Tag: Artemis II
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It’s increasingly unlikely that humans will fly around the Moon next year
Don’t book your tickets for the launch of NASA’s Artemis II mission next year just yet. We have had reason to doubt the official September 2025 launch date for the mission, the first crewed flight into deep space in more than five decades, for a while now. This is principally because NASA is continuing to…
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NASA wants clarity on Orion heat shield issue before stacking Artemis II rocket
NASA would like to start stacking the Space Launch System rocket for the Artemis II mission—the first human flight around the Moon since 1972—sometime next month, but the agency’s exploration chief says the milestone could be delayed as engineers continue studying the readiness of the Orion spacecraft’s heat shield. The heat shield, already installed at…
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Rocket delivered to launch site for first human flight to the Moon since 1972
The central piece of NASA’s second Space Launch System rocket arrived at Kennedy Space Center in Florida this week. Agency officials intend to start stacking the towering launcher in the next couple of months for a mission late next year carrying a team of four astronauts around the Moon. The Artemis II mission, officially scheduled…
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NASA SLS Core Stage headed to KSC for Artemis II
Prime contractor Boeing rolled out the second Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage on July 16 from the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) and secured it to NASA’s Pegasus barge for transportation to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida over the next several days. The stage will control the beginning of the Artemis II mission…
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NASA confirms “independent review” of Orion heat shield issue
NASA has asked a panel of outside experts to review the agency’s investigation into the unexpected loss of material from the heat shield of the Orion spacecraft on a test flight in 2022. Chunks of charred material cracked and chipped away from Orion’s heat shield during reentry at the end of the 25-day unpiloted Artemis…
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NASA still doesn’t understand root cause of Orion heat shield issue
NASA officials declared the Artemis I mission successful in late 2022, and it’s hard to argue with that assessment. The Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft performed nearly flawlessly on an unpiloted flight that took it around the Moon and back to Earth, setting the stage for the Artemis II, the program’s first crew…
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NASA, Lockheed Martin working to resolve Artemis II Orion issues, deliver spacecraft around summer’s end
NASA is working with Orion spacecraft prime contractor Lockheed Martin to resolve a handful of issues that came up late last year during ground testing, forcing the space agency to delay the launch readiness target date for its Artemis II circumlunar mission to September 2025. The Lockheed Martin assembly, test, and launch operations (ATLO) team…
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While Artemis II schedule remains uncertain, NASA EGS preparing to be ready and waiting for stacking
At the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), NASA’s Exploration Ground Systems (EGS) program continues to prepare for the Artemis II circumlunar mission that was recently delayed to September 2025. EGS is finishing certification of new ground systems to support crewed launches of the agency’s Orion spacecraft with its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket beginning with Artemis…
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Boeing ramps up final assembly to complete Artemis II SLS Core Stage by year end
Following a cost-saving summer slowdown, NASA Space Launch System (SLS) Core Stage prime contractor Boeing is again working two shifts a day at the Michoud Assembly Facility (MAF) in New Orleans to complete final testing and checkout of the unit that will help send NASA astronauts back to the Moon on the Artemis II mission.…
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Rocket Report: European rockets finally fly; Artemis II core stage issues
Welcome to Edition 6.15 of the Rocket Report! We’re now more than three-quarters of the way through the year, and as of Thursday, there have been 156 orbital launches since January 1. Last year, which set a record for global launch activity, we didn’t reach 156 orbital launches until mid-November. At the cadence set so…