Cislunar Newshttps://cislunar.news/2026-06-17T18:16:27.618ZInfrastructure journalism covering the emerging Earth-Moon economyCislunar NewsArtemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: What Went Wrong, and What Flight Provedcislunar-article-artemis-ii-wet-dress-rehearsal-february-20262026-06-17T18:01:32.178Z2026-06-17T00:00:00.000ZNASA is targeting Thursday, February 19 for the second wet dress rehearsal of the Space Launch System rocket at Kennedy Space Center, bringing Artemis II closer to its historic crewed lunar flyby mission. After resolving a hydrogen filter issue discovered during a February 12 confidence test, teams will conduct a nearly 50-hour countdown simulation including dual terminal count sequences. March 6 has been identified as the earliest feasible launch date.Cislunar NewsSpace Force's Cislunar Office Now Has a $6.2B SDA Signalcislunar-article-space-force-cislunar-acquisition-taskforce-april-20262026-05-17T18:00:00.000Z2026-05-17T18:00:00.000ZThe U.S. Space Force launched a cislunar acquisition task force in April 2026 to coordinate military buying across domain awareness, communications relay, and logistics for the Earth-Moon system. The new office sits inside Space Systems Command and will oversee AFRL's OraclePrime satellite, coordinate with NASA's commercial relay contracts, and engage with the commercial sector on dual-use infrastructure. The move comes as Artemis III targets a 2027 rehearsal, China's crewed lunar program advances toward 2030, and no single Space Force owner previously existed for cislunar acquisition.Cislunar NewsVulcan's SRB Fix Moves to the Test Stand, but Return to Flight Still Waitscislunar-article-vulcan-srb-recurring-problem-cislunar-20262026-05-20T18:00:00.000Z2026-04-01T00:00:00.000ZUnited Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur rocket experienced a solid rocket booster nozzle burn-through for the second time in four flights during the USSF-87 national security mission on February 12, 2026. The anomaly, identical to one observed during Vulcan's second certification flight in October 2024, raises serious questions about the root cause and the vehicle's reliability for the cislunar missions, Gateway components, and high-cadence national security launches it is scheduled to carry.Cislunar NewsFirefly Lights the Way: Ocula Is the First Commercial Lunar Imaging Servicecislunar-article-firefly-ocula-lunar-imaging-service-20262026-03-26T18:00:00.000Z2026-03-26T00:00:00.000ZFirefly Aerospace announced Ocula, the first commercial lunar imaging and mapping service, using Elytra orbital vehicles with LLNL-built telescopes at 0.2m resolution. Launching with Blue Ghost Mission 2 on a Falcon 9 in November 2026, it will orbit the Moon for 5+ years providing data for landing site scouting, mineral mapping, and cislunar domain awareness. SciTec AI enables on-orbit processing for real-time ground intelligence.Cislunar NewsVIPER's Ride to the Moon Is Real. Now Blue Moon Has to Land.cislunar-article-viper-rover-mission-status-update-20262026-05-27T18:00:00.000Z2026-03-23T00:00:00.000ZNASA's VIPER rover will spend 100 days exploring the Moon's permanently shadowed craters, where temperatures reach -230°C, to map water ice deposits at the lunar south pole. This SUV-sized rover represents the first ground-truth mission to confirm whether enough water ice exists to support permanent human lunar settlements and future space exploration. UPDATE: In September 2025, NASA awarded Blue Origin a $190M CLPS task order to deliver VIPER aboard the Blue Moon Mark 1 lander, targeting a late-2027 lunar south pole landing.Cislunar NewsNuclear Power Is the Bottleneck for Moon Basescislunar-article-space-nuclear-power-bottleneck-lunar-infrastructure-20262026-03-19T18:07:24.202Z2026-03-19T00:00:00.000ZDespite sixty years of nuclear reactor knowledge and mature fission power concepts from companies like Lockheed Martin, the United States has no vacuum-capable test facility for integrated reactor-lander systems, no nuclear payload integration capability at Kennedy Space Center, and no modern demonstration complex for space fission hardware. NASA's Fission Surface Power program is paused pending the White House response to its December 2025 executive order on space nuclear power. Administrator Isaacman promises action by 2028, but the 2030 lunar reactor target requires infrastructure that takes years to build—and construction hasn't started.Cislunar NewsJapan's Lunar Program: Reusable Lander Funded, HTV-X1 Reaches Station, H3 Suffers Second Failurecislunar-article-japan-jaxa-lunar-lander-funding-20262026-03-11T18:07:23.719Z2026-03-11T00:00:00.000ZJapan has secured government funding to develop an independent reusable lunar lander that can service Gateway missions and deliver cargo to the Moon's surface. Building on the success of January 2024's SLIM precision landing demonstration, the new vehicle will give Japan autonomous lunar access while maintaining its position as a key Artemis program partner. The strategic investment strengthens Japan's space capabilities amid growing competition from China's lunar initiatives.Cislunar NewsNASA Force: Isaacman's Plan to Rebuild the Workforce That Will Return America to the Mooncislunar-article-nasa-force-talent-initiative-20262026-03-09T01:04:55.906Z2026-03-08T00:00:00.000ZNASA Force is a term-based hiring initiative that brings private-sector technical talent into the agency for approximately two-year stints. Announced jointly with OPM Director Scott Kupor on March 3, 2026, the program targets aerospace engineers, software developers, and systems integration specialists. It is designed to rebuild technical competencies lost when roughly 4,000 NASA civil servants departed in early 2025, and to staff the accelerated Artemis launch cadence aimed at landing astronauts on the Moon by 2028.Cislunar NewsNASA Locks In ULA's Centaur 5 as New SLS Upper Stage, Officially Ending Boeing's Exploration Upper Stage Programcislunar-article-sls-centaur-5-upper-stage-contract-20262026-05-19T20:21:38.155Z2026-03-07T01:06:25.860ZNASA has confirmed United Launch Alliance's Centaur 5 as the sole-source upper stage for the Space Launch System starting with Artemis 4, ending Boeing's troubled Exploration Upper Stage program after 12 years and nearly $2.8 billion. The decision, disclosed in contract documents published Friday, trades payload capacity to the Moon for schedule certainty and cost control.Cislunar NewsBlue Ghost Lands on the Moon, and Mission 2 Raises the Stakescislunar-article-firefly-blue-ghost-lander-test-20262026-05-24T18:05:00.000Z2026-03-06T00:00:00.000ZThe May 24 update reframes Firefly's Blue Ghost story around Mission 2. The new section adds the late-2026 far-side mission plan, Elytra Dark's relay and five-year orbital role, LuSEE-Night's two-year science objective, international payloads, and Ocula's 0.2-meter lunar imaging service.Cislunar NewsSenate Advances NASA Bill Reshaping Artemis, Authorizing Moon Basecislunar-article-senate-nasa-authorization-artemis-march-20262026-05-19T20:21:37.848Z2026-03-05T01:05:49.101ZThe Senate Commerce Committee voted unanimously on March 4 to advance a NASA authorization bill that codifies a permanent lunar base directive, extends the ISS to 2032, restructures the Artemis flight manifest, and cancels the Exploration Upper Stage. The same day, NASA confirmed engineers had fixed the helium flow problem that forced an Artemis 2 rollback, keeping an April 2026 launch attempt on schedule.Cislunar NewsESA ESPRIT Module Faces New Role as NASA Pauses Gateway for Moon Basecislunar-article-esa-esprit-module-delivery-schedule-20262026-05-19T18:00:00.000Z2026-03-04T00:00:00.000ZNASA has paused Gateway in its current orbital-station form while shifting Artemis planning toward a surface-first Moon base. ESA's ESPRIT module remains technically valuable for propellant handling, communications, crew viewing, and payload interfaces, but its delivery path now depends on a revised NASA-ESA architecture decision.Cislunar NewsNASA Just Rewrote the Artemis Schedule. Again.cislunar-article-2026-03-02-artemis-overhaul-new-roadmap2026-05-17T18:13:05.410Z2026-03-03T01:06:02.305ZNASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced a major overhaul of the Artemis lunar program on February 27, 2026, restructuring Artemis III into an Earth-orbit docking test with commercial landers before any crewed moon landing is attempted. The agency now targets two crewed lunar surface missions in 2028 and aims to sustain a cadence of one flight per year, while the Artemis 2 rocket sits in the VAB recovering from a helium pressurization fault that pushed its launch to no earlier than April 1.Cislunar NewsSpaceX's Moonbase Alpha Pivot: AI Data Centers, xAI, and the New Lunar Economycislunar-article-spacex-moonbase-alpha-pivot-202603012026-05-19T20:21:38.549Z2026-03-02T01:00:00.000ZElon Musk announced on February 8, 2026, that SpaceX had already pivoted from Mars to building a Moon city, citing faster iteration speed. The announcement was followed by SpaceX's acquisition of xAI, an FCC filing for a million-satellite orbital data center constellation, and a blueprint for a lunar mass driver that would manufacture and launch AI satellites from the Moon's surface. The move aligns commercial AI demand with the US government's lunar security imperatives in a way that could accelerate cislunar development faster than any previous roadmap.Cislunar NewsSpaceX: Starship HLS Now Has a Named Artemis III Crewcislunar-article-spacex-company-profile-cislunar2026-06-13T18:02:35.216Z2026-03-02T00:00:00.000ZSpaceX's Starship Human Landing System represents the most ambitious lunar lander ever contracted by NASA, capable of delivering 100 metric tons to the lunar surface. With contracts for both Artemis III and Artemis IV, SpaceX is positioning Starship as the backbone of America's return to the Moon.Cislunar NewsNASA Restructures Artemis, Races to Fix SLS Before April Window Closescislunar-article-artemis-architecture-overhaul-2026-02-282026-05-19T20:21:37.549Z2026-03-01T01:05:57.861ZNASA has overhauled the entire Artemis lunar program, inserting a new 2027 test mission, cancelling the Block 1B rocket upgrade, and pushing the first lunar landing to 2028. At the same time, teams are working an aggressive three-week schedule to repair the Artemis 2 upper stage and preserve an early April launch window.Cislunar NewsLunar Communications Relay Race Moves From Standards to Flight Hardwarecislunar-article-lunar-communications-relay-contract-20262026-05-28T18:00:00.000Z2026-02-24T00:00:00.000ZThe lunar communications relay story has moved beyond concept work. NASA's LunaNet Version 5 standard, Intuitive Machines' $4.82 billion Near Space Network contract, and Firefly's Blue Ghost Mission 2 with Elytra Dark and ESA's Lunar Pathfinder clarify how the first interoperable relay layer could form before sustained south-pole and far-side operations.Cislunar NewsWelcome to Cislunar News: Covering Humanity's Next Frontiercislunar-article-welcome-to-cislunar-news2026-02-16T23:22:30.392Z2026-02-16T00:00:00.000ZCislunar News is a brand new publication from RuneStone Media dedicated to covering the space between Earth and the Moon. As the cislunar economy accelerates with Artemis, Gateway, SpaceX's lunar pivot, and a wave of commercial activity, we're here to be your go-to source for every development.Cislunar NewsSpaceX's Moon Pivot Looks Less Theoretical After Starship Flight 12cislunar-article-spacex-moon-pivot-the-strategic-case-for-lunar-first2026-06-06T18:02:32.275Z2026-02-16T00:00:00.000ZIn a dramatic strategic reversal, Elon Musk announced that SpaceX has shifted its primary focus from Mars colonization to building a 'self-growing city' on the Moon. Coming just 13 months after dismissing the Moon as 'a distraction,' the pivot aligns with NASA's Artemis program, a Trump executive order demanding a permanent lunar outpost by 2030, and SpaceX's own acquisition of xAI and plans for orbital data centers — revealing a unified grand strategy that could reshape the entire cislunar economy.Cislunar NewsSan Antonio Is Building a Full-Scale Rehearsal Ground for the Moon Basecislunar-article-national-lunar-research-center-san-antonio-20262026-06-17T01:05:11.782Z2026-06-17T01:05:11.782ZSwRI, the WEX Foundation, and Astroport Space Technologies signed an MOU to develop a 180-acre National Lunar Research Center in San Antonio. The proposed analog site would simulate de Gerlache Ridge and NASA Moon Base operations, giving lunar construction teams a full-scale place to test roads, landing pads, berms, robotics, and workforce training.Cislunar NewsLunar Oxygen From Regolith Explained: The Hard Engineering Behind Moon-Made Propellantcislunar-article-lunar-oxygen-from-regolith-explained2026-06-16T01:08:27.771Z2026-06-16T01:08:27.771ZAn evergreen explainer on lunar oxygen extraction from regolith, including hydrogen reduction, carbothermal reduction, molten regolith electrolysis, power systems, storage, and why oxygen is the anchor product for lunar ISRU.Cislunar NewsSustained Maneuver Is the Cislunar Propulsion Problem Nobody Can Hand-Wavecislunar-article-sustained-maneuver-cislunar-propulsion-20262026-06-16T01:08:17.242Z2026-06-16T01:08:17.242ZA June 15 SpaceNews essay argues that space operators should focus on sustained maneuver, not generic mobility. For cislunar logistics, gridded-ion and other propulsion systems should be judged by lifetime maneuver margin, restart confidence, power limits, and qualification evidence across the whole mission.Cislunar NewsHouse Space Force Budget Turns Cislunar Security Into a 2027 Spending Fightcislunar-article-house-space-force-budget-turns-cislunar-security-into-a-2027-spending-fight2026-06-15T01:04:19.210Z2026-06-15T01:04:19.210ZHouse defense appropriators have proposed $55.5 billion for the Space Force in fiscal 2027, including a large RDT&E line, $3.7 billion for 20 space launches, and funding for missile warning and commercial space services. The bill is not a Moon-specific appropriation, but it points to the launch, sensing, communications, and service-buying infrastructure that future cislunar operations will depend on.Cislunar NewsSpace Force's Infrared Warning Stack Points Past GEOcislunar-article-space-force-ngopir-cislunar-sensor-stack-20262026-06-14T01:07:59.678Z2026-06-14T01:07:59.678ZThe U.S. Space Force used a June 13 spotlight to highlight engineering work behind Next-Gen OPIR, its next missile-warning satellite layer. The program is not a lunar system, but its sensor fusion, resilience, launch, and ground-integration challenges foreshadow the operating model needed for future xGEO and cislunar custody.Cislunar NewsAstrolab's Rover Test Shows the Moon Base Has a Handhold Problemcislunar-article-astrolab-flex-rover-human-factors-20262026-06-13T01:06:28.265Z2026-06-13T01:06:28.265ZAstrolab's latest FLEX rover update puts human-factors testing back in focus as NASA pushes lunar terrain vehicles toward early Moon Base missions. The real test is not only range or speed, but whether suited astronauts can safely use controls, tools, rescue paths, and remote operations without wasting precious EVA time.Cislunar NewsIntuitive Machines' Lunar Network Story Is Becoming a Revenue Testcislunar-article-intuitive-machines-lunar-network-revenue-20262026-06-12T01:07:41.936Z2026-06-12T01:07:41.936ZIntuitive Machines drew renewed attention on June 11 as investors focused on its 2026 revenue guidance, record backlog, and lunar communications and navigation strategy. The larger cislunar story is whether the company can turn CLPS landers, NSNS relay services, navigation expertise, and satellite manufacturing into a dependable commercial infrastructure network.Cislunar NewsUN Opens Moon Governance Talks as Lunar Activity Leaves the Waiting Roomcislunar-article-un-copuos-lunar-governance-june-20262026-06-11T01:05:26.940Z2026-06-11T01:05:26.940ZThe United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space opened its 69th session in Vienna with lunar governance, cislunar traffic coordination, and long-term sustainability on the agenda. The session matters because early Moon operations now need shared norms for landing coordination, resource activity, and safety before the busiest lunar sites are locked in by practice.Cislunar NewsVoyager Technologies: The Public Company Trying to Replace the ISS Eracislunar-article-voyager-technologies-company-profile2026-06-10T01:10:00.000Z2026-06-10T01:10:00.000ZCompany profile of Voyager Technologies, covering its 2019 founding, Nanoracks acquisition, Starlab commercial station plan, Airbus joint venture, NASA CLD funding, public listing, defense revenue, and role in the post-ISS transition.Cislunar NewsCanada Puts $2 Million Behind the Moon's Dirt and Power Problemcislunar-article-canada-lunar-isru-power-regolith-contracts-20262026-06-10T01:09:05.811Z2026-06-10T01:09:05.811ZThe Canadian Space Agency awarded four contracts worth $2 million CAD for 10-month lunar architecture studies focused on regolith management and surface power. The work gives Canadian Strategic Missions Corporation, SpaceDIRT, and Volta Space Technologies a path to define practical contributions to Moon infrastructure.Cislunar NewsLunar Thermal Control Explained: How Moon Hardware Survives Heat, Cold, and Two-Week Nightscislunar-article-lunar-thermal-control-explained2026-06-09T01:32:19.913Z2026-06-09T01:30:11.734ZLunar thermal control keeps Moon hardware alive through 14-day sunlight, 14-day darkness, cold traps, dust, radiators, insulation, heaters, and survival testing.Cislunar NewsA Tiny X-Ray Telescope Could Map the Whole Moon in Two Yearscislunar-article-compact-xrf-lunar-orbiter-element-map-20262026-06-09T01:04:51.869Z2026-06-09T01:04:13.044ZA Tokyo Metropolitan University team has modeled a compact X-ray fluorescence telescope that could map five major elements across the entire Moon in about two years. The concept is still a study, not an approved mission, but it points to the kind of quiet mapping infrastructure future lunar landers, rovers, and base planners will need.Cislunar NewsJapan's H3 Test Flight Puts Lunar Launch Reliability Back on the Clockcislunar-article-h3f6-test-flight-japan-lunar-launch-reliability-20262026-06-08T01:04:05.091Z2026-06-08T01:04:04.906ZJAXA is preparing the first flight of the H3-30 configuration on June 10, a qualification mission meant to prove a lower-cost version of Japan's new flagship rocket after a prior payload-support failure. The test does not carry a lunar payload, but its outcome will shape confidence in Japan's deep-space launch pipeline, including missions and partnerships tied to the broader cislunar economy.Cislunar NewsVery Low Lunar Orbits Move From Navigation Problem to Resource Toolcislunar-article-very-low-lunar-orbits-resource-mapping-srr-20262026-06-07T01:05:08.077Z2026-06-07T01:05:08.077ZAdvanced Space highlighted efficient station-keeping of very low lunar orbits at the 26th Space Resources Roundtable, which wrapped June 5 at Colorado School of Mines. The topic matters because low-altitude lunar mapping can turn broad resource promise into site-level data for landing, prospecting, excavation, and construction decisions.Cislunar NewsArtemis III Booster Hardware Is Moving as NASA Names the Crewcislunar-article-artemis-iii-booster-segments-kennedy-june-20262026-06-14T21:13:01.205Z2026-06-06T01:04:41.744ZNASA named Randy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Andre Douglas, and Frank Rubio for Artemis III as the final SLS booster motor segments move toward Kennedy. The mission now ties physical launch hardware to a crewed Orion and commercial lander integration campaign.Cislunar NewsHelio's DUSTER Antenna Award Puts Lunar Dust Back in the Artemis Critical Pathcislunar-article-helio-duster-saber-artemis-lunar-dust-20262026-06-05T01:05:51.477Z2026-06-05T01:05:23.368ZHelio Corporation says it has received an approximately $900,000 contract to provide deployable SABER antenna systems for DUSTER, a future Artemis payload focused on lunar dust and plasma behavior. The contract is small compared with landers and launch vehicles, but it targets a practical Moon base risk: how dust, charging, and nearby human activity will affect surface operations.Cislunar NewsMoon Base Simulations Show the First Failure May Be Human, Not Hardwarecislunar-article-lunar-base-psychology-simulation-artemis-20262026-06-04T01:04:15.892Z2026-06-04T01:04:15.892ZResearchers at George Mason University published a PLOS One agent-based model that simulates how astronauts, rovers, lunar hazards, workload, skill growth, and team dynamics interact during permanent Moon-base operations. The model found that larger crews and replacement options can improve performance, while longer missions without rotation raise psychological stress and reduce task completion, giving Artemis planners a human-factors warning before long-duration surface missions begin.Cislunar NewsVoyager Buys Astrobotic, Turning Lunar Infrastructure Into a Full-Stack Betcislunar-article-voyager-astrobotic-acquisition-lunar-infrastructure-20262026-06-03T01:04:48.697Z2026-06-03T01:04:48.697ZVoyager Technologies signed an agreement on June 2 to acquire Astrobotic for up to about $300 million, giving the company landers, lunar power, mission operations, and a Pittsburgh Moon Base hub. The deal is timely because Astrobotic’s Griffin Mission One has been named NASA’s Moon Base II mission, putting a major CLPS delivery inside Voyager’s broader lunar infrastructure strategy.Cislunar NewsLunar Outpost: The Rover Company Betting the Moon Needs a Surface Fleetcislunar-article-lunar-outpost-company-profile2026-06-03T01:26:00.000Z2026-06-03T01:00:00.000ZCompany profile of Lunar Outpost, covering its 2017 Colorado founding, MAPP rover lessons, NASA Lunar Terrain Vehicle Services work, Pegasus and Eagle rover concepts, Series A and $30 million Series B funding, and why surface mobility is a core piece of the cislunar economy.Cislunar NewsLunar Landing Pads Explained: The Moon Base Infrastructure Nobody Can Skipcislunar-article-lunar-landing-pads-explained2026-06-02T01:20:52.350Z2026-06-02T01:18:13.405ZLunar landing pads are early Moon base infrastructure, not a luxury. This explainer covers plume erosion, sintered regolith, ICON, Masten FAST, robotic construction, and why dust control comes before a durable lunar economy.Cislunar NewsSPACECOM’s Mobility Priority Puts High-Thrust Cislunar Tugs in the Spotlightcislunar-article-spacecom-mobility-priority-astraeus-cislunar-20262026-06-02T01:05:30.724Z2026-06-02T01:05:30.724ZU.S. Space Command’s new technology priorities put on-orbit mobility first, with cislunar and xGEO operations also moving into public defense planning. Orbital Operations’ Astraeus concept, a high-thrust cryogenic maneuver vehicle, shows how propulsion, long-duration propellant storage, and refueling could become essential infrastructure for both defense and commercial lunar logistics.Cislunar NewsNew Glenn Explosion Leaves Artemis Leaning Harder on Starshipcislunar-article-new-glenn-explosion-artemis-spacex-dependency-20262026-06-01T01:04:28.107Z2026-06-01T01:04:28.107ZBlue Origin’s New Glenn suffered a pad explosion during a May 28 engine-firing test, grounding the rocket tied to Blue Moon lunar lander launches. The accident does not end Blue Origin’s Artemis role, but it leaves NASA leaning harder on SpaceX Starship while the agency tries to turn Moon base plans into a reliable logistics campaign.Cislunar NewsSPACECOM Puts Offensive Cislunar Operations on the Tablecislunar-article-spacecom-offensive-cislunar-ops-20262026-05-31T01:04:32.055Z2026-05-31T01:04:32.055ZU.S. Space Command is publicly studying technologies that could support future offensive space control in cislunar space. The effort remains exploratory, with no disclosed weapon or budget, but it signals that awareness, mobility, navigation, communications, and doctrine for the Earth-Moon system are becoming military planning priorities.Cislunar NewsSpace Force Hands SpaceX a $4.16B Sensor Job, and the Military Space Stack Is Changingcislunar-article-space-force-spacex-amti-starshield-20262026-05-30T01:05:35.843Z2026-05-30T01:05:35.843ZThe U.S. Space Force awarded SpaceX a $4.16 billion agreement for the first increment of a space-based Air Moving Target Indicator network. The award, paired with a separate $2.29 billion Space Data Network Backbone contract, puts SpaceX at the center of a fast-forming military space architecture that combines sensing, transport, and targeting data in low Earth orbit.Cislunar NewsFirefly's Blue Ghost Mission 3 Clears Design Review for a Volcanic Moon Targetcislunar-article-firefly-blue-ghost-mission-3-cdr-gruithuisen-domes-20262026-05-29T01:04:03.360Z2026-05-29T01:04:03.360ZFirefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 3 has completed critical design review, advancing a NASA CLPS mission aimed at the silica-rich Gruithuisen Domes no earlier than 2028. The mission combines a Blue Ghost lander, Elytra Dark orbital support, a Honeybee Robotics rover, and NASA science payloads, making it a key test of repeat commercial lunar delivery and rover-supported field geology.Cislunar NewsNASA Names Artemis III Crew for the Docking Mission Before the Moon Landingcislunar-article-nasa-artemis-iii-crew-announcement-june-20262026-06-12T18:00:00.000Z2026-05-28T01:12:08.711ZRandy Bresnik, Luca Parmitano, Andre Douglas, and Frank Rubio will fly a two-week Earth-orbit test that puts Orion, Blue Moon, and Starship hardware in the same operational sequence.Cislunar NewsBlue Origin Finally Has Its Cislunar Stack in Motioncislunar-article-blue-origin-company-profile2026-05-27T01:22:59.693Z2026-05-27T01:22:59.693ZBlue Origin was founded by Jeff Bezos in 2000 and spent two decades building reusable vehicles, engines, and lunar systems. Its $3.4 billion NASA Human Landing System award, New Glenn heavy-lift rocket, BE-4 engine base, and Blue Moon lander now place it directly in the cislunar infrastructure race.Cislunar NewsNASA Picks Lunar Drones for the Moon Base Scout Teamcislunar-article-nasa-moonfall-lunar-drones-firefly-20282026-05-27T01:03:52.506Z2026-05-27T01:03:52.506ZNASA used its May 26 Moon Base briefing to put MoonFall on the roadmap as a four-drone scouting mission for the lunar south pole. The JPL-led mission, transported by Firefly Aerospace, is meant to map hard-to-reach terrain, measure subsurface water clues, and leave survive-the-night payloads operating after the flying phase ends.Cislunar NewsLunar Mass Drivers Explained: How the Moon Could Launch Cargo Without Rocketscislunar-article-lunar-mass-drivers-explained2026-05-26T01:27:33.061Z2026-05-26T01:27:33.061ZLunar mass drivers use electromagnetic acceleration to launch durable cargo from the Moon. This explainer covers escape velocity, power, guidance, dust, payloads, safety, and why the idea only makes sense once lunar industry exists.Cislunar NewsIM-3's Nova-C Lander Brings Reiner Gamma Back Into the Artemis Storycislunar-article-im3-reiner-gamma-novac-ready-20262026-05-26T01:04:40.865Z2026-05-26T01:04:40.865ZIntuitive Machines' IM-3 Nova-C lander is being prepared for a 2026 CLPS mission to Reiner Gamma, where NASA wants surface data on lunar swirls and magnetic anomalies. The mission combines Lunar Vertex science, CADRE autonomous rovers, ESA laser ranging hardware, and KASI particle monitoring, making it a compact test of commercial lunar delivery and Artemis-era surface operations.Cislunar NewsChina's Shenzhou-23 Launch Turns Tiangong Into a Lunar Rehearsalcislunar-article-china-shenzhou-23-lunar-ambitions-20262026-05-25T01:04:42.781Z2026-05-25T01:04:42.781ZChina's Shenzhou-23 mission launched May 24 as a Tiangong crew rotation, but its longer stay, docking operations, and rice biology experiments have direct relevance to lunar endurance planning. The flight shows how China is using low Earth orbit to build the operational base for a 2030 crewed Moon landing.Cislunar News