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Category: space travel

Artemis II kisses the Moon! — Space Renaissance with Artemis 2 on lunar farside!

This is the preliminary webinar #16 of the IV SRI World Congress (SRIC4)
Abstract:
The expansion of the commercial spaceflight sector and democratization of space is creating new opportunities for artists to engage directly with the environment of space. For a new generation of space artists, space presents new physical and philosophic questions. This webinar explores how space artists are redefining their practice through direct engagement with space, using case-studies of work that has been deployed on board the ISS, sub-orbital flights, and zeroG flights. Through these, the webinar will explore how artists are revising traditional art methods and materials through interactions with microgravity; the relationships between artists, astronauts and audiences; and the disciplinary and hierarchy challenges faced by artists operating in the space sector.

An essential Bio:
Dr Barbara Brownie is an Associate Dean (Education) at the Royal College of Art. Barbara’s research explores space as a site for art and design, with a particular focus on effects of weightlessness. Her book, Spacewear: Weightlessness and the Final Frontier of Fashion (Bloomsbury, 2019), considers the challenges and opportunities that the commercial space age presents to fashion designers, and how weightlessness necessitates new approaches to clothing and the dressed body. Her most recent book, Art in Orbit (Bloomsbury 2025), explores the relationship between the arts and space sectors, and the spaceworks that demonstrate art’s value in space exploration. In 2026 and 2027 she will be sending writing and artworks to space on three separate flights: one sub-orbital, one orbital, and one lunar. She co-leads the _Space research group at the RCA, a group of artists and researchers operating at the intersection of art and aerospace.

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Space Updates / Overmedicated Children

In the first half, space historian and author Rod Pyle discussed the renewed U.S. lunar ambitions under NASA’s Artemis program, along with other space news. Describing the recent Artemis rocket launch as “smooth as silk,” he praised the Space Launch System (SLS), though he acknowledged its high cost and reliance on shuttle-era technology. He explained that the SLS was built under NASA’s traditional cost-plus contracting model, contrasting it with private-sector efforts like SpaceX and Blue Origin, which assume more financial risk. Comparing Artemis to the Apollo-era Saturn V, Pyle noted both rockets are “remarkable machines” suited to their missions, but highlighted that Artemis cannot carry both the lunar module and capsule in a single launch as Saturn V did.

He outlined the Artemis timeline, with Artemis III originally planned for a Moon landing next year, now delayed to Artemis IV in 2028. Pyle also commended NASA chief Jared Isaacman for navigating budgetary challenges and advancing the Artemis program despite delays. Reflecting on the historic Apollo 8 mission as “a remarkably daring and dangerous mission” driven by Cold War geopolitics, he recalled the iconic “reading of Genesis from lunar orbit” and the transformative Earthrise photo. Elon Musk’s pivot from Mars to the Moon was driven by financial incentives and NASA funding delays, he suggested, noting that lunar missions are “a few days away, instead of seven or eight months,” making the Moon a more achievable target.

Addressing current spacefaring nations, the guest identified the U.S., Russia, China, Japan, and India as major players, with China rapidly advancing. China’s lunar program is “very steady and consistent,” Pyle said, and is aiming for a 2029–2030 landing that will replicate Apollo 11’s short visit, with longer-term plans for a lunar base. He raised the question of whether the U.S. and China can coexist on the Moon if both establish bases. On technology, he cited AI’s role in rover autonomy despite hardware limitations, noting successful AI-driven test drives on Mars. Looking further ahead, he projected human Mars missions in the mid-2030s, contingent on nuclear propulsion and necessary infrastructure.

Swift spacecraft reorientation buys time for reboost mission

WASHINGTON — NASA modified operations of an astrophysics spacecraft in a decaying orbit to buy more time for a mission later this year that will attempt to raise its orbit.

NASA announced in September it selected Katalyst Space to develop a spacecraft that will rendezvous with the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory and raise its orbit. Swift, launched in 2004, is in a decaying orbit, and the $30 million reboost mission would keep the spacecraft from reentering.

At an astronomy conference in early January, Jamie Kennea, a research professor at Penn State University who is head of Swift’s science operations team, said models projected that Swift’s orbit would decay below 300 kilometers, the minimum altitude for the reboost mission, sometime between mid-October 2026 and January 2027. That provided several months of margin for Katalyst’s Link spacecraft, scheduled to launch as soon as June 1 on a Northrop Grumman Pegasus XL.

Liftoff! NASA’s Artemis II Launch Sends Astronauts Around the Moon for First Time in 50 Years

NASA has launched four astronauts on Artemis II, the first crewed mission to fly around the Moon in more than 50 years.

Riding aboard the powerful SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft, the crew is on a 10-day test flight to prove critical systems, perform manual operations, and travel farther than any humans have in decades.

NASA artemis II launch begins historic crewed moon mission.

Lift off! Artemis II mission sends humans to the Moon — opening a new era of exploration

Hope, inspiration, and wonder. Making science fiction into reality. I salute all of the brave and brilliant people who have contributed to this vital mission. 3 An article on the Artemis II launch.

Four people are on their way to the Moon — for the first time since Apollo astronauts stepped off the lunar surface more than 50 years ago. They launched successfully this evening from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on NASA’s Artemis II mission, and, if everything goes to plan, they will travel farther from Earth than any human has before.

“Humanity’s next great voyage begins,” said NASA launch commentator Derrol Nail as the rocket cleared the launch tower.

The astronauts will now orbit Earth for about 24 hours to perform checks on their spacecraft, and then fire their rocket engines to set them on course for the Moon. The voyage there will take three days, the lunar surface growing ever larger in the capsule’s windows as they approach. On arrival, they will slingshot around the Moon’s far side, glimpsing lunar regions no human has ever seen by eye, and then make the three-day journey back home (see ‘Artemis II trajectory’).

LIVE NASA Artemis 2 Orion View of Earth

Watch live here!! Artemis II, NASA’s first crewed Moon mission in over 50 years, will launch astronauts around the Moon aboard the Orion spacecraft using the powerful SLS rocket. This historic NASA lunar mission will test deep-space life-support systems, high-speed Earth reentry, and the next phase of the Artemis program leading to the Artemis III Moon landing.
The Artemis 2 crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—will travel farther from Earth than any humans in decades, performing a lunar flyby, systems checkout, and deep-space trajectory critical for future Moon to Mars exploration. This mission is a major milestone for NASA Artemis, lunar exploration, Moon mission timeline, and the return of humans to the lunar surface. Space fans are watching for updates on Artemis II launch date, SLS rocket tests, Orion spacecraft performance, and NASA livestream coverage. Artemis II is the flagship NASA Artemis mission that will send the Artemis 2 crew of four Artemis II astronauts on a historic crewed lunar mission aboard the Orion spacecraft, launched by NASA’s powerful SLS rocket. This mission includes a precise lunar flyby and marks a major milestone in the Artemis program, advancing NASA’s long-term Moon to Mars strategy. As part of the modern NASA Moon mission campaign, Artemis II will test deep-space systems critical for future lunar exploration, including the planned Artemis 3 Moon landing. Space fans tracking the Moon mission timeline are watching closely for the official Artemis 2 launch date, major NASA spaceflight updates, and the upcoming NASA livestream. Expect major space news 2025 announcements as NASA releases each Moon mission update and continues preparing for humanity’s return—returning to the Moon for the first time in more than 50 years. Artemis Launch Live: Everything You Need to Know About NASA’s Return to the Moon.
The Artemis launch live event marks one of the most anticipated moments in modern spaceflight, as NASA prepares for a historic rocket launch today live from Kennedy Space Center Florida. This mission to the moon 2026 is part of the broader Artemis program, designed to return humans to the Moon for the first time since Apollo 17, the last moon mission in 1972.

The Artemis 2 mission is NASA’s first crewed flight in the Artemis program, following the success of Artemis 1 launch. Unlike earlier missions, Artemis II will not land on the moon, but instead will send astronauts aboard the Orion capsule on a deep-space journey around the Moon.

Where to watch Artemis launch.
How to watch the Artemis 2 launch.
Watch Artemis II launch live.
YouTube Artemis launch.
Artemis 2 Crew and Astronauts.

Artemis 2 flight path and timeline.

The Artemis II flight path will take the spacecraft around the Moon and back to Earth.

Common questions include:

Continue reading “LIVE NASA Artemis 2 Orion View of Earth” | >

Virgin Galactic expects commercial suborbital flights to resume late this year

“These spaceflights will be slotted in our manifest immediately after we fly the current members of our founding astronaut community, many of whom have been anticipating their spaceflight for several years,” he said.

The company started ticket sales about two decades ago and says it currently has a backlog of more than 650 customers. In its annual report for 2024, filed in February 2025, the company said it had a backlog of about 700 customers as of the end of 2024.

Virgin Galactic reported $2 million in revenue for 2025 and a net loss of $279 million. It ended the year with $338 million in cash and equivalents on hand.

The Aliens and Spaceships of Project Hail Mary (Explained)

With the movie project hail mary just out a few days back, we are here to discuss the alien species and the spaceships that appeared in the movie. If you have seen the trailer, you would know what Rocky is, but here we will discuss in detail about his species and two others that are key to the story.

Credits:
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/Ze… • (old archive) Project Hail Mary ship — gra…

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• (old archive) Project Hail Mary ship — gra…

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Teleportation is no longer just science fiction—at the quantum level

(Science fiction’s “warp drive” is speeding closer to reality.)

Inspired by science fiction, they landed on “quantum teleportation.” Since then, the idea has gone from theoretical concept to an experimentally verified reality. The first experiments in the late 1990s showed that quantum states could be transmitted across short distances, while subsequent research proved it works across increasingly longer distances—even to and from low Earth orbit, as Chinese scientists demonstrated in 2017. They’ve achieved quantum teleportation by taking advantage of quantum entanglement, a natural phenomenon in which tiny particles can become linked with each other across infinite distances.

Quantum teleportation is very different from the teleportation of matter we see in fiction. It involves transferring a quantum state without moving any matter. And while experts say it won’t lead to Star Trek-esque beaming, it could help bring about a new era of computing that revolutionizes our understanding of the subatomic world—and by extension, of the nature of the universe and everything within it.

Scientists successfully harvest chickpeas from ‘moon dirt’

As the U.S. plans to return to the moon with the upcoming Artemis II mission, a question endures: What will future lunar explorers eat? According to new research from The University of Texas at Austin, the answer might be chickpeas.

Scientists have successfully grown and harvested chickpeas using simulated “moon dirt,” the first instance of this crop produced in this medium. The research, which was conducted in collaboration with Texas A&M University, is described in a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Sara Santos, the principal investigator of the project, said that the work is a giant leap in understanding what it will take to grow food on the lunar surface.

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