Space Foundation News & Media
Space Foundation and Arcfield Bring Former NASA Astronaut to St. Vrain Valley Schools
LONGMONT, CO — Oct. 22, 2026 — Space Foundation and Arcfield will partner to host Space in the Community (SITC), a weeklong STEM experience for students and educators at St. Vrain Valley Schools in Longmont, Colorado, Oct. 26–30, 2026. From Monday through Thursday, Space Foundation educators and former NASA astronaut Duane “Digger” Carey will visit middle and…
Fiscal Cliff Looms for Federal Space Spending Amid Budget Delay
Congressional gridlock ahead of the midterm election paused plans to nearly double national security space spending to as much as $126 billion. Now Pentagon programs remain in limbo as a Dec. 11 federal shutdown looms.1 The cloudy horizon comes after a sunny year for military and intelligence satellite programs. The House and Senate made steady…
Washington Updates – Boosting Starship Cadence
What You Need to Know: SpaceX looks to increase its Starship launch cadence by nearly 20 times. JAXA launches a sample-return mission to the Martian moon Phobos. Blue Origin is building two new launchpads at Cape Canaveral. United States Space Policy Updates FAA regulators are reviewing a proposal to greatly increase the number of Starship launches…
Space Foundation, Arcfield to Bring Weeklong STEM Experience to Fairfax County, Virginia
FAIRFAX COUNTY, Va — Oct. 19, 2026 — Space Foundation and Arcfield are proud to partner once again for Space in the Community (SITC), bringing a week of space exploration and STEM fun to Fairfax County Public Schools in Fairfax County, Virginia, from Oct. 19-23, 2026. Space Foundation’s SITC program builds lasting partnerships with communities to help PreK-12 students become lifelong…
Martian Sample-Return Mission Launches
NASA is playing a key role in a JAXA mission that could return a sample from the Mars system for the first time in history. The Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission launched October 20 from Japan. It is scheduled to arrive near the Martian moons Phobos and Deimos in August 2027. The spacecraft will collect…
Space Foundation Challenges Middle School Students Nationwide to Solve Energy Challenges in Space
National Space Sustainability Competition invites students in grades 6–8 to develop solutions for sustainable living in Earth’s orbit COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Oct. 15, 2026 — Space Foundation is challenging middle school students across the country to tackle one of the biggest questions facing future space exploration: How will humans generate, store and use energy…
Space Foundation Names Michelle Olson as Senior Vice President of Strategic Communications and Marketing
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — October 13, 2026 — Space Foundation has named Michelle Olson as Senior Vice President of Strategic Communications and Marketing. Olson brings more than 35 years of experience in public relations, corporate communications and integrated marketing, most recently as Partner and U.S. Chief Client Officer at LLYC, where she built and led…
Washington Updates: Space Soldiers
What You Need to Know: The Army welcomes its first class of enlisted space warfighters. The Artemis Accords reach more than 75 signatories. The SpaceX Crew-13 mission breaks the record for the fastest an American spacecraft has docked with the ISS after launch. United States Space Policy Updates The Army welcomes its first class of…
South Korea deploys 14 satellites in first launch of 2026
South Korea achieved its first orbital launch of the year when a Nuri rocket took off from the nation’s Naro Space Center on Tuesday, Oct. 6. The mission carried 15 satellites into orbit, successfully deploying 14. This is the fifth launch of the nation’s Nuri rocket family since 2021. “Nuri successfully completed its fifth mission…
Colorado Springs, Huntsville Leaders Unite Behind Space Command Move
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (Oct. 5, 2026) – Mayors and economic development leaders from Huntsville, Ala., and Colorado Springs, Colo., offered public assurances in a joint press conference Monday that the two communities are working together for a smooth transition as U.S. Space Command headquarters moves from Colorado to Alabama. The mission of ensuring national security and…