artemis 1

The view from Orion on day 20 of NASA’s Artemis 1 mission. Photo: NASARelativity Space is poised to make history on Wednesday with the launch of Terran-1—a rocket primarily constructed from 3D-printed parts. Japan is also set for an inaugural launch, with the delayed H3 rocket now set for a do-over launch. We’re now into March, and things are really starting to heat up in the world of spaceflight. It’s going to be a busy week along Florida’s Space Coast, with at least three launches ready to rock. We’ve also got our eye…

The Space Launch System carrying the Orion spacecraft for the Artemis 1 mission launched on November 16, 2022. Photo: Brandon Hancock/NASANASA’s new lunar program is in full swing, thanks to the successful launch and return of the Artemis 1 mission in late 2022. Physics researchers recently determined that the roar of the Space Launch System megarocket was louder than anticipated—but not so loud as the NASA launch that sparked an urban legend.NASA officially kicked off the Artemis program with the launch of the…

The pre-existing liquid hydrogen tank at Kennedy Space Center, which holds roughly 50% less LH2 than the planned storage tank.Photo: NASA/Ben SmegelskyPreparations for the crewed Artemis 2 trip to the Moon are in full swing, with NASA rolling-out various fixes, upgrades, and new technologies to support the mission, which could happen as soon as 2024. Among the more exciting developments are a gigantic new hydrogen fuel tank and an updated escape system that harkens back to the Space Shuttle era.Artemis 2, the sequel to…

The Snoopy zero-gravity indicator following the Artemis 1 mission. Photo: NASAWe would be remiss not to mention the Snoopy zero-gravity indicator, which also came along for the ride. The plush doll, wearing an Orion spacesuit, was inside the crew cabin during Artemis 1and could be seen floating around the capsule alongside Campos. “NASA has held an association with Snoopy since the Apollo Era—the character has contributed to the excitement for NASA human spaceflight missions, helping inspire generations to dream big,…

Orion at at NASA’s Multi-Payload Processing Facility in Florida. Photo: NASA/Skip WilliamsThe Artemis 1 demonstration mission ended with a Pacific Ocean splash on December 11, but the task of evaluating the returned capsule, including its heat shield and internal payloads, has only begun. Orion survived its historic 1.4-million-mile journey to the Moon and back, but it now needs to survive an entirely different test: the scrutiny of NASA engineers. The uncrewed capsule splashed down in the Pacific Ocean in mid-December…

An illustration of LunaH-Map in orbit around the Moon.Illustration: Arizona State UniversityA mission to measure lunar water-ice on the Moon is in jeopardy after the cubesat failed to fire its engines shortly after launch. Time is now running out, as the team has until mid-January to fix the spacecraft’s thrusters and give it a second chance to enter lunar orbit.NASA’s LunaH-Map, manufactured by Arizona State University, was one of 10 cubesats launched on November 16, 2022 as secondary payloads aboard the Artemis 1…

The RS-25 engine during the hot-fire test on December Gif: NASA/SSC/GizmodoThe crewed Artemis 5 mission to the Moon won’t happen until 2028 at the earliest, but the mission and those that follow will benefit from upgraded RS-25 engines, which NASA will use to power future iterations of its gigantic Space Launch System rocket.This month’s first hot-fire test of the newly redesigned RS-25 engine lasted for 209.5 seconds, falling short of the planned 500 seconds, according to a NASA statement. The space agency performed the…

Orion captured this breathtaking view of Earth rising behind the Moon shortly after its second close lunar flyby on December 5. Photo: NASAFrom long-awaited rocket launches to an unprecedented asteroid encounter, the past 12 months in spaceflight have been a doozy. The events of 2022 will be shaping space exploration and commercialization for years to come.These striking images will let you relive the biggest moments of the year, like the Artemis 1 lunar mission, the DART asteroid deflection test, and the out-of-control…

An artist’s rendition of the BioSentinel spacecraft, which is a shoebox-sized CubeSat.Illustration: NASA/Daniel RutterBioSentinel, a first-of-its-kind experiment from NASA, is carrying living organisms over 1 million miles (1.6 million kilometers) into deep space to test the long-term effects of cosmic radiation on living things—in this case, yeast. NASA has unveiled a new real-time visualization tool so the public can follow along with BioSentinel’s progress.BioSentinel launched inNovember as part of a NASA effort to…

Orion’s view of the Moon on December 5, the 20th day of the mission.Photo: NASANASA’s Artemis 1 mission concluded with Orion’s immaculate splashdown in the Pacific Ocean on Sunday. Seemingly a billion years—and most assuredly a few billion dollars—in the making, the mission ended far too quickly for space junkies like me. But in those short few weeks, it managed to nail all its primary objectives. Artemis 1 was strictly meant as a demonstration mission, a way for NASA to test its new SLS megarocket and Orion…