June 1-7, 2026 | Vol 45, Week 22 | Hawai`i Island, USA

NASA Personnel Announce Timeline for USA on the Moon, Project Awards, Moon Base Website

Live-streamed and recorded NASA news conference May 26 on Moon Base plans featured Jared Isaacman, Lorie Glaze and Carlos García-Galán. Isaacman restated the intention to “begin stacking Artemis 3 this summer with a target launch in mid 2027.” He spoke of leveraging commercial industry capabilities to build landers, rovers, technology and research projects suitable for “this epic science of [lunar] survival” in the hostile Moon environment, saying, “We go for the technology we will pioneer to get there,” which “will make life better here on Earth.” Mission 1 will be Blue Origin Mark 1 Endurance lander delivering multiple payloads to Shackleton Ridge NET Fall 2026. Mission 2 will be Astrobotic Griffin lander taking >500 kg of cargo including Astrolab’s Flip rover. Mission 3 will deliver the 1st payload selected in the NASA Prism Initiative competition among universities, researchers and industry, to study lunar swirls. Missions 2 and 3 are “targeted to launch before the end of 2026,” by which time at least 10 more missions are expected to be announced. Payloads from ESA and Korea will be included. The NASA Moon Base website launched “in the last hour.” Glaze said, “We’re moving toward the cadence necessary for a sustained deep space program.” García-Galán announced awards: Blue Origin Mark1, similar to Endurance, to deliver LTVs and, in Fall 2027, VIPER, at US$234M each; for crewed and autonomous rovers, Astrolab FLEX and Lunar Outpost Pegasus are chosen at US$220M each. Moonfall drones being developed by JPL will be taken by Firefly Elytra. More awards will be announced later this month. In the Q&A, Blue Origin was named as chosen for Artemis III. (Image Credits: NASA)

AAS CanSat Flies This Week; Winners Favored for Space Industry Internships

The Student CanSat Competition challenges university teams from around the world to design, build and fly a payload that simulates an aerospace-industry project. Organizer American Astronautical Society (AAS) hopes to engage a next generation of scientists and engineers. CanSat work provides hands-on experience in aerospace systems design. Parameters change every year; 2026 rules include payload deployment via motor when the rocket reaches peak altitude of 1 km, an automatically opening parachute, descent at 15 meters per second (or less) to 800 meters, where the payload must exit the container and descend via a paraglider method at an average of 5 meters/second toward a specified landing site. A video camera must show payload separation and paraglider descent. At 2 meters above the ground, there must be a further separation and an intact “instrument” landing, shown by a second video camera, with the intact “instrument” being an egg! Additionally, sensors must collect and transmit data the entire time, including interior temperature, battery voltage and current, altitude, tilt angle, rotation rate and GPS position. The CanSat names derives from all of these elements needing to fit in a soda can. Taking two semesters the missions go through Preliminary Design Review (PDR), Critical Design Review (CDR), and Flight Readiness Review (FRR), and rockets are provided by AAS. (Image Credits: AAS)

Humans in Space

☆ International Space Station, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 74 seven Astronauts are continuing biotechnology and botany research, Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and Sergei Mikaev installed a solar radiation experiment and removed physics and microbiology research gear during a 6-hour spacewalk, with assistance of Andrey Fedyaev using the European robotic arm. Jessica Meir is nourishing cartilage-forming cells to assist understanding that may improve astronaut fitness regimens. Chris Williams photographed white clover seeds, and Jack Hathaway photographed alfalfa plants. Sophie Adenot serviced ultrasound, bio-lab and DNA-sequencing devices. (Image Credits: NASA)

☆ Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou-21 three members greeted the Shenzhou-23 crew: Commander Zhu Yangzhu (朱杨柱) on his 2nd Tiangong mission, Payload Specialist Li Jiaying (黎家盈) flying on her 1st mission, and Spacecraft Pilot Zhang Zhiyuan (张志远) on his 1st flight. They brought 9 science experiments with them and will support over 100 in total, in space life sciences and medicine, material sciences, fluid behavior in microgravity, and new technology. June 5 they celebrate the 4th full year of continuous Human occupation of the space station. All 6 Taikonauts worked together briefly; Shenzhou-21 three returned to Earth May 29. (Image Credits: CNSA)

☄ Near-Earth Objects Close Approaches Mon June 1: Apollo Asteroids 2026 KV (0.025 AU) and KB1 (0.026 AU), Amor Asteroid 2026 JN (0.040 AU) | Wed June 3: Apollo Asteroid 2021 KN2 (0.014 AU) | Sun June 7: Apollo Asteroid 2018 GE (0.041 AU)

Loading Moon data for your location...

Loading planet data...


Land your name on the Moon!

Have your name sent to the Moon for FREE on the ILO-1 lunar mission via Astrolab FLEX rover (NET 2027). You will automatically be signed up for our weekly Space Calendar.

  • Spacecraft Rendezvous and Proximity Operations

    Online

    Online short course on Rendezvous and Proximity Operations (RPO), critical for crew transfer, in-space assembly and space debris removal, among other uses. Instructor is Pradipto Ghosh; 12 classroom hours / 2.4 CEU-PDH; online via Zoom with replays available. Students will receive Certificates of Completion from both AIAA and Johns Hopkins […]

    US$1595 – US$1795
  • Nominations Due: AIAA Honors & Awards

    Online

    Six Premier Awards, a dozen Technical Excellence Awards, Lectureship, Service and Publication Awards, and more -- all nominations are due online today by 23:59 EDT, with references due July 1.

  • Committee on Planetary Protection (CoPP) Online Meeting: Limits of Terrestrial Life and the Probability of Growth on Mars

    Online

    This meeting is to provide information to NASA so it can develop a prioritized list of factors that contribute to the potential release of terrestrial bioburden on the Mars surface and the likelihood of microbial survival and replication. Quantitative and qualitative guidance on individual and multiple growth-limiting/growth-promoting conditions are needed […]

  • 28th Aerodynamic Decelerator Systems Conference

    London, United Kingdom

    1–3 June will involve solicited technical paper presentations at The Royal Aeronautical Society in London, UK, followed by an advanced materials seminar on 4–5 June, hosted by The National Aerospace Library in Farnborough, UK and Heathcoat Fabrics Limited in Tiverton, UK.

  • Capitol Hill Briefing/Panel: Harnessing the Moon to Enable Mars

    Washington DC, USA

    10:00-11:30 ET at 2325 Rayburn House Office Building, 45 Independence Ave SW; Members of Congress, congressional staff, policymakers, and the general public are welcome. Seats are limited; registration is required: https://harnessing-the-moon-to-enable-mars.eventbrite.com Experts will detail how NASA’s lunar surface plans should be developed in a manner that will advance the goal […]

  • IAF Global Space Conference on Climate Change (GLOC 2026)

    Kigali, Rwanda

    Uniting Space and Earth for Climate Resilience. The conference will bring together the international community, space agencies, industry, government, academia and NGOs, and representatives of non-space sectors involved in the climate change debate. All will converge in Kigali, Rwanda to present results, exchange ideas, debate roadmaps and discuss the future […]

  • Space Tech Expo USA

    Anaheim CA, USA

    4500 expected attendees are invited to discover the latest advancements in the space supply chain by connecting with over 350 companies who offer cutting-edge solutions, including electronics, materials, testing, components, and more. In this dynamic and fast-changing industry, there’s no better opportunity to meet face-to-face. At Hall A, Anaheim Convention […]

    Free – US$79
  • 26th Meeting of the Space Resources Roundtable (SRR)

    Golden CO, USA

    As it has done since 1999, this conference will bring together world experts from space agencies, research organizations, academia, the space private sector, the mining supply chain, the oil and gas industry, equipment manufacturers, and financial, policy, and legal experts to present innovative approaches in space resource identification, technology development, utilization, […]

  • Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 17-47

    SLC-4E (~35°N), Vandenberg SFB CA, USA

    Launch window 07:00-11:00 PDT | 14:00-18:00 UTC | 04:00-08:00 HST for 24 internet satellites; 1st stage booster B1088 is expected to return and land on ASDS OCISLY after this 16th flight.

  • Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 10-43

    SLC-40 (~28°N), Cape Canaveral SFS FL, USA

    Launch window 04:02-08:02 EDT | 08:02-12:02 UTC | HST 22:02 June 2 - 02:02 June 3 for 29 internet satellites; 1st stage reusable booster B1090 expected to land on ASDS ASOG after this 12th flight.

  • Proposals / Capability Statements Due for NASA NextSTEP-3

    Online

    NASA seeks proposals by 17:00 EDT for Lunar Enabling Infrastructure Accelerator (LEIA) from USA institutions regarding vertical solar arrays, in situ resource utilization (ISRU) oxygen production systems, Stirling radioisotope generators, in-space manufacturing, and advanced nanomaterials production.

  • International Space Development Conference (ISDC) 2026: Space For Us All

    McLean VA, USA

    This 44th Annual ISDC brings together visionaries in spaceflight, the NewSpace economy, and space settlement for 4 days of groundbreaking discussions and insights. A Moon Symposium will be Sunday, June 7, 10:00-18:00. Connect with NASA Astronauts including Harrison Schmitt, top space industry executives, researchers, engineers and academics shaping the new […]

    $95 – $600
  • 21st Annual Student CanSat Competition

    Monterey VA, USA

    Design-build-launch competition for space-related topics open to teams from universities and colleges. Teams must be able to design and build a space-type system, following the approved competition guide, and then compete against each at the end of two semesters to determine the winners. Rockets will be provided but teams are […]

  • Launch Long March 8 / Unknown Payload

    Wenchang Space Launch Center, ~19°N, Hainan Island, China

    Launch window 13:00-17:00 Beijing Time | 05:00-09:00 UTC | HST June 4 19:00-23:00, possibly for SpaceSail Polar Orbit LEO communication satellites.

  • Meet the Real Top Gun Maverick: Scott “Scooter” Altman

    Chicago IL, USA

    Celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Top Gun with the real Maverick of NASA, Astronaut Scott “Scooter” Altman. Altman played a pivotal role in the iconic movie, performing many of the aerial stunts in the 1986 film Top Gun. Hear his firsthand tales from the movie and his real-life experience as […]

    US$150
  • Fly With An Astronaut

    Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex FL, USA

    Astronaut Ken Cameron, Pilot or Commander for 3 Space Shuttle flights with 561+ hours in space, gives his personal account and reflects on his experiences, then engages in Q&A; part of a Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex tour that includes other locations, shows, transportation among them, and catered lunch. Includes […]

    US$200
  • Tianwen-2 Enters Orbit of Asteroid Kamo’oalewa

    Near-Earth Object (NEO)

    Sample-return spacecraft Tianwen-2 will perform an orbit-insertion burn at asteroid 469219 Kamoʻoalewa on Sunday, June 7, 13 months after its launch in May 2025. It is expected to begin collecting samples early next month. https://www.techtimes.com/articles/317613/20260602/tianwen-2-asteroid-orbit-insertion-set-june-7-amateurs-decode-telemetry.htm Kamoʻoalewa, formally designated 2016 HO3, was discovered in April 2016 by the Pan-STARRS 1 telescope […]

  • Launch Falcon 9 / Starlink Group 10-35

    SLC-40 (~28°N), Cape Canaveral SFS FL, USA

    Launch window 06:07-10:07 EDT | 10:07-14:07 UTC | 00:07-04:07 HST for 29 internet satellites; 1st stage booster B1067 expected to land on ASDS ASOG in the Atlantic Ocean after this 35th use.

  • Investor Events for Financial Analysts and Retail Investors

    Online

    About 125 financial analysts from 21 banks are scheduled to meet with SpaceX on June 7. On June 8, executives and bankers will pitch the IPO to investors. On June 11, SpaceX will host 1,500 retail investors, said Chief Financial Officer Bret Johnsen. Elon Musk reported wants to set aside […]