Category Archives: Lunar Flyby

Friday / 30 January 2026

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Artemis 2 Communications Enhanced by Volunteers Worldwide

With Space Launch System rocket / Orion spacecraft on Launch Pad 39B, NASA announces 34 participants globally to assist in Artemis 2 Moon mission communications; selected under Space Communication and Navigation (SCaN) program, it includes: Intuitive Machines and 12 other companies in USA, UK, Spain, Norway, Cameroon, Japan, New Zealand, Italy, Netherlands; CSA-ASC; German Aerospace Center (DLR); 4 individuals in USA / Canada; academia in Japan, Canada, Switzerland, USA; 7 amateur radio / non-profits in France, Argentina, Germany, Netherlands, USA; 4 radio antennas are on the Orion capsule, 2 on the European Service Module, and a laser communications device is on the Crew Module Adapter connecting them

Image Credits: NASA / JPL-Caltech, United Launch Alliance

Tuesday / 27 January 2026

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Artemis 2 Wet Dress Rehearsal Next, NET 2 February

Space Launch System with Orion spacecraft atop it, ~5,000,000kg of hardware, stands on Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center, awaiting Wet Dress Rehearsal fueling with cryogenic propellants and practice countdown NET 2 February; 3 NASA Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Astronaut Jeremy Hansen in day 4 of medical quarantine; Orion carries artifacts: Wright Brothers’ plane piece, American flag and its 50 stars from 1st and last Space Shuttle missions; NASA Administrator Isaacman acknowledges “a momentous step forward for human spaceflight . . . humans farther from Earth than ever before”

Image Credits: NASA / Keegan Barber, NASA / Robert Markowitz

Friday / 16 January 2026

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4 Artemis Astronauts Inspire Next Generation with 1st Human Lunar Exploration in 21st Century

In monumental fusion of engineering and initiative, 5,000,000kg NASA Artemis II stack travels 6.4km to Pad 39B Saturday 17 January, taking up to 12 hours, crew Wiseman, Glover, Koch and Hansen, with Isaacman, answer media questions 09:00 EST, all streaming live; marks transition from terrestrial assembly to lunar readiness; beyond technical validation of Space Launch System / Orion spacecraft, mission promises a new “Earthrise” moment, human-eye sight of lunar poles and Mare Orientale for first time; more than a flyby, a profound scientific / aspirational reawakening, reflecting 4.5B years of solar history, inspiring a new generation to explore the Solar System

Image Credits: AmericaSpace / Alan Walters, NASA during Artemis I, NASA / Gregory Manchess, Northrop Grumman – crew and booster, NASA / Anders-Lovell

Tuesday / 6 January 2026

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2026 Proposed Moon Missions to Advance Science, Prepare for Human Landings

Artemis 2 launching NET 6 Feb for Moon flyby, presaging NET 2028 landing of first woman and possibly 1st person of color or non-USA citizen; “early” 2026 Blue Origin cargo lander Mark-1 to test tech for Artemis 3 human lander; Intuitive Machines IM-3 plans H1 2026 science mission to Reiner Gamma, 7.5°N; Astrobotic Griffin-1 targeting July for taking Astrolab FLIP rover and its payloads to Nobile Crater at South Pole; “late” 2026 has Firefly sending Blue Ghost 2 to far side with Elytra orbital for comms, and China dispatching Chang’E-7 with lander, rover and hopper to hunt volatiles near South Pole

Image Credits: NASA, Astrobotic, Astrolab

Holiday / New Year Edition
Wednesday – Monday
24 Dec 2025 – 5 Jan 2026

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Upcoming Artemis 2 Mission Reflects Apollo 8 Mission

Artemis 2 expects to take humans farther than any has yet traveled, >390,000 km, with 1st woman and 1st from outside USA, launching NET 5 Feb; Apollo 8 is recognized for being 1st to bring humans beyond Earth orbit, traveling 377,349 km away; Artemis 2 Astronauts will be absent communication with Earth ~45 minutes during Moon far side flight, learning from Apollo 8 Astronauts who experienced this 10 times in 20 orbits; ~1/4 of Earth humans saw television broadcast before Trans Earth Injection 25 December 1968, presaging Artemis 2 laser-based Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System “O2O” with 4K ultra-HD video livestream

Image Credits: NASA, Artemis 2 mission patch (L), Apollo 8 silver token (R)

Tuesday / 2 December 2025

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Artemis 2 Nears Launch Window with Orion Stacked for Historic Lunar Flyby

Artemis 2 launches NET 5 February, 65 days, NLT 26 April; Orion capsule “Integrity” stacked atop SLS at Kennedy VAB before rollout to Pad 39B; technical preparation / critical testing includes interface among core / boosters / ground systems / capsule, propulsion, life support, connections with Near / Deep Space Networks for communication / navigation; Crew preps for 10-day mission—commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and specialist Jeremy Hansen (1st African-American and non-USA citizen, respectively, on Moon mission), specialist Christina Koch (1st woman to Moon, venturing ~274 times farther than any woman prior, ~384,000km vis-a-vis ~1,400km Polaris Dawn altitude); 1st woman on Moon via Artemis 3 planned NET 581 days hence

Image Credits: NASA, NASA / Cory Huston

Friday / 3 October 2025

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Europe Moves Forward with International Collaboration on Moon Missions for Exploration, Monitoring, Mining

Airbus (Netherlands / France, with German / USA / China / Canada offices) supplies European Service Module for Artemis II Orion spacecraft, providing life-support, avionics, solar power, propulsion; ESA Argonaut lunar lander planned to launch NET 2031; Blue Origin (USA / Luxembourg) teams with Luxembourg government / ESRIC / GOMSpace to create Oasis-1 orbiter to map water ice / H3 / rare minierals, before sending Blue Alchemist mining rig; Space Applications Services (Belgium) designing 300kg rover; ispace Europe awaits ESA approval for MAGPIE 30kg rover to analyze subsurface geology, hydrogen forms, et al

Image Credits: Airbus, Blue Origin, NASA

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 / 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