NASA’s Artemis II SLS moon rocket with the Orion spacecraft slowly rolls again in direction of the Automobile Meeting Constructing on the Kennedy Area Heart on February 25, 2026.
| Photograph Credit score: AP
The Nationwide Aeronautics and Area Administration (NASA) added a brand new mission to its Artemis moon programme involving a spacecraft docking check in Earth’s orbit earlier than touchdown its first astronauts on the moon in over half a century, overhauling the flagship U.S. moon effort amid aggressive strain from China.
The brand new Artemis mission, deliberate for 2027, is considered one of many moon programme adjustments the U.S. house company introduced on Friday (February 27, 2026) as China inches nearer to its personal 2030 crewed moon touchdown purpose, and U.S. security consultants warn extra testing is wanted earlier than NASA makes its crewed try and land on the moon, now deliberate as Artemis IV in 2028.
NASA additionally cancelled an effort to improve its Area Launch System rocket to as a substitute deal with growing that rocket’s manufacturing and flight charge, which has been gradual relative to newer rockets. The transfer impacts Boeing’s roughly $2 billion contract to construct a extra highly effective SLS higher stage, present plans for which have been cancelled.
Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin are every creating an astronaut lunar lander for the programme, duelling to be the primary to attain the moon touchdown for NASA. Boeing and Northrop Grumman construct SLS, which carries the Lockheed Martin-built Orion astronaut capsule that can taxi the astronauts to one of many lunar landers in house earlier than touchdown on the moon.
The brand new mission permits extra follow for NASA earlier than its extra formidable step of touchdown on the moon, which had lengthy been deliberate for Artemis III. The company launched an uncrewed check of SLS and Orion in 2022 and is focusing on an April launch of Artemis II, taking 4 astronauts across the moon and again.
The up to date Artemis III mission will contain Orion, with astronauts aboard, demonstrating its capability to dock with one or each of the lunar landers in low-Earth orbit. The method is a vital juncture in the company’s path to the moon.
Revealed – February 27, 2026 09:17 pm IST