Tag: SLS
-
Lego announces NASA Artemis SLS rocket set to lift off (literally) in 2026
How do you top a highly detailed scale model of NASA’s new moon-bound rocket and its support tower? If you’re Lego, you make it so it can actually lift off. Lego’s NASA Artemis Space Launch System Rocket, part of its Technic line of advanced building sets, will land on store shelves for $60 on January…
-
In their own words: The Artemis II crew on the frenetic first hours of their flight
How calm, cool, and utterly chill is the crew of NASA’s first Moon mission in more than half a century? Let’s start with Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. “You know me, personally, I hope to take a very short nap on the pad,” he said. “There’s enough time built in there to have a nap. I’ve…
-
SpaceX, Blue Origin, Stoke, and others make major progress on Cape launch facilities
The two spaceport launch facilities in the Cape Canaveral area — NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) and the U.S. Space Force’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS) — are on the verge of even bigger changes than have been seen in the last few years. In a recent flyover of the Cape, NSF obtained new…
-
Artemis II astronauts discuss mission status ahead of in-capsule training
Scheduled to launch in February 2026, the Artemis II Orion capsule and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket are currently at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for final integration and stacking. The Artemis II astronauts — comprised of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — recently spoke…
-
Blue Origin, Relativity Space, Stoke Space, and more all completing major upgrades at Cape Canaveral
Numerous upgrades have been observed during NSF’s recent flyover, as efforts continue to bring upgraded systems online for commercial launchers, including SpaceX, Blue Origin, Relativity Space, Stoke Space, and ULA, as well as NASA’s SLS. Renovations of old launch facilities, new land leases, and other developments have also been seen from the sky, providing a…
-
Boeing updates EUS progress via thrust structure render
Boeing is expected to spend 2.8 billion dollars on NASA’s brand-new Exploration Upper Stage (EUS), which is set to ride with the Space Launch System Block 1B version of the rocket, and this week showed off part of its hardware, or at least a render of it. See Also ML-2 Updates SLS Forum Section Click…
-
Final ML-2 tower module added as Artemis and SLS Block 1B receive a funding reprieve
Mobile Launcher 2 (ML-2), the launch tower and platform to be used by the Block 1B variant of the Space Launch System (SLS), recently had its tenth and final tower module stacked on July 2. Module 10 will support the Orion crew access arm and related systems, and its installation brings the ML-2 tower’s height…
-
Northrop Grumman tests SLS Block 2 BOLE booster in Utah; nozzle issue seen
Northrop Grumman conducted the first test firing of its Booster Obsolescence and Life Extension (BOLE) five-segment solid rocket motor at its Promontory production and test site in Utah. The Development Motor 1 (DM-1) fired Thursday, June 26, at 12:25 PM MDT (18:25 UTC) and lasted for close to two minutes and 20 seconds, burning over…
-
Artemis II stacking and preparations underway even as SLS faces budget cuts
The SLS program continues with preparations for the first human spaceflight to the Moon’s vicinity since 1972. Currently scheduled for April 2026, the mission’s date could be moved up to as early as February if no major issues arise. Meanwhile, the program’s future faces uncertainties as the proposed NASA budget for Fiscal Year 2026 aims…
-
White House budget seeks to end SLS, Orion, and Lunar Gateway programs
The White House released a “skinny” version of its budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 on Friday, including financial information for all federal agencies. A “skinny” budget simply means that while the document contains top-line numbers for agencies and their programs, it does not provide much in the way of specific allocations. The document was…