Mission Events
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 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.
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.
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.