Category Archives: Women on the Moon

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 / 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

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 / 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

Tuesday / 25 March 2025

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Artemis 2: On-Track to Bring Humans Closer to the Moon than We’ve Been in More Than 50 Years

NASA Astronauts Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen are training meticulously for a million-km, 10-day Moon flyby in Orion spacecraft, 1st crewed flight of the Artemis campaign, Artemis II; set to launch NET April 2026 via Space Launch System (SLS), Orion is now at Kennedy Space Center; also there, SLS now has its 64-meter core stage — largest component of the rocket — joined with stacked solid rocket boosters; crew are testing Orion life support, communications and navigation systems and speaking with its engineers

Credits: CSA, NASA