Polaris Program The Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Suit (News Release - May 4) In February 2022, Jared Isaacman and SpaceX announced the Polaris Program, an effort designed to rapidly advance human spaceflight capabilities, while also supporting important causes here on Earth. Polaris Dawn, the first of the program’s three human spaceflight missions, is targeted to launch to orbit no earlier than summer 2024. During the five-day mission, the crew will perform SpaceX’s first-ever Extravehicular Activity (more commonly known as an EVA or spacewalk) from Dragon, which will also be the first-ev ..read more

NASA / Joel Kowsky NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test Rolls to Pad (News Release) NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test mission to send two of the agency’s astronauts to the International Space Station is in the final stages of prelaunch operations. Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft, stacked on a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocket, rolled from ULA’s Vertical Integration Facility to the launch pad at Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on May 4, in preparation for launch. The 45th Weather Squadron predicts a 95% chance of favorable weather conditions for launch, with th ..read more

Boeing NASA to Hold Prelaunch News Conference Following ULA Launch Readiness Review (News Release) Plans to send two NASA astronauts aboard Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft on a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Atlas V rocket early next week remain on track. ULA completed its Launch Readiness Review on May 3 and gave a “go” to proceed towards launch at 10:34 p.m. EDT on Monday, May 6, from Space Launch Complex-41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Teams at ULA assessed the readiness of the rocket, discussed the pre-flight work, reviewed launch day operations, and previewed the ear ..read more

NASA NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 Makes Room for Boeing Starliner at Space Station (News Release) NASA’s SpaceX Crew-8 crew members aboard the International Space Station relocated the Dragon spacecraft on May 2, to make room for Boeing Starliner’s upcoming visit. NASA astronauts Michael Barratt, Matthew Dominick and Jeannette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin, undocked the Dragon spacecraft, named Endeavour, from the forward-facing port of the station’s Harmony module to the zenith port, freeing up the forward port for Starliner to autonomously dock to during NASA’s Boeing ..read more

NASA NASA’s Artemis II Orion Spacecraft Completes Electromagnetic Testing (News Release) On Friday, April 26, engineers completed a series of electromagnetic tests on the integrated Orion crew and service module for NASA’s Artemis II mission inside the Neil A. Armstrong Operations and Checkout (O&C) Building at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. During testing, engineers subjected the spacecraft to electromagnetic energy using wave guides, amplifiers and antenna horns while inside an altitude chamber. The test helps verify that all of Orion’s electronic systems can work in ..read more

United Launch Alliance NASA Gives Starliner ‘Go to Proceed’ (News Release - April 25) Team prepares for the spacecraft’s first crewed flight to the International Space Station. Boeing and NASA are proceeding with plans for the CST-100 Starliner spacecraft’s Crew Flight Test following a Flight Test Readiness Review at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The readiness review is a standard pre-launch milestone ahead of all human spaceflight missions, and is a forum for technical briefings and discussions for NASA and its partners to align on readiness. Carrying NASA astronauts But ..read more

NASA NASA, Boeing Crew Lands in Florida for Starliner Mission (News Release) NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams landed on April 25, at the Launch and Landing Facility at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida after a short flight from Ellington Field near NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Paying homage to their piloting days as retired U.S. Navy captains, they flew to Kennedy in a T-38 jet. As part of NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, Wilmore and Williams are the first to launch aboard the company’s Starliner spacecraft on a ULA (United Launch Alliance) Atlas V rocke ..read more

SpaceX Work Underway on Large Cargo Landers for NASA’s Artemis Moon Missions (News Release - April 19) Under NASA’s Artemis campaign, the agency and its partners will send large pieces of equipment to the lunar surface to enable long-term scientific exploration of the Moon for the benefit of all. NASA’s human landing system providers, SpaceX and Blue Origin, are beginning development of lunar landers for large cargo deliveries to support these needs. NASA has contracted SpaceX and Blue Origin to provide landing systems to take astronauts to the Moon’s surface from lunar orbit, beginning wi ..read more

NASA Slovenia Signs Artemis Accords, Joins Pursuit of Safer Space (Press Release - April 19) NASA and Slovenia affirmed their cooperation in future space endeavors on Friday as Slovenia became the 39th country to sign the Artemis Accords. The signing certified Slovenia’s commitment to pursue safe and sustainable exploration of space for the benefit of humanity and took place during a U.S.-Slovenia strategic dialogue in Ljubljana, Slovenia, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Offices. “NASA welcomes Slovenia to the Artemis Accords,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. "Today, the partnershi ..read more

NASA NASA Embraces Sweden as Newest Member of Artemis Accords Family (Press Release - April 16) On Tuesday, April 16, NASA welcomed Sweden as the 38th country to sign the Artemis Accords and commit to peaceful and safe space exploration. Minister for Education Dr. Mats Persson signed the accords on behalf of Sweden at an event in Stockholm. “NASA welcomes Sweden to the Artemis Accords family,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Our nations have worked together to discover new secrets in our Solar System, and now, we welcome you to a global coalition that is committed to exploring the he ..read more