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NASA Spaceflight • Sean Yoder

Cygnus XL set for Falcon 9 launch to ISS as Minotaur IV cleared for Vandenberg STP‑S29A

Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL, carrying about 11,000 lb (≈5,000 kg) of science and supplies for Expedition 74, is scheduled to launch on a Falcon 9 to the ISS. Separately, Vandenberg has approved a Minotaur IV to carry the Space Test Program STP‑S29A mission.

2026-04-06T15:16:42.227346-07:00

Ars Technica

NASA’s Moon ship and rocket are performing — commercial lunar landers remain the open question

2026-04-06T12:01:51.352233-07:00

Space.com

Artemis II crosses two‑thirds of transit, enters lunar space and shares Earth–Moon photos

2026-04-05T22:06:18.783705-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Isaacman defends FY2027 plan to slash NASA budget by nearly 25% on CNN

2026-04-05T15:27:22.141437-07:00

News Timeline

NASA Spaceflight

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Cygnus XL set for Falcon 9 launch to ISS as Minotaur IV cleared for Vandenberg STP‑S29A Northrop Grumman's Cygnus XL, carrying about 11,000 lb (≈5,000 kg) of science and supplies for Expedition 74, is scheduled to launch on a Falcon 9 to the ISS. Separately, Vandenberg has approved a Minotaur IV to carry the Space Test Program STP‑S29A mission.

2026-04-06T15:16:42.227346-07:00

Cygnus XL set for Falcon 9 launch to ISS as Minotaur IV cleared for Vandenberg STP‑S29A

Ars Technica

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NASA’s Moon ship and rocket are performing — commercial lunar landers remain the open question NASA says its Moon "ship" and rocket systems are performing as expected, but the plan for commercial lunar landers remains unsettled; agency officials cite “real commitment” from both Blue and from SpaceX while a definitive lander path has yet to emerge.

2026-04-06T12:01:51.352233-07:00

NASA’s Moon ship and rocket are performing — commercial lunar landers remain the open question

SpaceNews.com

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Moon base has a hardware plan — now it needs a software strategy Planned lunar surface infrastructure outlines habitats, power and logistics, but lacks a coordinated software architecture to run autonomy, operations, data and cybersecurity. Defining who builds and governs the base's operational software — standards, interfaces and update paths — is now a critical next step.

2026-04-06T06:02:22.086921-07:00

Moon base has a hardware plan — now it needs a software strategy

Payload

Inside Orion’s windows: an Artemis II supplier profile Part of our Artemis II supplier series, this piece examines the design and supplier work behind the Orion spacecraft’s windows. For astronauts who invested decades of training, the ability to see space firsthand — enabled by those windows — is a key part of the mission payoff.

2026-04-06T05:36:07.575116-07:00

Inside Orion’s windows: an Artemis II supplier profile

Space.com

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Artemis II crosses two‑thirds of transit, enters lunar space and shares Earth–Moon photos NASA's Artemis II has passed the two‑thirds point of its free‑return transit and officially entered lunar space, marking the first humans near the Moon since 1972. The crew rehearsed safety procedures ahead of a planned communications blackout during closest approach and released new Earth and Moon images.

2026-04-05T22:06:18.783705-07:00

Artemis II crosses two‑thirds of transit, enters lunar space and shares Earth–Moon photos

SpaceNews.com

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Isaacman defends FY2027 plan to slash NASA budget by nearly 25% on CNN On April 5, 2026, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman told CNN he stands behind a fiscal year 2027 budget proposal that would cut the agency’s funding by nearly 25%. The move intensifies immediate questions about program cancellations, science mission scope and Artemis-era priorities.

2026-04-05T15:27:22.141437-07:00

Isaacman defends FY2027 plan to slash NASA budget by nearly 25% on CNN

SpaceNews.com

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NASA halts Mobile Launcher-2 construction after SLS upgrade cancellation NASA has halted work on Mobile Launcher-2, the ground infrastructure built to support an upgraded Space Launch System variant the agency no longer plans to develop. The move cancels further investment in the second mobile launch platform tied to the canceled SLS upgrade.

2026-04-05T13:42:22.267703-07:00

NASA halts Mobile Launcher-2 construction after SLS upgrade cancellation

Wall Street Journal

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NASA’s Artemis II Heads to the Moon as Trump Ousts AG Pam Bondi NASA launched Artemis II, sending astronauts toward the Moon — the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo — even as President Trump removed Attorney General Pam Bondi, days after ousting Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The personnel moves raise questions about further cabinet upheaval.

2026-04-03T16:25:40.314364-07:00

NASA’s Artemis II Heads to the Moon as Trump Ousts AG Pam Bondi

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NASA News

Cygnus XL set for Falcon 9 launch to ISS as Minotaur IV cleared for Vandenberg STP‑S29A

NASA’s Moon ship and rocket are performing — commercial lunar landers remain the open question

Artemis II crosses two‑thirds of transit, enters lunar space and shares Earth–Moon photos

Isaacman defends FY2027 plan to slash NASA budget by nearly 25% on CNN

News Timeline