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Space Launch System

All articles tagged with #space launch system

space11 days ago•15 min saved

Artemis II poised for Moon orbit as weather and countdown align

NASA's final pre-launch briefing for Artemis II says countdown and tanking are on track, with weather looking favorable (about 80% acceptable) though cumulus clouds could threaten the launch. The two‑hour window at Kennedy Space Center remains, and the four‑astronaut crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen—will fly the Space Launch System and Orion around the Moon for about 10 days, paving the way for future lunar missions. Updates will continue ahead of launch day.

via BBC|

#artemis-ii #moon-mission #nasa

space11 days ago•9 min saved

Artemis II on track as Florida weather keeps a vigilant watch

Artemis II’s four astronauts (Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen) are in final quarantine ahead of a planned 6:24 p.m. ET liftoff from Kennedy Space Center, targeting a free-return lunar trajectory. Weather remains a key factor with an 80% go forecast despite onshore showers; launch decisions hinge on cloud thickness, winds, lightning rules, and space weather, as NASA holds a final prelaunch briefing and Space Coast spectators prepare for a historic mission.

via FOX Weather|

#artemis-ii #go-no-go #kennedy-space-center

technology12 days ago•4 min saved

Michoud: The Six-Decade Forge Behind Artemis’ Lunar Return

New Orleans' Michoud Assembly Facility has long produced major rocket stages for NASA—from Saturn V and Space Shuttle external tanks to the Space Launch System core stages for Artemis. With Artemis II crewed and Artemis III targeting mid-2027, production workflows have evolved to complete more of the core stage at Michoud before final assembly at Kennedy Space Center, underscoring the facility's central role in America's lunar ambitions while its workforce weather the program's ups and downs.

via NASASpaceFlight.com -|

#artemis #michoud-assembly-facility #nasa

space13 days ago•74 min saved

Artemis 2 poised for April 1 liftoff on a crewed lunar flyby

NASA says Artemis 2 is on track for an April 1 liftoff from Cape Canaveral with a two-hour window and about a 20% weather risk, carrying Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen aboard Orion for a 10-day flight that will loop around the Moon (not land) before returning to Earth, a critical test paving the way for Artemis 3 and beyond.

via Space|

#artemis #moon #nasa

science15 days ago•7 min saved

Artemis II: policy, cost, and risk shape NASA’s lunar flyby plan

Artemis II plans a 10-day crewed loop around the Moon in April 2026 aboard SLS/Orion; space policy expert Scott Pace outlines the decades-long path to this mission, highlights key risk checks (boosters, translunar injection, life support, heat shield), discusses cost and flight-rate challenges, and explains Artemis as an international, commercial effort aimed at establishing a sustainable lunar presence that could eventually be led by the private sector if economics support it.

via The Conversation|

#artemis-ii #lunar-mission #orion-capsule

space17 days ago•73 min saved

Artemis 2 readies for a crewed lunar flyby on April 1

NASA is targeting April 1 to launch Artemis 2, a four‑astronaut mission (Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen) aboard the Space Launch System and Orion for a roughly 10‑day loop around the Moon; it would be the first crewed flight beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17. After fixing issues from a liquid hydrogen leak and a helium‑flow interruption, the Artemis 2 stack is on Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center. If April 1 slips, additional windows run through April 6, with a possible option on April 30, as NASA remains focused on an April liftoff.

via Space|

#artemis-2 #moon #nasa

space-exploration22 days ago•76 min saved

Artemis 2 rolls to the pad as NASA primes crewed lunar mission

NASA’s Artemis 2 rocket and Orion crew capsule were moved back to Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center after recent maintenance, with rollout completing ahead of the April launch window. Artemis 2 will carry a four-person crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen—for a 10-day loop around the Moon, as managers finalize systems and ground checks in case liftoff occurs starting April 1 (with potential extensions through April 6 and into late April if needed).

via Space|

#artemis-2 #kennedy-space-center #launch-pad

science23 days ago•2 min saved

Artemis II inches back to the pad for a careful rollout after helium fix

NASA is rolling the 322-foot Space Launch System rocket and its Orion crew capsule back to Kennedy Space Center's launch pad for Artemis II, a 10-day crewed lunar mission that could launch as early as April 1. The 4-mile crawl, using a crawler-transporter at about 1 mph, follows a prior rollback to repair a helium-flow blockage uncovered during a wet dress rehearsal. Engineers replaced a seal and batteries and conducted tests. The crew includes Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Jeremy Hansen, who would travel farther from Earth than any humans to date.

via NBC News|

#artemis-ii #moon #nasa

space-exploration23 days ago•61 min saved

Artemis 2 rolls toward pad after helium fix, launch window shifted to April

NASA’s Artemis 2 mission’s Space Launch System rocket rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs after a helium-flow issue, with teams aiming to return it to Launch Pad 39B no earlier than April 1. The four astronauts remain in quarantine, and officials must complete fueling checks and other inspections before liftoff on a roughly 10‑day lunar mission from Kennedy Space Center.

via Space|

#artemis-2 #helium-leak #kennedy-space-center

space-exploration1 month ago•57 min saved

NASA overhauls Artemis timeline to speed lunar return by shedding heavy hardware

NASA unveiled a major Artemis restructuring to shorten mission intervals and reduce hardware. The plan cancels the SLS Block 1B upgrade and Mobile Launcher 2, standardizes SLS to a single configuration, and contemplates using a Centaur V upper stage for all launches after Artemis 3, with Gateway’s fate left uncertain. Artemis 3 would fly to low Earth orbit for docking with contracted landers (Starship/Blue Moon) rather than a direct lunar landing, Artemis 4 targets the program’s first crewed Moon landing in 2028, and Artemis 5 would follow; Artemis 2 remains on track for its return mission amid repairs and scheduling moves.

via Space|

#artemis #gateway #nasa

science1 month ago•14 min saved

Artemis plan retools: NASA won't use Mobile Launcher 2

NASA says it will not use the Exploration Upper Stage or Mobile Launcher 2 for Artemis, halting development of those components and continuing with Mobile Launcher 1 for the first three SLS missions. Artemis IV and V had been tied to a taller Block 1B with ML2, which is now sidelined or repurposed as plans shift toward standardization to improve launch cadence. The agency is reevaluating the second stage, with Artemis II possible to launch by April 1, 2026 and Artemis III targeted for mid-2027; overall Artemis costs have surpassed $100 billion as delays and changes persist.

via Orlando Sentinel|

#artemis #costs #ml2

space1 month ago•67 min saved

Artemis II back on track for April lunar flyby after helium fix

NASA says Artemis II is back on track for an April launch after engineers fixed a helium-flow issue caused by a dislodged seal in the Space Launch System’s upper stage. The four-astronaut mission will fly a lunar loop to test systems ahead of crewed lunar landings planned for 2028, with launch windows in early to mid-April and again at month’s end as technicians continue nearby repairs at Kennedy Space Center.

via Live Science|

#artemis-ii #helium-leak #moon

science1 month ago•13 min saved

NASA Overhauls Artemis Roadmap to Expedite Lunar Return After Artemis II Delays

With Artemis II delayed, NASA is restructuring the lunar program by reverting to simpler, proven hardware: replacing the Exploration Upper Stage with the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage and canceling the Exploration Upper Stage program. The plan accelerates mission cadence to about one flight every 10 months, retooling Artemis III as a near‑Earth, 30‑day rehearsal to validate docking, life‑support, and lander interfaces before the lunar landings planned for Artemis IV and V in 2028, clarifying the path back to the Moon.

via The Conversation|

#artemis-ii #artemis-program #lunar-landing

sciencespace1 month ago•35 min saved

Artemis II set for lunar flyby with four-astronaut crew, launch delayed to April

NASA's Artemis II will send four astronauts around the Moon on a 10‑day test flight aboard the Space Launch System and Orion capsule, marking the first crewed lunar mission in more than five decades. After a fueling‑system issue forced the rocket back to Kennedy Space Center for repairs, NASA moved the launch to no earlier than April. The mission will test life‑support and other deep‑space systems ahead of a lunar landing targeted for Artemis III in 2028. Crew members are Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen; Koch would be the first woman aboard a lunar mission, and Glover would be the first person of color to do so.

via Yahoo|

#artemis-ii #moon #nasa

space1 month ago•4 min saved

NASA moves Artemis II rocket to hangar for helium fix, delaying lunar mission

NASA rolled the Artemis II Space Launch System rocket from its launch pad back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for a helium-pressurization repair on the upper stage, delaying the mission around the Moon to no earlier than April 1 and prompting a diagnostic rollback to pinpoint the valve or related components.

via CBS News|

#artemis-ii #helium-pressurization #nasa