Tag: Artemis
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SLS working to overcome supply chain, weld issues to complete Artemis II Core Stage this year
NASA is now planning for the Space Launch System (SLS) core stage assigned to the Artemis II lunar flyby mission to be completed in mid-December for subsequent delivery to its Kennedy Space Center (KSC) launch site. The four RS-25 core stage engines were installed in the stage in September at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF)…
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Ars takes a close-up look at the first US lunar lander in half a century
HOUSTON—It has been 18,558 days since the United States landed a spacecraft on the Moon. And counting. NASA has not sent a spacecraft to make a soft landing on the Moon since the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972. Since that time, the Soviet Union, China, and India have successfully landed there, but the United…
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Lack of SLS rockets limit NASA Artemis manifest
NASA and its advisory bodies remain concerned about the low flight rate planned for its crewed Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, but the space agency doesn’t have enough vehicles to fly more often this decade. Hardware to launch only two more SLS vehicles is available until development of the Exploration Upper Stage…
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Artemis II crew visits Bremen, as Germany signs the Artemis Accords
ESA and Airbus, in coordination with NASA, hosted an Artemis II media event at the Airbus facility in Bremen, Germany, on Friday, Sept. 15. In this event, the whole crew of Artemis II was present at the facility where Airbus assembles the Orion European Service Module (ESM). The ESM will provide life support and propulsion…
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RS-25 engine installation into the Artemis II SLS Core Stage begins
Aerojet Rocketdyne, an L3Harris Technologies Company, is helping install four of its RS-25 liquid-propellant rocket engines in NASA’s second Space Launch System (SLS) core stage at the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans. The beginning of installation of the upgraded former Space Shuttle Main Engines (SSME) in Core Stage-2 at MAF on Sept.…
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Rocket Report: Japan launches Moon mission; Ariane 6 fires up in Kourou
Welcome to Edition 6.10 of the Rocket Report! A Japanese spacecraft has joined the international flock of missions traveling to the Moon this year, but you’ll need to practice patience on this one. It will take about four months for Japan’s small lander to get into lunar orbit, then more weeks to align with the…
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NASA modifies ML-1 for Artemis II, ML-2 under construction for SLS Block IB
As construction begins to assemble the Mobile Launcher-2 (ML-2) for Artemis IV, Mobile Launcher-1 (ML-1) secured its position once again back on top of Launch Complex 39B for pad validation and testing. This comes after ML-1 spent the better part of this year undergoing repairs and upgrades outside of the VAB at the West Park…
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Lockheed Martin, NASA lining up next Orion spacecraft for Artemis III and IV
Orion prime contractor Lockheed Martin has the spacecraft for NASA’s Artemis III and IV lunar landing missions in production alongside the Artemis II vehicle that is going into final assembly at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. Simultaneous assembly and test of three Orions is becoming the norm, as the Orion program works towards…
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Final ICPS arrives in Florida for Artemis III SLS launch
United Launch Alliance (ULA) delivered the last-ever Space Launch System (SLS) Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) from its Decatur, Alabama, factory to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) in early August for eventual use on the Artemis III lunar landing mission. ICPS-3 was also the last Delta hardware to depart Decatur and will support NASA’s…
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With NASA’s mobile launcher on the move, here’s a road map to Artemis II
NASA’s repaired and upgraded mobile launch platform moved back to its launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center this week. This marks a transition from refurbishment after the launch of the Artemis I mission last year into preparations for Artemis II—the Moon program’s first flight with astronauts. The giant structure sustained more damage than expected…