In Space Infrastructure, Living in Space, Space Settlement

Space habitation report – Mar.25.2026

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Here is a new selection of videos, articles, and news items about space habitats (govt and commercial), living in space, and space settlement.

=== International Space Station & NASA

** U.S. Spacewalk 94 | NASA

Watch as NASA astronauts Chris Williams and Jessica Meir go on a spacewalk outside of the International Space Station.

Williams and Meir will make preparations to install additional International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (IROSAs), which will provide additional power for the orbital laboratory. The spacewalk is scheduled to start at about 8:00 a.m. EDT (1200 UTC) and run for about six-and-a-half hours.

This spacewalk will be the first for Williams and fourth for Meir.

Learn more about the spacewalk: https://go.nasa.gov/4sI2HXG

** U.S. Spacewalk 94 Animation – March 17, 2026 |  NASA Johnson

An animation of U.S. spacewalk 94 scheduled for Wednesday, March 16 when NASA astronauts Jessica Meir and Chris Williams will prepare the 2A power channel for future installation of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (IROSA) which will provide additional power ahead of safe and controlled space station deorbit. The duo will also swab the outside of the orbiting lab for microorganisms. This animation was narrated by flight director Diana Trujillo.

** U.S. Spacewalk 95 Animation – March 17, 2026 |  NASA Johnson

An animation of U.S. spacewalk 95 scheduled in the coming weeks when two NASA astronauts will prepare the 3B power channel for future installation of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (IROSA) which will provide additional power ahead of safe and controlled space station deorbit. This animation was narrated by flight director Ronak Dave.

Join NASA as we go forward to the Moon and on to Mars — discover the latest on Earth, the Solar System and beyond with a weekly update in your inbox.

** Watch the 1st ‘Cygnus XL’ cargo spacecraft depart the ISS after undocking | VideoFromSpace

The first Northrop Grumman Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft undocked from the International Space Station (ISS) on March 12, 2026. [Full Story] (https://www.space.com/space-explorati…)

The spacecraft was launched in Sept. 2025 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and delivered “scientific research, crew supplies, and hardware” to the orbital outpost, according to NASA.

=== Commercial space habitats

** Axiom Space

— Building a hatch for the Axiom station:

— A view of the Axiom station interior:

** Starlab – Voyager Technologies

— Commercial microgravity companies book up the  Starlab space station:

— Users include biotech companies:

— And semiconductor manufacturers:

— The Starlab station has plenty of room for commercial and government customers:

** VAST

— Vast raises big money: Vast Secures $500M in Funding to Accelerate Production of Haven Space Stations | VAST – Mar.5.2026

— Vast deorbits Haven Demo, a testbed for the company’s space station technologies and designs:

— An overview of the Vast space station project: The Stations to Come: Vast, a space technology firm, is building for a post-ISS orbital future | Arena Magazine – Mar.5.2026

— Interview with Vast CEO Max Haot:

— VAST aims for a comfortable stay in space:

— A regulatory step forward towards launch in 2027 of the pilot test station called Haven-1:

** News, articles, etc. about commercial habitats:

=== Chinese space habitats

** Shenzhou-21 astronauts complete second spacewalk | SciNews

According to the China National Space Administration (CNSA), the second extravehicular activity (EVA) of the Shenzhou-21 (神舟二十一) mission was completed on 16 March 2026, at 11:35 UTC (19:35 China Standard Time). During the ~7 hours spacewalk, astronauts Zhang Lu (张陆, commander) and Wu Fei (武飞) “completed the installation of a space debris protection device for the space station along with other tasks”. Astronaut Zhang Hong Zhang (张洪章) assisted them from inside the Tianhe Core Module (天和核心舱) by operating the robotic arm of the China Space Station (中国空间站). Credit: China National Space Administration (CNSA)/China Central Television (CCTV)

** Shenzhou-21 Crew Advances Space Experiments, Health Monitoring Aboard China’s Space Station | CCTV Video News Agency

Shenzhou-21 Crew Advances Space Experiments, Health Monitoring Aboard China’s Space Station

China space habitat articles, news, etc.

=== Lunar habitation

** Decoding NASA’s New Moon Strategy – Deep Space Updates – March 13th 2026 | Scott Manley

** Jim Muncy on Artemis, a commercial lunar base and more. | The Space Show, Broadcast 4514, Sunday, March 10, 2026

Quick Summary: Our discussion focused on NASA’s Artemis program changes and lunar development strategy, with Jim Muncy discussing NASA Administrator Jared’s recent modifications to Artemis missions, including standardizing on the Centaur 5 upper stage and adding an Earth orbit rendezvous mission before lunar landing attempts. The discussion explored how these changes improve odds for a 2028 moon landing, with both HLS providers (SpaceX and Blue Origin) being encouraged to demonstrate their lander systems in Earth orbit by mid-2027. The conversation concluded with a debate about commercial lunar development, where Jim advocated for establishing a commercial lunar base from day one rather than creating a government-built facility, arguing that commercial solutions would drive more economic activity and scientific research on the moon than a government-only approach.

The Space Show Presents Jim Muncy on Artemis, a commercial lunar base and more. by Dr. David M. Livingston

Broadcast 4514, Sunday, March 10, 2026

Read on Substack

** A permanent Moon Base is now a top priority for NASA. Here are  articles about the development of such a facility:

** NASA’s $30 Billion Moon Base Plan: Full Timeline Explained | Breaking Space/NASASpaceflight

NASA has officially paused the Lunar Gateway in its current form and pivoted its hardware, funding, and leadership to the first sustained crewed Moon Base at the lunar south pole. In this detailed breakdown of NASA’s Ignition event, we unpack the three-phase plan: Phase 1 delivers 21 CLPS landings by 2028 with 4-tonne payloads, Lunar Terrain Vehicles, hoppers, radioisotope heaters, and lunar comms satellites for $10 billion; Phase 2 (2029–2032) establishes the initial outpost with JAXA’s pressurized rover, solar arrays, RTGs, and 60 tonnes of cargo; and Phase 3 (2033–2036) scales to 8-tonne landers, 150 tonnes of payload, ISRU oxygen production, regolith construction, and semi-annual crew missions. We also examine what happens to the nearly complete Gateway modules (PPE, HALO, I-Hab), the shift to commercial launch providers beyond Artemis V, and the $30+ billion investment driving real hardware already in production. If you want the clearest picture yet of how NASA is moving from orbit to the lunar surface, this is it.

** Ignition: NASA’s Plan for The Moon | NASA

Join us as we provide an update on the implementation of the National Space Policy and how we’re accelerating preparations for America’s return to the surface of the Moon by 2028.

The program will open with remarks from NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, followed by a series of high-level panels. Participants include:

Administrator Jared Isaacman
Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya
Dana Weigel, program manager, International Space Station Program
Carlos Garcia-Galan, program executive, Moon Base
Steve Sinacore, program executive, Fission Surface Power
Dr. Nicola Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate
Dr. Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate

More info: https://go.nasa.gov/40QGOtA

=== Space habitat technologies

** Stopping Power! Why Radiation Shielding Is More Than Just Lead Bricks. | Scott Manley

Radiation Shielding is a standard trope in storytelling, and you may well have heard about different radiation types and how materials work differently. However it’s more complicated that you think, sometimes a shield that’s good for one source is bad for others, and this comes down to the physics of radiation interacting with matter.

So here’s an overview of how radiation shielding works and what’s going on at the subatomic level.

=== Space settlement technologies

** How Asteroid Mining Will Power The Trillion-Dollar Space Economy | Trans Astronautica Corporation

Asteroid mining will play a critical role in building the trillion dollar space economy.

In this video, we share more about how our patented technology will allow us to detect, capture, move, and mine asteroids.

Read more about our work at www.transastra.com

See also Asteroid Mining: The Next Resource Frontier: Humanity’s Transition from Planetary Limits to Cosmic Resource | BSV Insights – Mar.23.2026

=== Other space habitat and settlement news and articles:

=== Earth views from ISS

** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) | NASA

Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed.

The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It’s a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8

Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov

ISS after undocking of STS-132

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International Space Station: An insight into the history, development,
collaboration, production and role of the
permanently manned earth-orbiting complex (Owners’ Workshop Manual)

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