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Space.com • Josh Dinner

Artemis 3 SLS core stage moves into hardware integration ahead of 2027 lunar-landers test launch

NASA has raised the Artemis 3 SLS core stage into the Vehicle Assembly Building and is preparing for engine integration, advancing the rocket toward a planned 2027 launch. The step ties Artemis 3’s near-term hardware cadence to ongoing mission-profile planning as the agency readies for lunar landers validation.

2026-05-11T14:06:48.689628-07:00

SpaceNews.com

NASA appoints Brian Hughes as senior director of launch operations at Kennedy

2026-05-11T11:06:33.708474-07:00

NBC News

Pentagon launches new UAP “UFO” file release, including ~30 videos and Apollo-era materials

2026-05-08T08:49:56.355639-07:00

NASA

NASA JPL tests next-gen Mars helicopter rotor blades beyond Mach 1 in simulated Martian conditions

2026-05-07T11:50:12.271510-07:00

News Timeline

Space.com

Artemis 3 SLS core stage moves into hardware integration ahead of 2027 lunar-landers test launch NASA has raised the Artemis 3 SLS core stage into the Vehicle Assembly Building and is preparing for engine integration, advancing the rocket toward a planned 2027 launch. The step ties Artemis 3’s near-term hardware cadence to ongoing mission-profile planning as the agency readies for lunar landers validation.

2026-05-11T14:06:48.689628-07:00

Artemis 3 SLS core stage moves into hardware integration ahead of 2027 lunar-landers test launch

Space.com

NASA trains Artemis 2 crew to communicate lunar observations in “scientist language” Artemis 2 astronauts on NASA’s circumlunar mission were trained to describe what they observed in ways that match lunar scientists’ needs for interpreting the lunar environment. The crew’s off-nominal observations required clearer, science-ready reporting—highlighting how mission ops and crew training adapt in real time.

2026-05-11T11:07:29.147709-07:00

NASA trains Artemis 2 crew to communicate lunar observations in “scientist language”

SpaceNews.com

NASA appoints Brian Hughes as senior director of launch operations at Kennedy NASA says Brian Hughes will return as senior director of launch operations, based at Kennedy Space Center. The move places a former NASA chief of staff in charge of launch operations and has drawn attention on Capitol Hill. Hughes’ assignment takes immediate effect within NASA’s launch organization.

2026-05-11T11:06:33.708474-07:00

NASA appoints Brian Hughes as senior director of launch operations at Kennedy

Space.com

Voyager twin spacecraft reach very low power after nearly 50 years—NASA faces an end-of-mission cliff NASA’s Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 are still operating deep in interstellar space, but their power generation is now very low after nearly five decades. The agency’s ability to sustain operations is increasingly uncertain as systems continue to age and margins tighten.

2026-05-09T07:53:09.090996-07:00

Voyager twin spacecraft reach very low power after nearly 50 years—NASA faces an end-of-mission cliff

SpaceNews.com

Swift reboost mission completes environmental testing ahead of June launch for NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory NASA says the spacecraft built to reboost the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory—an astrophysics satellite facing orbital decay—has passed environmental tests and is on track for a June launch. The completed test campaign moves the mission into readiness for the upcoming launch window.

2026-05-08T14:58:34.189612-07:00

Swift reboost mission completes environmental testing ahead of June launch for NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory

Space.com

Blue Origin continues end-to-end testing of its first lunar lander at NASA centers ahead of later-this-year launch Blue Origin is running additional verification activity for its first lunar lander by testing the spacecraft at NASA facilities across the U.S. The work is intended to close remaining readiness items ahead of a lunar launch later this year and support mission preparation for a near-term return to the Moon.

2026-05-08T10:35:36.377115-07:00

Blue Origin continues end-to-end testing of its first lunar lander at NASA centers ahead of later-this-year launch

NBC News

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Pentagon launches new UAP “UFO” file release, including ~30 videos and Apollo-era materials The US Department of Defense began releasing a new tranche of declassified unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) files, including nearly 30 videos and additional images and transcripts. The disclosures also include material tied to NASA’s Apollo moon missions, with documents posted to a public portal as part of a broader transparency push.

2026-05-08T08:49:56.355639-07:00

Pentagon launches new UAP “UFO” file release, including ~30 videos and Apollo-era materials

European Spaceflight

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ESA starts risk-mitigation work to replace NASA contributions for LISA The European Space Agency (ESA) has launched efforts to reduce program risk by developing European alternatives to NASA’s planned contributions to the LISA mission. The move signals ESA’s intent to preserve mission continuity despite uncertainty around NASA-provided elements.

2026-05-08T04:10:07.547161-07:00

ESA starts risk-mitigation work to replace NASA contributions for LISA

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NASA News

Artemis 3 SLS core stage moves into hardware integration ahead of 2027 lunar-landers test launch

NASA appoints Brian Hughes as senior director of launch operations at Kennedy

Pentagon launches new UAP “UFO” file release, including ~30 videos and Apollo-era materials

NASA JPL tests next-gen Mars helicopter rotor blades beyond Mach 1 in simulated Martian conditions

News Timeline