NASA News 8 June 2025 - 18 September 2025

Key Facts History and Mission Objectives (1977 Launch and Beyond) In the early 1970s, NASA conceived the Voyagers as part of a once-in-176-year alignment allowing a “Grand Tour” of the outer planets. Budget constraints scaled the plan down from four probes to two spacecraft launched in 1977, each initially tasked to explore Jupiter and Saturn science.nasa.gov. The mission plan cleverly allowed for an extended journey: if Voyager 1 successfully completed its Saturn flyby, Voyager 2 would be directed onward to Uranus and Neptune using gravity assists science.nasa.gov. The twin probes – originally called Mariner 11 and Mariner 12 – were rechristened “Voyager” just before launch, reflecting their ambitious

In 2011, NASA retired the Space Shuttle, leaving the ISS without its primary American supply line. May 2012 marked SpaceX’s Dragon as the first commercial spacecraft to rendezvous and berth with the ISS, delivering about 1,200 pounds of cargo and later returning roughly 1,300 pounds. October 2012’s CRS-1 mission launched the first official NASA Commercial Resupply Services delivery, providing around 400 kg of supplies to the station. On June 28, 2015, a Falcon 9 rocket failure destroyed the CRS-7 mission and its Dragon cargo. June 3, 2017, the CRS-11 mission demonstrated the first reuse of a Dragon capsule, signaling major