A New Member Will Join NASA's Moon Exploration Initiative This Week...

NASA

NASA Sets Coverage for Czech Republic Artemis Accords Signing Ceremony (Press Release - April 26)

The Czech Republic is expected to sign the Artemis Accords during a ceremony at NASA Headquarters in Washington on Wednesday, May 3.

The agency will provide live coverage of the signing ceremony starting at 10 a.m. EDT on NASA Television, the NASA app and on the agency’s website at:

https://www.nasa.gov/live

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson will participate in the signing ceremony for the agency and Foreign Minister Jan Lipavský will sign on behalf of the Czech Republic. Acting Assistant Secretary Jennifer R. Littlejohn and Czech Ambassador to the United States Miloslav Stašek will also take part in the ceremony.

Media interested in attending in person must RSVP no later than 8 a.m. on Wednesday, May 3, to Abbey Donaldson at: abbey.a.donaldson@nasa.gov.

The Artemis Accords establish a practical set of principles to guide space exploration cooperation among nations, including those participating in NASA’s Artemis program.

NASA, in coordination with the U.S. Department of State, announced the establishment of the Artemis Accords in 2020 along with the original signatories. The Artemis Accords reinforce and implement the 1967 Outer Space Treaty.

They also reinforce the commitment by the United States and partner nations to the Registration Convention, the Rescue and Return Agreement, as well as best practices and norms of responsible behavior that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data.

Source: NASA.Gov

ISS Update: A Historic EVA Featuring the First Arab Spacewalker Is Completed at the Orbital Outpost...

NASA TV

Astronauts Wrap Up Spacewalk for Station Power Upgrades (News Release - April 28)

NASA astronaut Steve Bowen and UAE (United Arab Emirates) astronaut Sultan Alneyadi concluded their spacewalk at 4:12 p.m. EDT after 7 hours and 1 minute.

Bowen and Alneyadi laid cables and installed insulation on mounting brackets on the starboard truss of the station for the installation of the next pair of International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs). The astronauts were unable to free up an electronics box located on the truss associated with a degraded S-band communications antenna.

The antenna removal was deferred to a future spacewalk ahead of its planned return to Earth.

The installation is part of a series of spacewalks to augment the International Space Station’s power channels with new International Space Station Roll-Out Solar Arrays (iROSAs). Four iROSAs have been installed so far, and two more will be mounted to the platforms installed during this spacewalk in the future.

It was the 261st spacewalk in support of space station assembly, upgrades and maintenance, the eighth spacewalk for Bowen, and the first for any UAE astronaut.

Bowen and Alneyadi are in the midst of a planned six-month science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic exploration missions, including lunar missions through NASA’s Artemis program.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Stephen Bowen

A Four-Member Crew (with Two Back-ups) Has Been Selected for a Simulated Mars Mission in Texas...

NASA

NASA Selects Participants for One-Year Mars Analog Mission (News Release - April 17)

NASA has selected four participants to embark on the agency’s first one-year analog mission in a habitat to simulate living on Mars.

CHAPEA, or Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog, is a ground-based mission, set to begin in June at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The mission is the first of three planned one-year Mars surface simulations, during which crew members will live and work in a 3D-printed, 1,700-square-foot habitat.

Researchers will simulate the challenges of a human mission to Mars, including resource limitations, equipment failure, communication delays and other environmental stressors.

"The simulation will allow us to collect cognitive and physical performance data to give us more insight into the potential impacts of long-duration missions to Mars on crew health and performance," said Grace Douglas, CHAPEA principal investigator. "Ultimately, this information will help NASA make informed decisions to design and plan for a successful human mission to Mars."

NASA is establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration through Artemis. Knowledge gained on and around the Moon will help send the first astronauts to Mars in the future.

The participants were selected through NASA’s 2021 call for applicants. The four crew members and two back-up crew members are as follows:



Kelly Haston, commander

Haston, a registered member of the Mohawk Nation of the Six Nations of the Grand River in Canada, is a research scientist with experience building models of human disease. She has spearheaded innovative stem cell-based projects deriving multiple cell types for work in infertility, liver disease and neurodegeneration.

Haston earned a Bachelor of Arts in integrative biology and a Master of Arts in endocrinology from the University of California, Berkeley, and a doctorate in biomedical sciences from the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and Stanford University in Palo Alto, California, where she combined animal and cell-based approaches to discover biological defects associated with infertility. Haston’s postdoctoral work at both Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and UCSF’s Gladstone Institutes focused on amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.



Ross Brockwell, flight engineer

Brockwell, from Virginia Beach, Virginia, is a structural engineer and public works administrator. His work focuses on infrastructure, building design, operations and organizational leadership.

Brockwell earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, and a Master of Science in aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. He holds professional certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council, the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure, and is a certified planning commissioner.



Nathan Jones, medical officer

Jones, from Springfield, Illinois, is a board-certified emergency medicine physician specializing in prehospital and austere medicine. He currently works as an emergency medicine physician, emergency medical director and tactical medical physician at Springfield Memorial Hospital.

Jones is also an associate professor of emergency medicine at the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. He earned a Bachelor of Science in molecular and cellular biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a Medical Doctorate from Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.

Jones completed a residency in emergency medicine at the University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria.



Alyssa Shannon, science officer

Shannon, from Sacramento, California, is an advanced practice nurse at the University of California, Davis, Medical Center. She has a strong interest in data visualization and the use of accurate data to improve patient outcomes.

Shannon originally worked as an elementary school teacher before returning to school to earn a Bachelor of Science in nursing. After working as a telemetry Registered Nurse, she earned a Master of Science from UCSF as a cardiovascular clinical nurse specialist with a minor in genetics.



Trevor Clark, back-up crew member

Clark, from Thousand Oaks, California, is a senior principal engineer in the aerospace and defense industry. He develops machine-learning algorithms and deep neural networks for enhancing advanced sensor systems capabilities with artificial intelligence.

Clark earned a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy and was commissioned as an Air Force officer upon graduation. He earned a Master of Science in electrical engineering from California State University, Fresno, while still on active duty.

Clark honorably separated from the Air Force at the rank of major.



Anca Selariu, back-up crew member

Selariu is a microbiologist in the U.S. Navy. Her experience spans viral vaccine discovery and manufacturing, prion transmission, gene therapy development and infectious disease research project management.

Selariu earned a Bachelor of Science in philology from the University of Transylvania, Romania, a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry from Montclair University, New Jersey, and a doctorate in interdisciplinary biomedical sciences from Rutgers University, New Jersey. She also completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Prion Research Center, Colorado State University in Fort Collins.

NASA is leading a return to the Moon for long-term exploration. Through the Artemis missions, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before.

Lessons learned on and around the Moon and activities like CHAPEA on the ground will prepare NASA for the next giant leap: sending astronauts to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

Russia Will Support ISS Through 2028, While the U.S. and Its Other Partners Will Do So Through 2030...

Roscosmos / NASA

Partners Extend International Space Station for Benefit of Humanity (News Release)

The International Space Station partners have committed to extending the operations of this unique platform in low-Earth orbit where, for more than 22 years, humans have lived and worked for the benefit of humanity, conducting cutting-edge science and research in microgravity. The United States, Japan, Canada and the participating countries of ESA (European Space Agency) have confirmed that they will support continued space station operations through 2030, and Russia has confirmed that it will support continued station operations through 2028.

NASA will continue to work with its partner agencies to ensure an uninterrupted presence in low-Earth orbit, as well as a safe and orderly transition from the space station to commercial platforms in the future.

“The International Space Station is an incredible partnership with a common goal to advance science and exploration,” said Robyn Gatens, director of the International Space Station Division at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Extending our time aboard this amazing platform allows us to reap the benefits of more than two decades of experiments and technology demonstrations, as well as continue to materialize even greater discovery to come.”

Since its launch in 1998, the International Space Station has been visited by 266 individuals from 20 countries. The space station is a unique scientific platform where crew members conduct experiments across multiple disciplines of research, including Earth and space science, biology, human physiology, physical sciences and technology demonstrations that could not be done on Earth.

The crew living aboard the station are the hands of thousands of researchers on the ground conducting more than 3,300 experiments in microgravity. Now, in its third decade of operations, the station is in the decade of results when the platform can maximize its scientific return.

Results are compounding, new benefits are materializing, and innovative research and technology demonstrations are building on previous work.

The space station is one of the most complex international collaborations ever attempted. It was designed to be interdependent, relies on contributions from across the partnership to function, and no partner currently has the capability to operate the space station without the other.

With a continued foothold in low-Earth orbit, NASA’s Artemis missions are underway, setting up a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration.

Source: NASA.Gov

An SLS Test Engine Successfully Fires for a 12-Minute Hot Fire in Mississippi...

NASA / Stennis

NASA Tests Critical In-Flight Capability During RS-25 Engine Hot Fire (Press Release)

NASA carried out a critical hot fire of the redesigned RS-25 engine on April 26 at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, demonstrating the gimbaling, or pivoting, capabilities needed to stabilize a rocket during a launch and flight to space.

Operators at the nation’s largest propulsion test site conducted the first gimbal test of the current RS-25 engine certification series on the Fred Haise Test Stand. The certification series is supporting lead engine contractor Aerojet Rocketdyne as it prepares to produce additional RS-25 engines for future SLS (Space Launch System) flights.

The new production includes engines for future Artemis missions to the Moon, as NASA returns humans to the lunar surface to establish a long-term presence for scientific discovery and to prepare for human missions to Mars.

During a 12-minute (720 seconds) hot fire, operators gimbaled the RS-25 engine using a NASA Stennis-developed system to enable pivoting of the engine, mirroring maneuvers needed during launch and flight of the SLS rocket. The 720-second hot fire marks the longest-duration test of an RS-25 certification engine in the current test series.

Gimbaling is the technique of pivoting, or swiveling, the engine a few degrees along a tight circular or back-and-forth axis to direct engine thrust and “steer” the rocket on a proper trajectory. It also plays a vital role to ensure the rocket maintains stability during flight to space.

Four RS-25 engines, firing simultaneously, help power each SLS launch, producing more than 2 million pounds of combined thrust during the eight-minute flight to orbit.

The test team at NASA Stennis performed multiple gimbaling maneuvers during the test, pushing the capability to its limits to provide a margin of operational safety. For much of the April 26 test, the engine fired at the 111% power level, the level of thrust needed during launch.

Operators briefly pushed the engine up to the 113% power level as well.

NASA and Aerojet Rocketdyne modified 16 engines remaining from the Space Shuttle program, which were proven flightworthy at NASA Stennis for Artemis missions I through IV. The current series of testing supports production of new RS-25 engines to help the Artemis V mission and beyond.

Under Artemis, NASA will land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, establish long-term lunar science and exploration capabilities, and inspire the next generation of explorers – the Artemis Generation.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Wiggle. Only a bit. pic.twitter.com/x43uT692Ag

— Chris Bergin - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) April 26, 2023

More wiggle! pic.twitter.com/bI8rNXcRle

— Chris Bergin - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) April 26, 2023

Shutdown! 719.9 seconds (I think we'll let them off for the 0.1 seconds). Great test! pic.twitter.com/VPFnLAGc7Y

— Chris Bergin - NSF (@NASASpaceflight) April 26, 2023

A Blueprint for Future Human Exploration Throughout the Solar System Is Revealed...

NASA

NASA Shares First Moon to Mars Architecture Concept Review Results (Press Release - April 18)

As NASA builds a blueprint for human exploration throughout the solar system for the benefit of humanity, the agency released Tuesday the outcomes from its first Architecture Concept Review, a robust analysis process designed to align NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration strategy and codify the supporting architecture.

“Our first Architecture Concept Review is a milestone that will help our Moon to Mars strategy unfold through the objectives in missions both near and long term,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “We’re aligned with partners toward a future of expanded economic opportunity, scientific discovery and greater activity on and around the Moon, and with limitless possibilities deeper in the solar system.”

NASA’s Architecture Definition Document written for highly-technical audiences, and an associated executive summary, provide a deep dive into NASA’s Moon to Mars architecture approach and development process. Six supporting white papers also released address frequently-discussed exploration architecture topics.

“NASA now has a goal-based foundation upon which to build our current and future exploration plans,” said Cathy Koerner, deputy associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Our approach is designed to ensure exploration of the Moon and Mars has staying power.”

NASA’s process answers a call from Vice President Harris, as Chair of the National Space Council, to develop a plan for an initial lunar surface architecture which includes commercial and international partnerships. The agency's Moon to Mars architecture represents the hardware and operations needed for human missions to the Moon and Mars, and how they function together as a system.

The architecture is not a mission, a manifest, or a set of requirements, but defines the elements—rockets, spacecraft, rovers, spacesuits, communications relays and more—that will be incrementally developed and delivered to the Moon and Mars for long-term, human-led scientific discovery in deep space.

NASA released its revised Moon to Mars Objectives in 2022 as guideposts in the agency’s Moon to Mars exploration approach to help space NASA investments, as well as those of the agency’s industry and international space agency partners, toward the Moon and beyond. They cover four broad areas: science; transportation and habitation; lunar and Martian infrastructure; and operations.

The objectives were informed by input from U.S. industry, international space agencies, NASA’s workforce and others.

The agency began developing its Architecture Definition Document in late 2022 as a detailed look at how current objectives are distilled into specific architecture elements. The agency plans yearly Architecture Concept Reviews to incorporate new technological capabilities and evolving objectives.

Under Artemis, NASA has set a vision to explore more of the Moon than ever before. With the crew for Artemis II recently named, the agency plans to return humans to the Moon and establish a cadence of missions starting at the lunar South Pole region.

These missions set up a long-term presence to inform future exploration of Mars and other potential destinations in the solar system.

Find NASA’s Moon to Mars architecture documents at:

https://www.nasa.gov/moontomarsarchitecture

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ISS Update: An Upgraded Extravehicular Mobility Unit for the Orbital Outpost is Unveiled...

NASA

Next-Gen Suit for NASA’s Work for Space Station Missions Debuts (News Release - April 19)

A next-generation spacesuit – in effect an astronaut’s personal spaceship – will advance NASA’s spacewalking capabilities in low-Earth orbit and at the International Space Station.

Collins Aerospace, working with partners ILC Dover and Oceaneering, is designing and building a new suit for NASA. Designed to fit the diverse astronaut corps size range and provide a broader range of motion, the suit will incorporate new technology that is more efficient and durable, and requires less maintenance, than the current suit design used by NASA astronauts on the space station.

“NASA’s partnership with Collins Aerospace represents the future of space exploration and the strength of American innovation. This next-generation spacesuit will make it easier for every NASA astronaut to conduct critical spacewalks in low-Earth orbit,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “NASA’s collaboration with our commercial partners is pushing the boundaries of space technology to enable humanity to safely and comfortably work in space for the benefit of people on Earth.”

For more than 40 years, NASA astronauts have performed spacewalks outside the space station for maintenance and upgrades while wearing the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit design that debuted during the Space Shuttle Program in the 1980s. While the spacesuit has far exceeded its planned design lifespan, NASA needs advanced spacewalk capabilities to achieve its exploration goals.

“Though the current EMU is incredible and has been an absolute workhorse for the Shuttle and Space Station Programs, NASA needs a new spacesuit for use on the space station. With a new spacesuit, we can address some of the current obsolescence issues with the EMU and take advantage of all the new technologies that are available to us now that weren’t available 50 years ago, such as improved mobility and technological innovations in life support systems,” said Lara Kearney, manager of NASA’s Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility program.

Collins Aerospace’s next-generation spacesuit is designed to be easier to maintain and uses advanced life support components such as oxygen supply, carbon dioxide scrubbing, electrical power, heat dissipation and ventilation. A liquid-cooling and ventilation garment, designed to improve upon the tried-and-true EMU suit, will be worn under the spacesuit to assist astronauts with regulating body temperature during spacewalks.

To accommodate the diverse physical characteristics of NASA astronauts, the spacesuit will fit a wide range of sizes and be equipped with a high-mobility upper torso for maximum range of motion. The torso will be adjustable to provide a better fit for astronauts, one that can be altered in flight.

The spacesuit is designed using fewer parts and will include easy-to-use features, minimizing astronaut training hours and reducing maintenance procedures.

Collins Aerospace was chosen from the agency’s Exploration Extravehicular Activity Services (xEVAS) contract solicitation, which enables selected vendors to compete for task orders for missions. Additional task orders will be used to provide a full suite of services for NASA’s spacewalking needs during the period of performance through 2034.

Through the contract, NASA also selected Axiom Space to develop new spacesuits for astronauts to wear during the Artemis III mission, which will land humans on the surface of the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years as part of the agency’s lunar exploration efforts. Both vendors will compete for future spacewalking and moonwalking services task orders.

By partnering with industry, NASA is helping to build a strong commercial space industry where the agency is one of many customers.

With this new suit and system, NASA is another step closer to a replacement for the current design used by NASA astronauts for decades during space shuttle and space station missions. A new suit will support continued station maintenance and operations as NASA and its international partners live and work aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge for the benefit of people on Earth and demonstrate new technologies for future human and robotic missions.

Such research lays the groundwork for a long-term presence at future commercial destinations in low-Earth orbit and at the Moon through the Artemis missions, which will set up a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration.

Source: NASA.Gov

Starship Super Heavy Has Finally Launched! Before It Committed a RUD...

SpaceX

Over five hours ago, SpaceX's mega-Moon rocket successfully lifted off from Starbase, Texas—beginning a new spaceflight era where humanity now has two heavy-lift launch vehicles (Starship Super Heavy and NASA's Space Launch System) to send people into deep space.

Starship ascended from its Orbital Launch Mount a few minutes after its planned 6:28 AM, PDT (8:28 AM, CDT) launch time—due to Starbase mission controllers wanting to conduct additional pre-flight checks before they were ready to send Super Heavy beyond Earth's atmosphere. The exact time of liftoff was 6:33 AM, PDT (8:33 AM, CDT).

Starship mightily rose into the clear blue Texas sky (to an altitude of around 39 kilometers, or 24 miles), but unfortunately, was destroyed by the range safety officer after the rocket began to tumble uncontrollably at the time when stage separation was supposed to occur between Starship 24 and Booster 7 (B7). As the tweets below show, a couple of Raptor 2 engines on B7 shut down at liftoff and during flight...which inevitably led to Super Heavy losing control and have its flight termination system activated, resulting in a RUD (Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly).

While the Starship era began on a shaky note, Starship 26 and Booster 9 lie in wait at Starbase—ready to take their turns to fly in the second flight test which may happen within the next few months. Stay tuned!


SpaceX


SpaceX


SpaceX

Liftoff from Starbase pic.twitter.com/rgpc2XO7Z9

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) April 20, 2023

Three Raptor engines on the Super Heavy booster apparently failed around liftoff, and the rocket appeared to lose three more in flight before veering out of control about two minutes after liftoff. https://t.co/4Qlst35wgT pic.twitter.com/BTYvj67Kso

— Spaceflight Now (@SpaceflightNow) April 20, 2023

Kinda knew things were not going so hot when I saw this... It definitely looked like it was struggling to maintain its trajectory after it had the engine outs. pic.twitter.com/xZRARjIApk

— Jared Frankle (@JFrankleKSC) April 20, 2023

A dramatic ending to the first Starship Flight Test — likely a flight termination system command? 💥

Excitement guaranteed. Congrats SpaceX!!! pic.twitter.com/yq8vlojAMC

— John Kraus (@johnkrausphotos) April 20, 2023

I was so excited to see Starship clear the tower, but yea, I couldn't resist comparing these outcomes 😁

Still happy for SpaceX!

Artemis I Starship Flight Test pic.twitter.com/yt0cWYPeBX

— Richard Par (@RichTPar) April 20, 2023

Crater McCrater face underneath OLM . Holy cow! #SpaceX #Starbase #Starship #Superheavy pic.twitter.com/mgjefc3MNe

— LabPadre (@LabPadre) April 20, 2023

The SLS Rocket That Will Launch the First Moonwalking Astronauts Since 1972 Achieves an Assembly Milestone...

NASA / Brandon Hancock

Technicians Apply Foam to Moon Rocket Hardware for Artemis III (News Release)

Technicians at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, apply the first round of spray foam as part of the thermal protection system to the launch vehicle stage adapter (LVSA) of NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for Artemis III. The cone-shaped element connects the rocket’s core stage to its upper stage called the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and partially encloses it.

Spray-on foam insulation, along with other traditional insulation materials such as cork, provide thermal protection for every part – no matter how small or large – of the SLS rocket. The insulation is flexible enough to move with the rocket but rigid enough to handle the extreme pressures and temperatures as SLS accelerates from 0 to 17,400 mph and soars to more than 100 miles above Earth in just eight minutes.

The thermal protection system for the LVSA is applied entirely by hand using a tool similar to a spray gun. It is the largest piece of SLS hardware to be hand-sprayed.

During each session, two technicians take turns applying the foam across the 20 individual “stripes,” or spray lanes, that make up the LVSA. It takes about two weeks to spray all 20 stripes, and technicians will apply another coat of thermal insulation later this summer.

The LVSA is fully manufactured at Marshall by NASA and lead contractor Teledyne Brown Engineering.

NASA is working to land the first woman and first person of color on the Moon under Artemis. SLS is part of NASA’s backbone for deep space exploration, along with Orion and the Gateway in orbit around the Moon, and commercial human landing systems.

SLS is the only rocket that can send Orion, astronauts and supplies to the Moon in a single mission. Artemis III will land astronauts on the Moon to advance long-term lunar exploration and scientific discovery, and inspire the Artemis Generation.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Brandon Hancock

Four RS-25 Engines Are Ready for Integration on the Third SLS Rocket (Which is Still in Construction)...

Aerojet Rocketdyne

Aerojet Rocketdyne Delivers Propulsion for Artemis III Mission (Press Release)

LOS ANGELES, April 18, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aerojet Rocketdyne recently completed the four RS-25 engines that will power the core stage of NASA’s super heavy-lift Space Launch System (SLS) rocket during the historic Artemis III mission. Slated for launch around the middle of the decade, Artemis III is a planned lunar landing mission that will return humans to the surface of the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years.

“The Artemis III mission is pivotal in our nation’s goal to return American astronauts to the surface of the Moon, establish a sustained presence there and pave the way for crewed missions to Mars,” said Eileen P. Drake, Aerojet Rocketdyne CEO and president. “As our nation makes this next giant leap in its space program, it is leveraging the extensive knowledge and lessons learned that were gained during our earlier exploration efforts, including the Apollo, Space Shuttle and Artemis I missions. We are truly standing on the shoulders of those who pioneered the exploration of deep space.”

The four RS-25 engines that will power the SLS rocket’s core stage during the Artemis III mission have been upgraded following their service during the shuttle program and will now generate about 2 million pounds of combined thrust. The Artemis III RS-25 engines safely flew 138 individual astronauts to orbit and supported 26 Space Shuttle missions, including:

- Multiple International Space Station assembly missions

- STS-95: The flight of then-U.S. Senator John Glenn, one of NASA’s original Mercury astronauts

- STS-114: The Space Shuttle program’s return to flight following the Columbia accident

- STS-125: The final Hubble servicing mission

In addition to the RS-25 engines, Aerojet Rocketdyne has delivered all of its other propulsion systems for the Artemis III SLS rocket and a majority of the propulsion systems for the Orion spacecraft.

Additional Aerojet Rocketdyne propulsion on the Artemis III mission includes the RL10 engine and 12 MR-106 reaction control system thrusters that will support the SLS’s second stage, called the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage. Aerojet Rocketdyne also supplies major propulsion elements for NASA’s Orion spacecraft, including the Orion Main Engine; the jettison motor on the Launch Abort System; eight auxiliary engines for trajectory control and positioning on the service module; and 12 reaction control system engines that guide the Orion crew module’s atmospheric re-entry.

Aerojet Rocketdyne’s Artemis III propulsion contributions are designed, built and tested at various sites across the country, including Los Angeles, California; NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi; West Palm Beach, Florida; Redmond, Washington; Huntsville, Alabama; and Orange, Virginia. The pressurized tanks used for Orion’s life support systems and flotation system for recovery at sea were manufactured and delivered by Aerojet Rocketdyne’s ARDÉ subsidiary, located in Carlstadt, New Jersey.

Source: Aerojet Rocketdyne

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Aerojet Rocketdyne

Starship Flight Test Update: Better Luck This Thursday!

SpaceX

SpaceX is now aiming for this Thursday, April 20, to launch its Starship Super Heavy rocket on its maiden voyage, known as the Starship Flight Test, after a frozen valve on Booster 7 prevented it from pressurizing for flight earlier today. This caused the launch to be scrubbed several minutes before lift-off.

SpaceX continued with the countdown, treating this morning's remaining activities as a wet dress rehearsal before the clock stopped ticking at L-minus 10 seconds. The exact time of liftoff for April 20 has not yet been revealed.

Stay tuned!

Photos of the Day: The Starship Flight Test Finally Has Its Launch License!

SpaceX

Yesterday, space aficionados everywhere received the long-awaited news that the Federal Aviation Administration finally granted SpaceX official authorization to proceed with the launch of its Starship Super Heavy rocket on a much-anticipated test flight, now known as the Starship Flight Test, as soon as next Monday, April 17!

The launch license—which will be good for five years—enables Starship Super Heavy to embark on a flight that will end with Booster 7 splashing down 30 to 35 kilometers (19 to 22 miles) off the coast of Texas, and Starship Serial No. 24 reaching an altitude of 235 kilometers (146 miles) before it reenters Earth's atmosphere and splashes down into the Pacific Ocean 225 kilometers (140 miles) north of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. This should take place 90 minutes after liftoff...which is currently scheduled to occur as early as 7 AM, Central Daylight Time (5 AM, Pacific Daylight Time), on Monday.

If the Starship Flight Test is successful, this will bring SpaceX further down the path to having its Human Landing System ready for NASA's Artemis 3 Moon landing mission—currently targeted for a 2025 launch. Starship's success brings NASA closer to sending Artemis astronauts to the lunar surface, and eventually a crewed journey to Mars!

Stay tuned.


SpaceX


SpaceX


SpaceX

Checkouts Are Underway for Flight Hardware That Will Launch on the Second SLS Rocket...

United Launch Alliance

ICPS-2: ULA Begins Readying Upper Stage for Artemis II Launch (News Release)

The second Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS), derived from the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Delta IV Heavy rocket, is beginning pre-flight testing and preparations to help launch four pioneering astronauts on NASA's Artemis II mission around the Moon.

ICPS serves as the upper stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to send the Orion spacecraft on lunar exploration missions. The fully-integrated SLS, ICPS and Orion system successfully performed the uncrewed Artemis I test flight in 2022.

ULA has manufactured three ICPS stages in our factory in Decatur, Alabama, under a collaborative partnership with Boeing. The stages will be used for the initial three SLS rockets.

ICPS-2 was delivered to ULA facilities at Cape Canaveral in 2021. The stage recently came out of storage and moved into a test cell at the Delta Operations Center to begin undergoing checkouts and processing to support the Artemis II launch.

The ICPS is based on the five-meter-diameter version of ULA's Delta Cryogenic Second Stage (DCSS) that has flown on Delta IV missions since 2004 with 100 percent mission success. ICPS-1 performance for the Artemis I mission was nominal, delivering the push needed to send Orion out of Earth orbit to travel around the Moon.

ICPS features a slightly larger liquid hydrogen tank as compared to the Delta IV second stage, as well as electrical and mechanical interfaces specific to attaching and supporting the Orion spacecraft, and a second hydrazine bottle for additional attitude control propellant.

The ICPS for Artemis II also includes an Emergency Detection System (EDS) and other hardware changes specific to human safety.

The stage feeds liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen to the Aerojet Rocketdyne RL10C-2 main engine to produce 24,750 pounds (110.1 kilo-Newtons) of highly-efficient thrust.

The ICPS-2 stage on Artemis II will provide the boost for the Orion capsule and its four astronauts to reach the desired high-Earth orbit stretching 68,000 miles (109,435 km) above the planet before separating from the Moon-bound spacecraft.

The stage will also be used as a target object for Orion to test rendezvous and proximity operations.

The approximately 10-day Artemis II flight will prove the Orion spacecraft's life-support systems and validate the capabilities and techniques needed for humans to live and work in deep space.

NASA has assigned three Americans and one Canadian Space Agency astronaut to the mission: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist 1 Christina Hammock Koch and Mission Specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen.

Source: United Launch Alliance

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United Launch Alliance


NASA

Photos of the Day: Starship Is Finally Ready to Launch...

SpaceX

Several hours ago, SpaceX released these photos of Starship Super Heavy after Starship Serial No. 24 was mated—hopefully for the last time—to Booster 7 yesterday.

With the mammoth Moon rocket once again standing tall atop its Orbital Launch Mount at Starbase in Texas, SpaceX is ready to conduct a launch rehearsal for this long-awaited orbital test flight next week...with the earliest launch attempt targeted for Monday, April 17.

Of course, Starship's maiden journey to low-Earth orbit depends on the Federal Aviation Administration granting a launch license for this flight sometime next week as well. Cross our fingers and stay tuned!


SpaceX


SpaceX

Starship preparing for launch 🚀 pic.twitter.com/M1pR8rsmYt

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) April 6, 2023

THE FIRST HUMANS TO FLY TO THE MOON SINCE 1972 HAVE BEEN REVEALED!

NASA

NASA Names Astronauts to Next Moon Mission, First Crew Under Artemis (Press Release)

NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) announced the four astronauts who will venture around the Moon on Artemis II, the first crewed mission on NASA’s path to establishing a long-term presence at the Moon for science and exploration through Artemis. The agencies revealed the crew members on Monday during an event at Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.

“The Artemis II crew represents thousands of people working tirelessly to bring us to the stars. This is their crew, this is our crew, this is humanity's crew,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Hammock Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen, each has their own story, but, together, they represent our creed: E pluribus unum – out of many, one. Together, we are ushering in a new era of exploration for a new generation of star sailors and dreamers – the Artemis Generation.”

The crew assignments are as follows: Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist 1 Christina Hammock Koch and Mission Specialist 2 Jeremy Hansen. They will work as a team to execute an ambitious set of demonstrations during the flight test.

The approximately 10-day Artemis II flight test will launch on the agency’s powerful Space Launch System rocket, prove the Orion spacecraft’s life-support systems, and validate the capabilities and techniques needed for humans to live and work in deep space.

“We are going back to the Moon and Canada is at the center of this exciting journey,” said the Honorable François-Philippe Champagne, the minister responsible for the Canadian Space Agency. “Thanks to our longstanding collaboration with NASA, a Canadian astronaut will fly on this historic mission. On behalf of all Canadians, I want to congratulate Jeremy for being at the forefront of one of the most ambitious human endeavors ever undertaken. Canada’s participation in the Artemis program is not only a defining chapter of our history in space, but also a testament to the friendship and close partnership between our two nations.”

The flight, set to build upon the successful uncrewed Artemis I mission completed in December, will set the stage for the first woman and first person of color on the Moon through the Artemis program, paving the way for future long-term human exploration missions to the Moon, and eventually Mars. This is the agency’s Moon to Mars exploration approach.

“For the first time in more than 50 years, these individuals – the Artemis II crew – will be the first humans to fly to the vicinity of the Moon. Among the crew are the first woman, first person of color and first Canadian on a lunar mission, and all four astronauts will represent the best of humanity as they explore for the benefit of all,” said Director Vanessa Wyche, NASA Johnson. “This mission paves the way for the expansion of human deep space exploration and presents new opportunities for scientific discoveries, commercial, industry and academic partnerships and the Artemis Generation.”

Meet Artemis II Astronauts

This will be Wiseman’s second trip into space, serving previously as a flight engineer aboard the International Station for Expedition 41 from May through November 2014. Wiseman has logged more than 165 days in space, including almost 13 hours as lead spacewalker during two trips outside the orbital complex.

Prior to his assignment, Wiseman served as chief of the Astronaut Office from December 2020 until November 2022.

The mission will be Glover’s second spaceflight, serving previously as pilot on NASA’s SpaceX Crew-1, which landed on May 2, 2021, after 168 days in space. As a flight engineer aboard the space station for Expedition 64, he contributed to scientific investigations, technology demonstrations, and participated in four spacewalks.

Koch will also be making her second flight into space on the Artemis II mission. She served as flight engineer aboard the space station for Expedition 59, 60 and 61.

Koch set a record for the longest single spaceflight by a woman with a total of 328 days in space and participated in the first all-female spacewalks.

Representing Canada, Hansen is making his first flight to space. A colonel in the Canadian Armed Forces and former fighter pilot, Hansen holds a Bachelor of Science in space science from Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ontario, and a Master of Science in physics from the same institution in 2000, with a research focus on Wide Field of View Satellite Tracking.

Hansen was one of two recruits selected by CSA in May 2009 through the third Canadian Astronaut Recruitment Campaign and has served as Capcom in NASA's Mission Control Center at Johnson and, in 2017, became the first Canadian to be entrusted with leading a NASA astronaut class, leading the training of astronaut candidates from the United States and Canada.

“I could not be prouder that these brave four will kickstart our journeys to the Moon and beyond,” said Director of Flight Operations Norm Knight, NASA Johnson. “They represent exactly what an astronaut corps should be: a mix of highly capable and accomplished individuals with the skills and determination to take on any trial as a team. The Artemis II mission will be challenging, and we’ll test our limits as we prepare to put future astronauts on the Moon. With Reid, Victor, Christina and Jeremy at the controls, I have no doubt we’re ready to face every challenge that comes our way.”

Through Artemis missions, NASA will use innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. We will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish the first long-term presence on the Moon.

Then, we will use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap: sending the first astronauts to Mars.

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The @NASA Artemis II crewed mission around the Moon will inspire the next generation of explorers, and show every child – in America, in Canada, and across the world – that if they can dream it, they can be it. pic.twitter.com/X8q3GLTBiQ

— President Biden (@POTUS) April 3, 2023

For the first time in decades, America is sending humans back to the Moon.

The pioneering Artemis II crew announced today –Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen – are writing the next chapter of human spaceflight.

— Vice President Kamala Harris (@VP) April 3, 2023