Artemis missions

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Repaired Moon Rocket to Shoot for April Launch

Artemis II is scheduled to return to the pad next week

(Newser) - NASA cleared its moon rocket on Thursday for an April launch with four astronauts after completing the latest round of repairs. The 322-foot rocket is scheduled to roll out of the hangar and back to the pad next week at Florida's Kennedy Space Center, the AP reports, leading to...

Old Apollo Rocks Tell Tale of Moon's Magnetic Field

Moon had brief periods of a stronger pull than Earth

(Newser) - Lunar rocks collected by Apollo astronauts more than half a century ago are providing a fresh take on the moon's mysterious magnetic field, scientists reported Wednesday. The study in Nature Geoscience by University of Oxford researchers suggests that while the moon's magnetic field has been weak during most...

With One Moon Rocket Issue Fixed, Another Appears

Helium blockage forces Artemis II launch delay until at least April

(Newser) - NASA's first crewed trip around the moon in more than 50 years is still a ways off. The agency will roll its towering Space Launch System rocket off the launchpad and back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday to investigate a helium flow blockage...

It's 'One Giant Leap' for the Smartphone

NASA to finally allow smartphones in space

(Newser) - NASA is loosening one of its more old-school rules: it's finally letting astronauts take smartphones into space. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced that crews on the upcoming Crew-12 mission to the International Space Station and the Artemis II lunar flyby will be allowed to bring "the latest smartphones,...

Fuel Leaks Delay Moon Mission by a Month
NASA's
Moon Mission
Again Stalls
Feb 3, 2026 8:33 AM CST

NASA's Moon Mission Again Stalls

Artemis II now set for a possible March launch date due to fuel leaks

(Newser) - NASA has again delayed the planned start of its fly-around-the-moon mission after its mega-rocket sprang a leak. The agency says the launch of Artemis II, which had been shooting for as early as Sunday in Florida, will now slip to March after engineers spotted hydrogen leaking from the Space Launch...

Cold Weather in Florida Delays Artemis Moonshot

First Artemis moonshot won't be until Super Bowl Sunday at the earliest

(Newser) - NASA has delayed astronauts' upcoming trip to the moon because of near-freezing temperatures expected at the launch site. The first Artemis moonshot with a crew is now targeted for no earlier than Feb. 8, two days later than planned. NASA was all set to conduct a fueling test of the...

NASA Puts Moon Mission Crew in Quarantine

Crew begins 2-week health stabilization before historic Artemis 2 mission

(Newser) - Astronauts aiming for the moon are now living under rules that look a lot like 2020. Futurism reports that the four-person Artemis 2 crew has entered NASA's standard pre-launch isolation program, a roughly two-week "health stabilization" effort designed to keep them from catching anything that could derail the...

Moon Mission Could Launch as Soon as Feb. 6

Artemis II Mission will test redesigned Orion re-entry after 2022 heat-shield issues

(Newser) - NASA is getting ready to send astronauts around the moon for the first time in more than half a century—and then pull off the riskiest part: bringing them home. The Artemis II mission, targeted for launch as soon as February, will put four astronauts—NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor...

NASA Threatens to Dump SpaceX From Moon Mission

Elon Musk doubtful as agency opens door to rivals amid race with China

(Newser) - NASA is rethinking its moon lander contract with SpaceX, raising the prospect that Elon Musk's company could lose its central role in the agency's Artemis III mission—the first crewed lunar landing since Apollo. Acting NASA chief Sean Duffy signaled during TV appearances on Monday that SpaceX...

NASA's Manned Moon Mission May Have a Date

First window of opportunity for Artemis II opens on the evening of Feb. 5

(Newser) - NASA is gearing up to send astronauts beyond low earth orbit for the first time in more than 50 years—perhaps as soon as the evening of Feb. 5. On Tuesday, officials announced that they're pushing toward a launch window for the ambitious Artemis II mission that opens...

NASA No Longer Looking to Put First Woman, POC on Moon

Agency cites Trump's executive order to end DEI initiatives

(Newser) - Perhaps there won't be a woman walking on the moon after all. NASA's pledge to put the first woman and first person of color on the lunar surface with its Artemis III mission has vanished from NASA webpages "in deference to President Trump's anti-diversity, equity and...

NASA Delays Moon Missions Again
NASA Delays
Moon Missions Again
Dec 5, 2024 2:00 PM CST

NASA Delays Moon Missions Again

Moon landing won't happen until 2027 at the earliest

(Newser) - NASA announced more delays Thursday in sending astronauts back to the moon more than 50 years after Apollo. Administrator Bill Nelson said the next mission in the Artemis program—sending four astronauts around the moon and back—is now targeted for April 2026, the AP reports. It had been on...

Contractor Tacks on a Lot of Zeroes to NASA Project

The projected cost of a new launch tower being built has ballooned from $383M to $2.7B

(Newser) - Contracting projects that go over time and budget are not all that uncommon, but this story out of NASA is next-level. In a new report , NASA Inspector General George A. Scott says the estimate to build a launch tower to accommodate a larger Space Launch System rocket has ballooned from...

NASA Delays Next 2 Moon Missions
NASA Delays
Artemis Missions
Jan 9, 2024 5:55 PM CST

NASA Delays Artemis Missions

Agency says astronauts won't walk on the moon until 2026 at the earliest

(Newser) - Tuesday was a frustrating day for people eager to see a US spacecraft return to the moon. Soon after Astrobotic Technology confirmed that a fuel leak had doomed its plan for a lunar landing in February, NASA said it had delayed its next two Artemis moon missions. The agency said...

'We Are on Our Way to the Moon!'
Historic Moon Mission
Might Be in Peril
UPDATED
Jan 8, 2024 1:20 PM CST

Historic Moon Mission Might Be in Peril

Private company's spacecraft develops fuel leak en route to first landing in more than 50 years

(Newser) - Updated throughout. The first US moon landing in more than 50 years was in jeopardy Monday after a private company's newly launched spacecraft developed a "critical" fuel leak. Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology raced to orient its lander toward the sun so the solar panel could collect sunlight, as battery...

Next Astronauts on the Moon Will Wear Prada

Fashion house is using America's Cup expertise to help design Artemis III spacesuits

(Newser) - The first people to walk on the moon in more than 50 years will be wearing Prada. The Italian fashion house has partnered with Axiom Space, which won the contract for the first full redesign of US spacesuits in decades, to design and produce spacesuits for the Artemis III mission...

First Full Spacesuit Redesign Since 1981 Unveiled

New suits will be worn on 2025 lunar mission

(Newser) - We don't yet know who the next people to walk on the moon will be—but we know what they're going to be wearing. Texas-based company Axiom Space unveiled its prototype spacesuit designs Wednesday, six months after it won the contract for the first full redesign of American...

NASA Is Ready to Go Back to the Moon

After successful Artemis 1, manned Artemis 2 mission on track to launch in late 2024

(Newser) - The report card for NASA's Artemis 1 mission is in, and it's a definite pass. The Orion spacecraft that orbited the moon as part of the unmanned 25-day, 1.4 million-mile mission last fall performed better than expected on its second test flight and its first into deep...

'Outstanding' Orion Still Faces One of Its Biggest Trials

Dec. 11 entry into Earth's atmosphere will test its heat shield

(Newser) - NASA's Orion spacecraft has reached its maximum distance from Earth, a record-setting 268,563 miles. The spacecraft that launched Nov. 16 reached the halfway point in its 26-day mission on Monday as it looped around the moon. It was 43,138 miles beyond the far side of the moon,...

NASA's Orion Capsule Breaks Record Set in 1970

Spacecraft designed to carry humans has now gone further than Apollo 13

(Newser) - Moonikin Campos, the mannequin in the commander's seat of NASA's Orion capsule, has now traveled further into space than any human. The uncrewed capsule broke a record around 8:40am EST Saturday when it reached 248,655 miles from Earth, the distance reached by the Apollo 13 command...

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