Plus: A catch attempt during the next Starship test
By Dan Robitzski
When it comes to the 2028 crewed moon landing, the Artemis 4 mission, NASA leadership says it's staying flexible.
Catch up from Jeff Foust's article on the NASA briefing:
NASA officials say they are keeping open options regarding launch vehicles and landers to preserve a crewed lunar landing in 2028, even while acknowledging that a precursor mission in 2027 remains behind schedule.
During a two-hour briefing Oct. 23, the first detailed update on NASA’s Artemis program since early June, agency leadership outlined progress on both the Artemis 3 mission, a test flight in low Earth orbit planned for mid-2027, and the Artemis 4 lunar landing attempt in 2028.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said that NASA was maintaining its lander options open. As he put it, preserving optionality between Blue Origin’s Blue Moon Mark 2 lander or SpaceX’s Starship lander, as well as their respective upper stages, offers the best route to success for everyone involved.
"We have no intention of surrendering a viable path to the surface before the data and schedule compels us to do so," he said.
Still, deadlines are coming up soon. The current Starship lander development schedule, assuming all goes well, places the Artemis 4 mission in late 2028. One of Isaacman's main initiatives has been to accelerate NASA missions, which has placed mission deadlines and timeline projections under close scrutiny.
|
|
|
 |
2028 is a pivotal year for space. Coming up in our next magazine issue, which will be released on Monday, is a look ahead at various deadlines, timelines and turning points that converge on 2028. (Subscribe by the end of the week to receive this edition.)
One more change that has me curious: NASA is currently rolling out changes to its science mission selection process, shifting the focus to competitions for funding rather than flagship, agency-directed missions. I'm interested to see how something like the CLPS model will align or clash with science goals.
|
|
|
|
SPONSORED |
 |
Welcome to Space Tech Expo Europe, the premier gathering for space engineering and technology. Get ready to ignite your network, engage with top industry players, and discover the latest advancements in one convenient location. Join us for an unparalleled opportunity to elevate your expertise and forge meaningful connections in the ever-evolving world of space technology. From launch services, satellite operations, communications and ground systems, to materials suppliers, subsystems, engineering services, components, software suppliers and more, this is where the European space community converges to source solutions, build partnerships, and drive progress. Register now at Space Tech Expo Europe 2026. |
|
|
|
|
SIGNIFICANT DIGIT
|
$11.5B |
How much Amazon will pay to buy Globalstar in an acquisition approved by the Federal Communications Commission Oct. 27, accelerating Amazon's path to the direct-to-device connectivity market. |
|
|
|
|
|
STARSHIP CATCH
|
One of the most-watched timelines in space is the development of the SpaceX Starship. Its impact on the industry and global space economy would be unavoidable, with companies building themselves around its assumed progress.
SpaceX plans to catch the Starship upper stage on its next launch, planned for as early as next month, pending regulatory approval.
"For Flight 15 ... we’re going to attempt to catch both the booster and the ship,” SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said on an Oct. 20 earnings call. “This will be, if we succeed, the first time that an orbital launch vehicle has been fully recovered.”
As Jeff Foust wrote, "Recovery and rapid reuse of both Starship stages are essential to SpaceX’s plans for high flight rates and low per-flight costs for the vehicle."
Musk's projections for Starship's readiness and near-future launch cadence have fluctuated over time, but reliable upper stage reusability would represent a significant checkpoint. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Space Force shifted missile-warning and cislunar missions from Vulcan to Falcon Heavy.
|
|
|
A study has recommended several locations on the moon for future crewed missions, including a farside crater and an Apollo landing site, even as NASA focuses on a base at the lunar south pole.
|
|
|
|
Space Force is moving to acquire its first military capabilities designed for the vast reaches between Earth and the moon, setting a goal of fielding an initial system by late 2029 as Pentagon leaders describe cislunar space as a future battlefield.
|
|
|
China could field space-based directed-energy weapons by the end of the decade, the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency said in a new assessment.
|
|
|
|
|
|
FROM SPACENEWS |
 |
TOMORROW: Artificial intelligence is changing how intelligence organizations collect, process and exploit satellite imagery. As the volume of Earth observation data grows, AI is becoming essential for identifying patterns, detecting anomalies and delivering intelligence at operational speed. Join SpaceNews and Vantor on Thursday, Oct. 29 for a conversation that will explore how machine learning is transforming the GEOINT mission across defense, intelligence and commercial markets. Register now. |
|
|
|
|
