NASA's Spacewalks, Balloon Launches, and Budget Challenges in the Weekly Space Update

# NASA SPACE UPDATE: May 2, 2025

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Welcome to your weekly NASA Space Update! I'm your host, bringing you the latest developments from America's space agency. Today, we're looking at spacewalks, balloon launches, and budget concerns.

Our top story: NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers conducted a spacewalk yesterday outside the International Space Station. The duo installed mounting brackets for new solar arrays that will boost the station's power generation by up to 30% and relocated a communications antenna. This marked McClain's third spacewalk and a milestone first for Ayers.

Meanwhile, in New Zealand, NASA's second scientific balloon of the 2025 Super Pressure Balloon Campaign is flight-ready and awaiting launch from Wānaka Airport. This stadium-sized, helium-filled balloon will carry several research payloads during its planned 100-day journey through the Southern Hemisphere, including instruments to study Earth's atmosphere and capture infrasound signals from earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro provided an update yesterday highlighting recent progress: "We've made major progress on Artemis II, stacking the SLS rocket and preparing Orion as our crew continues to train for their mission," she said. The Artemis II crew—astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen—are actively preparing for their lunar mission with launch scenario training and flight suit checks.

NASA's progress comes against a backdrop of budget uncertainty. While the agency received a modest 1% increase in the House's proposed fiscal year 2025 budget, this falls $200 million short of the White House request and doesn't keep pace with inflation. Senator Chris Van Hollen has vowed to "fight tooth and nail" against potential deeper cuts planned for 2026, calling the proposal "not just shortsighted, it's dangerous."

For skywatchers, NASA recommends looking for the Eta Aquarid meteor shower and keeping an eye on the Corona Borealis constellation, where astronomers anticipate a nova explosion—a "new star" that will briefly appear in our night sky.

Want to watch NASA's activities live? All spacewalks and major events are streamed on NASA+, available across multiple platforms.

That's all for this week's update. Stay tuned for more space news, and remember to look up—the universe is waiting!

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