Bhavya Lal

Bad news for the new version of Starship.
@SpaceX posted images of Booster 18, the first Version 3 (V3) Super Heavy first stage, ystrdy as it was about to begin prelaunch testing. The test early this morning “seems to have just exploded” per
@LabPadre (see video: x.com/LabPadre/sta...)
.

Update!

www.nasa.gov/glenn/fsps/

Quindar raises $18 million to scale satellite operations software Startup founded by ex-OneWeb engineers aims to replace bespoke ground systems with automated tools

Quindar raises $18 million to scale satellite operations software

Startup founded by ex-OneWeb engineers aims to replace bespoke ground systems with automated tools

In answer to the question -- yes, Senate Commerce will hold another nomination hearing for Jared Isaacman to be NASA Admin. Dec 3. 10:00 am ET. Webcast.

Chairman Cruz Announces Nominations Hearing for NASA and Commerce Nominees U.S. Senator Ted Cruz (R-Texas), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, will convene a hearing to consider the nominations for the National Aeronautics and Space Ad...

www.commerce.senate.gov/2025/11/chai...

NASA Invites Media to Attend Crewed Artemis II Moon Mission Launch - NASA Targeted to launch in early 2026, the Artemis II test flight will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space

No specific date, but NASA has opened media accreditation for the Artemis II launch "in early 2026."
www.nasa.gov/news-release...

I’ll be teaching a new class on cislunar governance at Georgetown this spring. It’s gonna be a ride! See here: spacestudies.georgetown.edu/courses/stia...

And yes, I’ll be coming to many of you for help, guidance, reality checks, and guest appearances. Consider this your early warning!

Looks like the #shutdown is over - for now. #NASA

Hegseth pledges sweeping overhaul of Pentagon procurement Shift toward 'commercial first' buying could benefit fast-moving space and tech firms

Hegseth pledges sweeping overhaul of Pentagon procurement

Shift toward 'commercial first' buying could benefit fast-moving space and tech firms

Nuclear energy is key to American leadership in space The future of American leadership in space will hinge on one factor: the ability to generate high power on orbit and on the surface of celestial bodies such as the moon. From a physics standpoint, nuclear energy offers the highest energy density available for spacecraft, enabling more efficient and compact power generation compared to solar. In August, NASA announced a plan to deploy a 100 kilowatt nuclear fission reactor on the moon by 2030.

Nuclear energy is key to American leadership in space

The future of American leadership in space will hinge on one factor: the ability to generate high power on orbit and on the surface of celestial bodies such as the moon. From a physics standpoint, nuclear energy offers the highest energy…

Truth Social Truth Social is America's

President Trump announces he is renominating Jared Isaacman to be NASA administrator. truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...

White House renominates Isaacman to be NASA administrator The White House said Nov. 4 it is renominating Jared Isaacman to be NASA administrator, the latest twist in an unprecedented saga over the agency’s leadership.

White House renominates Isaacman to be NASA administrator

The White House said Nov. 4 it is renominating Jared Isaacman to be NASA administrator, the latest twist in an unprecedented saga over the agency’s leadership.

The Race to Study an Interstellar Comet from Deep Space Astronomers are hustling to use interplanetary spacecraft to study the interstellar comet dubbed 3I/ATLAS while the sun is hiding it from Earth

I recommend this article by @meghanbartels.bsky.social and @leebillings.bsky.social for folks who are looking for *factual* information about why 3I/ATLAS is of interest to planetary astronomers: www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-...

The next space race will be won at night The first space race was about getting to the moon. Today’s race to the moon and Mars is about staying there.

The next space race will be won at night

The first space race was about getting to the moon. Today’s race to the moon and Mars is about staying there.

What Happens When the US Stops Funding the Science Behind SpaceX? NASA’s shrinking budget threatens the public science behind SpaceX’s success, and it could weaken America’s ability to develop breakthrough technologies.

I have a new essay in Bloomberg Weekend about how important government science is to advanced tech like SpaceX's Starship, and what we can expect from big cuts to government R&D:
www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

This is one of those weeks where I'm reminded that space reporting is 95% talking about going to space and 5% actually going to space

A Strategy for Building Space Nuclear Systems That Fly Bhavya Lal and Roger M. Myers assess what it will take for NASA to design, build, and deploy a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030.

“History shows that when it comes to space nuclear power, the United States is far better at setting goals than seeing them through.”

@b-lal.bsky.social and Roger Meyers on what it will actually take to get a high-powered nuclear reactor working on the Moon by 2030: issues.org/space-nuclea...

Isaacman Back in the Running for NASA Administrator spacepolicyonline.com/news/isaacma...

Billionaire Isaacman Met With Trump Over Top NASA Job Jared Isaacman and President Donald Trump have met in recent weeks and discussed reviving the fintech billionaire’s nomination to lead NASA, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Jared Isaacman may not totally be out of the NASA game just yet www.bloomberg.com/news/article...

The NASA IG is worried about maintenance of the >50-yr old spacesuits on ISS by Collins Aerospace. Questions the award fees given to Collins over past 5 yrs bc their performance has declined. Makes recs to help NASA hold Collins accountable and ensure astronaut safety on ISS.
x.com/NASAOIG/stat...

Sean Duffy re NASA in Fox News: "the budget ensures taxpayers' money drives real exploration rather than endless delays and waste." "Bloated bureaucracy, inefficiencies in contract procurement and a culture of overcaution have consistently grounded NASA missions."
x.com/SecDuffyNASA...

If we find even fossil microbes on Mars, is it a Copernicus moment? Proof that life is not unique to Earth but a cosmic phenomenon (as all us Star Trek fans knew anyway).

China proposes flyby mission to asteroid Apophis during 2029 Earth encounter Chinese scientists are proposing using a pathfinder spacecraft to make a flyby of asteroid Apophis when it makes a close approach to Earth in 2029.

China proposes flyby mission to asteroid Apophis during 2029 Earth encounter

Chinese scientists are proposing using a pathfinder spacecraft to make a flyby of asteroid Apophis when it makes a close approach to Earth in 2029.

Office of Space Commerce loses 40% of budget in rescission The Commerce Department has moved to rescind 40% of the current-year funding for the Office of Space Commerce.

Office of Space Commerce loses 40% of budget in rescission

The Commerce Department has moved to rescind 40% of the current-year funding for the Office of Space Commerce.

NIAC Symposium - NASA THE NASA INNOVATIVE ADVANCED CONCEPTS (NIAC) Program is proud to announce the NIAC Symposium!

www.nasa.gov/niac-symposi...

Acting NASA Administrator Duffy Selects Exploration-Focused Associate Administrator - NASA Acting NASA Administrator Sean P. Duffy Wednesday named Amit Kshatriya as the new associate administrator of NASA, the agency’s top civil service role.

www.nasa.gov/news-release...

SpaceX will try again tonight (Tuesday, Aug 26) for IFT-10. Same launch window (6:30-7:30 Central/7:30-8:30 pm Eastern). www.spacex.com/launches/sta...

SpX will try again tonight (Monday, Aug 25) for the IFT-10 launch. Same launch window (7:30-8:30 pm Eastern). Musk posted on X that last night's scrub was due to a ground-side LOX leak. x.com/elonmusk/sta...

The future of space infrastructure In this week’s episode of Space Minds, host David Ariostor speaks with Al Tadros, Chief Technology Officer at Redwire, to explore the future of space infrastructure and commercialization.

The future of space infrastructure

In this week’s episode of Space Minds, host David Ariostor speaks with Al Tadros, Chief Technology Officer at Redwire, to explore the future of space infrastructure and commercialization.

NASA Seeks Industry Feedback on Fission Surface Power - NASA As part of the agency’s initiative to return humanity to the Moon and eventually send the first astronaut – an American – to Mars, NASA is surveying industry

NASA wants quick turnaround - one week - on industry ideas for nuclear reactor on Moon. RFI issued yesterday. Responses due next Thursday, August 21.
www.nasa.gov/centers-and-...