Artemis II

NASA is opting for a new flight trajectory for the next Artemis mission to reduce risks to astronauts as the agency gears up to return to the lunar surface in 2027.

Our roundup of the main aerospace and defense stories making the news this week.

The four crewmembers of NASA’s Artemis II Moon mission say they are ready to embrace launching two months earlier than planned if preparations fall into place.

Firefly Aerospace has sold data it collected during its lunar land Blue Ghost Mission 1 to NASA for $10 million.

The window for NASA’s Artemis II mission that aims to take four astronauts around the Moon could open as early as Feb. 5.

Recent remarks by NASA’s acting administrator help define his commitment to keeping the U.S. ahead in space by returning Artemis astronauts to the Moon ahead of China and leading the way to the human exploration of Mars.

As NASA closes in on the liftoff of its first Artemis mission to the Moon with astronauts, the agency is prepping for its second year-long simulation of life on the red planet.

Crowdsourcer HeroX and NASA are holding an upcoming “Rock and Roll with NASA Challenge."

Congress and the White House are sending NASA mixed messages about the future of the Artemis program to return humans to the Moon.

In the waning days of June, NASA and its contractors conducted three tests and demonstrations for Artemis missions that the Trump administration seeks to end.

NASA's flagship initiative to expand human presence into deep space under the Artemis program continues multibillion-dollar cost overruns, the GAO says.

Northrop Grumman and NASA on June 26 conducted the first test of its Booster Obsolescence Life Extension solid rocket motor.

The nominated NASA administrator is caught in a political showdown, leaving the agency leaderless during key budget talks.

A leaderless NASA will head into negotiations with Congress over a $6.2 billion cut in its budget.

A modest hike in NASA’s budget to push human space exploration into deep space would be offset by massive cuts in the rest of the agency’s budget.

NASA is working diligently toward the April 2026 launch schedule for Artemis II, Acting Administrator Janet Petro says.

Scott Pace served as executive secretary of Trump’s National Space Council from July 2017 to January 2021.

Boeing is NASA’s primary contractor for the Space Launch System (SLS), a human-rated heavy-lift rocket for deep-space travel.

Released Feb. 6, NASA’s independent Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel (ASAP) report identified risk, management and budget challenges.

The reusable New Shepard lifted off from Launch Site One near Van Horn in West Texas at 11:01 a.m. EST on Feb. 4.

The company plans to hand over the second Orion spacecraft to the agency in April.

If NASA puts all its resources into sending a U.S. person planting the U.S. flag on Mars, the game changes for the European, CNES President Lionel Suchet says.

The return of U.S. astronauts to the Moon won’t happen until at least mid-2027, says NASA.

NASA again has pushed back anticipated launch dates for the Artemis II and Artemis III crewed lunar missions in light of Orion crew capsule heat-shield damage.

Turner will continue to oversee and provide executive leadership, strategic planning, and overall management of all of NASA’s tech maturation and demo programs.