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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

Reuters

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

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

Space.com

Artemis II Flight Day 3: Crew Prepares First Trajectory Correction Burn and Historic Lunar Observations

2026-04-03T04:18:42.562483-07:00

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

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

Space.com

Atlas V LA-05 to lift program's heaviest-ever payload at 1:45 a.m. ET on April 4 Liftoff of United Launch Alliance's Atlas V LA‑05 is scheduled for 1:45 a.m. ET on Saturday, April 4. The flight will carry the heaviest payload ever launched on an Atlas V, demonstrating the vehicle's performance near its upper mission capability and adding to a busy launch week.

2026-04-03T09:10:45.297317-07:00

Atlas V LA-05 to lift program's heaviest-ever payload at 1:45 a.m. ET on April 4

Via Satellite

SpaceWERX awards STRATFI to Gravitics to accelerate Orbital Carrier development Gravitics has been awarded a Strategic Funding Increase (STRATFI) contract by SpaceWERX, the U.S. Space Force's innovation arm, to accelerate development and demonstration of its Orbital Carrier architecture. The financing aims to speed maturation of Gravitics' in-space logistics and hosting capabilities for military and commercial payloads.

2026-04-03T08:55:33.661332-07:00

SpaceWERX awards STRATFI to Gravitics to accelerate Orbital Carrier development

Space.com

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Artemis II Flight Day 3: Crew Prepares First Trajectory Correction Burn and Historic Lunar Observations After a successful translunar injection burn on April 2 and an eight‑hour crew rest, the four‑person Artemis II team entered Flight Day 3 preparing the mission’s first trajectory correction burn. NASA posted a highlights video as the crew received assignments to collect historic lunar observations during the 10‑day flyby.

2026-04-03T04:18:42.562483-07:00

Artemis II Flight Day 3: Crew Prepares First Trajectory Correction Burn and Historic Lunar Observations

SpaceNews.com

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Space Pioneer’s 71‑m Tianlong‑3 reusable rocket fails on maiden flight from Jiuquan Space Pioneer’s 71‑meter Tianlong‑3 reusable launcher failed on its maiden launch from Jiuquan after an anomaly during the early ascent phase prevented orbital insertion. The setback underscores technical hurdles facing China’s commercial launch firms as they attempt to close the capability gap with SpaceX.

2026-04-03T03:17:09.038900-07:00

Space Pioneer’s 71‑m Tianlong‑3 reusable rocket fails on maiden flight from Jiuquan

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Launch Vehicles & Space Transportation 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

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

Artemis II Flight Day 3: Crew Prepares First Trajectory Correction Burn and Historic Lunar Observations

News Timeline