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Lunar Lander

All articles tagged with #lunar lander

NASA Trains with Blue Moon Cabin for Artemis Crew Missions
space19 days ago

NASA Trains with Blue Moon Cabin for Artemis Crew Missions

NASA has activated a full-scale mock-up of Blue Origin's Blue Moon Mark 2 crew cabin at Johnson Space Center for Artemis training and testing. The 15-foot-tall cabin sits inside a 52-foot lunar lander prototype and will be used for human-in-the-loop simulations, mission-control drills, spacesuit checkouts, and simulated moonwalks as NASA and Blue Origin prepare for rendezvous and docking tests in Earth orbit (Artemis III, 2027) and future lunar missions (Artemis IV/V in 2028).

via NASA (.gov)|
#artemis#blue-origin#lunar-lander
NASA Raises CLPS Ceiling to Accelerate Moon Base Lander Cadence
space-policy25 days ago

NASA Raises CLPS Ceiling to Accelerate Moon Base Lander Cadence

NASA plans to raise the maximum value of its Commercial Lunar Payload Services contract from $2.6 billion to $4.2 billion to support a projected surge in robotic lunar landings for Moon Base, with 13 eligible contractors and a goal of ramping up to a monthly landing cadence; the agency expects to award more missions and/or higher-value missions through 2028 and beyond as companies scale production and move toward standardized, build-to-print landers.

via SpaceNews|
#clps#intuitive-machines#lunar-lander
space2 months ago

NASA OIG flags gaps in Artemis lunar lander risk management

The NASA Office of Inspector General warns gaps in the agency’s plan to test and validate SpaceX- and Blue Origin–built lunar landers for Artemis missions, including crew-survival analyses and non-fatal-emergency scenarios, noting there would be no in-space rescue capability; as Artemis II nears launch and Artemis III is planned with orbital refueling and lander in-flight checks, NASA aims to mitigate hazards but the report says significant gaps remain.

via Spaceflight Now|
#artemis#blue-origin#lunar-lander
NASA-Spacex tussle over Moon lander manual controls ahead of design review
technology2 months ago

NASA-Spacex tussle over Moon lander manual controls ahead of design review

NASA’s inspector general report on the Human Landing System contracts with SpaceX and Blue Origin notes the fixed-price approach is cost-effective but highlights a dispute over whether SpaceX’s Starship should allow astronauts manual control during lunar landings, with NASA warning the manual-control risk could worsen as a Critical Design Review approaches. The report references Apollo’s backup manual method, recalls the Dragon control-history debate, notes Blue Origin has not yet defined its manual controls, and states uncrewed demonstrations will precede crewed Moon missions.

via Ars Technica|
#human-landing-system#lunar-lander#nasa
Artemis Plan Reorients: In-Orbit Tests Ahead of 2028 Moon Landing
space2 months ago

Artemis Plan Reorients: In-Orbit Tests Ahead of 2028 Moon Landing

NASA is reshaping the Artemis program: Artemis III will test key technologies in low Earth orbit instead of landing, and Artemis IV is now scheduled for a 2028 crewed lunar landing; the plan emphasizes in-space life-support, propulsion, and communications tests, potential docking with commercial lunar landers, and new AxEMU suits, while Lunar Gateway is not mentioned in the latest rollout and workforce/schedule challenges persist.

via ScienceAlert|
#artemis-program#lunar-lander#moon
NASA overhauls Artemis to speed lunar return with a standardized SLS
science2 months ago

NASA overhauls Artemis to speed lunar return with a standardized SLS

NASA announced a sweeping Artemis overhaul: cancel the costly Exploration Upper Stage, standardize the SLS for a higher cadence (about every 10 months), and push more work to commercial lunar landers with SpaceX and Blue Origin so Artemis III won't land on the Moon but will dock Orion with landers in Earth orbit; Artemis IV would be the first lunar landing, with annual missions beginning in mid-2027 and into 2028, while Gateway tower and Moon-base questions stay under review.

via Ars Technica|
#artemis#centaur-v#exploration-upper-stage
House bill tightens NASA oversight of Artemis lander and spacesuits
policy-and-politics3 months ago

House bill tightens NASA oversight of Artemis lander and spacesuits

The House Science Committee’s NASA Reauthorization Act of 2026 would require NASA to provide detailed progress, funding, milestones, and challenges reports on Blue Origin and SpaceX’s lunar lander work and on spacesuit development, with reports due within 60–90 days of enactment. It also mandates maintaining in-house spacesuit expertise at Johnson Space Center, outlines ISS transition plans to commercial stations, and requests a Mars Sample Return strategy, all while keeping Artemis architecture largely intact and aiming for a 2028 Artemis 3 landing.

via SpaceNews|
#artemis#hls#lunar-lander
Artemis II: A crewed lunar flyby to test systems—with no landing
space4 months ago

Artemis II: A crewed lunar flyby to test systems—with no landing

Artemis II will carry four astronauts on a lunar flyby, not a lander mission. The goal is to test life-support, thermal control, navigation, propulsion and other onboard systems aboard the Orion capsule and SLS rocket on a translunar, free-return trajectory, with lunar landing deferred to Artemis III (using SpaceX’s Starship HLS). The mission emphasizes crew safety and vehicle health first, may push the crew farther from Earth than any humans have gone, and mirrors Apollo-era testing before attempting a surface landing.

via CNN|
#artemis-ii#lunar-lander#moon
Blue Origin Eyes Leapfrog Over SpaceX for Artemis 3 Lunar Lander
space-exploration6 months ago

Blue Origin Eyes Leapfrog Over SpaceX for Artemis 3 Lunar Lander

Blue Origin is advancing its lunar lander program and could potentially beat SpaceX to deliver a lunar landing system for NASA's Artemis 3 mission, especially as SpaceX faces delays with its Starship HLS. Blue Origin's MK1 demonstration mission is expected soon, and its more proven, smaller landers could offer a faster, more reliable alternative for lunar surface missions, possibly accelerating Artemis 3's timeline.

via Gizmodo|
#blue-moon-mk1#blue-origin#lunar-lander
Astrobotic Delays Griffin-1 Lander Launch to 2026
space-exploration7 months ago

Astrobotic Delays Griffin-1 Lander Launch to 2026

Astrobotic has delayed its Griffin-1 lunar lander mission to mid-2026, with the launch now scheduled for no earlier than July 2026, due to ongoing assembly and testing processes. The mission will carry the FLIP rover and other payloads, replacing the originally planned 2025 launch. The delay follows NASA's decision to cancel the VIPER rover's original mission, which will now be flown by Blue Origin in 2027.

via SpaceNews|
#2026#astrobotic#delays
NASA Panel Flags Potential Years-Long Delay for Starship Lunar Lander
space8 months ago

NASA Panel Flags Potential Years-Long Delay for Starship Lunar Lander

NASA safety advisers warn that SpaceX's Starship lunar lander may face years-long delays, potentially impacting the Artemis 3 moon landing planned for 2027, due to challenges in demonstrating cryogenic propellant transfer and ongoing development issues. Despite SpaceX's achievements in launch operations, broader program uncertainties and schedule risks for Artemis 3 and beyond are raising concerns about mission timelines.

via SpaceNews|
#artemis-3#delays#lunar-lander