Artemis program

Max Q: A week of firsts

In this issue: A first for NASA's Artemis program… and Japanese firm ispace; news from Quantum Space, and more.

NASA’s Orion capsule returns to Earth as ispace’s lunar lander takes flight

Sunday was a landmark day for both commercial and public space ventures, with NASA’s Orion capsule returning to Earth just hours after the launch of a privately funded and built lunar lander by Japa

Austin-based ICON awarded $57.2 million NASA contract for lunar construction tech

ICON, a construction tech company that’s raised more than $400 million in funding, has landed a new contract from NASA to develop new systems to build on the moon and Mars. The $57.2 million contrac

Here’s what NASA’s Orion spacecraft is doing over Thanksgiving weekend

Since taking off aboard the Space Launch System rocket last Wednesday, NASA’s Orion spacecraft has had a remarkably smooth journey. But it’s far from over. While millions of Americans prepare for

Artemis I is NASA’s moonshot mission to kickstart a new age of space exploration

Fifty-three years after humans first walked on the moon, NASA is kicking off its ambitious Artemis program to return us there, starting with an uncrewed launch of a massive new rocket on Monday. The A

Max Q: To the moon!!!

T-minus 1 week until Artemis I liftoff. Are you going? I'll be there! In this issue of Max Q: NASA's mega moon rocket rolls to the launch pad, Skyrora's testing milestone on Scottish soil, and more

Watch NASA roll out the mega moon rocket Space Launch System ahead of launch

NASA engineers have completed final tests of the Space Launch System (SLS), clearing the way for the mega moon rocket to roll out to the launch pad today instead of Friday as originally planned. The s

NASA’s mega moon rocket could see its first launch this summer

NASA announced Wednesday that it is targeting as soon as late August for the first flight of the massive Space Launch System rocket, though agency officials stressed that the dates are tentative and d

Rocket Lab’s CAPSTONE mission to the moon is key to establishing a lunar space station

“Going to the moon is no joke.” So said Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck, just days before the planned launch of CAPSTONE, a watershed mission for both NASA and the private space industry. The mission is

NASA is looking for a second company to develop a human moon lander alongside SpaceX

NASA will be giving another company a chance to send a lander to the moon, nearly a year after the agency announced that SpaceX beat out competitors including Blue Origin and Boeing for the opportunit

NASA’s mega expensive moon rocket will make its public debut Thursday

Twelve years after it was first announced, NASA’s massive Space Launch System will finally make its public debut. The super heavy-lift rocket and Orion spacecraft will begin the rollout to the launc

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin goes toe-to-toe with NASA in federal court over award to SpaceX

Blue Origin, the space company helmed by billionaire Jeff Bezos, is taking NASA to court. The company filed a complaint with a federal claims court on Monday over the agency’s decision to award a lu

Bezos offers billions in incentives for NASA’s lunar lander contract

Jeff Bezos, the billionaire founder of Blue Origin, is offering to knock up to $2 billion off the cost of developing a lunar lander and to self-fund a pathfinder mission in exchange for a NASA contrac

Masten Space Systems to develop a GPS-like network for the moon

Masten Space Systems, a startup that’s aiming to send a lander to the moon in 2023, will develop a lunar navigation and positioning system not unlike GPS here on Earth. Masten’s prototype is being

NASA seeking proposals for two new private astronaut missions to ISS

NASA said Friday it was seeking proposals from commercial companies for two new private crewed missions to the International Space Station. The first mission would likely take place between fall of 20

NASA’s new lunar vehicle could be built by GM and Lockheed Martin

The last time humans visited the moon, in 1972, they got around on a relatively simple battery-powered vehicle. As NASA prepares for the next crewed mission to the moon, it’s looking to give the lun

SpaceX wins NASA contract to develop human landing system for returning to the moon

The winner of NASA’s Human Landing System (HLS) contract award is SpaceX, which bid $2.9 billion for the privilege of developing the means by which NASA astronauts will return to the lunar surfa

Blue Origin will upgrade New Shepard rocket with the ability to simulate lunar gravity

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin will be providing NASA with a valuable scientific tool ahead of the U.S. space agency’s goal of returning to the Moon: The ability to run experiments in simulated l

Rocket Lab to go public via SPAC at valuation of $4.1 billion

The SPAC run is on for space startups, which have been relatively slow in their overall exit pace before the current special purpose acquisitions company merger craze got underway. Rocket Lab is the l

Intuitive Machines taps SpaceX for second lunar lander mission

The first commercial lunar landers are set to start making their trips to the moon as early as this year, and now another one has a confirmed ride booked: Intuitive Machines is sending its second land
Load More