Tag Archives: artemis program

NASA held the second round of hot firing in a new test series for the RS-25 engine, a component of the Space Launch System rocket that would eventually send astronauts to the Moon. The space agency said Wednesday it performed the test on Tuesday at Mississippi-based Stennis Space Center. The engine fired for a total of  over eight minutes during the test.

NASA has launched an environmental test for the propulsion system of a small satellite that would verify the safety of the Moon's cislunar orbit. The space agency said Tuesday its Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System Technology Operations and Navigation Experiment or CAPSTONE would study the unique orbit's dynamics to reduce risks of NASA's planned Gateway lunar outpost.

Two NASA-operated facilities will collaborate on the testing and certification processes for flight software the agency intends to use on its mission to land astronauts on the moon in 2024. “The Artemis program provides resources to help us improve the product, which benefits everyone who uses it," said Jacob Hageman, team lead for the Gateway cFS certification effort.

Jim Bridenstine, a 2019 Wash100 Award recipient, recently discussed the importance of the Artemis program and moon missions moving into the future. “We need our Artemis program, we need our moon-to-Mars program, to span generations…We need to make sure that we’re leading the world in a return to the moon and on to Mars,” Bridenstine said. 

The Japanese government has inked an agreement with NASA to provide capabilities to sustain the habitation module of the agency's Gateway orbital outpost as part of the Artemis program. Gateway is designed to support scientific research efforts and function as a rendezvous point for astronauts that will fly to the Moon via the Space Launch System and the Orion spacecraft. 

Canada's space agency has officially agreed to provide an external robotics system and execute other efforts for NASA's Gateway, an orbiting space outpost that will support lunar exploration missions. Canada will provide the Canadarm3 robotic arm and interfaces for robotic modules that would help Gateway personnel install instruments, NASA said Wednesday.

NASA has selected 17 U.S. companies for 20 partnerships to advance industry-developed space technologies for the agency’s missions, NASA reported on Monday. The partnerships will create a 3D printing system for NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration program, remove dust from planetary solar arrays and mature a first-stage rocket recovery system. 

NASA has announced that the agency will develop new partners to support the Artemis program and advance human exploration of the Moon, the agency reported on Thursday. NASA plans to further explore the lunar surface and create a sustainable human presence with Artemis in preparation for future human missions to Mars.

Jim Bridenstine, the administrator of NASA and 2019 Wash100 Award recipient, said he intends to implement common safety standards across all participants, including foreign entities, of the Artemis program, Space News reported Wednesday.

Maxar Technologies has been selected to support Dynetics, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Leidos, in designing and building a Human Landing System (HLS) for NASA’s Artemis program, the company announced on Friday.