https://cislunar.news/ Infrastructure journalism covering the emerging Earth-Moon economy. en-us Sun, 30 Aug 2026 18:17:53 GMT https://cislunar.news/og-image.png https://cislunar.news/ NASA and SpaceX are preparing to launch the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope on Falcon Heavy from Kennedy Space Center, sending a flagship observatory toward the Sun-Earth L2 region. Roman is not a lunar payload, but its launch, cruise, communications, and Lagrange-point operations show why cislunar infrastructure now reaches beyond the Moon itself. https://cislunar.news/article/roman-space-telescope-l2-launch-2026 Sun, 30 Aug 2026 01:00:00 GMT Infrastructure Roman Space TelescopeNASASpaceXFalcon HeavyL2Infrastructure cislunar-article-roman-space-telescope-l2-launch-2026 The White House created a NASA-led commission to design a proposed United States Space Academy, with NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman as chair and a 120-day deadline for recommendations. For Artemis and the lunar economy, the order turns workforce development into a formal cislunar infrastructure issue, linking NASA, Space Force, and commercial space needs. https://cislunar.news/article/us-space-academy-cislunar-workforce-2026 Sat, 29 Aug 2026 01:00:00 GMT Policy NASAUnited States Space AcademyArtemisSpace ForceCislunar PolicySpace Workforce cislunar-article-us-space-academy-cislunar-workforce-2026 NASA Langley has begun a new phase of plume-surface interaction testing inside a 60-foot vacuum chamber, firing scaled engine plumes into simulated lunar regolith. The work targets a practical Artemis IV and Moon Base risk: landing engines can turn lunar dust into high-speed debris that threatens landers, rovers, payloads, and nearby infrastructure. https://cislunar.news/article/nasa-langley-plume-surface-tests-artemis-2026 Thu, 27 Aug 2026 01:00:00 GMT Engineering NASAArtemis IVPlume-Surface InteractionLunar RegolithHuman Landing SystemMoon Base cislunar-article-nasa-langley-plume-surface-tests-artemis-2026 Firefly Ocula has shifted from a commercial lunar imaging proposal into a near-term test of cislunar sensing and onboard AI. New Firefly and NVIDIA details point to late-2026 activation on Blue Ghost Mission 2, 0.2-meter imaging from 50 km, Jetson processing in lunar orbit, and planned follow-on Elytra vehicles in 2028 and 2029. https://cislunar.news/article/firefly-ocula-lunar-imaging-service-2026 Mon, 24 Aug 2026 18:00:00 GMT Technology Firefly AerospaceOculalunar imagingBlue Ghost Mission 2Elytracislunarcommercial spacelunar mappingSciTecESA Lunar Pathfinder cislunar-article-firefly-ocula-lunar-imaging-service-2026 Rocket Lab won two U.S. Space Force delivery orders totaling $12 million for a 2027 Photon spacecraft demonstration tied to the Space Data Network Backbone. The award is small by defense-space standards, but it puts commercial optical networking, interoperability, and secure in-orbit data routing on a path that could matter beyond Earth orbit. https://cislunar.news/article/rocket-lab-photon-space-data-network-2026 Wed, 19 Aug 2026 01:18:00 GMT Infrastructure Rocket LabSpace ForcePhotonSpace Data NetworkOptical CommunicationsCislunar Infrastructure cislunar-article-rocket-lab-photon-space-data-network-2026 SpaceX has guided the intact Starship upper stage from Flight 13 into calmer waters near Christmas Island after a weeks-long recovery effort in the Indian Ocean. The recovery matters for Artemis because engineers can now inspect flown heat-shield, structure, engine-bay, and maritime handling hardware from a vehicle class NASA depends on for human lunar lander work. https://cislunar.news/article/spacex-starship-flight13-recovery-artemis-2026 Tue, 18 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Transport SpaceXStarshipArtemisHLSChristmas IslandTransport cislunar-article-spacex-starship-flight13-recovery-artemis-2026 NASA has invited India’s ISRO to join its Moon Base program after U.S. and Indian officials met in Bengaluru, pushing Artemis cooperation beyond accords language and into surface infrastructure planning. The invitation gives India a possible role in the robotic scouts, data systems, and south pole operations NASA needs before a sustained lunar presence can function. https://cislunar.news/article/nasa-isro-moon-base-partnership-2026 Sun, 16 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Policy NASAISROArtemisMoon BaseIndialunar south polecislunar policy cislunar-article-nasa-isro-moon-base-partnership-2026 NASA opened the 2027 RASC-AL competition on August 14 with four lunar-focused themes: extreme exploration, transit pathway construction, lunar resource exploration, and smart resilient habitats. The student challenge is not a procurement program, but it shows which Moon base problems NASA wants young engineering teams to model before sustained Artemis surface operations arrive. https://cislunar.news/article/nasa-rascal-2027-lunar-tech-pipeline-2026 Fri, 14 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Engineering NASARASC-ALArtemislunar south polelunar infrastructureMoon base cislunar-article-nasa-rascal-2027-lunar-tech-pipeline-2026 NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman's August 11 posts framed Moon Base execution as a workforce problem as much as a hardware problem. The timely signal is that Artemis needs enough internal NASA technical depth to integrate SpaceX, Blue Origin, commercial cargo landers, international partners, and surface infrastructure into one usable cadence. https://cislunar.news/article/nasa-artemis-workforce-industry-push-2026 Tue, 11 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Policy NASAArtemisMoon BaseJared IsaacmanworkforceSpaceXBlue Originlunar infrastructure cislunar-article-nasa-artemis-workforce-industry-push-2026 MIT Lincoln Laboratory's August 10 LightHOUSE concept proposes high-orbit satellites that act as cooperative optical beacons for spacecraft traveling in cislunar space. The system could reduce corrective maneuvers, save propellant, ease demand on ground networks, and add an independent navigation layer for Artemis and commercial lunar traffic. https://cislunar.news/article/mit-lighthouse-cislunar-navigation-2026 Mon, 10 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Infrastructure MIT Lincoln LaboratoryLightHOUSEcislunar navigationoptical communicationsPNTArtemisMoonLunaNetDeep Space Networklunar infrastructure cislunar-article-mit-lighthouse-cislunar-navigation-2026 NASA Johnson highlighted its Lunar Development and Test Facility on August 7, showing how engineers test Artemis hardware against abrasive lunar regolith simulant in vacuum and thermal-vacuum chambers. The work matters because dust can damage spacesuits, tools, seals, optical surfaces, joints, and spacecraft components before the Moon Base supply chain becomes routine. https://cislunar.news/article/nasa-lunar-dust-test-facility-artemis-2026 Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Engineering NASAJohnson Space CenterArtemislunar dustMoon basespacesuitsregolithlunar infrastructureLDTF cislunar-article-nasa-lunar-dust-test-facility-artemis-2026 A detailed explainer on why NASA and DOE are pursuing compact fission surface power for lunar bases, how a 40 kWe system works, and how it compares with solar, batteries, and regenerative fuel cells. https://cislunar.news/article/lunar-fission-surface-power-explained-2026 Sun, 02 Aug 2026 00:00:00 GMT Knowledge lunar fission powerfission surface powerMoon base powerArtemislunar infrastructureISRUNASADOE cislunar-article-lunar-fission-surface-power-explained-2026 ARK Invest bought more SpaceX, Intuitive Machines, Rocket Lab, and Kratos shares during a late-July space-stock drawdown. The move is a useful read on the lunar economy: investors still want exposure to transport, delivery, launch, defense sensing, and surface services, but the market is now pricing execution risk much more harshly. https://cislunar.news/article/ark-space-stocks-lunar-economy-2026 Sat, 01 Aug 2026 01:09:14 GMT Economics ARK Investspace stockslunar economyIntuitive MachinesSpaceXRocket LabKratoscommercial lunarcislunar economicsspace investing cislunar-article-ark-space-stocks-lunar-economy-2026 NASA’s $148.3 million sixth CLPS award to Intuitive Machines puts the Nova-C lander on a production-line path, not just another one-off Moon delivery. The contract turns repeatable manufacturing, payload integration, and 2028 surface cadence into the next test for the commercial lunar economy. https://cislunar.news/article/intuitive-machines-novac-production-clps-2026 Fri, 24 Jul 2026 05:00:00 GMT Transport Intuitive MachinesCLPSNova-CNASAlunar logistics cislunar-article-intuitive-machines-novac-production-clps-2026 Astrobotic is a Pittsburgh lunar logistics company founded in 2007. After Peregrine failed to reach the Moon in 2024, the company’s Griffin lander has become the critical test of whether it can still deliver south pole cargo for NASA and commercial customers. https://cislunar.news/article/astrobotic-company-profile Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Astrobotic AstroboticGriffinPeregrineCLPSNASAlunar logisticsMooncompany-profile cislunar-article-astrobotic-company-profile Former NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine's latest criticism of Artemis lander complexity sharpens the central schedule risk in NASA's Moon plan. The 2027 Artemis III low Earth orbit docking rehearsal now looks less like a detour and more like the proving ground for SpaceX and Blue Origin landers that must work before Artemis IV can attempt the lunar surface. https://cislunar.news/article/artemis-lander-complexity-2026 Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Engineering ArtemisNASAJim BridenstineSpaceXBlue OriginStarship HLSBlue MoonHuman Landing SystemMoonlunar landing cislunar-article-artemis-lander-complexity-2026 NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman used a July 5 Face the Nation interview to frame America’s Moon push around enduring presence, economic activity, and eventual resource extraction. The remarks turn the lunar economy from background rhetoric into a near-term policy test for Artemis, CLPS deliveries, surface infrastructure, and private capital. https://cislunar.news/article/isaacman-lunar-economy-face-the-nation-2026 Sun, 05 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Policy cislunar-article-isaacman-lunar-economy-face-the-nation-2026 NASA is considering PROMISE, a hybrid engineering development version of the Perseverance and Curiosity rover family, for future lunar south pole work. If selected, the rover would bring nuclear-powered endurance, proven mobility heritage, and deep instrument experience to the terrain and resource questions that Moon Base planners need answered before regular crewed surface operations. https://cislunar.news/article/promise-rover-lunar-south-pole-2026 Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT Infrastructure NASAPROMISEMoon Baselunar south poleArtemisCLPSlunar roverresource prospectingRTGJPL cislunar-article-promise-rover-lunar-south-pole-2026 A practical guide for candidates targeting SpaceX roles, from resume positioning to interview preparation. The article emphasizes evidence of ownership, hands-on technical work, and role-specific preparation for launch, spacecraft, Starlink, and manufacturing teams. https://cislunar.news/article/spacex-careers-guide Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Careers careersspacexspace industryengineering jobsinterview prep cislunar-article-spacex-careers-guide A starter guide for people trying to enter the space industry through engineering, operations, software, manufacturing, policy, science, and business roles. The article explains how to choose a lane, build proof, use projects, and apply without waiting for perfect credentials. https://cislunar.news/article/space-industry-starter-guide Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Careers careersspace industryaerospace jobsinternshipsengineering careers cislunar-article-space-industry-starter-guide NASA 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. https://cislunar.news/article/artemis-ii-wet-dress-rehearsal-february-2026 Wed, 17 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT Transport ArtemisSLSNASAMoonOrionWet Dress RehearsalKennedy Space CenterCislunar cislunar-article-artemis-ii-wet-dress-rehearsal-february-2026 The 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. https://cislunar.news/article/space-force-cislunar-acquisition-taskforce-april-2026 Sun, 17 May 2026 18:00:00 GMT Policy Space Forcecislunaracquisitionspace policydomain awarenessnational securityOraclePrimeLunaNet cislunar-article-space-force-cislunar-acquisition-taskforce-april-2026 United 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. https://cislunar.news/article/vulcan-srb-recurring-problem-cislunar-2026 Wed, 01 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Engineering VulcanULASolid Rocket BoostersLaunch VehiclesEngineeringNational SecurityCislunar InfrastructureNorthrop Grumman cislunar-article-vulcan-srb-recurring-problem-cislunar-2026 NASA'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. https://cislunar.news/article/viper-rover-mission-status-update-2026 Mon, 23 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Infrastructure VIPERRoverExplorationIce Mapping cislunar-article-viper-rover-mission-status-update-2026 Despite 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. https://cislunar.news/article/space-nuclear-power-bottleneck-lunar-infrastructure-2026 Thu, 19 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Infrastructure nuclear powerfissionlunar surfaceNASAinfrastructureArtemis cislunar-article-space-nuclear-power-bottleneck-lunar-infrastructure-2026 Japan 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. https://cislunar.news/article/japan-jaxa-lunar-lander-funding-2026 Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Policy JapanJAXALanderInternational cislunar-article-japan-jaxa-lunar-lander-funding-2026 NASA 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. https://cislunar.news/article/nasa-force-talent-initiative-2026 Sun, 08 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Policy NASAArtemisworkforcepolicyIsaacmanMoonNASA ForceOPM cislunar-article-nasa-force-talent-initiative-2026 NASA 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. https://cislunar.news/article/sls-centaur-5-upper-stage-contract-2026 Sat, 07 Mar 2026 01:06:25 GMT Engineering SLSCentaur 5ULAArtemisNASAExploration Upper StageBoeing cislunar-article-sls-centaur-5-upper-stage-contract-2026 The 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. https://cislunar.news/article/firefly-blue-ghost-lander-test-2026 Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Transport Firefly AerospaceLanderCommercialTesting cislunar-article-firefly-blue-ghost-lander-test-2026 The 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. https://cislunar.news/article/senate-nasa-authorization-artemis-march-2026 Thu, 05 Mar 2026 01:05:49 GMT Policy ArtemisSenateNASA AuthorizationSLSLunar BaseArtemis 2Moon cislunar-article-senate-nasa-authorization-artemis-march-2026 NASA 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. https://cislunar.news/article/esa-esprit-module-delivery-schedule-2026 Wed, 04 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Infrastructure ESAGatewayInfrastructureModules cislunar-article-esa-esprit-module-delivery-schedule-2026 NASA 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. https://cislunar.news/article/2026-03-02-artemis-overhaul-new-roadmap Tue, 03 Mar 2026 01:06:02 GMT Policy ArtemisNASALunar LandingSLSCommercial LandersJared Isaacman cislunar-article-2026-03-02-artemis-overhaul-new-roadmap Elon 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. https://cislunar.news/article/spacex-moonbase-alpha-pivot-20260301 Mon, 02 Mar 2026 01:00:00 GMT Economics SpaceXMoonbase AlphaxAIElon Muskorbital data centerslunar economyStarshipcislunarmass driver cislunar-article-spacex-moonbase-alpha-pivot-20260301 SpaceX'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. https://cislunar.news/article/spacex-company-profile-cislunar Mon, 02 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT SpaceX SpaceXStarship HLSArtemislunar landerorbital refuelingcompany-profile cislunar-article-spacex-company-profile-cislunar NASA 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. https://cislunar.news/article/artemis-architecture-overhaul-2026-02-28 Sun, 01 Mar 2026 01:05:57 GMT Exploration ArtemisSLSNASAlunar landingArtemis 2cislunarSpace Launch SystemBlue OriginSpaceX cislunar-article-artemis-architecture-overhaul-2026-02-28 The 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. https://cislunar.news/article/lunar-communications-relay-contract-2026 Tue, 24 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Infrastructure CommunicationsInfrastructureNASAContracts cislunar-article-lunar-communications-relay-contract-2026 Cislunar 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. https://cislunar.news/article/welcome-to-cislunar-news Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Editorial cislunarlaunchmissionaboutpodcast cislunar-article-welcome-to-cislunar-news In 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. https://cislunar.news/article/spacex-moon-pivot-the-strategic-case-for-lunar-first Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Transport SpaceXStarshipMoonLunar SettlementElon MuskArtemisHLSCislunar EconomyNASAOrbital Refueling cislunar-article-spacex-moon-pivot-the-strategic-case-for-lunar-first NASA will stream the Artemis II Congressional Space Medal of Honor ceremony from Johnson Space Center on August 28, honoring the crew that completed the first crewed lunar voyage since Apollo 17. The ceremony is symbolic, but it also turns public attention back to the harder Artemis question: how the program converts a successful flyby into repeatable lunar surface operations. https://cislunar.news/article/artemis-ii-medal-of-honor-ceremony-2026 Fri, 28 Aug 2026 01:00:00 GMT Policy Artemis IINASAOrionCongressional Space Medal of HonorArtemis IIIMoon cislunar-article-artemis-ii-medal-of-honor-ceremony-2026 SpaceX's August 25 plan for a $100 billion Starbase Louisiana campus gives Starship's Moon ambitions a ground-infrastructure layer: five launch complexes, 10 pads at full buildout, propellant production, power, processing, and a 2029 earliest launch target. The project will not remove near-term Artemis HLS technical risk, but it shows the scale of launch cadence SpaceX believes cislunar logistics will require. https://cislunar.news/article/spacex-starbase-louisiana-cislunar-launch-cadence-2026 Wed, 26 Aug 2026 01:07:16 GMT Infrastructure SpaceXStarbase LouisianaStarshipArtemiscislunar logisticsVermilion ParishPecan Islandlaunch infrastructurelunar economypropellant cislunar-article-spacex-starbase-louisiana-cislunar-launch-cadence-2026 The Seattle startup has NASA support, government funding, and nearly $500 million in helium-3 purchase agreements. Now it has to prove Moon resources can become a supply business. https://cislunar.news/article/interlune-company-profile Wed, 26 Aug 2026 01:00:00 GMT Companies Interlunecompany profile cislunar-article-interlune-company-profile NASA's Aug. 24 industry response deadline puts Moon Base infrastructure concepts through a practical filter before the next wave of Artemis surface work. The most important question is not whether industry has ideas, but which cargo, power, communications, mobility, and operations systems can fit the 2028 to 2032 buildout NASA is already sketching. https://cislunar.news/article/nasa-moon-base-infrastructure-deadline-2026 Tue, 25 Aug 2026 01:00:00 GMT Infrastructure NASAMoon BaseArtemislunar infrastructurecommercial lunar serviceslunar powerlunar communicationslunar mobility cislunar-article-nasa-moon-base-infrastructure-deadline-2026 A practical explainer on how lunar missions detect water ice, why neutron spectrometers and drills matter, and what prospecting has to prove before propellant mining becomes real infrastructure. https://cislunar.news/article/lunar-water-ice-prospecting-explained Tue, 25 Aug 2026 01:00:00 GMT Knowledge lunar water iceISRUVIPERArtemislunar south poleprospectingneutron spectroscopy cislunar-article-lunar-water-ice-prospecting-explained SmallSat 2026 opened in Salt Lake City with a practical cislunar question: how will small spacecraft support the Moon economy once missions need networks instead of isolated probes? The answer points toward lower-cost lunar relay, navigation, inspection, autonomy, and rapid technology refresh for Artemis and commercial surface operations. https://cislunar.news/article/smallsat-2026-cislunar-network Mon, 24 Aug 2026 01:08:44 GMT Infrastructure SmallSat 2026Cislunar InfrastructureNASALunar CommunicationsLunar Navigation cislunar-article-smallsat-2026-cislunar-network SpaceX has scaled back the next Starship flight plan, pushing Flight 14 toward a mid-September target while deferring the first attempt to catch the Ship with the launch tower. The change matters for Artemis because NASA needs Starship to build reliable orbital, payload, and cadence evidence before the Human Landing System can carry crewed lunar risk. https://cislunar.news/article/spacex-starship-flight14-scope-change-artemis-2026 Sun, 23 Aug 2026 01:07:58 GMT Transport SpaceXStarshipFlight 14ArtemisHLSStarlink V3StarbaseTransport cislunar-article-spacex-starship-flight14-scope-change-artemis-2026 China's Chang'e-7 mission is expected to launch August 24 with a multi-spacecraft stack aimed at the lunar south pole. Its rover and hopping probe could make the ice race more concrete by testing how surface systems inspect shadowed terrain near Shackleton Crater before crewed bases arrive. https://cislunar.news/article/change7-launch-hopper-lunar-ice-2026 Sat, 22 Aug 2026 01:04:46 GMT Policy Chang’e-7ChinaCNSAlunar south poleShackleton Craterwater iceArtemisILRSLong March 5Moon cislunar-article-change7-launch-hopper-lunar-ice-2026 NASA highlighted new research showing that some human-associated microbes could survive dormant in cold, shaded areas near the Moon’s south pole, even though they are not expected to grow without liquid water or an atmosphere. The finding matters for Artemis because crews, landers, suits, rovers, and sample tools will operate near permanently shadowed regions that are also among the Moon’s most valuable scientific and resource targets. https://cislunar.news/article/lunar-microbes-planetary-protection-artemis-2026 Fri, 21 Aug 2026 01:06:54 GMT Policy NASAArtemislunar south poleplanetary protectionmicrobesMoon Basepermanently shadowed regionscontamination controllunar science cislunar-article-lunar-microbes-planetary-protection-artemis-2026 NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has imaged the fresh crater left by a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage that hit the Moon on August 5, 2026. The finding gives scientists a rare controlled impact data point while underscoring a practical issue for the CLPS and Artemis era: every lunar delivery now needs a traceable end-of-mission plan. https://cislunar.news/article/nasa-lro-falcon9-crater-lunar-traffic-2026 Thu, 20 Aug 2026 01:00:00 GMT Infrastructure NASALROSpaceXCLPSlunar trafficMoonFirefly Aerospace cislunar-article-nasa-lro-falcon9-crater-lunar-traffic-2026 Crescent Space Services was launched by Lockheed Martin in 2023 to provide lunar communications and position, navigation, and timing services through the Parsec network. The company’s test is whether lunar mission cadence grows fast enough to support shared infrastructure as a service. https://cislunar.news/article/crescent-space-company-profile Wed, 19 Aug 2026 01:00:00 GMT Companies Crescent SpaceLockheed MartinParseclunar communicationslunar navigationPNTArtemiscislunar infrastructure cislunar-article-crescent-space-company-profile SpaceX set a new internal launch-turnaround record on August 15 by flying two Falcon 9 missions 38.5 minutes apart, one for Globalstar from Florida and one classified U.S. Space Force mission from California. The milestone matters for cislunar logistics because future lunar relays, tankers, landers, and defense payloads will depend on high-cadence launch operations that can work across ranges, teams, and recovery zones. https://cislunar.news/article/spacex-falcon9-doubleheader-cislunar-cadence-2026 Tue, 18 Aug 2026 01:06:07 GMT Transport SpaceXFalcon 9GlobalstarU.S. Space Forcelaunch cadencecislunar logisticsnational security spacelunar infrastructure cislunar-article-spacex-falcon9-doubleheader-cislunar-cadence-2026