Ars Technica reports, “US and Japanese officials have signed an agreement to cement a partnership that will pave the way for a Japanese astronaut to walk on the Moon. The Japanese astronaut, still unnamed, will become the first international astronaut to walk on the Moon under the auspices of the NASA-led Artemis program.”
Full Story (Ars Technica)
Tag: Artemis Program
NASA’s SLS On Target to Serve in Artemis Program
Space News reports on the successful testing of NASA’s Space Launch System last year and the successful return of the Orion capsule during the Artemis I mission. “Does a successful first flight finally mean that SLS will return astronauts to Earth’s moon more than 50 years after astronauts last visited? Does it earn SLS a future among the United States’ fleet of launch vehicles? Spoiler: the answer to both questions is probably ‘yes’ – which has profound consequences for the future of United States spaceflight.”
Full Story (Space News)
NASA Selects Companies to Work on Artemis Program
The AP reported that NASA “has selected five U.S. companies to help the agency enable a steady pace of crewed trips to the lunar surface under the agency’s Artemis program.” The five companies that received awards are Blue Origin, Dynetics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and SpaceX.
Full Story (Associated Press)
NASA to Consider Every Agency Astronaut for Artemis Missions
SPACE reports that NASA announced Friday that it is considering every agency astronaut for Artemis missions. The announcement “rolls back a 2020 announcement that selected 18 astronauts for these missions.” NASA Johnson Space Center Astronaut Office head Reid Wiseman said, “The way I look at it, any one of our 42 active astronauts is eligible for an Artemis mission. We want to assemble the right team for this mission.
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NASA: Artemis 1 Will Not Launch Until May
SPACE reports an April launch is “no longer possible for Artemis 1, which will send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft around the moon using a huge Space Launch System (SLS) megarocket, agency officials said today (Feb. 24). And May could be difficult to hit as well.” Tom Whitmeyer, deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development at NASA headquarters in Washington, said Thursday during a virtual news conference, “We continue to evaluate the May window, but we’re also recognizing that there’s a lot of work in front of us.”
Full Story (SPACE)