NASA said June 30 it is evaluating a plan to convert an engineering model of a Mars rover into a lunar rover named PROMISE, which could cost more than $1 billion and may not launch before the early 2030s.

The rover would be based on Curiosity and Perseverance models used on Earth. NASA administrator Jared Isaacman announced the idea at a briefing, saying it would help the lunar base and make use of existing hardware. Program executive Carlos García‑Galán said the conversion could be done quickly and cheaply because the hardware already exists, though no cost estimate was provided.

An analysis by The Planetary Society published July 30 estimated that developing and launching PROMISE would cost between $723 million and $1.33 billion, including one year of lunar operations, and that the mission would not be ready for launch until the early 2030s. Casey Dreier, chief of space policy for The Planetary Society, said the mission would consume resources that could support other scientific priorities. The study noted that converting the Perseverance engineering model, called OPTIMISM, would require new communications systems, flight‑rated instruments, and a radioisotope thermoelectric generator. NASA currently has one spare RTG, but using it would require approval and possible modifications to the lander and launch vehicle. Dreier added that the mission would limit the availability of the RTG for other planetary science missions and could reduce the testbed available for Curiosity and Perseverance.

In a social‑media post on July 31, Isaacman responded that launch and landing costs are unavoidable and that even a fraction of the low‑end estimate would be too expensive. He also argued that repurposing taxpayer‑funded hardware and the remaining plutonium‑238 fuel makes sense, questioning how much of the fuel should be wasted on a mission that does not yet exist. Uncertainty about RTG availability is one reason NASA has not yet issued a call for proposals for its next New Frontiers planetary science mission, which is now expected in fiscal year 2027. At the July 21 Exploration Science Forum, planetary science division director Louise Prockter said the delay is linked to an ongoing assessment of potential missions and the availability of nuclear power, and that further information will be released soon.

The agency continues to assess the feasibility of nuclear power for future missions and the timeline for the New Frontiers call, while the cost and schedule for PROMISE remain unresolved.

Spain announced on July 29 that it will allocate between €1.6 billion and €2 billion ($1.8 billion to $2.3 billion) to develop a national military satellite communications constellation for integration with the EU’s IRIS² multi‑orbit broadband system. The funding is part of 15 modernization programs planned for 2026 and a National LEO Capability program for 2027, as discussed at the National Committee for Technological Security and Sovereignty meeting in Warsaw. The Ministry of Defense said the money will support development of the space segment, the ground‑based control and management segment, and system operation throughout its lifecycle. The number of satellites in the Spanish constellation was not disclosed. European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius praised the commitment amid growing EU interest in the IRIS² initiative, which seeks to secure governmental satellite communications and address broadband dead zones, positioning itself as an alternative to SpaceX’s Starlink. Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez unveiled the plan in May, stating that Spain could become a European benchmark in the space sector and that its space industry generated about €1.5 billion in revenue in 2025 and employed roughly 8,000 highly skilled workers. He added that the project offers a chance to strengthen the national industrial value chain in satellite manufacturing and ground infrastructure and to advance European space sovereignty. Poland announced days earlier that it will commit around 2.8 billion Polish zloty ($749 million) to construct six MEO and six LEO satellites and a gateway ground station for IRIS², a step its interior minister said could create business opportunities for more than 400 companies in the Polish space sector. The IRIS² project, valued at 10.6 billion euros, aims for full operational capacity by 2030 and will consist of 292 satellites distributed across MEO, higher low Earth orbit and lower low Earth orbit.

The Senate is scheduled to leave for its summer recess this week. The House remains on break. This creates a brief window for Congress to pass a continuing resolution that funds the government through December 4. A separate Senate proposal would fund the government through December 11 and includes a provision that temporarily blocks a proposed Office of Management and Budget rule on federal grant regulations. Congress faces a deadline before the start of fiscal year 2027. The House passed a bill on a 220‑205 vote to keep the government open through December 4. The Senate is considering its own version that would fund the government through December 11. The Senate bill, introduced by Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Susan Collins, contains Sec. 157, which prohibits the OMB from implementing a rule that would change how federal grants are awarded. The American Astronomical Society and the Planetary Society say the rule could affect science and space programs. Representative Rosa DeLauro, the ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, praised the Senate committee’s effort but called for the OMB rule to be eliminated entirely. Space companies are releasing Q2 2026 financial results, with SpaceX set to report its first earnings since its June initial public offering on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. ET. Voyager Technologies and Redwire will also publish their results on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively, and their calls will be streamed online. NASA will hold two news conferences on Monday regarding the upcoming Crew‑13 mission, scheduled for a September launch to replace Crew‑12. The Crew‑13 mission includes NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, Canadian Space Agency mission specialist Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos mission specialist Sergey Teteryatnikov. NASA astronaut Chris Williams is scheduled to discuss his 241‑day Soyuz MS‑28 mission during a news conference on Tuesday. He returned to Earth on July 26 after conducting two spacewalks and research on cancer treatments and in‑space manufacturing. On Thursday, NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Anil Menon will begin a series of three spacewalks in August to install hardware for the next ISS Roll‑Out Solar Array, the seventh of eight planned arrays intended to increase the station’s power capacity. Meir is on her sixth spacewalk and Menon’s first. The LINK spacecraft operated by Katalyst Space remains in a reduced‑rate spin after a multi‑axis malfunction. The company reported lowering the spin rate from nine to four degrees per second on August 3 and is working with NASA on a new attitude controller. The planned rendezvous with NASA’s Swift observatory is delayed until the end of August, after which a reboost may no longer be feasible. Funding legislation and space missions will continue to develop through September 30, the end of fiscal year 2026, as the House reconvenes on August 31 and the Senate returns on September 14.

Boeing plans to use its Starliner spacecraft for a cargo resupply flight to the International Space Station in 2026. The mission would be a potential addition to NASA’s commercial resupply services. Starliner was originally developed for crewed flights under the Commercial Crew Program. NASA has indicated interest in a cargo capability to supplement existing resupply contracts. The 2026 launch window would follow a series of testing and certification steps. Boeing officials said the company is working with NASA to define the mission parameters. The timeline remains subject to further review and scheduling. A final decision on the cargo flight has not been made.

On July 28, a full Buck Moon rose over the mountains of Krk Island on Croatia’s Adriatic coast, while a pinkish Belt of Venus stretched across the twilight sky above the Earth’s shadow.

The Buck Moon is the traditional name for July’s full moon, and the Belt of Venus is a diffuse band of backscattered sunlight visible after sunset, positioned above the planet’s shadow. Photographer Branko Nadj captured the scene, which was featured by NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day on August 1, 2026.

The image shows the Moon near the horizon, the Earth’s shadow extending upward, and the subtle pink arch that characterizes the atmospheric phenomenon. The full moon occurs when the Moon is opposite the Sun, causing the Earth to cast a shadow that is visible in the twilight.

The August 12 New Moon will precede a total solar eclipse that will cast a shadow across parts of the Earth.

NASA reports that a webbing composed of 60% Kevlar and 40% polybenzimidazole, produced by Sturges Manufacturing, passed flammability testing for use in elevated oxygen environments intended for future lunar and Martian missions.

An elevated oxygen environment, such as 37% oxygen at 8.2 psia, increases fire risk and requires fire‑resistant materials for crewed missions to the Moon and Mars, where reduced prebreathe time is desired.

The test, conducted at White Sands Test Facility under NASA‑STD-6001B Test 1, measured the maximum oxygen concentration at which five samples met the standard. The natural webbing achieved a maximum oxygen concentration of 37%, while the black webbing reached 35% at the same pressure. Offgassing data were also collected for the natural, gold‑colored webbing.

These results indicate the material satisfies NASA flammability criteria, but final performance and wear characteristics must be validated in full configuration, as other components of the end item can affect overall fire resistance.

The findings support potential use of the webbing in softgood applications, though additional testing will be required before integration into crew equipment for upcoming missions.

NASA installed a memory card containing more than 1.35 million names on the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, which will travel to the Sun‑Earth Lagrange point 2. Technicians at Kennedy Space Center placed the card as part of a commemorative plaque on July 27. The names were submitted by people worldwide, including astronauts from Artemis II and Artemis III. The card will travel with the Roman observatory to L2, about one million miles from Earth. NASA and SpaceX plan to launch the telescope no earlier than 7:26 a.m. EDT on August 30 from a Falcon Heavy at Launch Complex 39A. The Roman telescope is named for NASA’s first chief astronomer and is designed to study the universe from space while providing data to the scientific community. The mission will reach L2 and begin its observations, with the names remaining onboard as a record of global participation.

Spain announced on 29 July that it would provide up to €1 billion to support construction of the Thirty Meter Telescope on La Palma, Canary Islands, while Mauna Kea in Hawaii remains the preferred site. The plan includes a €400 million contribution from Spain’s Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities through the Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology and Innovation, a €300 million loan from the European Investment Bank pending final assessments, and a potential €300 million commitment from the state‑owned Instituto de Crédito Oficial, which the Spanish Space Agency said was “considering” an additional investment. The €1 billion proposal is contingent on the TMT consortium deciding to relocate the project from Mauna Kea to La Palma. Mauna Kea was selected as the primary site in 2009, and La Palma was designated as the alternate site in 2016, but protests, legal challenges and uncertainty over U.S. funding have increased the likelihood of a site shift. In its FY2026 budget request, the National Science Foundation said the TMT would not receive additional NSF funds and would instead focus on the Giant Magellan Telescope, a decision later overruled by Congress to advance both telescopes at no cost to the federal government. The FY2027 request again favored the Giant Magellan Telescope and provided no design funding for TMT. By November, the TMT consortium said the Spanish proposal represented “a promising avenue for a new observatory” and agreed to work with Spain’s Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities to develop a detailed roadmap toward possible realization on La Palma.

ESA released a weekly image roundup covering the period from 27 to 31 July 2026. The images showed a close‑up view of the James Webb Space Telescope’s deep‑field observation, a test of the Ariane 6 payload fairing, the deployment of a CubeSat from the International Space Station, a radar scan of Venus, and a ground presentation of the ExoMars rover prototype.