June 29 - July 5, 2026 | Vol 45, Week 26
NASA & ARTEMIS
- NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman to discuss the next set of lunar lander missions and awards this Tuesday 30 June.
- Eric Berger reports the work for the Lunar Gateway’s planned Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) has ceased.
- A NASA Office of Inspector General (OIG) analysis indicates aging infrastructure will need $1 billion to complete necessary upgrades to support Artemis launches.
GLOBAL UPDATES
- Botswana has signed the Artemis Accords, making it the 68th country to join the international lunar coalition.
- Bian Zhigang, CNSA deputy director and representative for international space/lunar cooperation, is currently under military investigation in China.
CULTURE & EVENTS
- The Moon Village Association is finalizing plans for July 20 International Moon Day main forum while promoting global 2026 events.
- Mexico City will soon launch a virtual reality experience simulating the Apollo 11 journey to the Moon.
- Tracking the lunar cycle, Arnold & Son’s produce a new line of Perpetual Moon watches.
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HUMANS IN SPACE
International Space Station
- Average Altitude: 415 km
- Current Mission: Expedition 74
- Crew Members: Commander Sergey, Chris Williams, Sergei Mikaev, Jessica Meir, Jack Hathaway, Sophie Adenot and Andrey Fedyaev.
- Docked Spacecraft: Crew-12 Dragon, Soyuz MS-28, Progress 94P, Progress 95P and Cygnus-24.
Tiangong Space Station
- Average Altitude: 390 km
- Current Mission: Shenzhou-23
- Crew Members: Commander Zhu Yangzhu, pilot Zhang Zhiyuan and payload specialist Lai Ka-ying.
- Docked Spacecraft: Shenzhou 23 and Tianzhou 10.
| Near-Earth Objects Close Approaches | ||
|---|---|---|
| Date | Object | Distance |
| Tue June 30 | Apollo Asteroid 2026 MJ1 | 0.003 AU |
| Wed July 1 | Aten Asteroid 2020 NC | 0.054 AU |
| Sat July 4 | Aten Asteroid 523808 | 2007 ML24 | 0.023 AU |
| Sun July 5 | Apollo Asteroid 2023 YO1 | 0.016 AU |