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NASA Spaceflight • Justin Davenport

NASA and Astrobotic pick lunar south pole site for VIPER and Griffin ahead of Artemis human landings

NASA and commercial partner Astrobotic have selected a site on the Moon’s south pole for the VIPER rover and Astrobotic’s Griffin lander, marking a coordinated robotic reconnaissance ahead of planned Artemis human missions. The designation focuses science on volatile‑rich terrain close to proposed Artemis 4 touchdown zones.

2026-04-03T16:12:35.997218-07:00

Universe Today

ISRU‑equipped aerobot concept could sustain multi‑year Venus atmospheric exploration, 50 years after Venera‑8

2026-04-03T15:50:52.644860-07:00

New York Times

Musk ties banks' advisory access on SpaceX IPO to paid Grok subscriptions

2026-04-03T10:38:22.220735-07:00

Space.com

Blue Ghost's first thermal readings upend Moon's nearside–farside temperature divide

2026-04-03T11:07:06.785586-07:00

News Timeline

NASA Spaceflight

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NASA and Astrobotic pick lunar south pole site for VIPER and Griffin ahead of Artemis human landings NASA and commercial partner Astrobotic have selected a site on the Moon’s south pole for the VIPER rover and Astrobotic’s Griffin lander, marking a coordinated robotic reconnaissance ahead of planned Artemis human missions. The designation focuses science on volatile‑rich terrain close to proposed Artemis 4 touchdown zones.

2026-04-03T16:12:35.997218-07:00

NASA and Astrobotic pick lunar south pole site for VIPER and Griffin ahead of Artemis human landings

Universe Today

ISRU‑equipped aerobot concept could sustain multi‑year Venus atmospheric exploration, 50 years after Venera‑8 Scientists propose an aerial robotic platform (an aerobot) using in‑situ resource utilization (ISRU) to harvest Venus’ atmosphere and power onboard systems, potentially enabling continuous operations for years. That capability would be a dramatic advance over the Soviet Venera‑8 mission, which returned data for under an hour 50 years ago.

2026-04-03T15:50:52.644860-07:00

ISRU‑equipped aerobot concept could sustain multi‑year Venus atmospheric exploration, 50 years after Venera‑8

Reuters

SpaceX pushes next Starship test flight from April to May, Musk says SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said the company's next Starship test flight has slipped from April to May, delaying the orbital test campaign by roughly one month. SpaceX did not provide a detailed reason for the postponement or a firm launch date.

2026-04-03T11:10:36.264127-07:00

SpaceX pushes next Starship test flight from April to May, Musk says

Space.com

Blue Ghost's first thermal readings upend Moon's nearside–farside temperature divide New measurements from Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander challenge the decades‑old idea that the Moon is cleanly divided between a hotter near side and a cooler far side. The lander's in‑situ thermal data reveal surface‑temperature patterns that require rethinking lunar thermal and geologic models.

2026-04-03T11:07:06.785586-07:00

Blue Ghost's first thermal readings upend Moon's nearside–farside temperature divide

Space.com

1st results from Blue Ghost lunar lander reveal how much we still don't know about the moon

2026-04-03T11:07:06.785586-07:00

1st results from Blue Ghost lu

SpaceNews.com

Argotec opens first U.S. satellite production facility in Florida to serve rising U.S. demand Argotec has opened its first U.S. satellite production facility near Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The move cements an Italian firm's foothold in the U.S. market as foreign space companies expand capacity to meet growing demand from American civil and commercial programs.

2026-04-03T10:58:05.903270-07:00

Argotec opens first U.S. satellite production facility in Florida to serve rising U.S. demand

New York Times

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Musk ties banks' advisory access on SpaceX IPO to paid Grok subscriptions Elon Musk is requiring Wall Street firms to purchase subscriptions to his AI chatbot Grok as a condition for advising on SpaceX's potential mega-IPO — one of the largest listings in history. Firms seeking advisory or underwriting roles must subscribe to Grok to be eligible.

2026-04-03T10:38:22.220735-07:00

Musk ties banks' advisory access on SpaceX IPO to paid Grok subscriptions

SpaceWatch Global

Oman signs Artemis Accords, pledges 200% space investment surge and a Gulf launch port under Vision 2040 Oman's government has signed the Artemis Accords and announced plans to increase space investment by 200%, including development of a Gulf launch port as part of Vision 2040. Dr. Ali Al Shidhani framed the moves as a push to accelerate national capabilities, commercial activity and regional launch capacity.

2026-04-03T10:00:00.462238-07:00

Oman signs Artemis Accords, pledges 200% space investment surge and a Gulf launch port under Vision 2040

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Commercial Space News

NASA and Astrobotic pick lunar south pole site for VIPER and Griffin ahead of Artemis human landings

ISRU‑equipped aerobot concept could sustain multi‑year Venus atmospheric exploration, 50 years after Venera‑8

Musk ties banks' advisory access on SpaceX IPO to paid Grok subscriptions

Blue Ghost's first thermal readings upend Moon's nearside–farside temperature divide

News Timeline