned liftoff of SpaceX's first crewed flight, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told CNBC on Wednesday that the space vehicle for the mission is probably the safest to ever carry astronauts. ET Wednesday to carry NASA astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley to the International Space Station. This is probably the safest vehicle astronauts have ever launched on," Bridenstine said in an interview on "Squawk on the Street" from the Kennedy Space Center. The mission, named Demo-2, is the first crewed mission in SpaceX history and the first launch of NASA astronauts from U.S. soil since 2011. "What NASA did, when we came up with this program to launch commercially: We did not say how to design your vehicle.

Todays launch, the first to launch astronauts from U.S. soil for the first time in nearly a decade, was scrubbed with just moments to spare due to weather. The launch of a SpaceX rocket ship with two NASA astronauts on a history-making flight into orbit was called off with less than 17 minutes to go in the countdown Wednesday because of thunderclouds and the risk of lightning. "Thank you to @NASA and @SpaceX for their hard work and leadership. The flight the long-held dream of SpaceX founder Elon Musk would have marked the first time a private company sent humans into orbit. The launch preparations took place in the shadow of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed an estimated 100,000 Americans.

A SpaceX rocket is ready to boost two NASA astronauts into orbit Wednesday, the first launch of Americans from the U.S. in nearly a decade. UPDATE: Todays launch of two U. S. astronauts aboard aboard the brand-new Dragon capsule on top of a Falcon 9 rocket was scrubbed moments before launch due to weather. Musk, wearing a mask and keeping his distance, chatted with the two NASA astronauts just before they left for the launch pad. A solemn-sounding Musk said he felt his responsibilities most strongly when he saw the astronauts wives and sons just before launch. NASA hired SpaceX and Boeing in 2014 to transport astronauts to the space station in a new kind of public-private partnership.

(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. A SpaceX rocket is ready to boost two NASA astronauts into orbit Wednesday, the first launch of Americans from the U.S. in nearly a decade. Riding aboard the brand new SpaceX Dragon capsule for the historic flight: veteran NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken. SpaceX is controlling the vehicle, theres no fluff about that, said Norm Knight, a NASA flight operations manager. The last time astronauts launched from Florida was on NASAs final space shuttle flight in July 2011. Development of SpaceXs Dragon and Boeings Starliner capsules took longer than expected, however, and the U.S. has been paying Russia to launch NASA astronauts in the interim.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. NASA is rolling out the International Space Stations red carpet for Tom Cruise to make a movie in orbit. Bridenstine said hell leaving it to Cruise and SpaceX to provide the mission details. I will tell you this: NASA has been in talks with Tom Cruise and, of course, his team, and we will do everything we can to make it a successful mission, including opening up the International Space Station," he told The Associated Press. Asked about Cruise filming on the space station, Musk told CBS This Morning, Actually, I think that remains to be seen. The question is, Can Tom Cruise make a new movie that inspires the next generation Elon Musk. And if he can do that, then were all for it.

"Hans Koenigsmann, a SpaceX vice president, said Monday evening that he and other company workers have imagined themselves in the astronauts' shoes on launch day "or their helmets." SpaceX has been launching cargo capsules to the space station since 2012. The odds of acceptable launch weather improved Tuesday to 60%. NASA hired SpaceX and Boeing in 2014 to transport astronauts to the space station, after commercial cargo shipments had taken off. Development of SpaceX's Dragon and Boeing's Starliner capsules took longer than expected, however, and the U.S. has been paying Russia to launch NASA astronauts in the interim.

Veteran NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken were set to make history Wednesday afternoon, riding SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule to the International Space Station on a test flight. On the eve of the launch, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said from Kennedy Space Center that both the space agency and SpaceX have been diligent about making sure everyone in the launch loop knows they're free to halt the countdown if there's a concern. SpaceX has been launching cargo capsules to the space station since 2012. NASA hired SpaceX and Boeing in 2014 to transport astronauts to the space station, after commercial cargo shipments had taken off. Development of SpaceX's Dragon and Boeing's Starliner capsules took longer than expected, however, and the U.S. has been paying Russia to launch NASA astronauts in the interim.

Elon Musk's SpaceX is the conductor and NASA the customer as businesses begin chauffeuring astronauts to the International Space Station. The drama unfolds from the exact spot where men flew to the moon and the last space shuttle soared from Kennedy Space Center. NASAs newest test pilots, Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken, are launching from home turf with SpaceX presiding over the countdown. Plagued with software problems, Boeings Starliner capsule is still a year from launching with Ferguson and two NASA astronauts. In terms of launch power, the relatively small Falcon 9 has far less than the space shuttle did, another layer of safety.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. The Space Shuttle Program was always going to end. For all the shuttle program did for humanity, delivering a galaxy-hunting telescope to orbit and building the International Space Station, they had their drawbacks. In fact, it was Hurley himself who brought the Shuttle program to a close; he piloted Atlantis down to Kennedy's runway in 2011. Bridenstine said that will end once the Crew Dragon and Falcon 9 launch America back into space. Bridenstine said NASA was negotiating with Russia to buy one final seat from Russia for an October Soyuz launch.

In ordinary times, the beaches and roads along Floridas Space Coast would be packed with hundreds of thousands of spectators, eager to witness the first astronaut launch from Florida in nine years, scheduled for May 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)ORLANDO, Fla. In ordinary times, the beaches and roads along Floridas Space Coast would be packed with hundreds of thousands of spectators, eager to witness the first astronaut launch from Florida in nine years. Earlier this month, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine asked potential spectators to watch the launch online or on TV from home. NASA astronauts have not launched from the U.S. since the space shuttle program ended in 2011. Although crowd sizes varied, a high-profile space shuttle launch could attract a half million visitors to the Space Coast.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket scheduled for May 27 will launch a Crew Dragon spacecraft on its first test flight with astronauts on-board to the International Space Station. The two are scheduled to blast off next Wednesday afternoon atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, bound for the International Space Station. They'll soar from the same pad where Atlantis closed out the shuttle program in 2011, the last home launch for NASA astronauts. Since then, the only way to the space station for astronauts has been on Russian rockets launched from Kazakhstan. Hurley and Behnken still don’t know how long they’ll spend at the space station: anywhere between one and four months.

pic.twitter.com/1EoolI3XNH Johnson Space Center (@NASA_Johnson) May 20, 2020Hurley was one of the last NASA astronauts to make that same trip in 2011 for the last space shuttle launch. He described Kennedy Space Center as home away from home because both astronauts spent a lot of time there during the space shuttle program. At that time, KSC Director Bob Cabana, a former astronaut, was head of the NASA astronaut office. This is also similar to the space shuttle program but, again, will look very different. Stay with News 6 and ClickOrlando.com for updates as American astronauts launch from Floridas Space Coast once again.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a tweet that his agency working with actor Tom Cruise for a film on board the International Space Station. Deadline first reported that Cruise was working with NASA. That report also said that SpaceX is involved, but NASA declined to comment when CNBC asked if Elon Musk's space company was working on the project as well. SpaceX did not respond to CNBC's requests for comment.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – NASA’s administrator issued a plea to everyone wanting to watch American astronauts return to space in May: stay home. “We’re asking people not to travel to the Kennedy Space Center.”The Demo-2 mission will send American astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnke to the International Space Station aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. It will mark the first time American astronauts have traveled to space aboard an American rocket from American soil since the shuttle program ended in 2011. He said the staff inside mission control will also practice social distancing on launch day. It is our access to the International Space Station, which is a $100 billion investment by the American taxpayers. "

NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine on Friday unveiled the highly anticipated date on which astronauts will launch from American soil for the first time since 2011. Officials previously announced the mission would take place sometime in May, but we now know the exact target date is May 27, just a little more than a month from now. The footage ended with the Launch America logo and the date May 27, 2020. BREAKING: On May 27, @NASA will once again launch American astronauts on American rockets from American soil! With our @SpaceX partners, @Astro_Doug and @AstroBehnken will launch to the @Space_Station on the #CrewDragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket.

Boeing brought Starliner back to Earth where it landed in New Mexico 48 hours later, instead of docking with the ISS. NASA is currently evaluating the Starliner’s flight data to determine if another uncrewed test flight is required. NASA tapped SpaceX and Boeing to build and operate spacecraft to fly American astronauts. SpaceX completed an uncrewed test flight last spring with its Crew Dragon spacecraft. The OFT Starliner spacecraft is currently en route from New Mexico back to Boeing’s facilities at Kennedy Space Center.

Both Boeing and SpaceX -- with the Crew Dragon spacecraft -- have been working since 2014 toward NASA certification to carry humans as part of the Commercial Crew Program. NASA has forked out $84 million a seat paying Russia since 2011 to launch U.S. astronauts. NASA astronauts Nicole Mann, Mike Fincke, Suni Williams, Josh Cassada and Eric Boe in front of the ULA Atlas V and Starliner spacecraft. This time, NASA is a customer instead of the launch and spacecraft provider, Bridenstine said. Williams and her fellow commercial crew astronauts will be watching the launch Friday morning along with the rest of Florida.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine revealed Friday that the space agency plans to launch a golfcart-sized roving robot, called the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, or VIPER, to roam the surface collecting samples and mapping resources. NASA says it plans to deliver VIPER to the moon in December 2022. VIPER will "collect about 100 days of data that will be used to inform the first global water resource maps of the Moon," according to a NASA news release. NASA plans to create a sustainable base on the lunar surface within a decade. NASA did not announce what launch provider would deliver the rover to the moon.