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Universe Today • Mark Thompson

Artemis II’s laser link shows what “calling home” from cislunar space requires

During Artemis II’s April lunar flyby, NASA’s breakthrough laser communications system enabled unusually detailed downlink coverage—showing the technical demands of high-rate optical links when the spacecraft is far from Earth and radio alternatives are constrained.

2026-04-30T14:15:22.762399-07:00

SpaceNews.com

House appropriators advance NASA bill to hold funding at 2026 levels, rejecting proposed 23% cut

2026-04-30T08:59:14.862135-07:00

Washington Post

Trump hosts Artemis II crew at the White House as NASA maps additional Moon missions through the end of his term and looks to 20

2026-04-29T03:53:16.489706-07:00

SpaceNews.com

Artemis II returns from lunar flyby; NASA pivots to the real test for Artemis III/IV—lunar landing execution amid US–China race

2026-04-27T06:20:22.151608-07:00

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Universe Today

NASA’s record-power lithium-metal-vapor magnetoplasmadynamic electric thruster successfully tested for future Mars trips NASA says its engineers completed a major milestone in high-power electric propulsion with a prototype lithium metal vapor (liquid lithium) magnetoplasmadynamic thruster. The system is intended to enable faster, more capable propulsion architectures for future Mars missions.

2026-04-30T20:39:44.778880-07:00

NASA’s record-power lithium-metal-vapor magnetoplasmadynamic electric thruster successfully tested for future Mars trips

Universe Today

Artemis II’s laser link shows what “calling home” from cislunar space requires During Artemis II’s April lunar flyby, NASA’s breakthrough laser communications system enabled unusually detailed downlink coverage—showing the technical demands of high-rate optical links when the spacecraft is far from Earth and radio alternatives are constrained.

2026-04-30T14:15:22.762399-07:00

Artemis II’s laser link shows what “calling home” from cislunar space requires

SpaceNews.com

House appropriators advance NASA bill to hold funding at 2026 levels, rejecting proposed 23% cut A House appropriations subcommittee advanced a spending bill that would keep overall NASA funding at 2026 levels, rejecting a proposed 23% reduction. The move sets up continued negotiations over the agency’s near-term budget baseline and any mission-level tradeoffs ahead of full House consideration.

2026-04-30T08:59:14.862135-07:00

House appropriators advance NASA bill to hold funding at 2026 levels, rejecting proposed 23% cut

Washington Post

Trump hosts Artemis II crew at the White House as NASA maps additional Moon missions through the end of his term and looks to 20 President Trump welcomed the Artemis II crew after their historic lunar flyby, highlighting what he says will become “more trips to the moon.” NASA also plans to extend Artemis missions beyond the current flight, with two lunar expeditions already set for 2028—including one intended to kick off construction of a lunar base.

2026-04-29T03:53:16.489706-07:00

Trump hosts Artemis II crew at the White House as NASA maps additional Moon missions through the end of his term and looks to 20

Ars Technica

Crew-13 patch redesigned to avoid “number 13” superstition as SpaceX prepares NASA’s 13th Commercial Crew Program flight SpaceX’s Crew-13 mission—NASA’s 13th flight under the Commercial Crew Program—will fly without any “triskaidekaphobia” pause. The crew’s patch design has been updated to address the superstition theme while keeping the mission’s in-flight identity work aligned with NASA’s crewed flight tradition.

2026-04-27T13:05:07.896343-07:00

Crew-13 patch redesigned to avoid “number 13” superstition as SpaceX prepares NASA’s 13th Commercial Crew Program flight

SpaceNews.com

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Artemis II returns from lunar flyby; NASA pivots to the real test for Artemis III/IV—lunar landing execution amid US–China race NASA’s Orion capsule with Reid Wiseman, Christina Koch, Victor Glover and Jeremy Hansen splashed down in the Pacific on April 10, completing the first crewed lunar mission in more than 50 years. With Artemis II complete, NASA now faces the program-critical challenge: proving Artemis III and IV can survive the operational and schedule realities of crewed lunar landings.

2026-04-27T06:20:22.151608-07:00

Artemis II returns from lunar flyby; NASA pivots to the real test for Artemis III/IV—lunar landing execution amid US–China race

Space.com

NASA’s “MoonFall” concept: a drone fleet to scout the lunar south pole NASA is exploring a new MoonFall effort that would use a fleet of drones to conduct robotic reconnaissance at the Moon’s south pole. The concept is aimed at improving situational awareness for landing and operations in a region central to NASA’s broader lunar architecture.

2026-04-27T03:20:27.653332-07:00

NASA’s “MoonFall” concept: a drone fleet to scout the lunar south pole

SpaceWatch Global

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Canada’s Joshua Kutryk assigned to NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 ISS rotation Canadian Space Agency astronaut Col. Joshua Kutryk has been assigned to NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 mission to the International Space Station. Crew-13’s patch design also incorporates Apollo 13 references as NASA continues its tradition of mission insignia tied to spaceflight heritage.

2026-04-26T23:56:13.687384-07:00

Canada’s Joshua Kutryk assigned to NASA’s SpaceX Crew-13 ISS rotation

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Artemis II’s laser link shows what “calling home” from cislunar space requires

House appropriators advance NASA bill to hold funding at 2026 levels, rejecting proposed 23% cut

Trump hosts Artemis II crew at the White House as NASA maps additional Moon missions through the end of his term and looks to 20

Artemis II returns from lunar flyby; NASA pivots to the real test for Artemis III/IV—lunar landing execution amid US–China race

News Timeline