Monday, April 14, 2025

Katy Perry and her All-Female Crew Successfully Embark on a Suborbital Flight Above Texas...

The all-female NS-31 crew pose in front of their New Shepard rocket before its suborbital flight from Blue Origin's Launch Site One in West Texas...on April 14, 2025.
Blue Origin

Blue Origin’s New Shepard Rocket Completes 31st Mission To Space (News Release)

Blue Origin successfully completed its 11th human spaceflight for the New Shepard program. The astronaut crew included Aisha Bowe, Amanda Nguyễn, Gayle King, Katy Perry, Kerianne Flynn and Lauren Sánchez, who brought the mission together.

Including today’s crew, New Shepard has now flown 58 people to space, including four people who have flown twice.

“What a privilege to witness this crew of trailblazers depart the capsule today,” said Phil Joyce, Senior Vice President, New Shepard. “Each of these women is a storyteller who will use their voices—individually and together—to channel their life-changing experience today into creating lasting impact that will inspire people across our planet for generations. Thank you to this remarkable crew for uplifting so many on their historic journey toward the stars and back.”

Key mission statistics:

Official Launch Time: 8:30:00 AM CDT / 13:30:00 UTC

Booster Apogee: 346,481 ft AGL / 350,128 ft MSL (106 km AGL / 107 km MSL)

Crew Capsule Apogee: 346,802 ft AGL / 350,449 ft MSL (106 km AGL / 107 km MSL)

Crew Capsule Landing Time: 8:40:21 AM CDT / 13:40:21 UTC

Mission Elapsed Time: 10 minutes, 21 seconds

Source: Blue Origin

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The New Shepard capsule for mission NS-31 safely touched down at Blue Origin's Launch Site One in West Texas after a successful flight 106 kilometers (66 miles) into space...on April 14, 2025.
Blue Origin / Dave Limp




Friday, April 11, 2025

Snapshots of Two Russian Capsules at the ISS...

Two Soyuz crew capsules are docked at the Russian Orbital Segment of the International Space Station...on April 9, 2025.
NASA

The Soyuz MS-26 and MS-27 crew ships docked to the International Space Station (Photo Releases - April 9)

ABOVE: The Soyuz MS-26 (foreground) and MS-27 crew ships are pictured docked to the International Space Station's Rassvet module and Prichal module, respectively. The orbital outpost was soaring 261 miles above Wyoming at the time of this photograph.

BELOW: At right, is the 214 million-year-old Manicouagan crater located in Quebec as the orbital outpost soared 263 miles above far eastern Canada.

Source #1: NASA.Gov

Source #2: NASA.Gov

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Two Soyuz crew capsules are docked at the Russian Orbital Segment of the International Space Station...on April 9, 2025.
NASA

Thursday, April 10, 2025

The Latest Update on Humanity's First Orbital Moon Outpost...

The HALO module for NASA's Gateway lunar space station is removed from its shipping container inside Northrop Grumman's facility at Gilbert, Arizona...on April 3, 2025.
NASA / Josh Valcarcel

Gateway's HALO Arrives in Arizona for Final Outfitting (Photo Release - April 3)

At Northrop Grumman’s Gilbert, Arizona, facility, teams remove Gateway’s HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost) from its transport container. HALO arrived from Turin, Italy, where Thales Alenia Space fabricated its primary structure.

The module will undergo final outfitting in Gilbert before being integrated with the Power and Propulsion Element and launched to lunar orbit.

Source: NASA.Gov

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The HALO module for NASA's Gateway lunar space station is about to be removed from its shipping container inside Northrop Grumman's facility at Gilbert, Arizona...on April 3, 2025.
NASA / Josh Valcarcel

The HALO module for NASA's Gateway lunar space station is about to be removed from its shipping container inside Northrop Grumman's facility at Gilbert, Arizona...on April 3, 2025.
NASA / Josh Valcarcel

The HALO module for NASA's Gateway lunar space station is about to be removed from its shipping container inside Northrop Grumman's facility at Gilbert, Arizona...on April 3, 2025.
NASA / Josh Valcarcel

The HALO module for NASA's Gateway lunar space station is removed from its shipping container inside Northrop Grumman's facility at Gilbert, Arizona...on April 3, 2025.
NASA / Josh Valcarcel

Before it resumes final outfitting for launch, the HALO module for NASA's Gateway lunar space station is moved down a hallway inside Northrop Grumman's facility at Gilbert, Arizona...on April 3, 2025.
NASA / Josh Valcarcel

Wednesday, April 9, 2025

Nation #54 Has Joined NASA's Moon Exploration Initiative...

Bangladesh is officially a member of the Artemis Accords...as of April 8, 2025.
NASA

NASA Welcomes Bangladesh as Newest Artemis Accords Signatory (News Release - April 8)

Following a signing ceremony on Tuesday in Bangladesh’s capital city of Dhaka, NASA congratulates Bangladesh as the 54th nation to commit to the safe and responsible exploration of space that benefits humanity.

“We are thrilled by Bangladesh’s signature of the Accords,” said NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro. “Bangladesh affirms its role in shaping the future of space exploration. This is about ensuring that our journey to the Moon – and beyond – is peaceful, sustainable and transparent. We look forward to working together, to learning from one another, and to seeing how Bangladesh’s incredible talent and vision contribute to humanity’s next great chapter in space.”

Ashraf Uddin, the secretary of defense for Bangladesh, signed the Artemis Accords on behalf of the country. Charge d’Affaires Tracey Jacobson for the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka, Bangladesh, participated in the event, and Petro contributed remarks in a pre-recorded video message.

“Bangladesh’s commitment to the Artemis Accords will enhance the country’s engagement with NASA and the international community,” said Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus. “By signing the accords, Bangladesh builds upon an important foundation for the open, responsible and peaceful exploration of space.”

In 2020, the United States, led by NASA and the U.S. Department of State, and seven other initial signatory nations established the Artemis Accords, a first-ever set of practical guidelines for nations to increase safety of operations and reduce risk and uncertainty in their civil exploration activities. That group of signatories has grown to more than 50 countries today.

The Artemis Accords are grounded in the Outer Space Treaty and other agreements, including the Registration Convention and the Rescue and Return Agreement, as well as best practices for responsible behavior that NASA and its partners have supported, including the public release of scientific data.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Inside High Bay 3 at Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida, the launch vehicle stage adapter is attached to the rest of Artemis 2's Space Launch System rocket...on April 3, 2025.
NASA / Isaac Watson

Tuesday, April 8, 2025

NASA's First Korean-American Astronaut (Who's Also a Former Navy SEAL and Harvard Medical Doctor) Has Reached the ISS...

The Soyuz MS-27 rocket carrying three Expedition 72/73 space station crew members launches from Kazakhstan's Baikonur Cosmodrome on April 8, 2025 (Eastern Time).
NASA / Joel Kowsky

NASA Astronaut, Crewmates Arrive Safely at Space Station (News Release)

NASA astronaut Jonny Kim, accompanied by Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Ryzhikov and Alexey Zubritsky, arrived at the International Space Station on Tuesday, bringing the number of residents to 10 for the next two weeks.

The Soyuz MS-27 spacecraft carrying Kim, Ryzhikov and Zubritsky docked to the Prichal module at 4:57 a.m. EDT, following a three-hour, two-orbit journey to the space station. They launched at 1:47 a.m. (10:47 a.m. Baikonur time) from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

When hatches open at approximately 7:20 a.m., the trio will join the Expedition 72 crew, including NASA astronauts Nichole Ayers, Anne McClain and Don Pettit, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Takuya Onishi, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Kirill Peskov, Ivan Vagner and Alexey Ovchinin.

NASA’s live coverage of hatch opening will begin at 7 a.m. on NASA+. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms.

Expedition 73 will begin on Saturday, April 19, following the departure of Pettit, Ovchinin and Vagner, as they conclude a seven-month science mission aboard the orbiting laboratory.

Watch the ceremonial change of command at 2:40 p.m. on Friday, April 18, as Ovchinin transfers the distinction to Onishi, live on NASA+.

Throughout his eight-month stay aboard the orbital outpost, Kim will conduct scientific research in technology development, Earth science, biology, human research and more. This is the first flight for Kim and Zubritsky, and the third for Ryzhikov.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Monday, April 7, 2025

The Latest Update on One of the Orbital Successors to the ISS...

An artist's concept of a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule docked to Vast's Haven-1 orbital outpost.
Vast

Vast Secures Agreement with NASA to Test Haven-1 Flight Vehicle at Armstrong Test Facility (Press Release - April 3)

Vast and NASA have signed an agreement to allow Vast to perform the final environmental test campaign of the Haven-1 flight-ready station at the Neil Armstrong Test Facility at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Sandusky, Ohio. Haven-1 testing will occur at the Neil Armstrong Test Facility’s Space Environments Complex, home to some of the world's largest and most capable space simulation test facilities. Scheduled to begin in early 2026, Haven-1 will undergo rigorous testing to verify its performance and reliability when exposed to environments that it will experience during launch and on-orbit operations, including acoustics, vibration, electromagnetic interference and thermal vacuum.

‍Haven-1, Vast’s commercial space station and crewed microgravity research, development and manufacturing platform, built at historically low-costs, aims to open up new frontiers in space science by broadening access for more nations and commercial partners to conduct research and contribute to making long-term space habitation possible. This testing agreement is another significant milestone, demonstrating Vast’s rapid progress as an official Commercial Low-Earth Orbit Development Program partner.

"We're thankful for NASA's support to test the Haven-1 flight vehicle at this historical and world-renowned facility; it is a testament to the growing importance of Vast as a commercial destination partner. Having a proven commercial space station on orbit before the International Space Station is retired is critical," said Max Haot, CEO of Vast.

Vast recently successfully completed its pressure test of the Haven-1 primary structure qualification article, and is currently building the flight-ready primary structure for this testing milestone. Haven-1 is scheduled to launch no earlier than May 2026.

Source: VastSpace.com

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A file photo of the Thermal Vacuum Chamber inside the Neil Armstrong Test Facility at NASA’s Glenn Research Center in Sandusky, Ohio.
NASA

Sunday, April 6, 2025

The Next Big Orange Moon Rocket Continues to Grow at KSC...

Inside High Bay 3 at Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida, the launch vehicle stage adapter is attached to the rest of Artemis 2's Space Launch System rocket...on April 3, 2025.
NASA / Isaac Watson

Artemis II LVSA Stacking (Photo Release - April 3)

A massive crane lowers the launch vehicle stage adapter onto the SLS (Space Launch System) core stage on Thursday, April 3, 2025, in High Bay 3 inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During launch and ascent, the launch vehicle stage adapter provides structural support and protects avionics and electrical devices within the upper stage from extreme vibrations and acoustic conditions.

The Artemis II test flight will take a crew of four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon, helping confirm the foundational systems and hardware needed for human deep space exploration.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Inside Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida, the launch vehicle stage adapter is about to be transferred to High Bay 3, where the adapter will be attached to the rest of Artemis 2's Space Launch System rocket...on April 3, 2025.
NASA / Isaac Watson

Inside Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida, the launch vehicle stage adapter is about to be transferred to High Bay 3, where the adapter will be attached to the rest of Artemis 2's Space Launch System rocket...on April 3, 2025.
NASA / Isaac Watson

Inside High Bay 3 at Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida, the launch vehicle stage adapter is about to be attached to the rest of Artemis 2's Space Launch System rocket...on April 3, 2025.
NASA / Isaac Watson

Inside High Bay 3 at Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida, the launch vehicle stage adapter is attached to the rest of Artemis 2's Space Launch System rocket...on April 3, 2025.
NASA / Isaac Watson

Inside High Bay 3 at Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building in Florida, the launch vehicle stage adapter is attached to the rest of Artemis 2's Space Launch System rocket...on April 3, 2025.
NASA / Isaac Watson

Saturday, April 5, 2025

The Latest Update on Humanity's First Orbital Moon Outpost...

At Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona, the shipping container holding the HALO module for NASA's Gateway lunar space station is removed from the cargo aircraft that transported the module from Italy to the United States...on April 1, 2025.
NASA / Josh Valcarcel

NASA Welcomes Gateway Lunar Space Station’s HALO Module to U.S. (News Release - April 4)

From Italy to Arizona: Gateway’s first habitation module takes a major step on its path to launch.

A core component of Gateway, humanity’s first space station around the Moon, is now on American soil and one step closer to launch. In lunar orbit, Gateway will support NASA’s Artemis campaign to return humans to the Moon and chart a path of scientific discovery towards the first crewed missions to Mars.

Gateway’s first pressurized module and one of its two foundational elements, HALO (Habitation and Logistics Outpost), arrived in Arizona on April 1. Fresh off a transatlantic journey from Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, the structure will undergo final outfitting at Northrop Grumman’s integration and test facility in Gilbert before being integrated with Gateway’s Power and Propulsion Element at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The pair of modules will launch together on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.

Gateway’s HALO will provide Artemis astronauts with space to live, work, conduct scientific research, and prepare for missions to the lunar surface. It will offer command and control, data handling, energy storage, electrical power distribution, thermal regulation, and communications and tracking via Lunar Link, a high-rate lunar communication system provided by ESA (European Space Agency). The module will include docking ports for visiting vehicles such as NASA’s Orion spacecraft, lunar landers and logistics modules.

HALO will also support both internal and external science payloads, enabling research and technology demonstrations in the harsh deep space environment.

Built with industry and international partners, Gateway will support sustained exploration of the Moon, serve as a platform for science and international collaboration, and act as a proving ground for the technologies and systems needed for future human missions to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

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At Thales Alenia Space in Turin, Italy, the HALO module for NASA's Gateway lunar space station is about to be placed inside a shipping container for the module's trip to Northrop Grumman's facility in Gilbert, Arizona.
Thales Alenia Space

The shipping container carrying the HALO module for NASA's Gateway lunar space station is about to be placed aboard the cargo aircraft transporting the module from Italy to Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona.
Thales Alenia Space

The cargo aircraft carrying the HALO module for NASA's Gateway lunar space station arrives at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona...on April 1, 2025.
NASA / Josh Valcarcel

At Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in Arizona, the shipping container holding the HALO module for NASA's Gateway lunar space station is about to be removed from the cargo aircraft that transported the module from Italy to the United States...on April 1, 2025.
NASA / Josh Valcarcel

An artist's concept of NASA's Gateway lunar space station cruising through space.
NASA / Maxar Space Systems

Friday, April 4, 2025

The First Crewed Spaceflight to Polar Orbit Is Now Complete...

SpaceX's Crew Dragon Resilience capsule is about to splash down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Oceanside, California...completing the Fram2 mission on April 4, 2025.
SpaceX

Fram2 Returns to Earth (News Release)

After nearly four days on-orbit, Dragon and the Fram2 crew safely splashed down at 9:19 a.m. PDT off the coast of Oceanside, California, completing the first human spaceflight mission to explore Earth from a polar orbit and fly over the Earth’s polar regions. This was also Dragon’s first West Coast recovery since 2019 and the first Dragon human spaceflight mission to splash down in the Pacific Ocean.

Mission Objectives

During their multi-day mission, the crew conducted 22 research studies designed to help advance humanity’s capabilities for long-duration space exploration and the understanding of human health in space. The crew took the first x-ray in space, performed exercise studies to maintain muscle and skeletal mass, and grew mushrooms in microgravity.

Additionally, after safely returning to Earth, the crew exited the Dragon spacecraft without additional medical and operational assistance, helping researchers characterize the ability of astronauts to perform unassisted functional tasks after short and long durations in space.

The Crew

This was the first human spaceflight for Mission Commander Chun Wang, Vehicle Commander Jannicke Mikkelsen, Vehicle Pilot Rabea Rogge, and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Eric Philips.

Source: SpaceX

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SpaceX's Crew Dragon Resilience capsule splashes down in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Oceanside, California...completing the Fram2 mission on April 4, 2025.
SpaceX

Recovery teams prepare to bring Crew Dragon Resilience aboard the SpaceX vessel Shannon off the coast of Oceanside, California...on April 4, 2025.
SpaceX

A SpaceX recovery team is about to retrieve one of Crew Dragon Resilience's four main parachutes from the water off the coast of Oceanside, California...on April 4, 2025.
SpaceX

Crew Dragon Resilience is brought onboard the SpaceX vessel Shannon off the coast of Oceanside, California...on April 4, 2025.
SpaceX

The four Fram2 astronauts pose for the camera after the hatch is open to their Crew Dragon Resilience capsule aboard the SpaceX vessel Shannon...on April 4, 2025.
SpaceX



Thursday, April 3, 2025

The Mission Patch for Orion's First Crewed Flight to the Moon Has Been Revealed...

At NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, the four Artemis 2 astronauts hold their Artemis 2 mission patch...on April 2, 2025.
NASA / Robert Markowitz

Artemis II Insignia Honors All (News Release)

The four astronauts who will be the first to fly to the Moon under NASA’s Artemis campaign have designed an emblem to represent their mission that references both their distant destination and the home they will return to. The crew unveiled their patch in this April 2, 2025, photo.

The crew explained the patch’s symbolism, and its play on the abbreviation of Artemis II to AII, with the following description: The Artemis II test flight begins when a mighty team launches the first crew of the Artemis generation. This patch designates the mission as “AII,” signifying not only the second major flight of the Artemis campaign, but also an endeavor of discovery that seeks to explore for all and by all. Framed in Apollo 8’s famous Earthrise photo, the scene of the Earth and the Moon represents the dual nature of human spaceflight, both equally compelling: The Moon represents our exploration destination, focused on discovery of the unknown.

The Earth represents home, focused on the perspective we gain when we look back at our shared planet and learn what it is to be uniquely human. The orbit around Earth highlights the ongoing exploration missions that have enabled Artemis to set sights on a long-term presence on the Moon and soon, Mars.


Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialist Christina Koch from NASA, and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen from CSA (Canadian Space Agency), will venture around the Moon in 2026 on Artemis II. The 10-day flight will test NASA’s foundational human deep space exploration capabilities, the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, for the first time with astronauts. Through Artemis, NASA will send astronauts to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and build the foundation for the first crewed missions to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

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The Artemis 2 mission patch.
NASA


Tuesday, April 1, 2025

The Latest Update on the First Crewed Flight to the Moon in 50+ Years...

U.S. Navy teams are about to secure the Crew Module Test Article for towing back to the USS Somerset...during Underway Recovery Test-12 off the coast of San Diego, California.
NASA

NASA Trains for Orion Water Recovery Ahead of Artemis II Launch (News Release - March 31)

Preparations for NASA’s next Artemis flight recently took to the seas as a joint NASA and Department of Defense team, led by NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program, spent a week aboard the USS Somerset off the coast of California practicing procedures for recovering the Artemis II spacecraft and crew.

Following successful completion of Underway Recovery Test-12 (URT-12) on Monday, NASA’s Landing and Recovery team and their Defense Department counterparts are certified to recover the Orion spacecraft as part of the upcoming Artemis II test flight that will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, as well as CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a 10-day journey around the Moon.

“This will be NASA’s first crewed mission to the Moon under the Artemis program,” said Lili Villarreal, the landing and recovery director for Artemis II. “A lot of practice led up to this week’s event, and seeing everything come together at sea gives me great confidence that the air, water, ground and medical support teams are ready to safely recover the spacecraft and the crew for this historic mission.”

Once Orion reenters Earth’s atmosphere, the capsule will keep the crew safe as it slows from nearly 25,000 mph to about 325 mph. Then its system of 11 parachutes will deploy in a precise sequence to slow the capsule and crew to a relatively gentle 20 mph for splashdown off the coast of California. From the time it enters Earth’s atmosphere, the Artemis II spacecraft will fly 1,775 nautical miles to its landing spot in the Pacific Ocean.

This direct approach for reentry allows NASA to control the amount of time the spacecraft will spend in extremely high-temperature ranges.

The Artemis II astronauts trained during URT-11 in February 2024, when they donned Orion Crew Survival System suits and practiced a range of recovery operations at sea using the Crew Module Test Article, a stand-in for their spacecraft.

For the 12th training exercise, NASA astronauts Deniz Burnham and Andre Douglas, along with ESA (European Space Agency) astronaut Luca Parmitano, did the same, moving from the simulated crew module to the USS Somerset, with helicopters, a team of Navy divers in small boats, NASA’s open water lead – a technical expert and lead design engineer for all open water operations – as well as Navy and NASA medical teams rehearsing different recovery scenarios.

“Allowing astronauts to participate when they are not directly involved in a mission gives them valuable experience by exposing them to a lot of different scenarios,” said Glover, who will pilot Artemis II. “Learning about different systems and working with ground control teams also broadens their skillsets and prepares them for future roles. It also allows astronauts like me who are assigned to the mission to experience other roles – in this case, I am serving in the role of Joe Acaba, Chief of the Astronaut Office.”

As the astronauts safely arrive at the ship for medical checkouts, recovery teams focus on returning the spacecraft and its auxiliary ground support hardware to the amphibious transport dock.

Navy divers attach a connection collar to the spacecraft and an additional line to a pneumatic winch inside the USS Somerset’s well deck, allowing joint NASA and Navy teams to tow Orion toward the ship. A team of sailors and NASA recovery personnel inside the ship manually pull some of the lines to help align Orion with its stand, which will secure the spacecraft for its trip to the shore. Following a safe and precise recovery, sailors will drain the well deck of water, and the ship will make its way back to Naval Base San Diego.

The Artemis II test flight will confirm the foundational systems and hardware needed for human deep space exploration, taking another step towards missions on the lunar surface and helping the agency prepare for human missions to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

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U.S. Navy teams practice recovering astronauts from the Crew Module Test Article during Underway Recovery Test-12...off the coast of San Diego, California.
NASA

U.S. Navy teams practice recovering astronauts from the Crew Module Test Article during Underway Recovery Test-12...off the coast of San Diego, California.
NASA

U.S. Navy teams practice recovering astronauts from the Crew Module Test Article (not pictured) during Underway Recovery Test-12...off the coast of San Diego, California.
NASA

A lone seal watches as the Crew Module Test Article is about to be brought back into the well deck of the USS Somerset...during Underway Recovery Test-12 off the coast of San Diego, California.
NASA

The Crew Module Test Article is about to be brought back into the well deck of the USS Somerset...during Underway Recovery Test-12 off the coast of San Diego, California.
NASA

Monday, March 31, 2025

The Very First Crewed Spaceflight to Polar Orbit Has Launched...

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the Fram2 astronauts lifts off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida...on March 31, 2025.
SpaceX

Fram2 Mission (News Release)

On Monday, March 31 at 9:46 p.m. ET, Falcon 9 launched Fram2 to a polar orbit from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage landed on the A Shortfall of Gravitas droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

Mission Objectives

During their multi-day mission, Dragon and the crew will explore Earth from a polar orbit and fly over Earth’s polar regions for the first time. They will also conduct 22 types of research designed to help advance humanity’s capabilities for long-duration space exploration and understanding of human health in space. Throughout Fram2’s time on-orbit, the crew are planning to take the first x-ray in space, perform exercise studies to maintain muscle and skeletal mass, and grow mushrooms in microgravity.

Additionally, after safely returning to Earth, the crew plans to exit from the Dragon spacecraft without additional medical and operational assistance, helping researchers characterize the ability of astronauts to perform unassisted functional tasks after short and long durations in space.

The Crew

This is the first human spaceflight for Mission Commander Chun Wang, Vehicle Commander Jannicke Mikkelsen, Vehicle Pilot Rabea Rogge, and Mission Specialist and Medical Officer Eric Philips.

Source: SpaceX

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The Fram2 astronauts pose for the camera before their Dragon Resilience capsule launched to a polar orbit around the Earth...on March 31, 2025.
SpaceX

A video screenshot showing the Dragon Resilience capsule floating away from its Falcon 9 second stage booster following spacecraft separation after launch...on March 31, 2025.
SpaceX


Thursday, March 27, 2025

Meeting the Next Crew Dragon Astronauts to Fly to the ISS...

A group photo of the four-member crew for NASA's SpaceX Crew-11 mission to the International Space Station.
NASA

NASA Shares SpaceX Crew-11 Assignments for Space Station Mission (News Release)

As part of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-11 mission, four crew members from three space agencies will launch in the coming months to the International Space Station for a long-duration science expedition aboard the orbiting laboratory.

NASA astronauts Commander Zena Cardman and Pilot Mike Fincke, JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) astronaut Mission Specialist Kimiya Yui, and Roscosmos cosmonaut Mission Specialist Oleg Platonov will join crew members aboard the space station no earlier than July 2025.

The flight is the 11th crew rotation with SpaceX to the station as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. The crew will conduct scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to help prepare humans for future missions to the Moon, as well as benefit people on Earth.

Cardman was previously assigned to NASA’s SpaceX Crew-9 mission, and Fincke was previously assigned to NASA’s Boeing Starliner-1 mission. NASA decided to reassign the astronauts to Crew-11 in overall support of planned activities aboard the International Space Station. Cardman carries her experience training as a commander on Dragon spacecraft, and Fincke brings long-duration spaceflight experience to this crew complement.

Selected as a NASA astronaut in 2017, Cardman will conduct her first spaceflight. The Williamsburg, Virginia, native holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology and a master’s in Marine Sciences from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. At the time of selection, she had begun pursuing a doctorate in Geosciences.

Cardman’s research in geobiology and geochemical cycling focused on subsurface environments, from caves to deep-sea sediments. Since completing initial training, Cardman has supported real-time station operations and lunar surface exploration planning.

This will be Fincke’s fourth trip to the space station, having logged 382 days in space and nine spacewalks during Expedition 9 in 2004, Expedition 18 in 2008, and STS-134 in 2011, the final flight of space shuttle Endeavour. Throughout the past decade, Fincke has applied his expertise to NASA’s Commercial Crew Program, advancing the development and testing of the SpaceX Dragon and Boeing Starliner toward operational certification. The Emsworth, Pennsylvania, native is a distinguished graduate of the United States Air Force Test Pilot School and holds bachelors’ degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, in both Aeronautics and Astronautics, as well as Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences.

Fincke also has a master’s degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics from Stanford University in California. He is a retired U.S. Air Force colonel with more than 2,000 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft.

With 142 days in space, this will be Yui’s second trip to the space station. After his selection as a JAXA astronaut in 2009, Yui flew as a flight engineer for Expedition 44/45 and became the first Japanese astronaut to capture JAXA’s H-II Transfer Vehicle. In addition to constructing a new experimental environment aboard Kibo, he conducted a total of 21 experiments for JAXA.

In November 2016, Yui was assigned as chief of the JAXA Astronaut Group. He graduated from the School of Science and Engineering at the National Defense Academy of Japan in 1992. He later joined the Air Self-Defense Force at the Japan Defense Agency (currently Ministry of Defense).

In 2008, Yui joined the Air Staff Office at the Ministry of Defense as a lieutenant colonel.

The Crew-11 mission will be Platonov’s first spaceflight. Before his selection as a cosmonaut in 2018, Platonov earned a degree in Engineering from Krasnodar Air Force Academy in Aircraft Operations and Air Traffic Management. He also earned a bachelor’s degree in State and Municipal Management in 2016 from the Far Eastern Federal University in Vladivostok, Russia.

Assigned as a test cosmonaut in 2021, Platonov has experience in piloting aircraft, zero gravity training, scuba diving and wilderness survival.

For more than two decades, people have lived and worked continuously aboard the International Space Station, advancing scientific knowledge and demonstrating new technologies, making research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. The station is a critical testbed for NASA to understand and overcome the challenges of long-duration spaceflight and to expand commercial opportunities in low-Earth orbit. As commercial companies focus on providing human space transportation services and destinations as part of a robust low-Earth orbit economy, NASA’s Artemis campaign is underway at the Moon, where the agency is preparing for future human exploration of Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

The Mars 2020 Rover Is Playing a Role in Prepping for a Future Crewed Mission to the Red Planet...

The SHERLOC instrument's calibration target on NASA's Perseverance Mars rover carries five swatches of materials that could be used for spacesuits worn on the Red Planet.
NASA / JPL - Caltech / MSSS

How NASA’s Perseverance Is Helping Prepare Astronauts for Mars (News Release)

The rover carries several swatches of spacesuit materials, and scientists are assessing how they’ve held up after four years on the Red Planet.

NASA’s Perseverance rover landed on Mars in 2021 to search for signs of ancient microbial life and to help scientists understand the planet’s climate and geography. But another key objective is to pave the way for human exploration of Mars, and as part of that effort, the rover carries a set of five spacesuit material samples. Now, after those samples have endured four years of exposure on Mars’ dusty, radiation-soaked surface, scientists are beginning the next phase of studying them.

The end goal is to predict accurately the usable lifetime of a Mars spacesuit. What the agency learns about how the materials perform on Mars will inform the design of future spacesuits for the first astronauts on the Red Planet.

“This is one of the forward-looking aspects of the rover’s mission — not just thinking about its current science, but also about what comes next,” said planetary scientist Marc Fries of NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, who helped provide the spacesuit materials. “We’re preparing for people to eventually go and explore Mars.”

The swatches, each three-quarters of an inch square (20 millimeters square), are part of a calibration target used to test the settings of SHERLOC (Scanning Habitable Environments with Raman & Luminescence for Organics and Chemicals), an instrument on the end of Perseverance’s arm.

The samples include a piece of polycarbonate helmet visor; Vectran, a cut-resistant material used for the palms of astronaut gloves; two kinds of Teflon, which has dust-repelling nonstick properties; and a commonly used spacesuit material called Ortho-Fabric. This last fabric features multiple layers, including Nomex, a flame-resistant material found in firefighter outfits; Gore-Tex, which is waterproof but breathable; and Kevlar, a strong material used in bulletproof vests that makes spacesuits more rip-resistant.

Martian Wear and Tear

Mars is far from hospitable. It has freezing temperatures, fine dust that can stick to solar panels and spacesuits (causing wear and tear on the latter), and a surface rife with perchlorates, a kind of corrosive salt that can be toxic to humans.

There’s also lots of solar radiation. Unlike Earth, which has a magnetic field that deflects much of the Sun’s radiation, Mars lost its magnetic field billions of years ago, followed by much of its atmosphere. Its surface has little protection from the Sun’s ultraviolet light (which is why researchers have looked into how rock formations and caves could provide astronauts some shielding).

“Mars is a really harsh, tough place,” said SHERLOC science team member Joby Razzell Hollis of the Natural History Museum in London. “Don’t underestimate that — the radiation in particular is pretty nasty.”

Razzell Hollis was a postdoctoral fellow at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California from 2018 to 2021, where he helped prepare SHERLOC for arrival on Mars and took part in science operations once the rover landed. A materials scientist, Razzell Hollis has previously studied the chemical effects of sunlight on a new kind of solar panel made from plastic, as well as on plastic pollution floating in the Earth’s oceans.

Razzell Hollis likened those effects to how white plastic lawn chairs become yellow and brittle after years in sunlight. Roughly the same thing happens on Mars, but the weathering likely happens faster because of the high exposure to ultraviolet light there.

The key to developing safer spacesuit materials will be understanding how quickly they would wear down on the Martian surface. About 50% of the changes that SHERLOC witnessed in the samples happened within Perseverance’s first 200 days on Mars, with the Vectran appearing to change first.

Another nuance will be figuring out how much solar radiation different parts of a spacesuit will have to withstand. For example, an astronaut’s shoulders will be more exposed — and likely encounter more radiation — than his or her palms.

Next Steps

The SHERLOC team is working on a science paper detailing initial data on how the samples have fared on Mars. Meanwhile, scientists at NASA Johnson are eager to simulate that weathering in special chambers that mimic the carbon dioxide atmosphere, air pressure, and ultraviolet light on the Martian surface. They could then compare the results generated on Earth while putting the materials to the test with those seen in the SHERLOC data.

For example, the researchers could stretch the materials until they break to check if they become more brittle over time.

“The fabric materials are designed to be tough but flexible, so they protect astronauts but can bend freely,” Fries said. “We want to know the extent to which the fabrics lose their strength and flexibility over time. As the fabrics weaken, they can fray and tear, allowing a spacesuit to leak both heat and air.”

Source: NASA.Gov

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This infographic shows a prototype spacesuit along with five material samples included aboard NASA’s Perseverance rover on the surface of Mars.
NASA

Monday, March 24, 2025

The Next Big Orange Moon Rocket Continues to Take Shape in Florida...

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Space Launch System's core stage booster for Artemis 2 is being mated to its twin solid rocket boosters on the Mobile Launcher...on March 22, 2025.
NASA / Frank Michaux

NASA’s Artemis II Core Stage Integration Complete at Kennedy (News Release)

Another element of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for Artemis II is poised for flight. Technicians joined the core stage on March 23 with the stacked solid rocket boosters for the mission at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Teams with NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems Program and primary contractor Amentum used one of the five overhead cranes inside the spaceport’s Vehicle Assembly Building to lift the rocket stage from the facility’s transfer aisle to High Bay 3, where it was secured between the booster segments atop the launch tower.

As the newest addition to the Mobile Launcher, the core stage is the largest component of the rocket, standing 212 feet tall. The stage is the backbone of the rocket, supporting the launch vehicle stage adapter, interim cryogenic propulsion stage, Orion stage adapter, and the Orion spacecraft for the agency’s crewed Artemis II mission. The adapter will be the next element integrated and will be lifted and secured atop the core stage in the coming weeks.

The Artemis II test flight will take a crew of four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon, helping confirm the foundational systems and hardware needed for human deep space exploration. The mission is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign, and is another step towards missions on the lunar surface and helping the agency prepare for future human missions to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building's transfer aisle at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Space Launch System's core stage booster for Artemis 2 is about to be mated to its twin solid rocket boosters on the Mobile Launcher at High Bay 3...on March 22, 2025.
NASA / Frank Michaux

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Space Launch System's core stage booster for Artemis 2 is about to be mated to its twin solid rocket boosters on the Mobile Launcher...on March 22, 2025.
NASA / Frank Michaux

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Space Launch System's core stage booster for Artemis 2 is about to be mated to its twin solid rocket boosters on the Mobile Launcher...on March 22, 2025.
NASA / Frank Michaux

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Space Launch System's core stage booster for Artemis 2 is about to be mated to its twin solid rocket boosters on the Mobile Launcher...on March 22, 2025.
NASA / Frank Michaux

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Space Launch System's core stage booster for Artemis 2 is about to be mated to its twin solid rocket boosters on the Mobile Launcher...on March 22, 2025.
NASA / Frank Michaux

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Space Launch System's core stage booster for Artemis 2 is being mated to its twin solid rocket boosters on the Mobile Launcher...on March 22, 2025.
NASA / Frank Michaux

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Space Launch System's core stage booster for Artemis 2 is mated to its twin solid rocket boosters on the Mobile Launcher...on March 23, 2025.
NASA / Frank Michaux

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Space Launch System's core stage booster for Artemis 2 is mated to its twin solid rocket boosters on the Mobile Launcher...on March 23, 2025.
NASA / Frank Michaux

Inside the Vehicle Assembly Building's High Bay 3 at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, the Space Launch System's core stage booster for Artemis 2 is mated to its twin solid rocket boosters on the Mobile Launcher...on March 23, 2025.
NASA / Frank Michaux