Artemis 2 Still NET April, Artemis 3 Now 2027 Orbital Test, Artemis 4 First Crewed Lunar Landing 2028
NASA has restructured the Artemis program, including the shift of Artemis III from a lunar landing to an Earth orbit test in 2027. Artemis III would rendezvous with one or both of NASA’s contracted Moon landers (SpaceX’s Starship and/or Blue Origin’s Blue Moon), in Earth orbit acting as a test/precursor mission for Artemis IV, which is slated for a 2028 crewed landing. Artemis V will also be a crewed lunar landing mission. The urgency to land humans on the Moon cannot be overstated. It promises groundbreaking scientific insights into lunar geology and resources, accelerates technologies for Mars missions and inspires global innovation. As the international agencies and the NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program has proved, there are great technical and safety risks associates with lunar landing attempts. Artemis II, the first crewed flight, remains on track for launch no earlier than April 2026. This 10-day mission will send four astronauts—NASA’s Reid Wiseman (Commander), Victor Glover (Pilot), Christina Koch (Mission Specialist), and Canadian Space Agency Astronaut Jeremy Hansen—aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft on a free-return trajectory around the Moon. (Image Credits: NASA)
63rd Goddard Symposium Marks the 100-Year Anniversary of 1926 Test Launch
On March 16, 1926, a 3-meter rocket designed by physicist Robert Goddard launched from a farm field, the first use of liquid propellant (gasoline / LOX). The flight lasted just 2.5 seconds but started the path of humans to the Moon; 43 years later, Buzz Aldrin took a tiny book of Goddard’s writings on a round-trip to the Moon. Goddard holds 1st patents for both liquid-fuel and multi-stage rockets (1914) and a rocket-fuel pump (1914); confirmed that rockets work in a vacuum (1915); built a liquid-propellant rocket motor (1925); steering vanes in the exhaust (1932) and gyroscopic guidance devices (1937). Variations of these systems remain fundamental in vehicles such as SLS and Falcon 9. During Women’s History Month it is appropriate to recognize Esther Goddard. For the 1926 launch, approaching 2 years into their marriage, she photographed and filmed it. During the next 2 decades of Goddard’s work, she managed accounts, handled logistics, sewed parachutes and stomped out brush fires. Posthumously (1945+), she organized his records and writing, securing 131 additional patents for him (214 in all), preserving the technical record of modern rocketry’s origins. Numerous programs are being held in recognition of this centennial of space flight; see listings below. (Image Credits: Clark University)
Humans in Space
International Space Station, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 74 crew are observing robotic operations of the Canadarm2 and its uninstallation of the HTV-X1 cargo craft, as HTV-X1 begins 3 months in nearby but independent orbit while JAXA conducts testing and deploys CubeSats. Cosmonauts are measuring blood pressure, working with video recording gear for Earth observation, conducting a digestion study, streaming atoms and molecules at semiconductor materials in physics experiments, and photographing Patagonia near Antarctica. NASA Astronauts are preparing for 2 of them to conduct a spacewalk to reconfigure a solar array.
Tiangong Space Station, ~390-km LEO: Shenzhou-21 crew are wondering which Taikonaut will be the 1st to have a year-long stay in the station, among potential candidates: Liu Yang (刘洋) of Shenzhou-9 and Shenzhou-14, Wang Yaping (王亚平) of Shenzhou-10 and Shenzhou-13, Tang Hongbo (汤洪波) of Shenzhou-12 and Shenzhou-17, Ye Guangfu (叶光富) of Shenzhou-13 and Shenzhou-18, and Cai Xuzhe (蔡旭哲) of Shenzhou-14 and Shenzhou-19. Another anticipated development will be an uncrewed demonstration mission to Tiangong of the Mengzhou capsule designed to carry 6 crew to orbit or 3 crew to the Moon.
Lunar Enterprise News: Chinese Academy of Sciences members are modeling precise, likely locations of water ice at Shackleton Crater near Moon South Pole, the landing area selected for a Nov-Dec touchdown for Chang’E-7 craft, which is planned to operate for 8 years with a hopping rover using an instrument to drill, collect ~1 gram of regolith and heat samples to 200°C and observe with spectrometers. The Planetary Science Journal has published their paper on this process and describes their use of data from NASA LRO and ISRO Chandrayaan-1 orbiters.
Near-Earth Objects Close Approaches – Mon Mar 9: Apollo Asteroid 2026 DH11 (0.008 AU); Wed Mar 11: Aten Asteroid 2026 CC3 (0.010 AU); Wed Mar 11: Apollo Asteroid 2023 ET2 (0.020 AU); Sun Mar 15: Aten Asteroid 2007 EG (0.011 AU)
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The international IEEE Aerospace Conference, with AIAA and PHM Society as technical cosponsors, is organized to promote interdisciplinary understanding of aerospace systems, their underlying science and technology, and their applications to government and commercial endeavors. The annual, week-long conference is set in a stimulating and thought-provoking environment.
52nd annual Waste Management Symposia (WM) expects 2,500+ attendees, 900 organizations, 30 countries, and 200 exhibitors—to exchange insights, tackle key challenges, and explore groundbreaking solutions. This dynamic forum unites global experts to drive safe, cost-effective solutions for handling radioactive materials and decommissioning nuclear facilities. At Phoenix Convention Center, 100 N. […]
Launch window EDT 23:14 Mar 9 - 01:43 Mar 10 (17:14-19:43 Mar 9 HST); going to GTO, EchoStar 25 is a direct broadcast satellite for the DISH network, built on the Maxar 1300 series platform to deliver content across North America via a high-power, multi-spot beam payload.
A Wondering Fluid Mechanics Scientific Career is Ivett Leyva's title for description of her remarkable career, including preventing rocket explosions, testing propulsion and enhancing scientific understanding of hypersonic flight. Streaming live at 12:00-13:00 EDT (06:00 HST); registration required. Ivett A. Leyva, Ph.D., P.E. Associate Dean for Research, Fort Worth Campus, […]
To be held June 2-5, 2026, at Colorado School of Mines, to bring together participants around the world from space agencies, research organizations, academia, the space private sector, the mining supply chain, the energy industry, equipment manufacturers, and financial, policy, and legal experts to present innovative approaches in space resource identification, extraction, […]
Launch window open 17:50-19:50 PDT (14:50-16:50 HST) for test flight of multiple Block II systems including avionics and thermals although the last flight in the current configuration, ahead of the upgrade on Flight 8. Follows April 2025 launch failure.
For undergraduates in STEM-related courses. At Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), established in 2012 in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Includes Space Weather subject on agenda as well as Data Assimilation / Machine Learning / A.I.; online option available, and in-person at NCWCP Conference Center, 5830 University Research Court. 09:00-17:00 EDT each day.
Launch window 03:58-07:58 PDT (00:58-04:58 HST) for 25 internet satellites; after this 32nd re-use, booster B1071 expected to land on ASDS barge OCISLY in the Pacific Ocean.
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Book Talks highlight books and authors published by AIAA. The Anatomy of Autonomy concerns autonomous aerospace flight, is by Michael S Francis, Ella Atkins and CE "Noah" Flood, who all will discuss it at 11:00-12:00 EDT(UTC-4), (05:00-06:00 HST). The series provides a forum […]
At Smithwick Theater of Foothill College, 19:00 PDT, Bruce Macintosh (Director of the University of California Observatories) will give a free, illustrated, non-technical lecture. No admission charge; the college is a 12345 El Monte Road. In the past three decades, more than 6000 planets have been discovered orbiting other stars […]
In the 2 days prior to 48th Aerospace Mechanisms Symposium, Launchspace offers: Course 1: Fundamentals of Space Vehicle Mechanisms, https://www.launchspace.com/svm2026reg/ or Course 2: Compliant Mechanism Design, https://www.launchspace.com/cmdreg2026/ Either course is $995.
Kathryn C. Thornton has spent 975+ hours in space, including 21 hours of EVA, some of which was to repair the Hubble Space Telescope. At Burge Union, Forum C / D, 15:30 CDT, registration required.
Bringing the space community together to discuss the latest in the industry, including Moon communications and 2026 space policy. At National Housing Center, 1201 15th St NW, Washington DC and online. Speakers include Nicky Fox, Steve Isakowitz. Centennial of Robert Goddard's launch of the 1st liquid-fueled rocket is March 16, […]
69th annual event held in honor of Dr. Robert H. Goddard, convenes ~2,000 participants for presentation of the Goddard Trophy and for awards recognizing accomplishments in spaceflight, engineering, science, management and education. 18:30 EDT at Washington Hilton.
Launch window 19:37-23:37 PDT (16:37-20:37 HST) for 25 internet satellites; after this 14th re-use, booster B1088 expected to land on ASDS barge OCISLY in the Pacific Ocean.
Sergey Kud-Sverchkov, Sergey Mikayev and Christopher Williams set to undock from ISS in Soyuz MS-28, triggering the start to Expedition 75 with Commander Jessica...
In celebration of the 25th anniversary of the creation of the Astrophysics Group at the University of Exeter, we are pleased to announce the international...
Emanating from ~6km-wide comet with 5.3-year Solar orbit, visible in constellation Aquarius near star Delta Aquarii, fast, faint meteors peak on this night, best...
The International Research Conference is a federated organization dedicated to bringing together a significant number of diverse scholarly events for presentation within the conference...
Includes ~150 meetings covering the fields of COSPAR Scientific Commissions / Panels / Task Groups, such as SC B: The Earth-Moon System, Planets, and...
From 02 to 07 August 2026, a few thousand geoscientists across diverse disciplines will gather at the 23rd annual meeting of the Asia Oceania Geosciences...
NASA Curiosity (Mars Science Laboratory) rover surpasses another full year of operations on Mars surface today; launched Nov 26, 2011 – landed Aug 5,...
This international lunar science meeting has two objectives: to provide a platform for leading experts to review recent advances across lunar research, from the...
International Space Station, ~415-km LEO: Expedition 74 crew are observing robotic operations of the Canadarm2 and its uninstallation of the HTV-X1 cargo craft, as HTV-X1 begins 3 months in nearby but independent orbit while JAXA conducts testing and deploys CubeSats. Cosmonauts are measuring blood pressure, working with video recording gear for Earth observation, conducting a digestion study, streaming atoms and molecules at semiconductor materials in physics experiments, and photographing Patagonia near Antarctica. NASA Astronauts are preparing for 2 of them to conduct a spacewalk to reconfigure a solar array.
Lunar Enterprise News: Chinese Academy of Sciences members are modeling precise, likely locations of water ice at Shackleton Crater near Moon South Pole, the landing area selected for a Nov-Dec touchdown for Chang’E-7 craft, which is planned to operate for 8 years with a hopping rover using an instrument to drill, collect ~1 gram of regolith and heat samples to 200°C and observe with spectrometers. The Planetary Science Journal has published their paper on this process and describes their use of data from NASA LRO and ISRO Chandrayaan-1 orbiters.
Near-Earth Objects Close Approaches – Mon Mar 9: Apollo Asteroid 2026 DH11 (0.008 AU); Wed Mar 11: Aten Asteroid 2026 CC3 (0.010 AU); Wed Mar 11: Apollo Asteroid 2023 ET2 (0.020 AU); Sun Mar 15: Aten Asteroid 2007 EG (0.011 AU)
