Tag: Artemis
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MDA Space advances Gateway robotic arm despite funding uncertainty
Will MDA Space complete the Gateway robotic arm amid funding uncertainty? MDA Space is pressing forward with development of the Canadarm3 robotic system for NASA’s lunar Gateway station while navigating ongoing discussions with the Canadian Space Agency about program continuity and funding levels. The Toronto-based contractor confirmed work continues on the 8.5-meter manipulator system despite…
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NASA Pushes Beyond Rad-Hard Chips for Next-Gen Space Computing
How is NASA moving beyond radiation-hardened processors for space missions? NASA is partnering with industry to advance high-performance spaceflight computing beyond traditional radiation-hardened processors, marking a fundamental shift from the agency’s decades-long reliance on rad-hard chips that prioritize survival over speed. The initiative addresses a critical performance gap: while commercial processors deliver teraflops of computing…
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Lunar Debris Now Exceeds 200 Pieces as Moon Mission Traffic Surges
How Much Lunar Debris Now Orbits and Litters the Moon? The Moon now harbors over 200 cataloged pieces of human-made debris across its surface and orbital environment, marking the first significant accumulation of space junk beyond Earth orbit. This debris field includes failed landers, spent upper stages, impact craters from intentional crashes, and scattered hardware…
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Janet Petro Steps Down as Kennedy Space Center Director
What does Janet Petro’s retirement mean for Kennedy Space Center operations? Janet Petro, director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center since 2021, announced her retirement Friday after a 19-year career with the agency. Her departure comes as KSC manages the most ambitious launch manifest in decades, including multiple Artemis Program missions, Commercial Crew Program flights, and…
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Artemis III core stage assembly arrives at the Kennedy Space Center
Nearly one month after Artemis II’s historic launch with four astronauts flying by the Moon, processing for the next Artemis flight is making progress in advance of its scheduled 2027 flight. The core stage assembly – not including the engine section – for Artemis III arrived at the turn basin at the Kennedy Space Center…
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NASA Gateway Modules Show Corrosion After Years in Storage
What’s causing delays with NASA’s Lunar Gateway modules? NASA’s Lunar Gateway faces a significant setback as its primary modules—the Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) and Power and Propulsion Element (PPE)—have developed corrosion during extended storage. Originally scheduled to launch in 2022, these critical components for lunar orbit operations have been sitting in storage facilities for…
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Starship Progress at the Cape with Hoping to Launch this year
As the first flight of Block 3 approaches, SpaceX continues to make progress on the Gigabay at Roberts Road and the launch pads at LC-39A and the first pad at SLC-37. SpaceX hopes to launch from LC-39A sometime this year. Roberts Road Over the past several months, SpaceX and its contractors have been making great…
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NASA Develops On-Demand IV Fluid Production for Deep Space Missions
Can astronauts produce their own IV fluids during deep space missions? NASA has developed technology to produce IV fluids on-demand during crewed missions beyond low Earth orbit, addressing a critical medical supply constraint for Artemis Program lunar missions and eventual Mars expeditions. The agency’s new system can manufacture saline solution using purified water and sodium…
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What’s the deal with spacesuits for the Moon? Will they be ready in time?
After the successful conclusion of the Artemis II mission earlier this month, focus turned to what comes next in NASA’s roadmap to return humans to the Moon. The biggest question concerned the readiness of lunar landers, the complex and essential machines needed to take astronauts down to the lunar surface and back up to orbit.…
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NASA 2028 Moon Landing Threatened by Spacesuit Development Delays
Will NASA’s spacesuit delays derail the 2028 Moon landing? NASA’s ambitious 2028 timeline for returning astronauts to the lunar surface faces a critical bottleneck: spacesuit development is running significantly behind schedule, according to a damning Office of the Inspector General (OIG) report released Monday. The report identifies the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit (xEMU) program as…