Top Stories: Artemis 2's journey begins

Plus: The White House once again proposes slashing NASA's budget

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04/03/2026 READ IN BROWSER ENDS TODAY: Track every major launch, announcement and policy shift – use code STAYAHEAD to save 25% on a new SpaceNews subscription. SPONSORED BY Welcome to our roundup of top SpaceNews stories, delivered every Friday! This week, Artemis 2 launches and heads to the moon, The White House proposes steep budget cuts for NASA, SpaceX reportedly files for an IPO and more. If someone forwarded you this edition, sign up to receive it directly in your inbox every Friday. Artemis 2 on the pad on the morning of April 1, ahead of its successful launch that afternoon. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls OUR TOP STORY Artemis 2 heads to the moon By Jeff Foust NASA's Artemis 2 mission is on its way to the moon after a successful maneuver April 2. The Orion spacecraft Integrity fired its main engine at 7:49 p.m. Eastern for five minutes and 50 seconds. The translunar injection, or TLI, burn, which took place as Orion reached the 185-kilometer perigee in its elliptical orbit around Earth, placed the spacecraft on a free-return trajectory around the moon. "With that successful TLI, the crew is feeling pretty good up here on our way to the moon," Jeremy Hansen, one of the four astronauts on Artemis 2, told controllers shortly after the burn. SPONSORED Golden Dome will demand more than connectivity—it requires deterministic, mission-grade software from cloud to intelligent edge to ensure predictable, trusted outcomes. Join Wind River and SpaceNews on April 20 to explore the future of missile defense, where sensor fusion, decision engines, and resilient software enable mission assurance allowing forces to adapt at the speed of software. We'll break down what it takes to support hyper-connected missions that simply cannot fail. Because when it matters most, it runs on Wind River. CIVIL Artemis 2's (nearly) 10-day flight around the moon The Artemis 2 mission will send humans to the vicinity of the moon for the first time in more than 50 years on a mission lasting about nine days and two hours. Orion will reach its farthest point from Earth a little more than five days after liftoff. Swift spacecraft reorientation buys time for reboost mission 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. White House again proposes steep NASA budget cuts For the second consecutive year, the White House is proposing a major budget cut for NASA that would significantly impact the agency's science programs and the International Space Station. LAUNCH China's commercial Tianlong-3 rocket fails on debut launch The first launch of the Tianlong-3 rocket from Chinese commercial firm Space Pioneer failed Friday after suffering an anomaly in its ascent phase. ESA launches first Celeste satellites to test complementary LEO navigation layer The European Space Agency has launched the first two satellites of the Celeste in-orbit demonstration mission from New Zealand aboard a Rocket Lab Electron launcher on March 28. China targets 140 launches in 2026 amid commercial space surge China plans to conduct around 140 orbital launches this year, according to a commercial launch executive, marking a sharp acceleration in the country's launch cadence. COMMERCIAL SpaceX quietly files for big bang IPO SpaceX has taken a key step toward going public after confidentially filing for a potentially record-breaking initial public offering, according to multiple reports citing people familiar with the matter, in what space leaders hope is a watershed moment for the industry. Starcloud achieves unicorn status with $170 million raise for orbital data centers Starcloud has raised a $170 million Series A to accelerate development of its next-generation spacecraft, reaching a $1.1 billion valuation as it awaits permission to deploy an 88,000-strong orbital data center network. SpaceX and Amazon spar over satellite deployments Amazon says it will revise deployment plans for its broadband satellite constellation while denying claims from SpaceX that its current approach represents a space safety risk. FROM SPACENEWS Sale ends today! SpaceNews reporting allows you to track every major development across the industry. Give yourself a head start – subscribe today and save 25% on a new subscription with code STAYAHEAD. Sale ends Friday, April 3. Latest Press Releases Moog Technology Successfully Steers Artemis II Launch Antaris™ Raises $28 Million Series A to Accelerate AI-Driven Space Missions Commercial Space Federation (CSF) Welcomes Two New Associate Members Publish your press release with SpaceNews' premier press release service and start seeing results today. 📨 Don't miss what's next. Sign up for other SpaceNews newsletters: NEW Europe Report: Tracking the policy landscape, investment climate and regional priorities driving Europe's space ambitions. First Up: Every weekday morning, Jeff Foust delivers the day's most important industry headlines. Military Space: Veteran defense journalist Sandra Erwin with weekly news and insights for the military space professional. China Report: Biweekly news and analysis from correspondent Andrew Jones on business, politics and technology in the Chinese space industry. SpaceNext AI: Exploring the intersection of space and artificial intelligence. 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Breaking: White House proposes steep cuts for NASA budget

The White House proposal includes similar cuts as last year

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04/03/2026 BREAKING NEWS White House again proposes steep NASA budget cuts For the second consecutive year, the White House is proposing a major budget cut for NASA that would significantly reduce the agency's science programs and the International Space Station. The top-level budget proposal included $18.8 billion for NASA, a 23% reduction from what the agency received in a final fiscal year 2026 appropriations bill in January. —By Jeff Foust Read Now Subscribe to SpaceNews This email has been sent to generalastronomy110.stnirp@blogger.com because you previously opted in to receive breaking news alerts from SpaceNews. Unsubscribe here. Sign up for other SpaceNews newsletters. SpaceNews.com | Advertise with SpaceNews Contact us | Privacy policy | Terms and conditions SpaceNews.com | Advertise with SpaceNews | Contact us | Privacy policy | Terms and conditions © 2026, SpaceNews, 100 Fillmore Street, 5th Floor, Denver, CO 80206, United States