Tag: lunar
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Artemis II returns to Earth after historic 10-day mission around the Moon
After 10 days, over 800,000 km traveled, and a historic flyby of the Moon, Artemis II returned to Earth on Friday evening. Orion CM-003 Integrity, which served as the home for the mission’s four-person crew since April 1, reentered Earth’s atmosphere over the Pacific Ocean before ultimately splashing down off the coast of San Diego,…
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Orion Spacecraft Races Toward Historic Lunar Flyby in Artemis II Mission
As NASA’s Artemis II mission enters its critical mid-flight phase, the Orion spacecraft—carrying the first crewed mission beyond low-Earth orbit in more than half a century—is steadily heading toward the Moon for a precisely timed lunar flyby on Monday, April 6. Launched on April 1, 2026, aboard SLS from KSC’s 39B, the four-person crew has…
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Trump Proposes 23% NASA Budget Cut During Artemis Moon Mission
Will Trump’s 23% NASA Budget Cut Kill the Artemis Program? President Trump released a fiscal year 2027 budget blueprint calling for a 23% cut to NASA’s $24 billion budget—a $5.5 billion reduction—just two days after the agency launched four astronauts on humanity’s first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years. The timing underscores the political…
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Artemis II returns humanity to the Moon with launch on Wednesday evening
At 23:35 UTC on Dec. 16, 1972, the Apollo 17 command module, America, successfully completed its trans-Earth injection burn, sending it and its crew of NASA astronauts Gene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt, and Ronald Evans on a return trajectory back to Earth. The moment marked the final time a crewed Apollo spacecraft was in orbit around…
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NASA readies unique science experiments and tech demonstrations for Artemis II crew
Artemis II, the next mission in NASA’s Artemis program to explore the Moon, is scheduled to launch from Florida within the coming weeks. The mission will be the first crewed mission to the vicinity of the Moon since 1972, with the four-person crew expected to travel farther than any other human mission in spaceflight history.…
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Artemis II rolls out to LC-39B for first crewed lunar mission since 1972
The rocket and spacecraft that will perform the first human spaceflight to the vicinity of the Moon since December 1972 rolled out to Launch Complex 39B at the Kennedy Space Center on Saturday, Jan. 17. The Orion spacecraft and its associated Space Launch System rocket, mounted on its mobile launch platform, started its rollout with…
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Startup GRU Space Opens Applications for Planned Lunar Hotel, Targets 2032 Opening
Galactic Resources Utilization (GRU) Space said on Monday it has begun accepting applications from prospective lunar tourists, asking for a $1 million deposit to reserve a place at a planned Moon-based hotel that the startup says could open as early as 2032. The California-based company, founded in 2025, said the deposit would secure a future…
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NASA Prepares Artemis 2 for February Lunar Mission After Schedule Acceleration
NASA is entering the final phase of preparations for its Artemis 2 mission, the first crewed flight toward the Moon in more than 50 years, as the agency moves up its launch timeline to February 2026. The U.S. space agency had previously targeted April 2026 for the mission, which will send four astronauts on a…
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NASA’s Artemis 2 Moon Flyby on Track for April Launch, Potentially February
NASA officials said on Tuesday that Artemis 2, the first crewed flight in the agency’s Artemis program, is on schedule for an April launch, with the possibility of moving the date up to February. The 10-day mission will see four astronauts fly around the moon and return to Earth, serving as a precursor to the…
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Japan’s ispace and ElevationSpace Plan First Lunar Sample Return Mission
Japanese space exploration firm ispace, inc. said on Sunday it will partner with in-orbit transportation startup ElevationSpace to develop a private lunar mission that would return samples from the Moon, marking a first for the country if successful. The two companies plan to combine ispace’s orbital transport vehicle with ElevationSpace’s reentry capsule technology to enable…