All articles tagged with #artemis program
Blue Origin says it will relaunch its New Glenn rocket from Cape Canaveral’s Launch Complex 36 later this year after last month’s fueling-test explosion; debris was cleared in nine days and reconstruction is underway, a rapid turnaround that underscores the high-stakes timeline as NASA weighs Artemis-era lunar-lander options and considers Starship/Blue Moon for future missions.
NASA selected Astrolab and Lunar Outpost to develop two crewed lunar terrain vehicles (CLV-1 and Pegasus) aimed at deployment by 2027 to support Artemis 4 and early Moon Base operations. The LTVs will operate about 2 km from landers, can conduct missions up to 10 km away during crewed phases, and collectively cover up to 400 km over their lifetimes. The effort complements the FLIP rover and Griffin-1 lander, with Lunar Outpost and Astrolab progressing toward full-scale prototypes and flight hardware. Surviving the Moon’s frigid nights (down to ~-400°F) relies on onboard energy storage and radiator strategies, including using solar arrays to shield radiators. A major hurdle remains launch access, as NASA shifts to an launch-vehicle-agnostic approach after Blue Origin’s New Glenn setbacks and a blast gate delayed schedules, with resumption expected in late 2026 to early 2027.
Nearly a month after Blue Origin’s New Glenn exploded on LC-36A, destroying the Florida launch pad and leaving no place to launch, officials warn that diagnosing the failure and returning to flight may slip past year-end, complicating NASA’s Artemis plans and other heavy-lift customers, with Ars Technica hosting an Ars Live discussion on June 30 featuring space-industry experts to unpack the implications.
Apollo astronauts who brought lunar dust into the cabin repeatedly reported a fresh, burnt-gunpowder smell, but the odor vanished by the time samples reached Earth labs; the scent is believed to come from a one-time reaction as the dust’s reactive surfaces oxidize in cabin air, not from the powder itself, and no specific molecule was identified. Lunar dust remains a hazard due to its tiny, abrasive, reactive grains (causing irritation and equipment wear), informing Artemis-era design changes in cabin filtration, suits, and airlocks. Future missions may finally identify the chemistry behind the smell and how to live with the dust without harming lungs or hardware.
NASA has moved to establish a permanent Moon Base near the South Pole, with Phase One through 2029 planning up to 25 missions and 21 lunar landings to test infrastructure and technologies. Blue Origin won the inaugural Moon Base mission, Moon Base I, with a $188 million contract to deliver payloads and demonstrate precise landing and propulsion technologies, launching no earlier than fall 2026. SpaceX remains a major NASA partner and the agency’s second-largest prime contractor, but it was not chosen to lead Moon Base I. The milestone marks a shift in NASA’s lunar strategy toward near-term robotic cargo, surface infrastructure, and international collaboration ahead of future crewed missions, as the Moon Base roadmap progresses and funding continues.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn exploded during a May 28 static-fire test at Cape Canaveral, destroying LC-36 and grounding the heavy-lift rocket, prompting NASA to reassess Artemis timelines since the Blue Moon lunar lander relies on New Glenn; Artemis 3’s first lunar landing could slip from late 2027 and Artemis 4 to late 2028, while SpaceX’s Starship may gain leverage in the lunar-lander race—the speed of LC-36 repairs and Blue Origin’s recovery will determine how quickly Moon plans can stay on track.
A catastrophic launch-pad explosion at Cape Canaveral destroyed Blue Origin's New Glenn during a hot-fire test, potentially delaying NASA's Artemis moon program by months or years. The incident damages the pad and rocket, raises questions about return-to-flight timelines, and could shift Artemis III to 2028–2029 if SpaceX's Starship and other plans can't compensate, while NASA conducts a thorough investigation and Blue Origin assesses repairs.
Blue Origin's large New Glenn rocket exploded on the Cape Canaveral pad during a pre-launch engine-firing test. No injuries were reported, though nearby homes shook and the sky briefly glowed orange. Bezos said Blue Origin will investigate and rebuild, as the company pushes ahead with plans tied to NASA's Artemis program and a future lunar lander. The incident comes after a previous April setback for New Glenn, but Space Force officials said it will not derail other launches from the pad or nearby missions.
Blue Origin’s New Glenn failed during a static-fire test, causing a spectacular explosion that damaged LC-36A in Florida and leaving the company with no immediate alternative launch pad. Rebuilding is expected to take more than a year, forcing a rethink of US heavy-lift capacity as SpaceX’s Falcon lineup dominates and ULA’s Vulcan remains offline. The setback also threatens NASA’s Artemis plans, delaying the Blue Moon lunar lander and complicating crewed lunar missions in the near term, likely pushing more reliance onto SpaceX’s Starship for Moon objectives.
NASA revealed two next‑gen lunar rovers—CLV‑1 by Astrolab and Pegasus by Lunar Outpost—designed for human piloting, teleoperation, or autonomous use, about a ton in weight, roughly 6 mph, and costing ~$220 million each with a 20‑degree incline capability and a ~1‑year lifespan; the agency aims to have them on the Moon by 2028 as part of an iterative Moon Base plan funded largely through private contractors (Blue Origin, Astrobotic, Intuitive Machines) delivering landers and equipment, while MoonFall drones map sites and potentially mark a base perimeter under the Outer Space Treaty; the broader goal is frequent, affordable launches to rapidly build a lasting lunar outpost.
NASA unveiled three uncrewed Moon missions (Moon Base 1–3) planned for launch this year to scout South Pole sites, test technologies, and collect data as steps toward a phased plan to establish a sustained lunar presence by around 2032, with Blue Origin carrying two payloads on the first flight and Artemis program milestones guiding the effort.
NASA’s Landsat 9 regularly points its sensors at the Moon during the full Moon to detect and correct drift, using the Moon’s stability as a reference to keep decades of Earth observations consistent, a process that runs alongside Artemis’ return to lunar exploration.
SpaceX is gearing up for a high-stakes suborbital test of Starship V3 from Starbase Texas, featuring the deployment of 22 mock Starlink satellites and a midflight engine relight to demonstrate future lunar capabilities, in a roughly 65-minute flight that ends with the upper stage splashing down in the Indian Ocean; the booster will land offshore in the Gulf of Mexico rather than returning to the launch site. The test advances Starship's upgrade path amid NASA's Artemis program and SpaceX's push toward full reusability, in-space propellant transfer, and a Moon- and Mars-capable vehicle, all alongside an upcoming IPO.
NASA is using a full-scale cabin mock-up of Blue Origin's Mark 2 lunar lander at Johnson Space Center to run human-in-the-loop tests—covering mission scenarios, spacesuit checkouts, and simulated moonwalks—as Artemis targets a 2028 moon landing, with an uncrewed Endurance MK1 in testing and Artemis III planned to dock with a lander in 2027.
An explosion was recorded at SpaceX’s Starbase in Texas during a deluge test ahead of a crucial Starship flight test. A NASASpaceflight livestream captured a large plume and debris; SpaceX said engineers are investigating the incident and it is unclear whether launch preparations will be affected. No new date has been set for the next Starship test, though Elon Musk previously suggested it could be 4–6 weeks away. The Starship/Super Heavy stack, when operational, would stand about 124 meters tall and is a key part of NASA’s Artemis moon program.