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NASA's Artemis program is an attempt to land humans on the moon for the first time in almost 50 years.

NASA’s 21st century plan to return to the moon

NASA’s Artemis program is an attempt to land humans on the moon for the first time in almost 50 years. The program is largely the result of Space Policy Directive 1, which tasked NASA with focusing more time on getting back to the Moon.

Named after the Greek goddess of the moon, the Artemis program’s goal is to return humans back to the surface of the Moon sustainably and for good. NASA is doing this through public-private partnerships with companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin, and with international cooperation through the Gateway lunar space station.

The backbone of the Artemis Program is the agency’s Space Launch System. A two-stage rocket derived from Space Shuttle technology that can place NASA’s Orion spacecraft in an orbit around the Moon. The Space Launch System (or SLS) is under the contract of Boeing for management and assembly, while Orion is managed by Lockheed Martin. These two programs represent the leading costs of the Artemis program, along with the bulk of its delays. Being one of the few remaining cost-plus contracts, discussions of canceling the two or just SLS have been held over the years but have never made it past Congress.

NASA has also built multiple agreements and contracts with private industry to provide services to the agency when they arrive on the Moon with its astronauts. Most notably, there has been SpaceX’s contract for a lunar lander alongside Blue Origin. Axiom Space will be providing the AxEVA spacesuit for lunar excursions. Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab have all begun work on the lunar terrain vehicle.

The Artemis Program has also expanded to attempt to foster a cis-lunar economy with the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. Buying rides to the surface of the Moon just like it does with crewed flights to the ISS, CLPS has already started to fund new companies in building viable lunar landers, capable of delivering cargo to the surface.

NASA plans on using what they learn from visiting the moon to help take the next giant leap that is visiting Mars.

Artemis 2 ICPS stacked, Lockheed hands Orion over to NASA

Boosters, stacked. Core Stage, stacked. Launch Vehicle Stage Adaptor, stacked. NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) team has now stacked Artemis 2’s upper stage. The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) is SLS’s second stage. It will carry Artemis 2’s crew into high Earth orbit. Once finished, the stage will be jettisoned and used for a docking test with Orion. After this, Orion will fire its AJ-10 rocket engine. Sending it on a journey around the moon and back to Earth. The mission is presently set for February 2026.

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Jared Isaacman’s confirmation vote set for Wednesday

The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation will vote on Jared Isaacman‘s confirmation as NASA’s next Administrator on Wednesday. Both the Committee’s Republicans and Democrats released Isaacman’s written questions, so here’s what he thinks about some of the key issues facing NASA right now.

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Artemis 2’s rocket assembly continues, finishing Core Stage

NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) team moves quickly to prepare Artemis 2 for launch in early 2026. In March, EGS successfully stacked the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage onto the mobile launcher between the two solid rocket boosters (SRBs). The Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter (LVSA) is now part of the core stage. Alongside core stage integration, NASA has steadily progressed on the Orion spacecraft, preparing it for its first crewed mission around the Moon and back.

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5 takeaways from Jared Isaacman’s confirmation hearing

Last week, Jared Isaacman sat in front of his first Congressional hearing in what is expected to be his new career as NASA Administrator. On Wednesday, Isaacman sat in front of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee for his confirmation hearing, answering any questions the Senators wished before they voted on giving him the job or not. Here are five things we could expect from potential Administrator Isaacman if he is confirmed.

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NASA Administrator hopeful commits to the Moon, but will set priority on Mars

The Artemis Program political drama continues as Jared Isaacman, nominee for NASA Administrator, shares his support for returning to the Moon to build up the capabilities to get to Mars. This sounds very similar to NASA’s already-established Moon-to-Mars program, which has been the main talking point over the last eight years when asked about going to Mars. However, this goes against what has been publicly stated about the direction of the nation’s space program.

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NASA’s Artemis program is in a weird spot as it awaits a leader and path forward

The Artemis program, officially named and accelerated during President Trump’s first term, aims to return astronauts to the Moon and establish a sustainable human presence. Building upon earlier initiatives, including the Constellation program under President George W. Bush, the program has faced significant delays and escalating costs. Estimates suggest that by 2025, the total expenditure could reach $93 billion.

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President Trump mentioned space only once in his inaugural address, and it wasn’t Artemis

In 2017 President Trump signed Space Policy Directive 1, setting NASA on a mission to return its astronauts to the surface of the Moon using the already in development Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft. It has come a long way, survived one transition of power, but is likely to be taken to battle in Congress.

President Trump, now the 47th President of the United States, mentioned space only once during his address, and it had nothing to do with Artemis and everything to do with a destination a tad bit further away: Mars.

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Artemis 2: Space Launch System booster integration continues

NASA continues to get the rocket that will launch the crew of Artemis 2 to the Moon ready before the end of the year. The Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) is continuing work on stacking the Space Launch System‘s solid rocket boosters. Teams have stacked four segments, two per booster, inside the Vehicle Assembly Building. Next, NASA contractors will stack the center segments, forward-center segments, and forward segments before topping them with nose cones. Nose cones which NASA recently moved into the Vehicle Assembly Building. In all, NASA has eight more booster components to stack before finishing integration.

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Artemis 2 crew provide a readiness update in front of their SLS Core Stage

On December 16, NASA hosted a select group of media representatives inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, for an exclusive briefing on the ambitious Artemis program. The event provided updates on mission preparations, challenges, and progress as NASA works toward its goal of returning humans to the Moon and landing at its South Pole.

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Terminal Count: Artemis 2 delayed to 2026 while SpaceX continues to break records

Liftoff of SLS for the Artemis 1 mission

It will be a quiet launch week with only two days seeing orbital launches from China, Japan, and of course, SpaceX. The biggest story of the last week was with NASA; it received a nomination for the next NASA Administrator, then the outgoing Administrator announced the delay of the Artemis 2 and 3 missions.

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Coalition for Deep Space Exploration supports Artemis schedule update

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Dec. 5) – The Coalition for Deep Space Exploration (CDSE) supports NASA’s announcement of a schedule update for the Artemis-II and Artemis-III missions providing the incoming administration a sound path forward for the program. CDSE shares NASA’s optimism for the future of Artemis and the excitement of returning to the Moon soon. The announced schedule adjustment recognizes the reality that as industry develops the complex pieces required to return humans to the Moon, the Artemis program will encounter both known and unknown challenges, and as they appear, industry is solving them. No company or development process is immune to obstacles when attempting great things, yet all must be held to a singular standard where crew safety remains the paramount priority.

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Lunar Outpost: Revolutionizing space robotics and lunar exploration

Lunar Outpost, established in 2017 and headquartered in Arvada, Colorado, specializes in space robotics, lunar surface mobility, and space resources. The company is developing a range of advanced robotic systems, including the Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover series, designed for exploration and resource utilization on the Moon, as well as terrestrial applications.

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Space Renaissance International urges U.N. Flag on the Moon

This is a press released shared to Space Explored but written by the company/agency in question, not the Space Explored team. It has been slightly edited for better reading.

Hong Kong – Adriano V. Autino, CEO and Founder of Space Renaissance International (SRI), announced a bold initiative at the Aerospace Innovation Research Summit (AIR Summit) organized by the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong and “OASA”. He urged the Artemis and International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) coalitions to plant a United Nations flag on the Moon alongside their respective national flags. This gesture would signify a united human presence as our species returns to the Earth’s natural satellite after more than 50 years since the Apollo missions. This emblematic act underscores that the Moon, and space in general, is the common heritage of all humankind, not any one nation.

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Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost Mission 1 to the Moon Readies for Launch

This is a press released shared to Space Explored but written by the company/agency in question, not the Space Explored team. It has been slightly edited for better reading.

CEDAR PARK, Texas, Nov. 25, 2024 – Firefly Aerospace, the leader in end-to-end responsive space services, today announced it successfully completed environmental testing on Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander ahead of its first mission to the Moon supporting NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. Firefly is now preparing to ship the lander to Cape Canaveral, Florida, in mid-December for launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket during a six-day window that opens no earlier than mid-January 2025.

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This Week in Launch: SpaceX hits 100+ launches in 2024

This week, SpaceX hit its first triple-digit launch year and continues to extend that number in the remaining months of 2024. Blue Origin might finally get its NS-27 mission off the ground to certify its new New Shepard rocket. Finally, NASA’s Artemis program is once again under fire for being behind schedule and so much… so much… over budget.

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