Tag: Artemis
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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…
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SpaceX Completes 33-Engine Static Fire of Booster 21 Ahead of Starship Flight 14
SpaceX fired all 33 Raptor engines on Super Heavy Booster 21 during a full-duration static-fire test at Starbase, Texas, on August 28, completing a major propulsion milestone ahead of Starship’s 14th flight test. The roughly 15-second firing took place on the launch mount at Pad 2. Booster 21 remained restrained while its engines, propellant systems,…
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SpaceX Recovers First Intact Starship Upper Stage After Month-Long Indian Ocean Ordeal
SpaceX has achieved a major milestone in the development of its fully reusable Starship system, successfully loading the upper stage from Starship Flight 13 onto a semi-submersible transport vessel in the Indian Ocean more than a month after the spacecraft completed its mission and splashed down at sea. The recovery marks the first time a…
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NASA Backs 18 Visionary Space Concepts, Including a Swarm of 10,000 Femtosatellites for Saturn Exploration
NASA has selected 18 early-stage technology concepts for funding under its 2026 NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts (NIAC) program, supporting a diverse portfolio of futuristic ideas ranging from lunar cave exploration and Venus-hardened spacecraft to a proposed fleet of 10,000 miniature satellites designed to probe Saturn’s rings. The agency announced on July 29 that the 18…
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SpaceX Pushes First Starship Tower Catch Attempt to Later This Year as Reusability Campaign Advances
SpaceX is now targeting its first attempt to catch a returning Starship upper stage with the launch tower “chopstick” arms within the next few months, a shift from earlier expectations that the milestone could occur on the vehicle’s next flight. The updated timeline came from CEO Elon Musk, who said the company’s first Starship tower-catch…