Category Archives: Human Moon Missions

Friday / 22 August 2025

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Artemis 2 Lunar Flyby Set to Make History Taking 1st Woman to Moon NLT April 2026 (NET Feb 2026)

Christina Koch—1st woman to Moon vicinity—on epic fly-by alongside Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen in Orion spacecraft as soon as 6 months from now; all are training rigorously, mastering simulators, suit-ups, life-support, spash-downs; global unity shines, with Hansen from Canada and European Service Module of Orion built in Germany with components from 10 countries to provide propulsion, power, thermal control and life support via 33 thrusters, 4 solar arrays, 11 km of wiring and 8600 kg of fuel just loaded, ready to perform trans-lunar injection burn to send Orion around the Moon after ~US$4B SLS launch, with Artemis 3 mid-2027 to set boots on the Moon of 1st woman

Image Credits: NASA  

Tuesday / 19 August 2025

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Artemis II On-Track for Lunar Flyby NET April 2026

Artemis II Mission 4 astronauts practicing night launch scenario, Christina Koch and Victor Glover (pictured), Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman, walking to craft, as well as emergency evacuation from pad; NASA Marshall in Huntsville “Rocket City” shipping to Florida the Orion stage adapter, 1.5 meters by 5.5 meters tall, built there, to be stacked on SLS rocket to connect to Orion craft; adapter will carry 4, and up to 17, CubeSats; 25 finalists from 10 countries are in the running for Moon Mascot plush toy zero-gravity indicator to be created by NASA, including one of Artemis herself

Image Credits:  NASA, NASA/Freelancer/collectSPACE.com, Derek Lacey/Axios

Friday / 15 August 2025

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LSIC Leverages Collaboration Among Academy / Commercial / Government Innovators for Moon Infrastructure

Lunar Surface Innovation Consortium (LSIC) advances foundational technology required for Artemis Moon missions and establishing long-term lunar presence; a one-day NASA meeting in 2020 is now 3,500+ collaborators from 1,200+ organizations, from all 50 states and 40+ countries; Director Jamie Porter invites participants; Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (JHUAPL) provides leadership, integration, documents / reports, as well as 12+ videos for engineers about lunar surface environments, challenges, design considerations; LSIC focus groups include ISRU, surface power, construction, and dust / temperature mitigation; Fall Meeting is 5-6 Nov at Georgia Tech in Atlanta

Image Credits:  LSIC

Friday / 1 August 2025

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Artemis II Astronauts Focused on the Importance of Mission

Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen on Artemis 2 mission around Moon NET April 2026; “We absolutely have the team … [to] make Artemis 2 a success,” said Wiseman; Glover expresses full confidence in Orion spacecraft, “entry and heat shields … parachutes”; “A true American success story: heat shield technology,” Hansen added, reducing ~2,760°C reentry temp to ~24°C inside; Koch said, “We have to keep asking hard questions”; they are focused on proving to the world that NASA and USA are capable of returning humans to the Moon; China is committed to landing people on Moon in 2020s

Image Credits: NASA, Canadian Space Agency; Pictured CW from upper L: Wiseman, Commander; Glover, Pilot; Koch, Specialist; Hansen, Specialist

Tuesday / 29 July 2025

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IM Re-Sets 3rd Landing to 2026, Pushing Forward on LTV, International Collaboration

Intuitive Machines (IM) is networking / outreaching internationally, working with companies in Norway, Germany, Hungary, and inspiring Mohamed Al Aseeri, CEO of Bahrain Space Agency, who signed the Artemis Accords for his country with goals of global collaboration / staying apprised of lunar tech; IM will add NASA-chosen Infrared Spectrometer (AIRES) developed at ASU Tempe and Microwave Spectrometer (L-MAPS) developed at UH Manoa to its Lunar Terrain Vehicle competing for NASA award to be announced NLT 31 Dec; IM CTO Tim Crain expects full IM-3 success via redundant laser rangefinders, lunar crater maps, 12 pre-landing orbits

Credits: NASA, IM

Tuesday / 22 July 2025

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New NASA Acting Admin Is “Fired Up and Ready to Launch” to the Moon; Supports Artemis

Appointed NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy opposes proposed NASA funding cut of 24.3% overall and 47% for science; Congress, both sides of the aisle / both houses, wants to maintain current funding (no inflation adjustment); Duffy tweeted: Our critical Moon mission, Artemis, must be as known & supported by America … as Apollo was! It’s a race to the Moon. Clock is ticking. I’m fired up and ready to launch! YouGov/CBS News poll shows 2/3 of Americans want Astronauts back on the Moon

Credits: NASA, X, nasawatch.com

Tuesday / 15 July 2025

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Artemis III Moonwalking Spacesuits Have Advanced Features for Astronaut Safety and Utility

Axiom Space Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU) incorporates visor by Oakley, uses gold-coated polycarbonate to withstand 145kph micrometeoroids (<2mm), provide crystal-clear vision, protect from South Pole UV rays, glare, dust; Axiom partners with Prada of Italy for outer materials of AxEMU, Nokia for communication system, GU company for in-suit nutrition; Axiom received US$228.5 million NASA Task Order; cost of each modular-sized Nomex-Kevlar-Mylar suit $5-15 million; can withstand temperatures -157°C to +121°C; weight on Earth ~127kg includes oxygen, liquid cooling, CO2 removal, power supply, fan; tested at NASA Johnson NBT

Credits: Axiom Space, Oakley, GU, Prada

Friday / 11 July 2025

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NASA Calls for Scientists to Add Expertise to Artemis III Geology Team; LSIC Advances Moon Missions

Participating Scientists (PS) are needed to supplement knowledge held by current members of Artemis III Geology Team and other NASA Artemis Project teams; applications to be a PS are due August 12; PS will engage in pre-mission planning for Artemis orbital and surface missions, mission operations and post-mission reports; NASA LSIC regularly convenes government, academia and industry to collaborate on technologies for a sustained human presence on the Moon, addressing challenges like power, dust mitigation and construction; online and in-person conferences are held monthly, Fall meeting just announced for Nov 5-6 at Georgia Tech in Atlanta

Credits: NASA

Tuesday / 24 June 2025

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Harsh Shadows at Lunar Poles Provoke Special Astronaut Training for Artemis III

Astronauts train at NASA Marshall in Huntsville AL on its 26m x 13m black epoxy floor, with 12kW and 6kW lights shining to simulate low-angle, high-contrast visual conditions at Moon South Pole where Artemis III astronauts will land; test engineer Emma Jaynes says “The color white can become blinding … shadows behind a lander could extend for miles”; called the world’s flattest floor, large items such as lander and rock mock-ups, and huge cloths to imitate regolith, can be moved easily across the floor on tiny air jets as in an air hockey game, simulating microgravity

Credits: NASA

Tuesday / 17 June 2025

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RENOMINATE ISAACMAN

Jared Isaacman as NASA Administrator was — and is — a good idea; his 100-page plan for NASA includes getting Artemis II on the launchpad this summer and flying by Dec 2025, 57 years-to-the-month after Apollo 8 instead of Apr 2026, and championing nuclear-electric propulsion; Isaacman would have donated his salary for scholarships and might have funded a flight to ISS; a confirmed NASA Administrator is now months away; NASA and USA would benefit from an Isaacman renomination

Credits: John Kraus, NASA