2-Day Online Lunar Surface Science Workshop First Steps in a Bold New Era of Human Discovery to Consider Candidate Artemis III Landing Sites
Organized by (L-R) JSC planetary scientist Samuel Lawrence and Artemis 3 project scientist Noah Petro of GSFC, supported by LPI & USRA, LSSW 19 to showcase latest research into scientific viability of 13 prospective Artemis III landing sites within 6° of MSP; Comments to be given by NASA SMD Deputy Associate Administrator Sandra Connelly, SpaceX Director of Crew Starship engineering Eduardo Velazquez, Apollo 17 Astronaut Harrison Schmitt on 4 April; Sessions devoted to Malapert, DeGerlache, Haworth and DeGerlache-Kocher Massif, Faustini and Shackleton regions to be held 5 April
Biden-Harris Administration fiscal year 2024 USA budget allocates US$27.2B for NASA, a 7.1% increase, with $8.1B for lunar exploration & $949M for Mars sample return; Artemis II 4-member crew to be announced at joint NASA / CSA-ASC joint 
Landing near northern rim of Nassau crater on lunar farside (23.81°S, 176.83°E) on TBD commercial lander, Lunar Surface Electromagnetics Experiment-Night (LuSEE-Night) led by PI Stuart Bale (UC-Berkeley), co-investigator Jack Burns (CU Boulder) and DOE / Brookhaven National Lab is slated to be the first radio astronomy precursor to test low frequency detection limits (<50 MHz) in the pursuit of cosmological dark ages (380,000 years post-Big Bang) observation via 21-cm neutral hydrogen emissions; LuSEE-Night is to operate throughout lunar night / day cycle for up to 2 years thanks to 40-kg battery system
Under NASA NextSTEP-2 Appendix N US$45M award, Leidos subsidiary Dynetics has matured key equipment it hopes will strengthen its bid with partner Northrop Grumman for Appendix P: Human Landing System Sustaining Lunar Development & Demonstration contract / uncrewed & crewed demo missions around Artemis 5 or later (NET 2028); Tech validations include methalox main / RCS propulsion testing at MSFC, Cryogenic Fluid transfer demonstration at GRC, Electrodynamic Dust Shield modules (first created at KSC); Blue Origin-led team including Draper, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Astrobotic, Honeybee Robotics also competing for Appendix P contract
Build of next NASA Moonship advances with Artemis 2 SLS core stage nearing completion / integration with 4 Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-25 engines at Michoud Assembly Facility; Sets of SRBs for Artemis 2 & 3 await vehicle readiness at Utah Northrop Grumman plant; Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) in final assembly at Florida ULA factory; Orion European Service Module build progressing at KSC Neil Armstrong Building with acoustic tests slated for spring; Orbital test of Starship, the SpaceX vehicle planned to land Astronauts on the Moon (NLT 4 July 2026) may launch orbital test in March if imminent static fire of 33-Raptor engine Super Heavy prototype is successful