Another Hot Fire for the SLS Program Was Recently Completed in Mississippi...

NASA / Danny Nowlin

NASA Conducts RS-25 Engine Test in Support of Future Artemis Missions (News Release)

NASA tested RS-25 engine No. 10001 on October 21 on the Fred Haise Test Stand at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

Test teams fired the developmental engine for almost eight-and-a-half minutes (500 seconds), the same amount of time that RS-25 engines fire during launch of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket.

During the test, operators also fired the engine up to the 111% power level, matching the thrust needed for new production engines to launch the SLS rocket and the Orion spacecraft to orbit.

The main objectives of the test were to acceptance test RS-25 flight components for future Artemis missions and validate the new thermal protection system, which protects the RS-25 engine nozzle from the thermal environment surrounding SLS during launch.

While this developmental engine will not be used in flight, the hot fire test provides NASA and NASA’s prime contractor L3Harris Technologies with the capability to capture critical data to improve engine performance and reliability.

Four RS-25 engines produce up to 2 million pounds of combined thrust to help launch the SLS rocket for each Artemis mission.

All RS-25 engines are tested and proven flightworthy at NASA Stennis prior to use. Tests are conducted by a team of operators from NASA, L3Harris and Nova Space Solutions.

Source: NASA.Gov

Nation #77 Has Joined NASA's Moon Exploration Initiative...

NASA

NASA Welcomes Uzbekistan as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory (News Release)

The Republic of Uzbekistan became the 77th signatory of the Artemis Accords during a ceremony in Samarkand on Monday, committing to the practical principles that guide safe, transparent and responsible civil space exploration.

Uzbekistan has increasingly engaged with NASA and the broader international space community through its development of a national space program aimed at advancing Uzbekistan’s space industry and participation in global space forums. Uzbek students are also working to develop and launch the country’s first CubeSat, or small satellite technology demonstration, by 2028.

In early October, NASA officials met with representatives from Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Digital Technologies and Uzbekistan’s space agency, Uzcosmos, during the 2026 International Astronautical Congress in Antalya, Türkiye, where the two sides discussed civil space cooperation and opportunities for increased engagement. Uzbekistan is scheduled to host the annual global space event in 2028.

In 2020, NASA and the State Department joined with seven other founding nations to establish the Artemis Accords, responding to the growing interest in lunar activities by both governments and private companies. They introduced the first set of practical principles aimed at enhancing the safety and coordination between nations as they explore the Moon, Mars and beyond.

Signing the Artemis Accords means committing to explore peaceably and transparently, to render aid to those in need, to enable access to scientific data that all of humanity can learn from, to ensure that activities do not interfere with those of others, and to preserve historically significant sites and artifacts by developing best practices for space exploration for the benefit of all.

More countries are expected to sign the Artemis Accords in the months and years ahead, as NASA continues its work to establish a safe, peaceful and prosperous future in space.

Source: NASA.Gov

An Update on Orion's First Crewed Flight to the Moon...

NASA

Rigorous Analysis Confirms NASA’s Artemis II Heat Shield Performance (News Release)

NASA’s Artemis II mission sent four astronauts around the Moon and brought them safely back to Earth, laying a foundation for crewed flights to the Moon’s surface.

Additional engineering data analysis of the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield confirmed initial data showing that the heat shield performed as expected.

In particular, NASA measured whether the thermal protection system effectively safeguarded the crew and Orion systems as the spacecraft reentered Earth’s atmosphere. This test flight was the first time astronauts flew aboard Orion.

Orion reached a maximum velocity of 39 times the speed of sound and experienced external temperatures exceeding 4,000° Fahrenheit at its peak, all while the four astronauts inside Orion stayed relatively cool with a cabin temperature in the mid-70° Fahrenheit range during their return to Earth from the Moon.

After NASA’s thorough analysis of Artemis I heat shield findings, informed by extensive arc jet material testing at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley, the agency modified Orion’s reentry trajectory for Artemis II by shortening the maximum downrange distance that the spacecraft could fly between when it entered Earth’s atmosphere and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. Analysis prior to the mission showed that limiting downrange distance would limit how long the spacecraft’s heat shield spent in the temperature range at which the Artemis I heat shield phenomenon occurred.

The spacecraft reentered with precision, entering within only 192 feet of its targeted entry interface, and successfully splashed down only 0.59 miles from the predicted landing site off the coast of San Diego. Initial inspections of the thermal protection system, including diver imagery of the spacecraft’s heat shield taken just after splashdown and further inspections on the recovery ship, found that it performed as expected, with a significant reduction in the amount of cracks and char loss as compared to Artemis I.

Upon the spacecraft’s return to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida after the Moon mission, thermal protection system experts began additional examination of the heat shield, made of 186 unique blocks of an ablative material called Avcoat. The heat shield was then transported to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, where work on sample extraction and internal x-ray scans began in August to provide further engineering insight into the system and behavior of the material.

A thorough post-flight assessment review found that Orion’s aerodynamic and aerothermal performance, including the heat shield and backshell thermal protection system, was in line with engineering predictions based on pre-flight analyses and ground testing. The shorter allowable downrange during entry reduced the cracking and char loss experienced on the Artemis II heat shield relative to the Artemis I heat shield by a factor of ten, proving the effectiveness of the trajectory modification. Engineers found only nine spots of char loss of varying sizes on the Artemis II heat shield dish, compared to 103 during Artemis I.

The analysis also showed that Orion’s robust heat shield design showed consistency from Artemis I to Artemis II, evident by the performance of system features such as the seams between the heat shield Avcoat blocks and the Avcoat surrounding the heat shield compression pad separation bolts.

Post-flight inspection of Orion’s backshell, the protective cover on the sloped sides of the crew module made up of 1,300 ceramic tiles, showed expected performance across the crew module surface. Visual inspections indicated that backshell features designed to seal and protect penetrations such as windows, vents, thrusters and the side hatch also met expectations, with no signs of overheating observed.

The team also performed post-flight laser scans of the heat shield surface and is comparing this data to pre-flight measurements to determine material recession, which will then be compared to analysis predictions. Engineers are continuing with heat shield sample extraction at NASA Marshall and subsequent material test and assessment and thermal analysis, to support long-term heat shield development, manufacturing efforts, and data capture.

Orion’s performance and the team’s analysis on Artemis II reflect system robustness, capability to support crew, and critical insights gathered that will enhance the Artemis III mission and beyond. Following the extensive Artemis I heat shield investigation, upgrades were made to the heat shield design for Artemis III to achieve uniformity and consistent permeability of the Avcoat blocks. Technicians attached the heat shield for the Artemis III Orion crew module at NASA Kennedy in early July, and the Orion crew and service modules were joined at the end of July.

The Artemis III spacecraft has since been successfully powered up for the first time, enabling engineers to check that all connection lines between the two modules are working as planned.

NASA continues to advance towards Artemis III as teams ready the Orion spacecraft for next year’s mission in low-Earth orbit. NASA will launch the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft with NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio, Andre Douglas, and ESA (European Space Agency) Luca Parmitano, to rendezvous with human lander test articles from Blue Origin and SpaceX to demonstrate critical systems and operations needed for future lunar landings, beginning with Artemis IV in 2028.

Source: NASA.Gov

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U.S. Navy

All Four Artemis 2 Crew Members Have Officially Retired from Spaceflight Status...

NASA / Glenn Benson

NASA Names Astronaut Christina Koch Acting Deputy Chief Engineer (News Release)

NASA engineer and astronaut Christina Koch will serve as the agency’s acting deputy chief engineer beginning on Sunday, November 1, following the retirement of Katherine Van Hooser, who will conclude more than 35 years of distinguished service to the agency on Wednesday, October 21.

In her new role, Koch will help lead NASA’s engineering community, supporting technical oversight, mission readiness, and engineering excellence across the agency’s programs and projects. With this appointment, Koch will transition to management astronaut status and will no longer be eligible for future spaceflight assignments.

“Christina has seen NASA engineering from both sides of the equation: developing complex systems on the ground and trusting them with her life in space,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “After spending nearly a year living and working aboard the International Space Station and helping lead America back around the Moon on Artemis II this year, she brings an extraordinary combination of technical expertise, operational experience, and judgment to this role. I am excited to see the impact she will have across NASA as we return Americans to the lunar surface, build the Moon Base, get underway on nuclear power in space, and develop the capabilities that will ultimately take us on to Mars.”

“Katherine has been an extraordinary leader throughout her career, bringing technical expertise, sound judgment, and an unwavering commitment to mission success to some of NASA’s most complex engineering challenges,” said Amit Kshatriya, NASA associate administrator and chief engineer. “Her leadership has strengthened our engineering community and helped guide the agency through critical milestones and transitions. Christina brings a unique combination of engineering expertise, operational experience, and proven leadership, both on the ground and in space. I am grateful to Katherine for her exceptional service and confident Christina will continue the tradition of technical excellence that is essential to everything we do at NASA.”

Koch most recently served as a mission specialist aboard NASA’s Artemis II mission in April, helping carry out the first crewed flight around the Moon in more than 50 years. She previously spent 328 consecutive days aboard the International Space Station, setting the record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman and participating in the first all-female spacewalks.

Koch began her NASA career as an electrical engineer at the agency’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, developing scientific instruments for space missions. Before her selection as an astronaut in 2013, her experience also included scientific field engineering in Antarctica and the Arctic. She has since held leadership positions within NASA’s Astronaut Office and at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, bringing a combination of technical expertise, operational experience, and firsthand understanding of the demands of human spaceflight to her new role.

Van Hooser joined NASA in 1991 at the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, beginning a distinguished career in propulsion engineering and technical leadership. Her early work focused on liquid rocket engine turbomachinery before she became chief engineer for the space shuttle main engine, leading engineering efforts through the final 21 shuttle flights. She later served as the first chief engineer for the Space Launch System’s Liquid Engines Element, helping advance the propulsion systems supporting NASA’s Artemis missions.

As Marshall’s chief engineer and, since 2023, NASA’s deputy chief engineer, Van Hooser provided critical technical leadership and oversight across the agency’s programs. Her steady guidance through complex engineering challenges and organizational transitions helped maintain continuity, strengthen collaboration, and keep mission readiness at the forefront of NASA’s work.

Source: NASA.Gov

Freedom and Her Four Astronauts Have Safely Landed in the Pacific...

NASA / Keegan Barber

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 Splashdown (Photo Release)

The SpaceX Crew Dragon Freedom spacecraft is seen as it lands with NASA astronauts Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Sophie Adenot, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev aboard in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Los Angeles, California, on Thursday, October 8, 2026.

Meir, Hathaway, Adenot and Fedyaev are returning after seven months in space as part of Expedition 74 aboard the International Space Station.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Keegan Barber

A New Group of Spacefarers Has Arrived at the ISS...

NASA / Joel Kowsky

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 Launch (Photo Release - October 1)

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the company's Dragon spacecraft is launched on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station with NASA astronauts Jessica Watkins and Luke Delaney, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Joshua Kutryk, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Sergey Teteryatnikov onboard, Thursday, October 1, 2026, from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission is the 13th crew rotation mission of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and Falcon 9 rocket to the International Space Station as part of the agency’s Commercial Crew Program.

Watkins, Delaney, Kutryk and Teteryatnikov launched at 11:10 a.m. EDT from Space Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station to begin a mission aboard the orbital outpost.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Joel Kowsky


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NASA

Both SRBs Are Fully Stacked for the Next Flight of the Space Launch System!

NASA / Cory S Huston

Assembly of the Artemis III SLS rocket (Photo Release - September 30)

Engineers with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems completed integrating the aerodynamic nose cones onto the left and right forward assemblies on the twin SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters, finishing their stacking operations for Artemis III inside the Vehicle Assembly Building’s High Bay 3 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida - on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.

Each forward assembly contains an aerodynamic top, a forward skirt housing avionics, and frustum housing motors that allow the boosters to separate from the SLS core stage after launch.

The twin solid boosters will help support the remaining rocket components and the Orion spacecraft during final assembly of the Artemis III rocket and provide more than 75 percent of the total SLS thrust during liftoff from NASA Kennedy’s Launch Complex 39B.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Cory S Huston


NASA / Cory S Huston


NASA / Cory S Huston

Both SRBs Will Soon Be Fully Stacked on the Mobile Launcher for the Next Flight of SLS...

NASA / Frank Michaux

Artemis III Booster Stacking - Right Forward Booster Segment Mated (Photo Release - September 24)

In High Bay 3 of the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the final left and right forward solid rocket booster motor segments for Artemis III are integrated onto the Mobile Launcher for the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket on Thursday, September 24, 2026.

The twin boosters, consisting of five segments each manufactured by Northrop Grumman in Utah, will provide more than 75 percent of the SLS rocket’s total thrust at launch.

The Artemis III mission will launch crew in the Orion spacecraft on top of the SLS rocket to test rendezvous and docking capabilities between Orion and commercial spacecraft needed to land astronauts on the Moon.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Frank Michaux


NASA / Frank Michaux


NASA / Frank Michaux

The Latest News on the CST-100...

NASA

NASA, Boeing Share Update on Commercial Starliner Development Plans (News Release - September 28)

On Monday, NASA and Boeing provided an update on the company’s Starliner spacecraft, including adding additional crew missions and certifying a new rocket for crew transportation to low-Earth orbit.

“We are living through the most exciting era of space exploration since Apollo,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “As this domain continues to open, there will be growing demand for launch vehicles, transfer stages, landers, and, of course, spacecraft that carry astronauts. NASA has been committed to having multiple crew transportation options since the beginning of the Commercial Crew Program. We have worked closely with Boeing to address the issues identified on previous Starliner flights, and we intend to see this vehicle return to flight in support of the International Space Station and future commercial destinations.”

The agency intends to exercise options for a fifth and sixth flight to and from the space station using Starliner, and will work with Boeing and United Launch Alliance to certify the Vulcan rocket for use after the Atlas V rocket’s final flight.

“We are starting with an uncrewed Starliner-1 mission to the International Space Station to validate the improvements made to the spacecraft and gather the flight data we need,” said Isaacman. “From there, we will use what we learn, continue implementing the corrective actions identified by our Program Investigation Team, and complete the testing and certification required for crewed flight. Our current plan is to return astronauts on Starliner-2 by 2028.”

NASA’s commercial crew efforts aim to preserve a U.S. crew transportation capability for ensuring continued access to space. The work is challenging, however, it is essential for responsibly concluding space station operations, transitioning to commercial space stations, and expanding commercial access.

In February, NASA released findings from the agency’s Program Investigation Team outlining the programmatic and technical issues resulting in an uncrewed return of the Starliner during its first crewed flight in 2024. In total, the investigation identified 61 recommendations to NASA to ensure that future missions meet the high standards required for human spaceflight.

The report specifically identified issues with Starliner’s service module reaction control thrusters operating outside of their engineering qualification, which resulted in the loss of control experienced during its Crew Flight Test. Through significant ground testing and analysis, NASA and Boeing learned that the service module thruster performance issues resulted from a combination of factors, including the thermal environment and features inherent in its design.

Based on the findings, Boeing has made thermal modifications to the spacecraft’s service module which NASA will evaluate for improved performance on Starliner-1. NASA and Boeing have also jointly decided to implement an additional thruster valve design modification in support of spacecraft certification and future crewed flights.

The uncrewed Starliner-1 has the potential to fly in December of this year or January 2027. It will serve as an engineering evaluation mission to verify improved thermal environments, obtain necessary performance data for system qualification, and identify residual risk ahead of crewed missions.

“Starliner’s next flight is a critical step on the path to achieving full system certification and ensuring a sustained human presence in low-Earth orbit,” said Dana Weigel, manager of NASA’s Low-Earth Orbit Program. “With the safety of our space station crew and the public as our highest priority, we will test Starliner’s propulsion system through targeted demonstration objectives and disciplined operational controls. These steps are essential to validating Starliner’s thermal performance which is a key element for the certification.”

Following the flight, NASA and Boeing will complete the service module thruster valve design modification, which is focused on addressing poppet seal extrusion and its adverse effects on thruster performance. Boeing will also implement other improvements across the spacecraft including installation of new crew module thrusters, batteries, and minor modifications to the parachute system for increased performance and reliability in support of system certification.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Boeing

Starship Attains Orbit and Provides a Preview to Artemis 3 on its 14th Flight...

SpaceX

Earlier today, SpaceX's Starship rocket successfully launched from Starbase in Texas at 7:49 AM, Central Daylight Time...commencing a flight that would mark the first time the giant launch vehicle achieved orbit, and deploying real payloads (26 Starlink V3 satellites) around the Earth.

This was the 14th launch of SpaceX's Super Heavy rocket since 2023. While Ship 41 didn't survive splashdown in the northern Pacific like Ship 40 did in the Indian Ocean after Starship Flight 13 two months back (see the ship's recovery photos below), its major achievement during today's demonstration provided a preview of what we can expect in NASA's Artemis 3 mission—which is currently scheduled to launch next year.

In the first two images below, you see a Starlink V3 satellite slowly floating away from Ship 41 shortly after deployment. Hopefully, we won't have to wait too long to get this view of Starship again...but from inside the crew cabin of NASA's Orion spacecraft on Artemis 3. With Starship officially an orbital launch vehicle (it was an oversized suborbital spacecraft till this morning), the only thing needed for next year's Artemis flight is a mating adapter attached to the SpaceX craft that Orion will dock to as a test for the Artemis 4 mission.

Starship Flight 14 was a major success, and will definitely not have to deal with any mishap investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration. This means that the sooner the next Starship flight takes place, the better. More successful Starship missions brings us closer to the next crewed landing on the Moon!


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Views from of one of the first 26 Starlink V3 satellites successfully deployed to orbit by Starship

Thanks for the ride, @SpaceX! pic.twitter.com/B2SSUA0N0q

— Starlink (@Starlink) September 28, 2026

SpaceX engineers spent several days inspecting Ship 40 in the waters off Christmas Island. They collected heatshield samples and gained vital insight into how the vehicle handled reentry with improvements now planned on future vehicles pic.twitter.com/8NWXpmhlLi

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) August 27, 2026

And that's Ship 40 loaded! Forte has raised out of the water, with Ship 40 safely in the cradle on its deck. Crews will now prepare for departure to the next destination in Ship 40's journey, which hopefully is the Port of Brownsville.

📸 https://t.co/v8IjDSUT8J https://t.co/e7LJQfcjIe pic.twitter.com/ex2nAML5Zq

— Lukas C. H. (@GewoonLukas_) August 26, 2026

Were is Starship 40?

Ship 40 remains aboard the Boskalis Forte, currently in the Indian Ocean roughly north of Mauritius and still pushing west toward the Cape of Good Hope.

Latest tracking and community updates keep the ETA at the Port of Brownsville around 8 October 2026.… pic.twitter.com/MuwcsCSgYK

— KiwiThinker (@KiwiThinker) September 6, 2026