NASA is dealing with a host of safety and technical issues related to the spacecraft that will fly astronauts to the Moon, forcing it to postpone two Artemis missions as it tries to resolve a number of logistical challenges.
Ahead of NASA’s long-awaited return to crewed Moon landings, the space agency is testing an elevator that will carry astronauts from their spacecraft to the lunar surface. If all goes as planned, this elevator will be ready for the Artemis 3 and 4 missions, ambitiously set for 2025 and 2028.
A Martian moons mission, a plethora of private lunar landers, probes to Venus and Jupiter, and reusable heavy-lift rocket tests are among the many highlights we’ll be watching in the coming 12 months, in what looks to be an extraordinary year in spaceflight. Here’s your 2024 calendar.
SpaceX is actively preparing for the third test of its Starship launch system, a mission that may feature the inaugural attempt at in-flight propellant transfer. This capability is essential for enabling deep space missions and is a crucial component of NASA’s Artemis Moon plans.
Fresh footprints on the Moon aren’t likely to happen in 2025 as NASA hoped. A new report warns of significant delays to the Artemis 3 mission, the result of two key contractors—SpaceX and Axiom Space—not being able to deliver the goods on time.
In recent updates on NASA’s Artemis program, all four core stage engines have been installed onto the booster of the second Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, but a production issue has temporarily slowed work on the third.
Astronauts traveling to the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program will go there in style as Axiom Space taps luxury brand Prada to assist in the design of its spacesuit.
In preparation of landing humans on the Moon as part of the ongoing Artemis program, SpaceX recently ran a test of one of its lunar lander engines while simulating the cold temperatures of space.
The crew modules for NASA’s Artemis 2, 3 and 4 missions are currently stationed next to one another at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with the three spacecraft undergoing different stages of production for their upcoming launch dates.