NASA veteran astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore announced his retirement on August 6, 2025, closing a distinguished 25‑year career. He logged 464 days in space across missions aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis, Soyuz, Boeing Starliner, and SpaceX Dragon, and performed five spacewalks totaling 32 hours . His final mission became widely followed after technical failures aboard Boeing’s Starliner turned an eight‑day test flight in June 2024 into an unexpectedly long nine-month stay aboard the ISS, from which he returned in March 2025 via a SpaceX mission . Reflecting his dedication, NASA lauded his "lasting legacy of fortitude," which will continue to inspire future explorers. (PC: AP)

NASA officially terminated the Lunar Trailblazer mission on July 31, 2025, after months of unsuccessful attempts to reestablish contact following a launch failure . Launched on February 26, 2025, as part of the low-cost SIMPLEx program, the 200‑kg orbiter separated successfully from its Falcon 9 launch vehicle and even sent initial signals . However, a critical misalignment of solar panels prevented battery recharging, causing the spacecraft to spin and drift into deep space out of communication range . Though the mission failed, NASA views it as a valuable learning experience for designing future small, cost-effective lunar missions. (PC: The Times of India)

ISRO aims to commission its Third Launch Pad (TLP) at Sriharikota by March 2029 to support next-generation rockets, including LVM3 and semi-cryogenic vehicles. Financially sanctioned in March 2025, the project marks a major boost for India’s space ambitions, enabling payloads up to 30,000 tonnes into low Earth orbit. Milestones include civil works by May 2028 and facility installation by September 2028. Emphasizing private sector collaboration, including MSMEs, the initiative reinforces Make-in-India goals. Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh highlighted its strategic role in future human spaceflight, the planned Bharatiya Antariksh Station by 2035, and India’s first crewed lunar landing by 2040. (PC: India Today)  

ISRO Chief Dr V Narayanan inaugurated the Himalayan Outpost for Planetary Exploration (HOPE) in Ladakh to simulate life on Mars. Located at 4.3 km altitude in Tso Kar Valley, the HOPE facility mimics Martian conditions—extreme cold, low pressure, and UV radiation. The 10-day analogue mission from August 1-10 involves institutions like IIST and IIT Bombay, studying psychological and physiological responses in isolation. The Rs 1 crore project by private firm Protoplanet, with Mahindra as mobility partner, is part of India’s push for human spaceflight. India aims for a space station by 2035 and a crewed lunar landing by 2040. (PC: X)

Nasa aims to build a nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030 to power future lunar bases, US media reports. The plan, fast-tracked by acting Nasa head Sean Duffy, follows warnings that China and Russia could establish "keep-out zones" on the Moon. The reactor would generate 100 kilowatts—small, but vital for surviving long lunar nights. While experts call nuclear energy "inevitable" for Moon missions, concerns remain over Nasa’s budget cuts and political motivations. China and Russia plan a lunar reactor by 2035. Scientists warn against a new geopolitical space race overshadowing global scientific cooperation and long-term exploration goals. (PC: BBC)

Harvard astrophysicist Avi Loeb has reignited debate over extraterrestrial life by suggesting that the newly discovered interstellar object 3I/ATLAS may be an alien craft. Though officially classified as a comet, Loeb argues its unusual trajectory as it’s passing close to Venus, Mars, Jupiter and lack of typical cometary features point to intelligent design. He warns that the object, which will reach its closest point to the Sun on October 29, could be either benign or hostile, urging policymakers to prepare for both outcomes. Loeb proposes a “Richter scale” for alien risk and calls for global readiness. NASA maintains 3I/ATLAS poses no threat, but Loeb insists Earth must not dismiss the possibility of advanced alien technology. (PC: NDTV & The Guardian)

Arvinder “Arvi” Singh Bahal, an 80-year-old Agra-born adventurer and U.S. citizen, blasted off into space aboard Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin NS-34 mission on August 3. Bahal, who has visited every country on Earth, both poles, and skydived over Everest and the Pyramids of Giza, joined five other global explorers on the 14th crewed flight of the New Shepard program. The suborbital journey crossed the Kármán line, marking the edge of space. Bahal, a licensed pilot and helicopter flyer, called the flight the pinnacle of his lifelong quest for exploration. Blue Origin has now flown 70 people to space, with Bahal’s journey hailed as a symbol of curiosity and ambition without borders. (PC: Instagram & Hindustan Times)

India’s ambitious space station project, the Bharatiya Antariksh Station (BAS), is rapidly progressing, with the first module (BAS‑1) slated for launch in 2028, according to ISRO Chairman S. Somanath. The 52-tonne station will be built in five stages, supporting microgravity experiments and human missions. The complete assembly is targeted for 2035. This announcement coincides with steady progress on Gaganyaan, India’s maiden human spaceflight mission, which will have an uncrewed flight by December 2025 and a crewed mission in 2027. ISRO is also preparing launch vehicles and life support systems to meet international safety standards. (PC: Express)

Real-estate investor Arvinder “Arvi” Singh Bahal, originally from Agra and now a naturalized U.S. citizen, is among six passengers aboard Blue Origin’s upcoming NS‑34 suborbital spaceflight scheduled for August 3, 2025 from West Texas . Known for his adventurous spirit—having visited every country, skydived Mount Everest and the Pyramids, and visited both poles—Bahal holds a private pilot’s license and flies helicopters . The 11‑minute mission aboard the reusable New Shepard rocket will cross the Kármán line, carrying six international civilians on Blue Origin’s 14th human and 34th overall flight. (PC: ET)

On July 30, 2025, the joint NASA‑ISRO NISAR (NASA‑ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar) satellite launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre aboard GSLV‑F16 . The $1.5 billion mission features dual-frequency radar (NASA’s L‑band and ISRO’s S‑band) capable of detecting surface changes as small as 1 cm, through clouds and darkness, revisiting each location every 12 days . NISAR will revolutionize monitoring of ice‑sheet collapse, land deformation, earthquakes, tsunamis, and ecosystem shifts, aiding disaster response, climate science, and infrastructure planning globally . As the first Earth‑observation mission co‑developed by NASA and ISRO, it marks a milestone in international collaboration and space innovation. (PC: NASA)