Orion Spacecraft
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NASA
NASA Outlines Preliminary Artemis III Mission Plans
Editor’s note: This article was updated May 15, 2026, to add clarification to the spacer design. NASA is moving quickly to define next year’s Artemis III mission in Earth orbit, a crewed flight that will test rendezvous and docking capabilities between the agency’s Orion spacecraft and commercial landers from Blue Origin and SpaceX. Since a February announcement adding an Artemis mission ahead…
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NASA
Nicholas Houghton: Engineering Crew Safety for NASA’s Artemis Missions
Nicholas Houghton always dreamed of working at NASA and one day becoming an astronaut. Today, he helps design systems that keep crews safe during missions aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft, including the successful Artemis II mission around the Moon. Nicholas Houghton in NASA’s Orion Crew Survival System Spacesuit. I hope someday people look back at Artemis and marvel at the technological achievement and…
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NASA
Industry Moon Lander Training Cabin Lands at NASA for Artemis
A full-scale mock-up of a crew cabin for a future industry lunar lander for NASA’s Artemis program now is operational for training and testing. The agency and its industry partners will use Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2 crew cabin for mission simulations as the agency prepares to dock with landers in Earth orbit in 2027 and send astronauts to…
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NASA
I Am Artemis: Rebekah Tolatovicz
At NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, there is a fleet of Orion spacecraft in work, and Rebekah Tolatovicz’s hands have helped build each one. Tolatovicz works to build, integrate, and test the spacecraft used during the Artemis II test flight, as well as those designed to carry humanity to the Moon on future Artemis missions. Tolatovicz is a mechanical…
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NASA
Artemis II Splashes Down
This image from April 10, 2026, captures NASA’s Orion spacecraft, with its parachutes deployed, seconds before splashdown in the Pacific Ocean. The Artemis II crew accomplished many milestones on their nearly 10-day mission, surpassing the Apollo 13 record for farthest crewed spaceflight and capturing views of the far side of the Moon. Under Artemis, NASA will send astronauts on increasingly…
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NASA
Solar Eclipse of the Heart
The Moon, seen here backlit by the Sun during a solar eclipse on April 6, 2026, is photographed by one of the cameras on the Orion spacecraft’s solar array wings. During lunar flyby, the Artemis II astronauts observed a solar eclipse that only they could see due to their unique position. See more photos from the Artemis II mission. Image…
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NASA
NASA’s Artemis II Crew Eclipses Record for Farthest Human Spaceflight
Editor’s note: This release was updated at 7:28 p.m. EDT on April 6, 2026, to reflect Orion’s final closest approach to the lunar surface from about 4,070 miles to about 4,067 miles. NASA also updated the farthest distance Orion will travel. Four astronauts aboard NASA’s Artemis II test flight around the Moon made history at 12:56 p.m. CDT on Monday,…
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NASA
Night Sky Network Celebrates Artemis II
Today, the crew of Artemis II reaches a milestone, traveling farther than any humans in recorded history, as they orbit the far side of the Moon, roughly 4,000 miles above the lunar surface. You can watch this historic broadcast on NASA’s YouTube channel today, April 6, 2026, at 10 AM Pacific (1 PM Eastern), or on NASA+. Be sure to celebrate with your…
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NASA
The Near Side of the Moon
The astronauts aboard NASA’s Orion spacecraft captured this photo of the Moon’s near side on April 4, 2026. The image features dark patches at center and right; these are ancient lava flows, which are unique to this side of the Moon. The Artemis II astronauts – astronauts Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Christina Koch of NASA and CSA (Canadian Space…
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NASA
Illuminated in Orion
NASA astronaut Christina Koch reads on a tablet in the dimly lit Orion crew capsule in this April 3, 2026, photo. To the right of the image’s center, CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen is seen in profile peering out of one of Orion’s windows. Lights are turned off to avoid glare on the windows. On the third day…
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