Tag: Artemis
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NASA’s Lunar Timeline Hinges on Axiom Space, a Startup With an Uneven Record
The report frames Axiom as a critical supplier whose readiness could determine whether NASA meets its goals. It describes the company as having an uneven record, a characterization that carries weight given how much the lunar return rests on its deliverables. Axiom is responsible for the spacesuits astronauts would wear on the lunar surface, as…
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NASA Opens Astronaut Applications, Eyeing Crews for the Moon and Mars
The call comes as NASA frames the coming period as one of expanded human exploration. The next generation of astronauts will train to operate on the lunar surface, live and work beyond Earth, and take on missions the agency says will push the boundaries of human exploration farther than ever before. NASA last opened applications…
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Inside the California Lab Building Robots to Construct the Moon’s First Outpost
Every hour an astronaut spends on the Moon is costly, and surface crews will be few and limited in time. The work of building a lunar outpost is enormous, and GITAI’s central premise is that machines should handle much of it. Equipment will remain on the surface between crewed missions, creating a role for robots…
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Starship Engine Failure Raises Schedule Risk for NASA’s 2028 Moon Landing
Starship is one of two vehicles competing to become the first craft NASA uses to land humans on the Moon, an objective the agency has targeted for as early as 2028. Blue Origin is developing the competing lander. The engine failure was tied to a Starship test campaign, and it reads directly through to the…
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NASA Simplifies Axiom Lunar Suit to Keep 2028 Artemis Landing on Schedule
NASA is developing a simplified version of Axiom Space’s lunar spacesuit to reduce schedule risk ahead of the first Artemis crewed landing, now planned for early 2028. Reportedly known internally as the “sortie suit,” the configuration would remove or defer some of the mass, complexity and long-duration capabilities included in the original Axiom Extravehicular Mobility…
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Both Bound for the Moon: Why Are NASA’s SLS and SpaceX’s Starship So Different?
On one side is the orange-and-white SLS. On the other is Starship, resembling a stainless-steel tower. Both are part of the United States’ architecture for returning humans to the Moon, yet they have almost nothing in common—from their appearance and engines to how they are intended to operate. Their respective roles: SLS Block 1 and…
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Venturi Space Unveils 300-Kilogram ALTA LUNA Crewed Lunar Utility Rover
Venturi Space unveiled ALTA LUNA, a 300-kilogram, single-person lunar utility vehicle designed for crewed and autonomous operations around future Moon bases, during the International Space Summit held in Paris on September 9–10. The compact tracked rover expands the European company’s lunar mobility portfolio beyond wheeled vehicles and is intended to support astronaut transport, payload movement,…
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Artemis III Booster Stacking Reaches Four of Five Segments as Orion Heat Shield Fix Is Confirmed
NASA has stacked the fourth of five major assemblies on each of the twin solid rocket boosters for Artemis III and completed installation of all four RS-25 engines on the mission’s Space Launch System core stage at Kennedy Space Center. The processing milestones come as a five-month review of the Artemis II Orion heat shield…
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NASA Adds 34-Meter Goldstone Antenna to Expand Deep Space Network Capacity
NASA’s Deep Space Station 23 began operations on Aug. 3, 2026, at the Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex near Barstow, California, adding a 34-meter antenna to its heavily subscribed Deep Space Network. Its first operational contact tracked the Chandra X-ray Observatory, following a testing campaign from May through July. NASA marked the antenna’s completion with…
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NASA Moves to Simplify Axiom Lunar Spacesuit as Artemis IV Schedule Tightens
NASA is working with Axiom Space on a lighter and less complex version of its next-generation lunar spacesuit as the agency attempts to preserve a 2028 crewed Moon landing under Artemis IV. The new configuration, referred to as the “Sortie Suit,” is intended for the first Artemis surface missions using lunar landers developed by SpaceX…