New York Times
• Kenneth Chang, Marco Hernandez
Artemis II launch validates traditional contractors as commercial rivals encroach
NASA's Artemis II successfully launched the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo, validating SLS/Orion systems built by traditional contractors including Boeing and Lockheed. The mission — a deliberate, high‑risk test roughly a quarter‑million miles from Earth — arrives as SpaceX and Blue Origin press into deep‑space roles.
