NASA

The Space Systems Command (SSC) in El Segundo awarded an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract on April 7, 2026, for space-based space domain awareness capability. The 14-company pool includes Anduril, Astranis, BAE Systems Space, General Atomics, Intuitive Machines, L3Harris, Lockheed Martin, Millennium Space Systems, Northrop Grumman, Quantum Space, Redwire, Sierra Space, True Anomaly, and Turion Space. The IDIQ ceiling and individual task order values were not disclosed. The procurement was competitive with 32 offers received. This represents a significant commercial-first approach to orbital domain awareness infrastructure.

NASA launched the Artemis II mission on April 1, 2026 at 6:35 p.m. EDT from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center, sending commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a ~10-day free-return trajectory around the Moon. The SLS core stage and Orion spacecraft performed nominally, with solar array deployment confirmed shortly after separation. On April 2, the crew completed a 5-minute, 55-second translunar injection burn that set Orion on course to reach a maximum distance of approximately 252,021 miles from Earth — surpassing the Apollo 13 record. The mission is a crewed test flight, not a lunar landing, and is intended to validate Orion life support, navigation, and deep-space systems ahead of Artemis IV.

NASA formally locks in an April 1–7 2026 launch window for Artemis II, the first crewed flight of the Artemis program, to perform a lunar flyby using the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft.

Senior NASA managers detail development of compact nuclear power systems to provide steady heat and electricity for lunar and Mars habitats, supporting long‑duration surface operations and science.

NASA leadership has chosen to redirect resources away from the long-planned Lunar Gateway orbital station toward building a more ambitious, sustained human base on the lunar surface. The decision reflects a broader Artemis program shift toward surface infrastructure.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman called for a monthly cadence of robotic lunar landers to the south pole starting next year, accelerating CLPS 2.0 and surface infrastructure.

NASA's X-59 Quesst quiet supersonic demonstrator flew its second test mission on March 20 from Edwards AFB, California, lasting ~1 hour at speeds up to 260 mph and 20,000 ft. A cockpit warning prompted early termination, but the aircraft landed safely after envelope expansion objectives. This advances validation of low-boom tech for future overland supersonic travel.[web:33][web:35]

After helium leak repairs and final close-outs, NASA began the ~4-mile rollout of the fully stacked SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft from the Vehicle Assembly Building to Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center. Rollout started ~8 p.m. EDT March 19 (delayed slightly by winds) and is expected to complete within 12 hours. This positions the vehicle for the April 1 targeted crewed lunar flyby: the first humans around the Moon since Apollo 17.

Following repairs in the VAB, the Artemis II SLS/Orion stack rolled out again on March 19–20, 2026, completing the ~4-mile journey to LC-39B in ~10 hours. The crew arrived at Kennedy Space Center on March 27 and entered quarantine. Launch is targeted for no earlier than 6:24 PM EDT on April 1, 2026 — the first human deep-space mission since Apollo 17 in 1972.

On March 18 astronauts Jessica Meir (4th EVA) and Chris Williams (1st EVA) conducted the first U.S. spacewalk of 2026 from the Quest airlock. They prepared the 2A power channel for future IROSA rollout solar array installation. The 6.5-hour EVA successfully completed all primary tasks. Spacewalk 95 (3B channel prep) is scheduled for the coming days.