America's Plan to Return Humans to the Moon Has Changed...

NASA

NASA Adds Mission to Artemis Lunar Program, Updates Architecture (News Release)

As part of a Golden Age of exploration and discovery, NASA announced on Friday that the agency is increasing its cadence of missions under the Artemis program to achieve the national objective of returning American astronauts to the Moon and establishing an enduring presence. This includes standardizing vehicle configuration, adding an additional mission in 2027, and undertaking at least one surface landing every year thereafter.

As teams prepare to launch Artemis II in the weeks ahead, the Artemis III mission, now in 2027, will be designed to test out systems and operational capabilities in low-Earth orbit to prepare for an Artemis IV landing in 2028. This new mission will endeavor to include a rendezvous and docking with one or both commercial landers from SpaceX and Blue Origin, in-space tests of the docked vehicles, integrated checkout of life support, communications and propulsion systems, as well as tests of the new Extravehicular Activity (xEVA) suits. NASA will further define this test flight after completing detailed reviews between NASA and our industry partners.

The agency will share the specific objectives for the updated Artemis III mission in the near future.

NASA’s recently announced workforce directive is a key factor in enabling this acceleration. NASA will rebuild core competencies in the civil servant workforce including more in-house and side-by-side development work with our Artemis partners, enabling a safer, more reliable, and faster launch cadence.

“NASA must standardize its approach, increase flight rate safely, and execute on the President’s national space policy. With credible competition from our greatest geopolitical adversary increasing by the day, we need to move faster, eliminate delays, and achieve our objectives,” said NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman. “Standardizing vehicle configuration, increasing flight rate and progressing through objectives in a logical, phased approach, is how we achieved the near-impossible in 1969 and it is how we will do it again.”

“After successful completion of the Artemis I flight test, the upcoming Artemis II flight test, and the new, more robust test approach to Artemis III, it is needlessly complicated to alter the configuration of the SLS and Orion stack to undertake subsequent Artemis missions,” said NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya. “There is too much learning left on the table and too much development and production risk in front of us. Instead, we want to keep testing like we fly and have flown. We are looking back to the wisdom of the folks that designed Apollo.

"The entire sequence of Artemis flights needs to represent a step-by-step build-up of capability, with each step bringing us closer to our ability to perform the landing missions. Each step needs to be big enough to make progress, but not so big that we take unnecessary risk given previous learnings. Therefore, we want to fly the landing missions in as close to the same Earth ascent configuration as possible – this means using an upper stage and pad systems in as close to the ‘Block 1’ configuration as possible.

"We will work with our partners that have been developing the evolved block configuration of these systems to take proper actions to align their efforts towards this goal and announce the details of those changes once they are finalized. We will take a similar approach to in-space, landing and surface EVA operations as well, as we evolve the mission sequence in the spirit of the Apollo mindset, which was obsessed with system reliability and crew safety as the keys to mission success.”

“Boeing is a proud partner to the Artemis mission and our team is honored to contribute to NASA’s vision for American space leadership,” said Steve Parker, Boeing Defense, Space & Security president and CEO. “The SLS core stage remains the world’s most powerful rocket stage, and the only one that can carry American astronauts directly to the Moon and beyond in a single launch. As NASA lays out an accelerated launch schedule, our workforce and supply chain are prepared to meet the increased production needs. With a rocket designed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, built at America’s rocket factory at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, and integrated at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, we are ready to meet the increased demand.”

The announcement came during a news conference at NASA Kennedy where leaders also discussed the status of the Artemis II mission. NASA rolled the SLS and Orion spacecraft to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) on February 25 for repairs ahead of the next launch opportunities for the test flight in April.

Once the Artemis II hardware was back in the VAB, teams immediately began work on the helium issue discovered on the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage and prepared for several actions including replacing batteries in the flight termination system, end-to-end testing for range safety requirements, and more.

“I’m grateful to Administrator Isaacman for taking this bold step and moving quickly to assure we have the support and resources needed to launch Artemis astronauts to the Moon every year,” said Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “Our team is up to the challenge of a successful Artemis II mission, and soon thereafter, enabling a more frequent cadence of Moon missions.”

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Cory S Huston

The Second SLS Wet Dress Rehearsal Went As Planned Today!

NASA / Ben Smegelsky

NASA Begins Artemis II Launch Pad Ops After Successful Fuel Test (News Release)

NASA successfully fueled its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and demonstrated the launch countdown for Artemis II on Thursday during a wet dress rehearsal at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Engineers loaded more than 700,000 gallons of liquid propellant into the rocket, sent a closeout crew to the launch pad to demonstrate closing the Orion spacecraft’s hatches, and completed two runs of terminal count — the final phase of the launch countdown. The Artemis II crew also observed part of the test from the Launch Control Center at NASA Kennedy.

During the test, teams closely monitored liquid hydrogen fueling operations, which proved challenging during previous tests. Hydrogen gas concentrations remained under allowable limits, giving engineers confidence in new seals installed in an interface used to route fuel to the rocket.

Early in fueling operations, teams experienced a loss of ground communications in the Launch Control Center. Operators temporarily moved to backup communication methods to maintain safe propellant loading activities before normal communications channels were restored. Engineers isolated the equipment that caused the issue.

A rundown of wet dress rehearsal operations is available on the Artemis blog.

While engineers review data from the test, the Artemis II crew is preparing to enter quarantine late Friday, February 20, in Houston. Although NASA has not set a formal launch date, beginning the roughly 14-day quarantine to limit the crew’s exposure to illness before launch preserves flexibility in the March launch window.

NASA will discuss the wet dress rehearsal during a news conference at 11 a.m. EST Friday on the agency’s YouTube channel.

Over the next several days, technicians will use cranes to set up temporary access platforms on the Mobile Launcher. The platforms will allow them to reach the upper left and right segments of the SLS solid rocket boosters and core stage intertank to service the flight termination system and retest it to meet Eastern Range safety requirements. The platforms were developed based on lessons learned during Artemis I and enable NASA to complete end-to-end testing of the safety system while at the launch pad rather than rolling back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at NASA Kennedy for retesting.

The closeout crew will also practice closeout operations once more, adding to the team’s proficiency.

As part of a Golden Age of innovation and exploration, Artemis will pave the way for new U.S. crewed missions on the lunar surface in preparation to send the first astronauts to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

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The second terminal count in the WDR appeared to be a success!

If so, this concludes a fueling test that will hopefully pave the way for an official launch date of Artemis II in the coming week. pic.twitter.com/I0elNtai0e

— Rich Par (@AstroPnoy) February 20, 2026

The Second SLS Rocket Is Set to Roll to the Launch Pad a Week from Today!

NASA / Joel Kowsky

Final Steps Underway for NASA’s First Crewed Artemis Moon Mission (News Release - January 9)

As NASA moves closer to launch of the Artemis II test flight, the agency will soon roll its SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft to the launch pad for the first time at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida to begin final integration, testing and launch rehearsals.

NASA is targeting no earlier than Saturday, January 17, to begin the multi-hour trek from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B. The four-mile journey on Crawler-Transporter 2 will take up to 12 hours. Teams are working around the clock to close out all tasks ahead of rollout.

However, this target date is subject to change if additional time is needed for technical preparations or weather.

“We are moving closer to Artemis II, with rollout just around the corner,” said Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate. “We have important steps remaining on our path to launch and crew safety will remain our top priority at every turn, as we near humanity’s return to the Moon.”

As with all new developments of complex systems, engineers have been troubleshooting several items in recent days and weeks. During final checkouts before rollout, technicians found that a cable involved in the flight termination system was bent out of specifications. Teams are replacing it and will test the new cable over the weekend.

Additionally, a valve associated with Orion’s hatch pressurization exhibited issues leading up to a December 20 countdown demonstration test. On January 5, the team successfully replaced and tested it. Engineers also worked to resolve leaky ground support hardware required to load gaseous oxygen into Orion for breathing air.

Rollout

Once the integrated rocket and spacecraft reach the launch pad, NASA will immediately begin a long checklist of launch pad preparations, including connecting ground support equipment such as electrical lines, fuel environmental control system ducts, and cryogenic propellant feeds. Teams will power up all integrated systems at the pad for the first time to ensure that flight hardware components are functioning properly with each other, the Mobile Launcher, and ground infrastructure systems.

Once complete, the Artemis II astronauts, NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, will conduct a final walkdown at the pad.

Wet dress rehearsal, tanking

At the end of January, NASA will conduct a wet dress rehearsal, which is a prelaunch test to fuel the rocket. During wet dress, teams demonstrate the ability to load more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants into the rocket, conduct a launch countdown, and practice safely removing propellant from the rocket without astronauts onsite.

During launch, a closeout crew will be responsible for securing astronauts in Orion and closing its hatches. The closeout crew will also use this rehearsal to practice their procedures safely without astronauts aboard the spacecraft.

The wet dress rehearsal will include several “runs” to demonstrate the launch team’s ability to hold, resume and recycle to several different times in the final 10 minutes of the countdown, known as terminal count.

The first run will begin approximately 49 hours before launch when launch teams are called to their stations, to 1 minute 30 seconds before launch, followed by a planned three-minute hold and then countdown resumption to 33 seconds before launch – the point at which the rocket’s automatic launch sequencer will control the final seconds of the countdown. Teams will then recycle back to T-10 minutes and hold, then resume down to 30 seconds before launch as part of a second run.

While NASA has integrated lessons learned from Artemis I into the launch countdown procedures, the agency will pause to address any issues during the test or at any other point should technical challenges arise. Engineers will have a close eye on propellant loading of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the rocket, after challenges encountered with liquid hydrogen loading during Artemis I wet dress rehearsals. Teams will also pay close attention to the effectiveness of recently-updated procedures to limit how much gaseous nitrogen accumulates in the space between Orion’s crew module and launch abort system hatches, which could pose an issue for the closeout crew.

Additional wet dress rehearsals may be required to ensure that the vehicle is completely checked out and ready for flight.

If needed, NASA may roll back SLS and Orion to the Vehicle Assembly Building for additional work ahead of launch after the wet dress rehearsal.

Next steps toward launch

Following a successful wet dress rehearsal, NASA will convene a flight readiness review where the mission management team will assess the readiness of all systems, including flight hardware, infrastructure, and launch, flight, and recovery teams before committing to a launch date.

While the Artemis II launch window opens as early as Friday, February 6, the mission management team will assess flight readiness after the wet dress rehearsal across the spacecraft, launch infrastructure, and the crew and operations teams before selecting a launch date.

To determine potential launch dates, engineers identified key constraints required to accomplish the mission and keep the crew inside Orion safe. The resulting launch periods are the days or weeks where the spacecraft and rocket can meet mission objectives. These launch periods account for the complex orbital mechanics involved in launching on a precise trajectory towards the Moon while the Earth is rotating on its axis and the Moon is orbiting Earth each month in its lunar cycle.

This results in a pattern of approximately one week of launch opportunities, followed by three weeks without launch opportunities.

There are several primary parameters that dictate launch availability within these periods. Because of its unique trajectory relative to subsequent lunar landing missions, these key constraints are unique to the Artemis II test flight.

-- The launch day and time must allow SLS to be able to deliver Orion into a high-Earth orbit where the crew and ground teams will evaluate the spacecraft’s life-support systems before the crew ventures to the Moon.

-- Orion must also be in the proper alignment with the Earth and Moon at the time of the trans-lunar injection burn. The Artemis II trans-lunar injection burn places Orion on course to fly by the Moon, and also sets it on a free return trajectory, in which the spacecraft uses the Moon’s gravity to send the spacecraft back to Earth without additional major propulsive maneuvers.

-- The trajectory for a given day must ensure Orion is not in darkness for more than 90 minutes at a time so that the solar array wings can receive and convert sunlight to electricity, and the spacecraft can maintain an optimal temperature range. Mission planners eliminate potential launch dates that would send Orion into extended eclipses during the flight.

-- The launch date must support a trajectory that allows for the proper entry profile planned during Orion’s return to Earth.

The periods below show launch availability through April 2026. Mission planners refine the periods based on updated analysis approximately two months before they begin and are subject to change.

Launch Period: January 31 – February 14

- Launch opportunities on February 6, 7, 8, 10 and 11

Launch Period: February 28 – March 13

- Launch opportunities on March 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11

Launch Period: March 27 – April 10

- Launch opportunities April 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6

In addition to the launch opportunities based on orbital mechanics and performance requirements, there are also limitations on which days within a launch period can be viable based on commodity replenishment, weather, and other users on the Eastern Range schedule. As a general rule, up to four launch attempts may be attempted within the approximate week of opportunities that exist within a launch period.

As the agency prepares for its first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit in more than 50 years, NASA expects to learn along the way, both on the ground and in flight, and will let the readiness and performance of its systems dictate when the agency is ready to launch.

As part of a Golden Age of innovation and exploration, the approximately 10-day Artemis II test flight is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign. It is another step towards new U.S.-crewed missions to the Moon’s surface, leading to a sustained presence on the Moon that will help the agency prepare to send the first astronauts – Americans – to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA

The Latest Update on the Fifth Planned SLS Flight...

L3Harris Successfully Tests Second RS-25 Engine for Artemis V (Press Release)

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, Miss. — NASA and L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) have successfully test-fired the second RS-25 engine that will support the core stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for NASA’s Artemis V mission.

L3Harris’ RS-25 rocket engines are critical to the Artemis program’s success, with four RS-25s powering every SLS rocket, enabling the U.S. to help establish a sustainable presence on the Moon and prepare for future missions to Mars.

“As we approach America’s 250th anniversary next year, it’s fitting that we’re advancing the Artemis program that embodies the pioneering spirit of our nation,” said Kristin Houston, President, Space Propulsion and Power Systems, Aerojet Rocketdyne, L3Harris. “By leveraging advanced manufacturing techniques, we’re delivering engines that are more cost effective while maintaining the power and reliability needed to propel Artemis missions to the Moon and beyond.”

NASA conducted the test at its Stennis Space Center, which demonstrated the engine’s performance and reliability during a 500-second firing that reached 111% of its rated power level. This test marked the second flight-ready RS-25 engine produced using modern manufacturing techniques, including 3D printing, which reduce production costs by 30% compared to earlier RS-25 engines that powered the space shuttle.

The first four Artemis missions use upgraded RS-25 engines originally designed for the space shuttle program, while the fifth mission will debut the newly-produced RS-25 engines.

Source: L3Harris Technologies

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Factoids About the Next SLS...

NASA

NASA Artemis II Moon Rocket Ready to Fly Crew (News Release)

NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket poised to send four astronauts from Earth on a journey around the Moon next year may appear identical to the Artemis I SLS rocket. On closer inspection, though, engineers have upgraded the agency’s Moon rocket inside and out to improve performance, reliability and safety.

SLS flew a picture perfect first mission on the Artemis I test flight, meeting or exceeding parameters for performance, attitude control and structural stability to an accuracy of tenths or hundredths of a percent as it sent an uncrewed Orion thousands of miles beyond the Moon. It also returned volumes of invaluable flight data for SLS engineers to analyze to drive improvements.

For Artemis II, the major sections of SLS remain unchanged – a central core stage, four RS-25 main engines, two five-segment solid rocket boosters, the ICPS (interim cryogenic propulsion stage), a launch vehicle stage adapter to hold the ICPS, and an Orion stage adapter connecting SLS to the Orion spacecraft. The difference is in the details.

“While we’re proud of our Artemis I performance, which validated our overall design, we’ve looked at how SLS can give our crews a better ride,” said John Honeycutt, NASA’s SLS Program manager. “Some of our changes respond to specific Artemis II mission requirements while others reflect ongoing analysis and testing, as well as lessons learned from Artemis I.”

Engineers have outfitted the ICPS with optical targets that will serve as visual cues to the astronauts aboard Orion as they manually pilot Orion around the upper stage and practice maneuvers to inform docking operations for Artemis III.

The Artemis II rocket includes an improved navigation system compared to Artemis I. Its communications capability has also been improved by repositioning antennas on the rocket to ensure continuous communications with NASA ground stations and the U.S. Space Force’s Space Launch Delta 45, which controls launches along the Eastern Range.

An emergency detection system on the ICPS allows the rocket to sense and respond to problems and notify the crew. The flight safety system adds a time delay to the self-destruct system to allow time for Orion’s escape system to pull the capsule to safety in event of an abort.

The separation motors that push the solid rocket booster away after the elements are no longer needed were angled an additional 15 degrees to increase separation clearance as the rest of the rocket speeds by.

Additionally, SLS will jettison the spent boosters four seconds earlier during Artemis II ascent than occurred during Artemis I. Dropping the boosters several seconds closer to the end of their burn will give engineers flight data to correlate with projections that shedding the boosters several seconds sooner will yield approximately 1,600 pounds of payload to Earth orbit for future SLS flights.

Engineers have incorporated additional improvements based on lessons learned from Artemis I. During the Artemis I test flight, the SLS rocket experienced higher-than-expected vibrations near the solid rocket booster attachment points that was caused by unsteady airflow.

To steady the airflow, a pair of six-foot-long strakes flanking each booster’s forward connection points on the SLS intertank will smooth vibrations induced by airflow during ascent, and the rocket’s electronics system was requalified to endure higher levels of vibrations.

Engineers updated the core stage power distribution control unit, mounted in the intertank, which controls power to the rocket’s other electronics and protects against electrical hazards.

These improvements have led to an enhanced rocket to support crew as part of NASA’s Golden Age of innovation and exploration.

The approximately 10-day Artemis II test flight is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign. It is another step towards new U.S.-crewed missions on the Moon’s surface that will help the agency prepare to send the first astronauts – Americans – to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

Send Your Name to the Moon on the First Crewed Flight of Orion!

NASA

Launch Your Name Around Moon in 2026 on NASA’s Artemis II Mission (News Release)

NASA is inviting the public to join the agency’s Artemis II test flight as four astronauts venture around the Moon and back to test systems and hardware needed for deep space exploration. As part of the agency’s “Send Your Name with Artemis II” effort, anyone can claim their spot by signing up before January 21.

Participants will launch their name aboard the Orion spacecraft and SLS (Space Launch System) rocket alongside NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

“Artemis II is a key test flight in our effort to return humans to the Moon’s surface and build toward future missions to Mars, and it’s also an opportunity to inspire people across the globe and to give them an opportunity to follow along as we lead the way in human exploration deeper into space,” said Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

The collected names will be put on an SD card loaded aboard Orion before launch. In return, participants can download a boarding pass with their name on it as a collectable.

To add your name and receive an English-language boarding pass, visit:

https://go.nasa.gov/artemisnames
To add your name and receive a Spanish-language boarding pass, visit:

https://go.nasa.gov/TuNombreArtemis
As part of a Golden Age of innovation and exploration, the approximately 10-day Artemis II test flight, launching no later than April 2026, is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign. It is another step towards new U.S.-crewed missions on the Moon’s surface that will help the agency prepare to send the first astronauts – Americans – to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Brandon Hancock


NASA

The Latest Update on Orion's First Crewed Lunar Flight...

NASA

NASA Seeks Volunteers to Track Artemis II Mission (News Release)

NASA seeks volunteers to passively track the Artemis II Orion spacecraft as the crewed mission travels to the Moon and back to Earth.

The Artemis II test flight, a launch of the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, will send NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on an approximately 10-day mission around the Moon.

The mission, targeted for no later than April 2026, will rely on NASA’s Near Space Network and Deep Space Network for primary communications and tracking support throughout its launch, orbit and reentry. However, with a growing focus on commercialization, NASA wants to further understand industry’s tracking capabilities.

This collaboration opportunity builds upon a previous request released by NASA’s SCaN (Space Communication and Navigation) Program during the Artemis I mission, where ten volunteers successfully tracked the uncrewed Orion spacecraft in 2022 on its journey thousands of miles beyond the Moon and back.

During the Artemis I mission, participants – ranging from international space agencies, academic institutions, commercial companies, nonprofits and private citizens – attempted to receive Orion’s signal and use their respective ground antennas to track and measure changes in the radio waves transmitted by Orion.

“By offering this opportunity to the broader aerospace community, we can identify available tracking capabilities outside the government,” said Kevin Coggins, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for SCaN at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “This data will help inform our transition to a commercial-first approach, ultimately strengthening the infrastructure needed to support Artemis missions and our long-term Moon to Mars objectives.”

Read the opportunity announcement here
Responses are due by 5 p.m. EDT on Monday, October 27.

NASA’s SCaN Program serves as the management office for the agency’s space communications and navigation systems. More than 100 NASA and non-NASA missions rely on SCaN’s two networks, the Near Space Network and Deep Space Network, to support astronauts aboard the International Space Station and future Artemis missions, monitor Earth’s weather, support lunar exploration, and uncover the Solar System and beyond.

Artemis II will help confirm the systems and hardware needed for human deep space exploration. This mission is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign and is another step towards new U.S.-crewed missions on the Moon’s surface that will help the agency prepare to send American astronauts to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

Blue Origin Looks Ahead to Its Next Suborbital Passenger Flight...

Blue Origin

New Shepard’s Crewed NS-34 Mission Targets Liftoff on August 3 (News Release - July 30)

Blue Origin announced that its next New Shepard crewed flight, NS-34, will lift off from Launch Site One in West Texas on Sunday, August 3. The launch window opens at 7:30 AM CDT / 12:30 UTC. The webcast on BlueOrigin.com will start at T-30 minutes.

Meet the Crew:

Arvinder (Arvi) Singh Bahal

Arvi is a real estate investor born in Agra, India, and is now a naturalized U.S. citizen. A lifelong traveler and adventurer, Arvi has visited every country in the world, the North and South Poles, and skydived over Mount Everest and the Pyramids of Giza. He holds a private pilot’s license and also flies helicopters.

Gökhan Erdem

Gökhan is a Turkish businessman and a board member of Erdem Holding, a diverse group of companies operating in the energy, telecommunications, construction and manufacturing sectors. Outside of his professional responsibilities, Gökhan is a passionate space enthusiast and an avid photographer. Deeply inspired by space exploration, he dreams of one day traveling to the International Space Station and possibly even beyond.

Deborah Martorell

Deborah is a Puerto Rican meteorologist and journalist. Her reporting on environmental and space topics has garnered eight Emmy Awards and two Awards of Excellence in Science Reporting from the American Meteorological Society. Her passion for space led her to participate in a 2007 microgravity flight with NASA, extensively cover Puerto Rican astronauts Joe Acabá and Marcos Berríos, and report on missions including STS-119, Artemis 1 and the launch of Puerto Rico's first nanosatellite, CuNARD-2.

Deborah was selected for the International Institute for Astronautical Sciences’ project PoSSUM, and is also a Solar System Ambassador for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Lionel Pitchford

Lionel is an Englishman who has spent the last four decades in Spain working as a teacher, translator and tour guide as a means to travel the world. In 1992, following a plane crash with his sister and her family onboard, Lionel founded a nonprofit in Nepal dedicated to serving disadvantaged children and girls. He’s also run an orphanage in Kathmandu for over 30 years.

Lionel has dreamed of flying to space since catching the travel bug and is astonished that it's now possible for ordinary people. He aims to inspire others by letting them know that they can do the same.

James (J.D.) Russell

J.D. is a serial entrepreneur and founder of Alpha Funds, a technology-focused venture capital company, and Alpha Aerospace, an aerospace consulting and solutions company. He founded the Victoria Russell Foundation to honor the memory of his deceased daughter. The foundation is dedicated to supporting children’s education and assisting the families of first responders.

The foundation is a proud partner with Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library to bring the love of reading to children by gifting books free of charge to children. J.D. first flew to space on NS-28 on November 22, 2024.

H.E. Justin Sun

H.E. Justin Sun is the Ambassador and former Permanent Representative of Grenada to the WTO, Prime Minister of Liberland, Founder of TRON, a world-leading blockchain and DAO, and Advisor to HTX, one of the world’s largest crypto exchanges. A protege of Alibaba's Jack Ma, Sun was featured on the cover of Forbes Magazine in April 2025, where he was recognized as one of the most dynamic and outspoken figures in crypto and earning the moniker 'Crypto’s Billionaire Barker' for his bold approach to innovation, advocacy and industry leadership. He’s been named on Forbes' 30 under 30 list in the Consumer Technology category several times, among other global recognitions.

Justin is an avid art collector, gamer, investor, philanthropist and space enthusiast. In 2021, he placed the winning bid for the first seat on New Shepard. The $28 million in proceeds were donated to Blue Origin’s foundation, Club for the Future, which selected 19 space-focused nonprofits to each receive a $1 million grant to inspire future generations to pursue careers in STEAM and help invent the future of life in space.

Source: Blue Origin

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Blue Origin

The Latest Update on the Planned SLS Block 2 Variant...

Northrop Grumman

Northrop Grumman Tests Most Powerful Segmented Solid Rocket Booster Ever Built (News Release - June 26)

PROMONTORY, Utah – Northrop Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) conducted a full-scale static fire of NASA’s Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension (BOLE) solid rocket booster. This was the first demonstration test of the enhanced five-segment solid rocket motor, the world’s largest and most powerful segmented solid rocket motor built for human spaceflight.

-- Over 700 data channels assessed the 156-foot-long solid rocket motor as it fired for just over two minutes, producing more than 4 million pounds of thrust from a single booster.

-- Leveraging Northrop Grumman’s industry-leading experience in solid rocket motor manufacturing, BOLE improves on previous designs by replacing key components no longer in production. The booster features a composite case design, updated propellant formulation and advanced components to increase booster performance by more than 10 percent compared with the current five-segment Space Launch System (SLS) booster design.

-- The carbon fiber composite case enables better booster performance, faster manufacturing and aligns with commercial standards by providing commonality among our infrastructure, supply chain and manufacturing operations. Other aspects of the BOLE design, including metallic components, allows the company to support a U.S.-based supply chain of American manufacturers.

-- Compared with its predecessor, this evolved booster provides another five metric tons of payload to lunar orbit, a capability critical to supporting deep space missions.

Expert:

Jim Kalberer, vice president, propulsion systems, Northrop Grumman: “Today’s test pushed the boundaries of large solid rocket motor design to meet rigorous performance requirements. While the motor appeared to perform well through the most harsh environments of the test, we observed an anomaly near the end of the two-plus minute burn. As a new design, and the largest segmented solid rocket booster ever built, this test provides us with valuable data to iterate our design for future developments."

Details:

Northrop Grumman supplied rocket propulsion for NASA’s Apollo and Space Shuttle Programs and developed the five-segment SLS solid rocket booster based on the flight-proven design of the space shuttle boosters. The five-segment booster, BOLE’s predecessor, generates 25 percent more power than its space shuttle predecessor, and provided over 75 percent of the SLS rocket’s initial thrust during the Artemis I mission on November 15, 2022.

The BOLE booster development, awarded in 2017, represents a significant step towards more sustainable commercial practices and incorporates commonality in design and construction standards from across all of Northrop Grumman’s production programs.

With nearly 100,000 employees and over 30 million square feet of manufacturing space – more than 500 football fields – Northrop Grumman has the capacity, scale and agility to drive innovation at unprecedented speeds. The company’s manufacturing approaches do more than just produce; they accelerate and enhance the entire process from design and development to production and testing. Northrop Grumman has invested in U.S. infrastructure, R&D, its workforce and its supply chain to deliver today and tomorrow’s national security needs.

Northrop Grumman is a leading global aerospace and defense technology company. Our pioneering solutions equip our customers with the capabilities that they need to connect and protect the world, and push the boundaries of human exploration across the universe. Driven by a shared purpose to solve our customers’ toughest problems, our employees define possible every day.

Source: Northrop Grumman

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NASA / MSFC

IGNITION! BOLE: Five Segment SRB test for Artemis 9 onwards.

Overview:https://t.co/SJyxcLTCqf

Live:https://t.co/oDqHuQTgZx pic.twitter.com/esQhWxqk2j

— NSF - NASASpaceflight.com (@NASASpaceflight) June 26, 2025

Close up slow motion footage of the unexpected event(s) during Northrop Grumman’s BOLE DM-1 stb test today. @NASASpaceflight

Rewatch the livestream here: https://t.co/c3mHSLrzV2 pic.twitter.com/FcrZXjwLVD

— Jack Beyer (@thejackbeyer) June 26, 2025

The Next SLS Rocket Will Go Through a Series of Pre-Flight Milestones at KSC Before Sending Four Astronauts to the Moon...

NASA

Integrated Testing on Horizon for Artemis II Launch Preparations (News Release)

Teams responsible for preparing and launching Artemis II at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida are set to begin a series of integrated tests to get ready for the mission. With the upper stage of the agency’s SLS (Space Launch System) integrated with other elements of the rocket, engineers are set to start the tests to confirm that rocket and ground systems are working and communicating as planned.

While similar to the integrated testing campaign conducted for NASA’s uncrewed Artemis I test flight, engineers have added tests ahead of Artemis II to prepare for NASA’s first crewed flight under the Artemis campaign – an approximately 10-day journey by four astronauts around the Moon and back. The mission is another step towards missions on the lunar surface and helping the agency prepare for future astronaut missions to Mars.

Interface Verification Testing

Verifies the functionality and interoperability of interfaces across elements and systems. Teams will conduct this test from the firing room in the Launch Control Center and perform health and status checks of various systems and interfaces between the SLS core stage, the solid rocket boosters, and the ground systems. It will ensure that different systems, including core stage engines and booster thrust control, work as planned.

Teams will also perform the same series of tests with the interim cryogenic propulsion stage and Orion before conducting a final interface test with all segments.

Program Specific Engineering Test

Teams will conduct separate engineering tests for the core stage, rocket boosters and upper stage following the interface verification tests for each part of the rocket.

End-to-End Communications Testing

Integrated test of SLS core and upper stages, and Orion command and telemetry radio frequencies with mission control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston to demonstrate flight controllers’ ability to communicate with the ground systems and infrastructure. This test uses a radio frequency antenna in the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), another near the launch pad that will cover the first few minutes of launch, as well as a radio frequency that use the Tracking Data Relay Satellite and the Deep Space Network. Teams will do two versions of this test – one with the ground equipment communicating with a radio and telemetry station for checkouts, and one with all of the hardware and equipment communicating with communications infrastructure like it will on launch day.

Countdown Demonstration Test

Teams will conduct a launch day demonstration with the Artemis II astronauts to test launch countdown procedures and make any final necessary adjustments ahead of launch. This test will be divided into two parts. The first will be conducted while SLS and Orion are in the VAB and include the Artemis II crew departing their crew quarters after suiting up at the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building and driving to the VAB where they will enter Orion like they will on launch day and practice getting strapped in.

Part two will be completed once the rocket is at the launch pad and will allow the astronauts and Artemis launch team to practice how to use the emergency egress system, which would be used in the event of an unlikely emergency at the launch pad during launch countdown.

Flight Termination System End-to-End Test

Test to ensure that the rocket’s flight termination system can be activated in the event of an emergency. For public safety, all rockets are required to have a flight termination system. This test will be divided into two parts inside the VAB.

The first will take place ahead of Orion getting stacked atop SLS and the second will occur before the rocket and spacecraft roll out to the launch pad.

Wet Dress Rehearsal

Teams will practice loading cryogenic liquid propellant inside SLS once it’s at the launch pad and run through the launch countdown sequences just prior to engine ignition. The rehearsal will run the Artemis II launch team through operations to load liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen into the rocket’s tanks, conduct a full launch countdown, demonstrate the ability to recycle the countdown clock, and also drain the tanks to give them an opportunity to practice the timelines and procedures that they will use for launch.

Teams will load more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic, or super cold, propellants into the rocket on the Mobile Launcher at the launch pad according to the detailed timeline that they will use on the actual launch day. They will practice every phase of the countdown, including weather briefings, pre-planned holds in the countdown, conditioning and replenishing the propellants as needed, and validation checks. The Artemis II crew will not participate in the rehearsal.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Kim Shiflett

Three Secondary Payloads Are Currently Set to Fly on the Next SLS Rocket...

Brandon Hancock

NASA to Fly Saudi Arabia CubeSat Aboard Artemis II Test Flight (News Release)

NASA and the Saudi Space Agency have signed an agreement for a CubeSat to fly on NASA’s Artemis II test flight. The Saudi Space Agency’s CubeSat will measure aspects of space weather at a range of distances from Earth and deploy in high-Earth orbit from a spacecraft adapter on the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket after Orion is safely flying on its own with its crew of four astronauts.

NASA is working with several international space agencies to fly CubeSats aboard Artemis II, which provides an opportunity for the countries to access the high-Earth orbit environment and fly payloads as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign. NASA also has agreements with German space agency DLR and the Korea AeroSpace Agency for CubeSats to hitch a ride to space during Artemis II.

CubeSats are about the size of a shoebox and contain technology demonstrations or investigations with the potential to gather information to improve our understanding of the space environment. The Saudi Space Agency CubeSat will collect data on space radiation, solar X-rays, solar energetic particles, and magnetic fields.

While the CubeSats will detach from the rocket to study the environment around Earth, the crew in Orion will continue on and venture around the Moon and back over the course of a 10-day journey. 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

NASA Is Trying to Put a Positive Spin on a Disastrous Budget Proposal by a Disastrous Administration...

Brandon Hancock

President Trump’s FY26 Budget Revitalizes Human Space Exploration (News Release)

The Trump-Vance Administration released toplines of the President’s budget for Fiscal Year 2026 on Friday. The budget accelerates human space exploration of the Moon and Mars with a fiscally-responsible portfolio of missions.

“This proposal includes investments to simultaneously pursue exploration of the Moon and Mars while still prioritizing critical science and technology research,” said acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro. “I appreciate the President’s continued support for NASA’s mission and look forward to working closely with the administration and Congress to ensure we continue making progress toward achieving the impossible.”

-- Increased commitment to human space exploration in pursuit of exploration of both the Moon and Mars. By allocating more than $7 billion for lunar exploration and introducing $1 billion in new investments for Mars-focused programs, the budget ensures that America’s human space exploration efforts remain unparalleled, innovative and efficient.

-- Refocus science and space technology resources to efficiently execute high priority research. Consistent with the administration’s priority of returning to the Moon before China and putting an American on Mars, the budget will advance priority science and research missions and projects, ending financially unsustainable programs including Mars Sample Return. It emphasizes investments in transformative space technologies while responsibly shifting projects better suited for private sector leadership.

-- Transition the Artemis campaign to a more sustainable, cost-effective approach to lunar exploration. The SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion capsule will be retired after Artemis III, paving the way for more cost-effective, next-generation commercial systems that will support subsequent NASA lunar missions. The budget also ends the Gateway Program, with the opportunity to repurpose already-produced components for use in other missions.

International partners will be invited to join these renewed efforts, expanding opportunities for meaningful collaboration on the Moon and Mars.

-- Continue the process of transitioning the International Space Station to commercial replacements in 2030, focusing onboard research on efforts critical to the exploration of the Moon and Mars. The budget reflects the upcoming transition to a more cost-effective, open commercial approach to human activities in low-Earth orbit by reducing the space station’s crew size and onboard research, preparing for the safe decommissioning of the station and its replacement by commercial space stations.

-- Work to minimize duplication of efforts and most efficiently steward the allocation of American taxpayer dollars. This budget ensures that NASA’s topline enables a financially-sustainable trajectory to complete groundbreaking research and execute the agency’s bold mission.

-- Focus NASA’s resources on its core mission of space exploration. This budget ends climate-focused “green aviation” spending while protecting the development of technologies with air traffic control and other U.S. government and commercial applications, producing savings. This budget will also ensure continued elimination of any funding toward misaligned DEIA initiatives, instead designating that money to missions capable of advancing NASA’s core mission.

NASA will continue to inspire the next generation of explorers through exciting, ambitious space missions that demonstrate American leadership in space. The agency will coordinate closely with its partners to execute these priorities and investments as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Building on the President’s promise to increase efficiency this budget pioneers a focused, innovative and fiscally-responsible path to America’s next great era of human space exploration.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / JPL - Caltech


NASA

The rumors we reported on were right, but the reality is worse than we thought. Here’s what you need to know. ⬇️

💰 The “budget blueprint” or “skinny budget.” This is the first part of the President's Budget Request, providing a high-level overview of what’s to come later this… pic.twitter.com/OunZUyRY9k

— Planetary Society (@exploreplanets) May 2, 2025

It is legitimately disgusting to try to spin a $6.3b cut to NASA as anything but a concerted effort by the WH to cripple America’s future in space, like critical thinking is VERY important here. A $6.3b cut and killing Orion is in no way a “increased commitment” https://t.co/A0Qoe4h9iX

— Maddie Urquhart (@rocketgobrrrrr) May 2, 2025

From the ranking member of the House appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA: https://t.co/xO4oDZhT5J

— Jeff Foust (@jeff_foust) May 2, 2025

If you care about humanity's journey into space, and American progress in space, a 24% cut to NASA, the greatest space agency of all time, is not a good move to make. Full stop.

All conversations about improvements, critiques, efficiencies etc. is fine. That is 95% of all of my…

— Ken Kirtland IV (@KenKirtland17) May 2, 2025

Trump’s Proposed NASA Budget Could Torch the Agency’s Boldest Missions https://t.co/PYSQey4clL

— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) May 2, 2025

Two Major Components for the Next SLS Rocket Will Soon Undergo Stacking Operations at KSC...

United Launch Alliance

ICPS-2: ULA-built Upper Stage for Artemis II Delivered to NASA (News Release)

United Launch Alliance (ULA) delivered the flight-ready Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage-2 (ICPS-2) to the Kennedy Space Center on March 9 to fulfill our contribution to the Artemis II launch in NASA's lunar exploration program.

The ICPS-2 was manufactured by ULA in collaboration with Boeing to serve as the upper stage to the Space Launch System (SLS) mega rocket, which will launch an international crew of four astronauts around the Moon on the Artemis II mission.

ULA built the stage at the rocket factory in Decatur, Alabama, then shipped ICPS-2 to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for final testing and check out activities.

With that work now completed, ICPS-2 was moved from ULA's Delta Operations Center high bay to NASA's Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) at Kennedy Space Center. Standing more than 45 feet tall and secured in its Vertical Transport Fixture, the ICPS rode aboard an Elevating Platform Transporter that provided hydraulic leveling and precision positioning capabilities along the route.

Technicians at the MPPF will load hydrazine in the ICPS-2's attitude control system to make in-flight maneuvers and prep the stage for its forthcoming transfer to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to undergo stacking operations.

The ICPS is based on the five-meter-diameter version of ULA's Delta Cryogenic Second Stage (DCSS) that flew for two decades on the Delta IV rocket 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 in 2022.

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 astronaut safety.

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

ICPS-2 also carries an approach target that the Artemis II astronauts will use to maneuver Orion in close proximity to the stage shortly after launch as part of a manual piloting evaluation test. Learn more about the test.

The ICPS-2 stage on Artemis II will provide the boost for the Orion capsule and its astronauts to reach a high-Earth orbit where the spacecraft will temporarily loiter to undergo testing before it departs on the lunar flyby trajectory.

The Artemis II crew includes 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


NASA

Photos of the Day: The Mini Mega-Moon Rocket Is Now Encased in Acrylic...

Richard T. Par

As promised in this blog post last New Year's Eve, here are images of the LEGO® Artemis 1 rocket after it was placed under an acrylic case that I purchased last December! The case was delivered to Southern California all the way from the United Kingdom courtesy of Wicked Brick last Monday, February 24...with me waiting over eight weeks for the package to arrive at my house. (The standard wait time according to an e-mail from Wicked Brick was approximately six weeks.)

The Artemis 1 rocket is now protected from dust like the LEGO Perseverance Mars rover that I got for Christmas in 2023. What isn't covered by a glass display is my mini-brick New Glenn rocket—which I built in late January.

Assuming that the lunar landing of Firefly Aerospace's actual spacecraft goes as planned tomorrow morning, I plan on ordering a mini-brick version of the Blue Ghost lander as well! You can buy your own set—which will consist of 196 pieces (compared to the 3,601 pieces for the Artemis 1 rocket and its Mobile Launcher; 1,100+ pieces for Perseverance; and 630 pieces for New Glenn)—on Firefly's online store.

Photos of the mini-brick Blue Ghost will be posted on my Main Blog after it is completed. Stay tuned!


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par

The Latest Update on the SLS Block 1B Variant...

NASA / Samuel Lott

NASA Readies Moon Rocket for the Future with Manufacturing Innovation (News Release - February 13)

NASA’s Artemis campaign will send astronauts, payloads and science experiments into deep space on NASA’s SLS (Space Launch System) super heavy-lift Moon rocket. Starting with Artemis IV, the Orion spacecraft and its astronauts will be joined by other payloads atop an upgraded version of the SLS, called Block 1B. SLS Block 1B will deliver initial elements of a lunar space station designed to enable long-term exploration of the lunar surface and pave the way for future journeys to Mars.

To fly these advanced payloads on their future journeys through deep space, engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, are building a cone-shaped adapter that is key to SLS Block 1B.

The payload adapter, nestled within the universal stage adapter sitting atop the SLS Block 1B’s Exploration Upper Stage, acts as a connecting point to secure a large payload that is co-manifested – or flying along with – the Orion spacecraft. The adapter consists of eight composite panels with an aluminum honeycomb core and two aluminum rings.

Beginning with the Artemis IV mission, SLS Block 1B will feature a new, more powerful upper stage that provides a substantial increase in payload mass, volume and energy over the first variant of the rocket that is launching Artemis missions I through III. SLS Block 1B can send 84,000 pounds of payload – including both a crewed Orion spacecraft and a 10-metric ton (22,046 lbs.) co-manifested payload riding in a separate cargo compartment – to the Moon in a single launch.

Artemis IV’s co-manifested payload will be the Lunar I-Hab, one of the initial elements of the Gateway lunar space station. Built by ESA (European Space Agency), the Lunar I-Hab provides expanded capability for astronauts to live, work, conduct science experiments and prepare for their missions to the lunar surface.

Before the Artemis IV mission structure was finalized, NASA engineers needed to design and test the new payload adapter.

“With SLS, there’s an intent to have as much commonality between flights as possible,” says Brent Gaddes, Lead for the Orion Stage Adapter and Payload Adapter in the SLS Spacecraft/Payload Integration & Evolution Office at NASA Marshall. However, with those payloads changing typically every flight, the connecting payload adapter must change as well. “We knew there needed to be a lot of flexibility to the payload adapter, and that we needed to be able to respond quickly in-house once the payloads were finalized,” says Gaddes.

A Flexible Approach

The required flexibility was not going to be satisfied with a one-size-fits-all approach, according to Gaddes.

Since different size payload adapters could be needed, Marshall is using a flexible approach to assemble the payload adapter that eliminates the need for heavy and expensive tooling used to hold the parts in place during assembly. A computer model of each completed part is created using a process called structured light scanning. The computer model provides the precise locations where holes need to be drilled to hold the parts together so that the completed payload adapter will be exactly the right size.

“Structured light has helped us reduce costs and increase flexibility on the payload adapter and allows us to pivot,” says Gaddes. “If the call came down to build a cargo version of SLS to launch 40 metric tons, for example, we can use our same tooling with the structured light approach to adapt to different sizes, whether that’s for an adapter with a larger diameter that’s shorter, or one with a smaller diameter that’s longer. It’s faster and cheaper.”

NASA Marshall engineers use an automated placement robot to manufacture eight lightweight composite panels from a graphite epoxy material. The robot performs fast, accurate lamination following preprogrammed paths, its high speed and precision resulting in lower cost and significantly faster production than other manufacturing methods.

At NASA Marshall, an engineering development unit of the payload has been successfully tested which demonstrated that it can handle up to three times the expected load. Another test version currently in development, called the qualification unit, will also be tested to NASA standards for composite structures to ensure that the flight unit will perform as expected.

“The payload adapter is shaped like a cone, and historically, most of the development work on structures like this has been on cylinders, so that’s one of the many reasons why testing it is so important,” says Gaddes. “NASA will test as high a load as possible to learn what produces structural failure. Any information we learn here will feed directly into the body of information NASA has pulled together over the years on how to analyze structures like this, and of course that’s something that’s shared with industry as well. It’s a win for everybody.”

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA / Samuel Lott

Photos of the Day: New Glenn In Mini-Brick Form...

Richard T. Par

Earlier today, I completed this mini-replica of the New Glenn rocket...which I purchased from Blue Origin's online store.

This brick set, manufactured by The Atom Brick and not LEGO®, is comprised of 630 pieces—versus the 3,601 pieces for the LEGO Artemis 1 rocket that I built last Christmas, and the 1,100+ pieces for the LEGO Perseverance Mars rover I constructed in late 2023.

It took around 30 or so minutes to construct the New Glenn rocket, while I worked past midnight this morning (I started assembly on this set yesterday afternoon) to build its mobile launcher! The good thing about LEGO is that its instruction manuals are more specific about which piece I need for a certain part of the set, and the bricks are sorted in different plastic bags by the order in which I needed to assemble the Artemis 1 rocket and Perseverance. It's all good.

This New Glenn set (at 11.5 inches tall) is much smaller than the LEGO Artemis 1 vehicle (which stands at over 2 feet), but just as detailed and awesome nonetheless! Happy Hump Day.


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par

The First Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle That Flew to the Moon Is Back in Cape Canaveral...

NASA

Artemis I Orion Spacecraft Returns to Florida (News Release)

The Artemis I Orion crew module, now known as the Orion Environmental Test Article (ETA), returned to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on December 21, 2024, following an 11-month test campaign at the agency’s Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio.

This is not the first time that the ETA has been at Kennedy. After splashing down in the Pacific Ocean on December 11, 2022, following its journey around the Moon during the Artemis I mission, the spacecraft was transported by truck from Naval Base San Diego in California to Kennedy’s Multi-Payload Processing Facility (MPPF) to be reconfigured from spacecraft to test article and complete a series of crew module functional tests.

Now returned to the spaceport after testing at the Armstrong Test Facility, engineers will begin testing on the ETA in Kennedy’s MPPF to undergo propulsion functional testing, which includes putting the crew module’s twelve reaction control system (RCS) thrusters through a simulated hot fire. RCS thrusters provide control of rotation while in orbit, during re-entry and certain abort scenarios.

Once testing is complete, the ETA will travel down the road to Kennedy’s Space Systems Processing Facility for an acoustic noise demonstration test that will help improve future acoustic testing for NASA and Lockheed Martin, the agency’s primary contractor for Orion. In addition to undergoing further testing at Kennedy, teams will remove hardware from the ETA for reusability studies that could impact future Artemis missions. With NASA’s Artemis campaign, we are exploring the Moon for scientific discovery, technology advancement, and to learn how to live and work on another world as we prepare for human missions to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

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