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yesterday

NASA Stacks Artemis II for Early February Launch as Agency Delays Artemis III and Reopens Lander Competition

NASA cites incomplete Starship refueling tests as it seeks options to keep a lunar return on track.

NASA astronaut and Artemis II pilot Victor Glover is assisted by U.S. Navy personnel as he exits a mockup of the Orion spacecraft in the Pacific Ocean during training Feb. 25, while his crewmates look on. The Artemis II crew and a team from NASA and the Department of Defense are spending several days at sea to test the procedures and tools that will be used to help the crew to safety when they splash down in the ocean at the end of their 10-day, 685,000-mile journey around the Moon next year as part of the first crewed mission under NASA's Artemis campaign.
NASA’s Orion spacecraft, named Integrity, was mated on top of the SLS rocket that will send it and its crew of four astronauts around the moon early next year. (Courtesy/Lockheed Martin)
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Overview

  • Orion, now named Integrity, was mated to the Space Launch System in the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center, with the mission targeting no earlier than February 5 for a crewed lunar flyby.
  • Acting administrator Sean Duffy said the Artemis III landing is now no earlier than 2028 and confirmed plans to open the human lunar lander contract to additional bidders.
  • Blue Origin is positioned as a potential competitor, with its larger Blue Moon lander in production and an uncrewed smaller lander reported as potentially flying before year’s end, though near-term readiness for a crewed mission remains uncertain.
  • NASA and independent reviews highlight the need for SpaceX to demonstrate large-scale cryogenic propellant transfer and complete certification milestones, aligning with GAO expectations that push a landing toward 2028.
  • SpaceX’s Starship program has progressed with recent test flights but remains behind NASA’s original timeline, and public tensions between Elon Musk and Duffy have surfaced as policy decisions focus on technical risk and schedule.