National Space Society

09/07/2026

NSS welcomes the new National Space Transportation Policy, a comprehensive framework to strengthen America’s launch, reentry, and in-space transportation capabilities.

We support the policy’s call to expand and modernize U.S. spaceports, develop reliable domestic reentry infrastructure, build a resilient industrial base and workforce, and prioritize commercial space transportation services. These actions are essential as launch activity accelerates and new stations, satellites, exploration missions, and commercial operations come online.

The policy also highlights critical in-space transportation needs, including space-weather awareness, orbital-debris removal, and on-orbit servicing. Investing in these capabilities will help protect the space environment, strengthen mission resilience, and enable sustainable long-duration operations beyond Earth.

“The National Space Transportation Policy sets the stage for a new era of U.S. leadership in space,” said Grant Henriksen, Chair of the NSS Policy Committee. “Investing in the full spectrum of space transportation will unlock a new set of space activities that will result in unprecedented science, exploration, and economic opportunity.”

Read NSS’s full statement at nss.org



(Photo credit: SpaceX)

09/06/2026

On September 5, 1977, NASA launched Voyager 1, the second of the twin Voyager spacecraft, on its historic journey to the outer solar system and beyond.

Originally designed for a five-year mission to explore Jupiter and Saturn, Voyager 1 transformed our understanding of the outer solar system—returning unprecedented images and scientific discoveries from the giant planets, their moons, and their rings. In 2012, it became the first human-made object to enter interstellar space, and it continues to return valuable data from beyond the heliosphere.

Voyager’s enduring legacy is more than an extraordinary engineering achievement. It demonstrates what is possible when humanity commits to ambitious, long-term exploration, and when we look beyond the limits of our home world.

NSS works towards a future of people living and working in thriving communities beyond Earth, using the vast resources of space for the dramatic betterment of humanity. The Voyager spacecrafts helped lay the foundation for that future by expanding our knowledge of the solar system, testing the limits of deep-space operations, and inspiring generations to see space not as a boundary, but as the next frontier for humanity.

Carrying the Golden Record, a gold-plated copper phonograph record containing a diverse time capsule of life on Earth, Voyager 1 also represents a profoundly human act of outreach: a small ambassador from our planet traveling into the cosmic unknown. 🚀🌌

(Image credit: NASA)

09/05/2026

Join the NSS Young Professionals Community for our upcoming virtual event! Lunar Economy Simulation: Designing the Future of the Moon, an interactive session led by the winner of the 2026 Rothblatt Business Plan Competition, Michael Miller!

🚀 Don’t just learn about the lunar economy — help simulate it.

📅 September 9
⏰ 12:00 ET

This event is exclusively for young professionals and those at the start of their career journeys.

Register today: tinyurl.com/2s3fw87t

08/30/2026

ICYMI! Today is the last day to apply to participate in our Global Space Debate program!

NSS’s Global Space Debates (GSD) are prestigious, 100% virtual international programs where students collaborate across borders to research, discuss, and debate the space-policy questions that will shape humanity’s future beyond Earth.

Through GSD, students can form global teams, explore real-world issues in space development, and strengthen valuable skills in research, public speaking, critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership. Past debate resolutions have explored topics such as international cooperation, lunar exploration, space sustainability, artificial intelligence and robotics, and the role of space development in addressing challenges on Earth.

This is an opportunity to connect with peers from around the world, gain new perspectives, and build experience that supports future academic and career goals in STEM, policy, communications, and the growing space industry.

Ready to join the conversation? Learn more and apply: nss.org/global-space-debates/

08/30/2026

Join us in counting down!

NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope launches tomorrow, opening a much wider window on the universe.

With a field of view roughly 100 times larger than Hubble’s, Roman will help study billions of galaxies, search for exoplanets, and investigate dark matter and dark energy.

(Content credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center)

08/29/2026

A historic mission. An extraordinary crew. A lasting legacy. 🚀

Congratulations to Artemis II astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on receiving the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

The medal recognizes astronauts who distinguish themselves through exceptionally meritorious efforts and contributions to the welfare of the nation and humankind. The Artemis II crew received this honor following their historic lunar flyby mission earlier this year.

During their nearly 10-day journey around the Moon and back, the crew traveled 695,081 miles in total and reached 252,756 miles from Earth — the farthest distance humans have ever traveled from our planet! In doing so, they surpassed the previous human-spaceflight distance record set by the Apollo 13 crew in 1970.

Their courage, expertise, and teamwork have opened a new chapter in human exploration, helping pave the way for future Artemis missions to the Moon and, ultimately, Mars.

NSS celebrates this remarkable international crew and the thousands of people whose work made the mission possible.

The Moon is only the beginning!

(Photo credit: NASA, BBC)

08/27/2026

This is something truly unprecedented in space exploration.

A Starship 2nd stage flew into space, landed in the Indian Ocean, and was picked up by a semi-submersible vessel for return to the U.S. Upper stages typically disintegrate in the atmosphere or sink to the ocean floor. Retrieving a 50+ meter (165-foot) stainless steel spacecraft after a soft ocean landing and transporting it across the globe for post-flight inspection is a historic first.

This represents a major achievement in the Starship program. The complete recovery of the 2nd stage will allow for deep analysis of wear and tear across the entire design, particularly the heat shield.

Executing this recovery with on-the-fly planning (given that the vehicle's complete survival was not initially expected) demonstrates old-fashioned, can-do moxie from the operations team.

📸 Photo Credit: Chris Bray

08/26/2026

What does it take to become a space shuttle pilot?

Join us this Thursday, August 27, at 8pm ET for an inspiring Virtual Space Forum with Commander Susan Kilrain, USN (Ret.) — NASA astronaut, pioneering naval aviator, test pilot, and author.

In "Slaying Snakes in the Cockpit: Life Lessons from An Unlikely Astronaut", Kilrain shares the experiences behind her extraordinary career: from becoming one of the first women to fly the F-14 Tomcat to piloting two Space Shuttle Columbia missions. Hear her candid reflections on persistence, overcoming barriers, navigating doubt, and pursuing ambitious goals in aviation, aerospace, and space exploration.

And bonus! Four attendees will be randomly selected to win an autographed copy of "Slaying Snakes in the Cockpit".

RSVP today to reserve your seat and submit your questions: tinyurl.com/45u2s3kt

08/24/2026

Calling high school and college students around the world: the future of space needs your voice!

NSS’s Global Space Debates (GSD) are prestigious, 100% virtual international programs where students collaborate across borders to research, discuss, and debate the space-policy questions that will shape humanity’s future beyond Earth.

Through GSD, students can form global teams, explore real-world issues in space development, and strengthen valuable skills in research, public speaking, critical thinking, teamwork, and leadership. Past debate resolutions have explored topics such as international cooperation, lunar exploration, space sustainability, artificial intelligence and robotics, and the role of space development in addressing challenges on Earth.

This is an opportunity to connect with peers from around the world, gain new perspectives, and build experience that supports future academic and career goals in STEM, policy, communications, and the growing space industry.

Ready to join the conversation? Learn more and apply: nss.org/global-space-debates/

Love Space But Not Sure Where To Begin?Launch Your Curiosity With NSS Global Space Debates! Note: NSS Global Space Debates was formerly called NSS spUN Debate Program (space policy and UNiversalization) What is GSD? The National Space Society (NSS) Global Space Debates (GSD) Program (formerly known....

08/22/2026

It has been said that the Moon is a harsh mistress, and nowhere is this more apparent than at the lunar south pole. That is, however, where the Artemis program is headed, and we need to figure out how to best explore the region. Dr. David Kring of the Universities Space Research Association's Lunar and Planetary Institute joins "This Week in Space" to explore the where, whys, and hows of the Artemis Program's lunar exploration plans, and the answers--and risks--that await us.

It has been said that the Moon is a harsh mistress, and nowhere is this more apparent than at the lunar south pole. That is, however, where the Artemis program is headed, and