https://cislunar.news/ Infrastructure journalism covering the emerging Earth-Moon economy. en-us Fri, 17 Apr 2026 18:05:56 GMT https://cislunar.news/og-image.png https://cislunar.news/ 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 The Artemis Accords establish the first international legal framework for commercial lunar activities, signed by over 50 nations to govern Moon exploration and resource extraction. These voluntary agreements create "safety zones" for exclusive mining rights while requiring peaceful cooperation, emergency assistance, and transparent operations as humanity prepares to return to the Moon. https://cislunar.news/article/artemis-accords-explained Mon, 30 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Policy PolicyNASAInternationalLegal Framework cislunar-article-artemis-accords-explained Firefly 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. https://cislunar.news/article/firefly-ocula-lunar-imaging-service-2026 Thu, 26 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Technology Firefly AerospaceOculalunar imagingBlue Ghost Mission 2Elytracislunarcommercial spacelunar mappingSciTecESA Lunar Pathfinder cislunar-article-firefly-ocula-lunar-imaging-service-2026 NASA's Gateway lunar space station faces another major delay, with the launch of its first two modules—the Power and Propulsion Element and Habitation and Logistics Outpost—now pushed to 2027. The setback stems from integration complexities, supply chain issues, and challenges developing humanity's first autonomous deep-space station. This delay cascades through the Artemis program, potentially pushing the first crewed Gateway assembly mission to 2028. https://cislunar.news/article/gateway-ppe-halo-launch-delayed-2025 Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Infrastructure GatewayNASAPPEHALOArtemis IVLanterisNorthrop Grummandeep space stationcislunar infrastructure cislunar-article-gateway-ppe-halo-launch-delayed-2025 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 SpaceX successfully completed its first orbital propellant transfer test, moving cryogenic liquid oxygen between two connected vehicles in space—a milestone never achieved at scale before. This breakthrough validates the keystone technology for lunar missions, as Starship requires orbital refueling to carry enough fuel for Moon landings. The test demonstrated critical capabilities including fluid management in microgravity and thermal control systems. https://cislunar.news/article/spacex-starship-orbital-refueling-test-2026 Tue, 17 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Transport SpaceXStarshipTechnologyPropellant Transfer cislunar-article-spacex-starship-orbital-refueling-test-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 Propellant depots — fuel storage stations positioned in cislunar space — could transform the economics of lunar missions by letting spacecraft refuel mid-journey rather than launching fully loaded from Earth. This explainer covers the physics driving depot design, the competing orbit location options from LEO to EML-1 to NRHO, the hard technical challenge of storing cryogenic propellants in space for months without losing them to boiloff, and the companies actively developing the technology. The connection to lunar ISRU and the long-term vision of a Moon-sourced propellant economy is also explored. https://cislunar.news/article/lunar-propellant-depots-explained Tue, 10 Mar 2026 01:17:13 GMT propellant depotcislunarISRUin-space refuelingcryogenicsorbital mechanicsSpaceXOrbit Fablunar economy cislunar-article-lunar-propellant-depots-explained China has selected a site for its International Lunar Research Station at the lunar south pole, with construction beginning in 2028 through the Chang'e 8 mission. The surface-based facility, developed with Russia and eight other partner nations, offers an alternative to America's Artemis program and positions China for a crewed lunar landing by 2030. This represents China's methodical progression toward permanent lunar presence following successful sample return missions. https://cislunar.news/article/china-lunar-base-progress-2026 Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Policy ChinaInfrastructureLunar BaseInternational cislunar-article-china-lunar-base-progress-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 Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander successfully completed thermal vacuum testing, moving closer to its mid-2026 mission to deliver NASA payloads to the Moon's Mare Crisium region. The commercial lander represents a new generation of smaller, cost-effective vehicles designed for frequent lunar missions. If successful, Blue Ghost will join the first wave of commercial spacecraft to achieve soft lunar landings. 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 The U.S. Space Force is dramatically expanding its space surveillance capabilities to monitor the vast cislunar region between Earth and the Moon—covering an area 1,000 times larger than current operations. The new Cislunar Domain Awareness Network will use upgraded ground telescopes, space-based sensors, and AI-driven data fusion to track increasing military and civilian traffic in this strategically important domain. https://cislunar.news/article/ussf-cislunar-domain-awareness-network-2026 Thu, 05 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Defense USSFMilitaryDomain AwarenessTracking cislunar-article-ussf-cislunar-domain-awareness-network-2026 The European Space Agency's ESPRIT module, designed to provide fuel storage, advanced communications, and a crew observation cupola for NASA's Gateway lunar station, remains on schedule for 2027 delivery. This critical European contribution will enable Gateway's full operational capability as a deep-space refueling hub and communications relay between Earth and lunar surface operations. 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 Blue Origin has launched an intensive drop test campaign for its Blue Moon Mark 2 lunar lander, part of the company's $3.4 billion NASA contract to provide an alternative to SpaceX's Starship for Artemis missions. The tests validate critical systems including landing gear performance, hazard detection sensors, and structural integrity before the lander attempts its first Moon landing mission, targeted for commercial service by 2028. https://cislunar.news/article/blue-origin-blue-moon-lander-test-campaign-2026 Tue, 03 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT Transport LanderBlue OriginTestingCommercial cislunar-article-blue-origin-blue-moon-lander-test-campaign-2026 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 Revolutionary mining technology could transform the Moon into a self-sustaining outpost by extracting water ice from shadowed polar craters and oxygen from lunar soil. With an estimated 600 million metric tons of water ice available and oxygen comprising 43% of lunar regolith, these resources could eliminate the million-dollar-per-kilogram cost of launching materials from Earth for deep space missions. https://cislunar.news/article/isru-mining-moon-water-oxygen Sun, 01 Mar 2026 19:06:34 GMT Engineering ISRUResourcesTechnologyMining cislunar-article-isru-mining-moon-water-oxygen 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 NASA's $2.9 billion bet on SpaceX's unproven Starship as the Artemis lunar lander was the largest and most controversial Moon contract in history. Despite technical risks including orbital refueling and autonomous precision landing of the 50-meter vehicle, recent test flights show the ambitious gamble may be paying off as humans prepare to return to the Moon for the first time since 1972. https://cislunar.news/article/spacex-starship-hls-29-billion-gamble Sat, 28 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Economics SpaceXStarshipHLSNASA Artemis cislunar-article-spacex-starship-hls-29-billion-gamble NASA has awarded contracts to three companies to develop lunar communications relay satellite systems that will provide continuous coverage for Artemis missions and robotic operations. The satellites will solve critical communication gaps at the lunar south pole, where terrain blocks direct Earth contact up to 50% of the time, creating safety risks for crews. These commercial relay networks will enable voice, video, navigation services, and emergency communications for sustained lunar 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 Rocket Lab has evolved from a small-lift launch startup into a vertically integrated space systems company with proven cislunar capability. Its Photon bus delivered NASA's CAPSTONE to lunar orbit in 2022, and the upcoming Neutron rocket will extend its reach into medium-lift. With $445M in 2025 revenue and profitability, Rocket Lab is a rare profitable player in commercial space. https://cislunar.news/article/rocket-lab-company-profile-cislunar Wed, 18 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Rocket Lab Rocket LabElectronNeutronCAPSTONEPhotonPeter Becksmall-liftmedium-liftcislunarcompany-profile cislunar-article-rocket-lab-company-profile-cislunar 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 Cislunar space—the 384,400-kilometer region between Earth and the Moon—is rapidly transforming from an empty frontier into humanity's next industrial zone. This area will soon host fuel depots, manufacturing facilities, research stations, and commercial operations worth tens of billions of dollars. Nations are competing to establish strategic presence in this critical space that will shape geopolitics for generations. https://cislunar.news/article/what-is-cislunar-space Fri, 13 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT Infrastructure EducationOverviewCislunarBeginner cislunar-article-what-is-cislunar-space NASA's Artemis II mission has been dealt a significant setback after engineers discovered an interruption in helium flow within the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS), the upper stage responsible for the trans-lunar injection burn that would send the crew toward the Moon. The fault, which also appeared during Artemis I in 2022, cannot be repaired at the launch pad and requires the full SLS stack to be rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building. The March 6 to 11 launch window is closed; the next opportunity opens April 1. https://cislunar.news/article/artemis-ii-rollback-icps-helium-2026 Fri, 17 Apr 2026 18:00:00 GMT Exploration ArtemisSLSOrionICPSNASALunarLaunchKennedy Space Center cislunar-article-artemis-ii-rollback-icps-helium-2026 Cislunar space domain awareness is the hardest tracking problem humanity has faced: a volume 10,000x larger than GEO, governed by chaotic three-body gravitational dynamics, with no existing object catalog and sensors that were designed for a completely different orbital regime. This article explains the geometry, physics, current sensor state, and emerging solutions. https://cislunar.news/article/cislunar-space-domain-awareness-tracking Fri, 17 Apr 2026 04:00:00 GMT Technology space domain awarenessspace situational awarenesscislunar trackingAFRL OracleDARPA TBD2GEODSSnational securityspace traffic managementthree-body problemlibration points cislunar-article-cislunar-space-domain-awareness-tracking Artemis II's April 16 debrief gave NASA its first public evidence that Orion's revised re-entry profile may have tamed the heat-shield issue that shadowed Artemis after the 2022 uncrewed test flight. The result does not remove the remaining Artemis III risks, but it shifts more of the schedule pressure toward commercial lander development rather than Orion itself. https://cislunar.news/article/artemis-ii-orion-heat-shield-artemis-iii-april-2026 Fri, 17 Apr 2026 01:07:48 GMT Engineering Artemis IIArtemis IIIOrionNASAheat shieldReid WisemanVictor GloverLockheed Martinlunar returncislunar transport cislunar-article-artemis-ii-orion-heat-shield-artemis-iii-april-2026 NASA said April 16 that the Artemis mobile launcher was rolling back to the Vehicle Assembly Building as the agency shifts from Artemis II post-flight operations into Artemis III preparations. The move came the same day the Artemis II crew was scheduled to discuss its lunar mission, underscoring a larger transition: Artemis now has to prove it can turn a successful flight into repeatable lunar infrastructure tempo, not just isolated milestone moments. https://cislunar.news/article/nasa-rolls-artemis-mobile-launcher-back-vab-artemis-iii-april-2026 Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Infrastructure NASAArtemisArtemis IIISLSMobile LauncherKennedy Space CenterCislunar Infrastructure cislunar-article-nasa-rolls-artemis-mobile-launcher-back-vab-artemis-iii-april-2026 Axiom Space is a Houston-based commercial space infrastructure company founded in 2016 by Kam Ghaffarian and Michael Suffredini. The company has conducted four private astronaut missions to the International Space Station in partnership with SpaceX, holds a NASA contract worth up to $228.5 million to develop the AxEMU spacesuit for Artemis lunar surface EVAs, and is building a modular commercial space station with manufacturing underway at Thales Alenia Space in Turin. In February 2026, Axiom closed a $350 million financing round co-led by Type One Ventures and the Qatar Investment Authority, bringing total capital raised to approximately $1.12 billion. https://cislunar.news/article/axiom-space-company-profile Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:00:00 GMT Companies Axiom Spacecommercial space stationprivate astronaut missionsAxEMU spacesuitArtemisISSSpaceXNASAKam GhaffarianMichael Suffredinilow Earth orbitspace infrastructureAxiom Stationcompany profile cislunar-article-axiom-space-company-profile Redwire is not a launch company and it is not a pure-play satellite manufacturer. It is an infrastructure company, one assembled piece by piece to sell the tools that cislunar missions actually need: power systems, docking hardware, robotic arms, digital engineering, in-space manufacturing systems, and lunar construction technology. Founded in 2020 through AE Industrial Partners' merger of Adcole Space and Deep Space Systems, Redwire has grown through acquisitions and contracts into a core supplier for Artemis-era programs. The company reported $335.4 million in 2025 revenue, ended the year with $411.2 million in backlog, and guided for $450 million to $500 million in 2026 revenue. https://cislunar.news/article/redwire-company-profile Thu, 16 Apr 2026 19:00:00 GMT Companies RedwireGatewaylunar infrastructureISRUROSAArgonautspace manufacturingArtemis cislunar-article-redwire-company-profile A deep explainer on the orbital mechanics governing cislunar space: delta-v budgets, Hohmann transfers, low-energy trajectories, the three-body problem, Lagrange points, and Near Rectilinear Halo Orbits, with real numbers from actual missions. https://cislunar.news/article/cislunar-orbital-mechanics-explainer Thu, 16 Apr 2026 18:00:00 GMT Technology orbital mechanicscislunar spacedelta-vHohmann transferthree-body problemLagrange pointsNRHOLunar Gateway cislunar-article-cislunar-orbital-mechanics-explainer LunaNet is an open interoperability standard developed by NASA, ESA, and JAXA to provide communications relay, positioning/navigation/timing, and space environment monitoring services around the Moon. Using Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking protocols and a planned constellation of relay satellites in frozen elliptical orbits, LunaNet will provide near-continuous coverage of the lunar south pole — solving the fundamental problem that limits today's lunar missions to narrow communication windows with Earth. https://cislunar.news/article/lunanet-lunar-internet-navigation-explained Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:00:00 GMT Technology LunaNetlunar communicationsnavigationArtemisDTNNASAcislunar infrastructureMoonlight ESAspace technologyPNT cislunar-article-lunanet-lunar-internet-navigation-explained ispace and Shimizu Corporation announced an April 15 agreement to study cislunar infrastructure, including a lunar surface data center that could support autonomous construction and future base operations. The deal is still at the planning stage, but it highlights an increasingly important layer of the lunar economy: local computing, data handling, and machine coordination close to the worksite instead of relying on Earth for every decision. https://cislunar.news/article/ispace-shimizu-lunar-data-center-april-2026 Thu, 16 Apr 2026 08:24:36 GMT Infrastructure ispaceShimizulunar data centerlunar infrastructurecislunar economyautonomous constructionMoon baseJapanlunar computing cislunar-article-ispace-shimizu-lunar-data-center-april-2026 SpaceX's latest Starbase rollout is more than a launch-site visual. With Artemis II complete, NASA's biggest open schedule risk has shifted to the Human Landing System and the long chain of launch, refueling, docking, and lunar operations that Starship still has to prove. The April 12 move keeps that campaign alive, but the real test will be whether SpaceX can convert visible hardware motion into repeatable results. https://cislunar.news/article/spacex-starship-rollout-artemis-hls-april-2026 Sun, 12 Apr 2026 19:30:40 GMT Transport SpaceXStarshipSuper HeavyArtemisHuman Landing SystemHLSNASAlunar landercislunarStarbase cislunar-article-spacex-starship-rollout-artemis-hls-april-2026 Blue Origin's Blue Moon MK1 cargo lander has completed thermal-vacuum testing at NASA Johnson Space Center, clearing a key environmental qualification step before flight. The test campaign is a meaningful milestone because cargo systems, not just crew missions, will determine whether cislunar operations become routine. If Endurance moves from chamber testing to a successful lunar delivery, Blue Origin will strengthen its position in the growing market for lunar logistics and infrastructure transport. https://cislunar.news/article/blue-origin-blue-moon-mk1-tvac-april-2026 Fri, 10 Apr 2026 01:07:39 GMT Infrastructure Blue OriginBlue Moon MK1Endurancelunar cargothermal vacuum testingNASA Johnson Space CenterArtemislunar landercislunar logisticsNew Glenn cislunar-article-blue-origin-blue-moon-mk1-tvac-april-2026 China's Mengzhou crew capsule passed its in-flight abort test at maximum dynamic pressure on February 11, 2026, splashing down in the South China Sea and marking the capsule's third major milestone. The same flight demonstrated controlled sea recovery of the CZ-10A prototype booster. Now additional endurance tests are underway for Mengzhou, while the Linghangzhe catch ship prepares for a first cable-catch booster recovery attempt. https://cislunar.news/article/china-cz10a-mengzhou-booster-2026 Thu, 09 Apr 2026 18:00:00 GMT Exploration ChinaMengzhouCZ-10Alunar programbooster recoverycislunarspace raceCASCWenchang cislunar-article-china-cz10a-mengzhou-booster-2026 Firefly Aerospace said April 8 that its Ocula lunar imaging service will use an embedded NVIDIA Jetson module and AI software from SciTec to process imagery onboard its Elytra vehicle in lunar orbit. The change is meant to reduce downlink pressure, speed up mapping and mineral-targeting workflows, and support cislunar space domain awareness. If Blue Ghost Mission 2 launches on schedule in late 2026 and Elytra performs for its planned five-year orbital life, Ocula could become one of the first persistent commercial information services around the Moon. https://cislunar.news/article/firefly-ocula-nvidia-lunar-ai-april-2026 Thu, 09 Apr 2026 01:10:22 GMT Infrastructure Firefly AerospaceOculaNVIDIAJetsonElytraBlue Ghost Mission 2lunar imagingcislunarspace domain awarenessAI cislunar-article-firefly-ocula-nvidia-lunar-ai-april-2026 NASA's Lunar Gateway, humanity's first deep space station, will orbit the Moon starting in 2027 as a staging point for lunar missions and Mars exploration technology testing. Built through international partnership, the modular outpost will operate in a unique fuel-efficient orbit between 1,500-70,000 km from the Moon. The project reached a major milestone with the HALO crew module arriving in Arizona for final preparation before launch on SpX Falcon Heavy. https://cislunar.news/article/lunar-gateway-deep-space-station Wed, 08 Apr 2026 18:00:00 GMT Infrastructure GatewayInfrastructureNASACislunar Hub cislunar-article-lunar-gateway-deep-space-station With Artemis II putting the Moon back in the spotlight, a quieter but important cislunar story emerged this week. New warnings from SpaceNews contributors argue that NASA's lunar base plans need stronger operational technology security, shared software systems, and better command integrity long before a permanent outpost can be trusted to run safely. https://cislunar.news/article/moon-base-ot-cybersecurity-april-2026 Wed, 08 Apr 2026 01:00:00 GMT Policy Moon basecybersecurityoperational technologyNASAcislunar infrastructurelunar baseZero Trustsoftware cislunar-article-moon-base-ot-cybersecurity-april-2026 NASA is racing to repair the Artemis 2 SLS rocket before its April 1-6 launch window after a helium flow failure in the ICPS upper stage forced a rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building on February 25. The technical crisis arrives as NASA simultaneously announced a major Artemis restructuring: inserting a new LEO lander test flight in 2027 and pushing the first crewed lunar landing to Artemis 4 in 2028. Four astronauts are weeks away from the deepest human spaceflight since Apollo — if the repair holds. https://cislunar.news/article/artemis-2-repair-april-launch-2026 Tue, 07 Apr 2026 22:00:00 GMT Exploration ArtemisSLSOrionNASAlunar explorationcislunarspaceflight cislunar-article-artemis-2-repair-april-launch-2026 NASA's Lunar Gateway will occupy a Near-Rectilinear Halo Orbit, a highly elongated polar path around the Moon's L2 Lagrange point that swings between 1,500 and 70,000 kilometers from the lunar surface every 6.5 days. This explainer covers Lagrange points, three-body orbital dynamics, the NRHO's unique advantages, the CAPSTONE validation mission, and how the orbit fits into the full Artemis architecture. https://cislunar.news/article/nrho-near-rectilinear-halo-orbit-explained Tue, 07 Apr 2026 13:44:11 GMT Technology NRHOLunar Gatewayorbital mechanicsArtemiscislunarhalo orbitsLagrange pointsCAPSTONE cislunar-article-nrho-near-rectilinear-halo-orbit-explained An explainer on space traffic management in cislunar space: the current governance gap, the unique challenges of lunar orbital regimes, what a practical STM framework would include, the commercial dimension, and why the window for establishing good norms is narrow as the lunar economy accelerates. https://cislunar.news/article/space-traffic-management-cislunar-explained Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:52:18 GMT Space Policy space traffic managementSTMcislunarspace policylunar orbitspace debrisArtemis AccordsNRHOlunar gatewayspace governance cislunar-article-space-traffic-management-cislunar-explained Artemis II completed its lunar flyby on April 6, 2026, with Orion reaching a closest approach of 4,067 miles from the lunar surface and a maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth, breaking the Apollo 13 record. The four-person crew observed 30 science targets, watched a solar eclipse behind the Moon, and proposed naming two craters Integrity and Carroll. Splashdown is set for April 10 off San Diego. https://cislunar.news/article/artemis-ii-lunar-flyby-april-2026 Tue, 07 Apr 2026 06:00:00 GMT Exploration ArtemisArtemis IIlunar flybyNASAOrioncislunarcrewed spaceflightMoonReid WisemanVictor GloverChristina KochJeremy Hansen cislunar-article-artemis-ii-lunar-flyby-april-2026 A peer-reviewed study published in Science Advances using NASA's ShadowCam instrument found no evidence of near-surface water ice above detection thresholds at the lunar south pole. The findings complicate ISRU planning for Artemis and are accelerating a new generation of prospecting missions including Blue Origin's Oasis-1 SmallSats and the NASA-JAXA LUPEX rover, which will drill directly into the regolith to find what orbiting cameras cannot see. https://cislunar.news/article/shadowcam-lunar-ice-shortage-implications-2026 Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT Science water icelunar south poleShadowCamISRUArtemisBlue OriginLUPEXpermanently shadowed regionsKPLOcislunar resources cislunar-article-shadowcam-lunar-ice-shortage-implications-2026 Orbit Fab, founded in 2018 by Daniel Faber and Jeremy Schiel, is building standardized orbital refueling infrastructure using RAFTI ports and GRIP tanker nozzles. The company has raised over 0 million, secured contracts from ESA, UKSA, and U.S. Space Force, and is targeting 2026 for its first in-orbit refueling demonstrations. Its architecture scales from GEO satellite servicing toward cislunar propellant depots to support lunar missions. https://cislunar.news/article/orbit-fab-in-space-refueling Wed, 01 Apr 2026 01:21:22 GMT Companies Orbit Fabin-space refuelingRAFTIsatellite servicingcislunar infrastructurepropellant depotcompanies cislunar-article-orbit-fab-in-space-refueling Japanese lunar company ispace announced its redesigned ULTRA lander and new Lunar Connect Service on March 27, 2026, pivoting toward cislunar infrastructure after two unsuccessful landing attempts. The company plans five lunar orbit satellites by 2030, with the first launching via Argo Space's OTV in 2027 under a new "Mission 2.5" designation, while its next U.S. CLPS lander mission has slipped to 2030. https://cislunar.news/article/ispace-lunar-connect-ultra-lander-2026 Tue, 31 Mar 2026 02:00:00 GMT Infrastructure ispaceLunar Connectcislunar communicationsULTRA landerlunar constellationLunaNetCLPSMission 2.5 cislunar-article-ispace-lunar-connect-ultra-lander-2026