Tag: Blue Moon
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NASA Artemis III Demo Will Fly Two HLS Landers in 2027
Does NASA’s 2027 Artemis III Mission Actually Land on the Moon? No — and that distinction matters enormously for anyone tracking the Artemis Program schedule. NASA’s Artemis III, currently planned for 2027, is a crewed rendezvous-and-docking demonstration in low Earth orbit and cislunar space, not a lunar surface landing. The actual crewed Moon landing is…
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NASA considers sending a spare Mars rover to the moon to rev up preparations for lunar base
An engineering development version of the NASA rovers currently operating on Mars takes a spin at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California. (NASA via YouTube) NASA is considering repurposing an engineering development version of the nuclear-powered Mars rovers for a different destination: the moon’s south polar region. The plan calls for turning the test rover,…
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NASA Names Four-Astronaut Crew for Artemis III Docking Mission with SpaceX and Blue Origin Landers
NASA has selected three American astronauts and one European astronaut to fly on Artemis III, a landmark mission scheduled for late 2027 that will conduct the first in-space docking demonstrations between NASA’s Orion spacecraft and lunar landers developed by SpaceX and Blue Origin. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced the crew during a ceremony in Houston…
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After New Glenn anomaly, Blue Origin keeps focus on upcoming Blue Moon and Mars missions
Following the damaging loss of New Glenn during hotfire testing at Launch Complex 36 in late May, Blue Origin is moving quickly to get its massive orbital rocket back to flight by the end of the year. New Glenn’s launch manifest remains filled, and several of its most important upcoming missions will launch Blue Origin’s…
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Blue Origin’s rocket blowup could cause big problems for NASA — and a satellite slowdown for Amazon Leo
One day after Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket exploded on its launch pad during a static-fire test, United Launch Alliance’s Atlas 5 successfully sent 29 Amazon Leo satellites into low Earth orbit. (ULA via YouTube) Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture is still assessing the damage from this week’s catastrophic New Glenn rocket explosion on…
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NASA taps Blue Origin to deliver lunar rovers for Moon Base initiative
An artist’s conception shows Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 1 lander lowering an Astrolab rover to the lunar surface. (NASA Illustration) Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture has won NASA’s nod to deliver crew-carrying rovers to the lunar surface as part of the space agency’s decade-long plan to create a base near the moon’s south…
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NASA overhauls Artemis moon program — and Blue Origin’s lander may be given a bigger role
An artist’s conception shows the integrated design for the Blue Moon Mark 2 lander. (Blue Origin Illustration) NASA is reworking its Artemis moon program to add a test mission for commercial lunar landers in low Earth orbit next year, with a crewed lunar landing to follow in 2028 at the earliest. The revised plan raises…
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Space Science in 2026: New lunar explorers, Mars missions, and space telescopes
With many missions on the manifest, the new year promises to be packed with space science. Two interplanetary spacecraft will arrive at their destinations as another Mars window opens in late 2026. Meanwhile, multiple space telescopes have their launch dates set for this year, and the schedule promises an increased cadence for lunar missions. The…
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Year in Space: Get ready for moon missions to take center stage in 2026
An artist’s conception shows the Orion spacecraft’s main engine firing during a lunar flyby, surrounded by eight auxiliary engines built by L3Harris’ Aerojet Redmond facility. (NASA Illustration) Lunar missions once felt like the domain of history books rather than current events, but an upcoming trip around the moon is poised to generate headlines at a…
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Blue Origin unveils new spacecraft and New Glenn upgrades
Fresh off its highly successful NG-2 flight, which launched the ESCAPADE Mars probes and featured a successful booster landing, Blue Origin unveiled the Blue Moon Mk1 robotic lander due to fly in 2026, possibly on New Glenn’s next flight. In addition, the company announced its future New Glenn 9×4 rocket while giving the current New…