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By NASA
Credit: NASA NASA has awarded ASCEND Aerospace & Technology of Cape Canaveral, Florida, the Contract for Organizing Spaceflight Mission Operations and Systems (COSMOS), to provide services at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
The COSMOS is a single award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract valued at $1.8 billion that begins its five-year base period no earlier than Dec. 1, with two option periods that could extend until 2034. The Aerodyne Company of Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Jacobs Technology Company of Tullahoma, Tennessee, are joint venture partners.
Work performed under the contract will support NASA’s Flight Operation Directorate including the Orion and Space Launch System Programs, the International Space Station, Commercial Crew Program, and the Artemis campaign. Services include Mission Control Center systems, training systems, mockup environments, and training for astronauts, instructors, and flight controllers.
For more information about NASA and agency programs, visit:
https://www.nasa.gov
-end-
Tiernan Doyle
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
tiernan.doyle@nasa.gov
Chelsey Ballarte
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
chelsey.n.ballarte@nasa.gov
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Last Updated Aug 28, 2025 LocationNASA Headquarters Related Terms
Johnson Space Center Artemis Commercial Crew International Space Station (ISS) ISS Research Johnson Flight Operations Space Launch System (SLS) View the full article
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By NASA
Tess Caswell supports the International Space Station from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston as a capsule communicator, or capcom, as well as through the Extravehicular Activity Office. She is currently on rotation as the Artemis lead capcom, helping to develop training and processes for the Artemis campaign by leveraging her experience supporting the space station.
She helps ensure that astronauts aboard the spacecraft receive the right information at the right time. This role involves a range of activities, from learning the language of the spacecraft and its onboard operations to participating in simulations to relay critical information to the crew, especially during dynamic operations or when things go wrong.
Read on to learn more about Tess!
Tess Caswell serves as lead capsule communicator, or capcom, in the Mission Control Center in Houston for the arrival of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-10 to the International Space Station. NASA/Robert Markowitz Where are you from?
Soldotna, Alaska.
How would you describe your job to family or friends that may not be familiar with NASA?
Capcoms are the people who speak to the astronauts on behalf of Mission Control, and I am the lead for the team of capcoms who will support missions to the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign.
What advice would you give to young individuals aspiring to work in the space industry or at NASA?
Remember that space travel is more than just engineers and scientists. It takes all kinds of people to support astronauts in space, including medicine, food science, communications, photography – you name it!
Tess Caswell
Extravehicular Activity Flight Controller and Lead Capsule Communicator
I like to encourage young people to think about what part of space travel inspires them. We live in an era where there are many companies leveraging space for different purposes, including tourism, settlement, profit, and exploration. It’s important to think about what aspect of space travel interests you – or use things like internships to figure it out!
If you’re excited about space but don’t want to be an engineer, there are still jobs for you.
How long have you been working for NASA?
Eight years, plus a few internships.
What was your path to NASA?
Internships and student projects were my path to NASA. As an undergraduate, I worked in a student rocket lab, which gave me firsthand experience building and testing hardware. During the summers, I participated in internships to explore various careers and NASA centers. My final internship led directly to my first job after college as an Environmental and Thermal Operating Systems (ETHOS) flight controller in mission control for the space station.
I left NASA for a while to pursue an advanced degree in planetary geology and spent two years working at Blue Origin as the lead flight controller for the New Shepard capsule. Ultimately, though, I am motivated by exploration and chose to return to NASA where that is our focus. I landed in the Extravehicular Activity Office (EVA) within the Flight Operations Directorate after returning from Blue Origin.
Tess Caswell suits up in the Extravehicular Mobility Unit at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory at NASA’s Sonny Carter Training Facility in Houston during training to become an EVA instructor. NASA/Richie Hindman Is there a space figure you’ve looked up to or someone that inspires you?
It’s hard to name a specific figure who inspires me. Instead, it’s the caliber of people overall who work in flight operations at Johnson Space Center. Not just the astronauts, but the folks in mission control, in the backrooms supporting the control center, and on the training teams for astronauts and flight controllers. Every single person demonstrates excellence every day. It inspires me to bring my best self to the table in each and every project.
What is your favorite NASA memory or the most meaningful project you’ve worked on during your time with NASA?
That is a hard one!
My current favorite is probably the day I certified as a capcom for the space station. The first time talking to the crew is both nerve-wracking and exciting. You know the entire space station community stops and listens when you are speaking, but it’s incredibly cool to be privileged with speaking to the crew. So, your first few days are a little scary, but awesome. After I’d been declared certified, the crew called down on Space –to Ground to congratulate me. It was a very special moment. I saved a recording of it!
Tess Caswell learns to fly the International Space Station Remote Manipulator System, or Canadarm2, in Canada as part of capcom training. Tess Caswell What do you love sharing about station?
The international collaboration required to design, build, and operate the International Space Station is a constant source of inspiration for me.
Tess Caswell
Extravehicular Activity Flight Controller and Lead Capsule Communicator
When I give folks tours of mission control, I like to point out the photo of the U.S.-built Unity node and the Russian-built Zarya module mated in the shuttle cargo bay. The idea that those two modules were designed and built in different countries, launched in two different vehicles, and connected for the first time in low Earth orbit reminds me of what we can all do when we work together across geopolitical boundaries. The space station brings people together in a common mission that benefits all of us.
If you could have dinner with any astronaut, past or present, who would it be?
Sally Ride, definitely.
Do you have a favorite space-related memory or moment that stands out to you?
If I had to choose one, I’d say it was the day a person from NASA visited my elementary school in 1995. I remember being completely captivated by his presentation and dying to ask questions when he came by my classroom later. It’s a favorite memory because it poured fuel on the spark of my early childhood interest in space exploration. It wasn’t the thing that initially piqued my interest, but that visit made the dream feel attainable and set me on the course that has me at NASA today.
What are some of the key projects you have worked on during your time at NASA? What have been your favorite?
I’ve worked in mission control for the space station as an ETHOS flight controller and, later, as a capcom. I’ve also certified as an EVA task backroom controller and scripted three spacewalks that were performed on the space station. While working in EVA, I also helped design the products and processes that will be used to design moonwalks for Artemis astronauts and how flight control operations will work during dynamic, science-driven spacewalks.
Developing an EVA is a huge integration effort, and you get to work with a broad range of perspectives to build a solid plan. Then, the spacewalks themselves were both challenging and rewarding. They didn’t go exactly to plan, but we kept the crew safe and accomplished our primary objectives!
I’m fortunate to have had so many cool experiences while working at NASA, and I know there will be many more.
Tess Caswell, right, and geoscientist Dr. Kelsey Young, left, conduct night operations in NASA’s Johnson Space Center rock yard, testing EVA techniques to prepare for future lunar missions.NASA/Norah Moran What are your hobbies/things you enjoy doing outside of work?
I like to stay active, including trail running, taekwondo, backpacking, and cross-country skiing (which is a bit hard to train for in Houston). I spend as much time as I can flying my Piper J-3 Cub, trying to make myself a better pilot each time I fly. Finally, I read and write fiction to let my imagination wander.
Day launch or night launch?
Night launch!
Favorite space movie?
Apollo 13, hands down!
NASA Worm or Meatball logo?
Worm – elegant and cool!
Every day, we are conducting exciting research aboard our orbiting laboratory that will help us explore farther into space and bring benefits back to people on Earth. You can keep up with the latest news, videos, and pictures about space station science on the Station Research & Technology news page. It is a curated hub of space station research digital media from Johnson and other centers and space agencies.
Sign up for our weekly email newsletter to get the updates delivered directly to you.
Follow updates on social media at @ISS_Research on X, and on the space station accounts on Facebook and Instagram.
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By Space Force
Space Systems Command activated a new Systems Delta to support the BMC3I Program Executive Office portfolio. This activation synchronizes acquisition efforts for critical space system capabilities and works together with Mission Deltas to improve mission readiness.
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By NASA
While it may sound like the opening to a punchline, this scientific question was at the heart of a research experiment that orbited the Moon aboard Artemis I.NASA astronaut and Expedition 65 Flight Engineer Mark Vande Hei caring for chili peppers aboard the International Space Station. NASA New research uncovers the connection between space agriculture and astronaut health. A study published in npj Microgravity shows how analyzing diverse datasets together can reveal insights that might otherwise be missed — in this case, linking space-grown food quality to astronaut nutrition and gut health.
The paper reviewed previous studies of plants grown aboard the International Space Station. The authors found that some edible plants grown in low Earth orbit have lower concentrations of essential nutrients, like calcium and magnesium, than those grown on Earth.
The reduced levels of these nutrients could make crops not as effective in mitigating the bone loss and reduced immune function that astronauts encounter in space.
Working Groups Uncover Hidden Health Connections
Three Analysis Working Groups from NASA’s Open Science Data Repository collaborated to make this paper possible. These discipline-specific groups typically work independently, but this project sparked conversations among researchers with different specialties.
Researchers combined plant data, crop nutrition profiles, gut studies, and astronaut blood biomarkers — a data integration effort of the Biological and Physical Sciences Division open science model. The work also draws on data from JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency).
For NASA, these findings offer new insights into how to feed and support astronauts in space, particularly on long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars.
Seeks Ways to Improve Space Diets
The study also examined increased intestinal permeability — often called “leaky gut” — a condition that can result from poor nutrition and may be exacerbated by the space environment. Intestinal permeability may interfere with how astronauts absorb nutrients and regulate immune responses.
If properly engineered, space-grown crops could offer a solution to these health challenges. The team outlined several potential strategies, including bioengineering plants with higher nutrient content, incorporating more antioxidant-rich species, and designing personalized nutrition plans using astronauts’ genetic information.
The study suggests targeting specific biological pathways, such as using compounds like quercetin, an antioxidant found in certain crops, to address bone health challenges at the molecular level. The approach emphasizes designing nutrition plans based on individual astronaut physiology, including how well their digestive systems can absorb nutrients.
Related Resources
Open Science Data Repository
Open Science Data Repository Analysis Working Groups (AWG)
About BPS
NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences Division pioneers scientific discovery and enables exploration by using space environments to conduct investigations not possible on Earth. Studying biological and physical phenomenon under extreme conditions allows researchers to advance the fundamental scientific knowledge required to go farther and stay longer in space, while also benefitting life on Earth.
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By Space Force
Space Systems Command and United Launch Alliance's launch teams successfully completed the inaugural launch of a Vulcan Centaur rocket, carrying the U.S. Space Force-106 mission into geosynchronous Earth orbit.
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