NASA Names Artemis III Crew in Key Step Toward Lunar Return NASA has officially announced the four astronauts selected for the Artemis III mission, marking a pivotal milestone in the agency’s plan to return humans to the Moon. The crew, set to launch in 2027, includes mission specialists Andre Douglas and Frank Rubio, pilot Luca Parmitano, and commander Randy Bresnik. The mission will serve as a critical test flight for future lunar landings, with the crew launching from Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard the Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. During their journey, they will conduct rendezvous and docking tests with commercial spacecraft, a vital capability for subsequent Moon missions. The announcement was met with enthusiasm from the Artemis II crew, who flew around the Moon earlier this year. Commander Reid Wiseman handed Bresnik, the new commander, a symbolic baton, expressing pride in the transition. Bresnik acknowledged the gesture, calling it a tribute to the previous crew’s contributions. The event also featured praise from European Space Agency (ESA) director general Josef Aschbacher, who highlighted Italian astronaut Luca Parmitano’s role. Aschbacher noted Parmitano’s resilience after surviving a near-fatal incident during a spacewalk, where his helmet filled with water, and praised his ability to bring “Italian ease” to the mission. The Artemis III crew’s selection underscores NASA’s focus on collaboration and risk reduction. The mission is designed to last approximately two weeks, with the crew splashing down in the Pacific Ocean after completing tests of critical systems like power, navigation, and communications. These experiments aim to refine operations for future lunar landings, ensuring safety and efficiency.#nasa #blue_origin #artemis_iii #luke_parmitano #josef_aschbacher
AST SpaceMobile Shifts to SpaceX for Mid-June Satellite Launch Following BlueBird 7 Loss Following the recent loss of the BlueBird 7 satellite, AST SpaceMobile has announced plans to launch its next three BlueBird spacecraft aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, currently targeted for mid-June 2026. The decision marks a strategic shift in launch providers, driven by the need to maintain deployment momentum for its space-based cellular broadband network despite the setback from the Blue Origin New Glenn NG-3 mission on April 19. That mission, which left its payload in an unusable off-nominal orbit, has prompted AST SpaceMobile to seek alternative launch capabilities to fulfill its commitments. The June mission is positioned as a critical recovery effort following the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) grounding of Blue Origin’s New Glenn vehicle. The April 19 failure, attributed to an upper-stage engine thrust deficiency, resulted in the BlueBird 7 satellite failing to reach its intended trajectory. The satellite eventually burned up during reentry, disrupting AST SpaceMobile’s progress toward its goal of providing continuous commercial service. By securing a near-term slot with SpaceX, the company aims to deliver “Supplemental Coverage from Space” (SCS) to its global partners. With over $1.2 billion in contracted revenue commitments, AST SpaceMobile faces pressure to achieve its target of 45 to 60 operational satellites by the end of 2026. The three satellites scheduled for the June launch are “Block 2” units, representing a significant technological advancement for the company. These satellites feature the largest commercial phased-array antennas ever deployed in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), with each unit equipped with an aperture of approximately 2,400 square feet (223 square meters).#spacex #ast_spacemobile #blue_origin #bluebird_7 #new_glenn
NASA announces new Mars mission, reshapes goals on the moon NASA’s new administrator, Jared Isaacman, unveiled a transformative vision for the space agency during an event in Washington, D.C., outlining ambitious plans to accelerate lunar exploration and launch a groundbreaking Mars mission. The announcement marks a shift in NASA’s priorities, emphasizing a timeline and roadmap for establishing a permanent moon base while setting a 2028 deadline for a nuclear-powered Mars vehicle. Isaacman emphasized that the moon base will require significant investment, with NASA allocating approximately $20 billion over the next seven years. The project will be developed through a series of missions, with the goal of creating a sustainable habitat for astronauts. However, the exact allocation of funds and how much of the budget will be diverted from existing projects remains unclear. A key component of the plan is the shelving of the Gateway lunar space station, a joint international project intended to serve as a hub for lunar and deep-space missions. Instead, NASA will repurpose existing Gateway components to support the lunar base. Carlos Garcia-Galan, NASA’s Moon Base program executive, noted that “significant parts of exiting Gateway hardware and facilities can be directly repurposed” to aid in near-term exploration. The agency also aims to increase the frequency of robotic landers delivering cargo and scientific instruments to the moon, targeting monthly landings. This effort will complement NASA’s Artemis program, which seeks to return astronauts to the lunar surface by early 2028. The first crewed Artemis mission, Artemis II, is scheduled to launch in April 2026, with a planned uncrewed lunar orbit as a test.#nasa #artemis_program #jared_isaacman #gateway_lunar_space_station #blue_origin
