Plus: Rocket Lab delays Neutron launch
| Welcome to our roundup of top SpaceNews stories, delivered every Friday! This week, NASA announced a new Artemis 3 mission and kicked the crewed lunar landing back to Artemis 4 or 5, Rocket Lab delayed its Neutron launch to later this year and more.
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| | | | | OUR TOP STORY
| | By Jeff Foust NASA announced major changes to its Artemis lunar architecture, adding a test flight of lunar landers in low Earth orbit while canceling planned upgrades to the Space Launch System.
At a Feb. 27 briefing, NASA said it would change the schedule of upcoming Artemis missions to add a flight in 2027 where Orion will rendezvous and dock with lunar landers from Blue Origin and/or SpaceX while in low Earth orbit. The mission would also test a new spacesuit being developed by Axiom Space.
That new mission will be named Artemis 3, which had been reserved for the first crewed lunar landing attempt. Under the new plan, the first lunar landing would be attempted on Artemis 4 in 2028, with the possibility of an Artemis 5 in late 2028.
| | | | | | | LAUNCH
| | The failure of a propellant tank during testing in January will delay the first launch of Rocket Lab's Neutron rocket to at least the fourth quarter of this year.
China's Tianwen-2 spacecraft is operating normally on its way to a near-Earth asteroid ahead of sampling later this year, according to a rare official update.
China will begin its first one-year duration astronaut mission this year, while the first international astronaut will make a short visit to Tiangong space station.
| | MILITARY
| | The U.S. Space Force said it will not fly additional national security missions on United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket until an investigation is completed into a performance anomaly during a Feb. 12 launch.
Funding for the U.S. Space Force this fiscal year approaches $42 billion when mandatory and discretionary dollars are combined, according to a new analysis unveiled Feb. 24 by the National Security Space Association.
When the United States Space Force was first created, one of its early recruiting ads showed uniformed service members standing watch in spacesuits, gazing over Earth from orbit. The imagery drew criticism for suggesting a military presence in space that did not exist. | | | | | | | COMMERCIAL
| | British mobile operator Virgin Media O2 said it started offering satellite-to-smartphone connectivity in the United Kingdom Feb. 26, marking the first commercial deployment of SpaceX's Starlink Direct-to-Cell service in Europe.
Seraphim Space announced Feb. 25 it has completed fundraising for its second private early-stage venture fund, after exceeding its $100 million target to back young space technology startups.
Sierra Space announced that longtime defense executive Dan Jablonsky has been appointed chief executive officer, effective March 2. | | | |  | | SPONSORED CONTENT
| | By EarthDaily From conception to first launch in 2025, EarthDaily made a deliberate choice to invest the time required to build a mission people can trust, not just one that they can see.
Most commercial optical satellites are built around a single or limited number of primary imaging assemblies: a small number of optical paths delivering multispectral or hyperspectral data through a unified instrument. | | | | | | | Get a clear, curated view of what matters most: Subscribe to SpaceNews for less than $5 a week – or save more than 25% on a multi-user subscription for your team – and gain foresight that helps you make smarter strategic decisions, reduce surprises and stay credible in an industry where being informed is not optional – it's essential to success. | | Subscribe now | | | | | |  | Latest Press Releases
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