Artemis – Spaceflight Now

May 1, 2026

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[ April 29, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 24 Starlink satellites on Falcon 9 rocket from Vandenberg SFB Falcon 9
[ April 29, 2026 ] SpaceX launches 6-ton ViaSat-3 F3 satellite on Falcon Heavy rocket Falcon Heavy
[ April 28, 2026 ] Launch preview: SpaceX seeks second attempt at Falcon Heavy launch following weather scrub on Monday Falcon Heavy
[ April 27, 2026 ] ULA launches 29 Amazon Leo satellites on Atlas 5 rocket from Cape Canaveral Atlas 5
[ April 27, 2026 ] SpaceX scrubs Falcon Heavy launch of final ViaSat-3 satellite due to poor weather Falcon Heavy

NASA confident Artemis 2 heat shield will protect crew during re-entry

April 10, 2026 William Harwood

When the Artemis 2 Orion crew capsule returns to Earth after flying around the moon, it will hit the discernible atmosphere some 75 miles above the Pacific Ocean at a blistering 24,000 mph, fast enough to fly from New York to London in less than 10 minutes.

Artemis astronauts send down Easter message, prep for lunar fly around Monday

April 5, 2026 William Harwood

Taking time out to send Easter greetings down to Earth, the four Artemis II astronauts closed in on the moon Sunday, already seeing unexpected detail on the surface and giving scientists a taste of things to come during a pass over the lunar far side Monday evening.

Artemis 2 crew blasts off on historic moon mission

April 2, 2026 William Harwood

A three-man one-woman crew blasted off on a voyage to the moon Wednesday, riding atop the world’s most powerful operational rocket as it roared away on a trail-blazing flight to help pave the way for upcoming lunar landings and an American moon base.

Launch preview: NASA to launch Artemis 2, its first Moon-bound mission with astronauts since 1972

April 1, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The four astronauts will spend more than nine days onboard their Orion spacecraft and is poised to pass the distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39B is scheduled for Wednesday, April 1, at 6:24 p.m. EDT (2224 UTC).

Artemis 2 astronauts arrive in Florida ahead of April 1 launch attempt

March 27, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The crew is expected to land in Florida around 2:30 p.m. EDT (1830 UTC) on Friday. April 1 at 6:24 p.m. EDT (2224 UTC) is the earliest launch opportunity during a six-day window.

NASA outlines ambitious $20 billion plan for moon base

March 25, 2026 William Harwood

Along with plans for a moon base, senior NASA managers also outlined work to develop nuclear power systems for use on the moon and Mars to keep astronauts, habitats and other equipment warm while providing the electricity needed for research, construction and daily operations.

NASA returns its SLS rocket back to the launch pad ahead of planned April flight of Artemis 2

March 19, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The rollout of the 322-foot-tall rocket took fewer than 12 hours after first motion, which occurred at about 12:20 a.m. EDT (0420 UTC). NASA hopes to launch the crewed test flight to the Moon no earlier than April 1.

NASA Administrator teases further Artemis program updates in one-on-one interview

March 14, 2026 Will Robinson-Smith

The conversation took place amid the flight readiness review for the Artemis 2 mission, which is currently set to launch no earlier than April 1, 2026, pending work being completed in the Vehicle Assembly Building.

NASA ready for another shot at launching Artemis 2 moon mission

March 13, 2026 William Harwood

At the conclusion of a two-day flight readiness review, “all the teams polled ‘go’ to launch and fly Artemis 2 around the moon, pending completion of some of the work before we roll out to the launch pad,” said Lori Glaze, associate administrator of Exploration Systems Development at NASA Headquarters.

NASA inspector general assesses agency’s management of moon lander risk

March 10, 2026 William Harwood

NASA’s Office of Inspector General said that while NASA is working to “mitigate and prevent hazards” associated with lunar landers being built by SpaceX and Blue Origin, “there are currently gaps in the agency’s approach, including in its testing posture and crew survival analyses,” including what might happen after a catastrophic but non-fatal event.