Overview
- NASA released over the weekend a public archive of 12,217 Artemis II images on its Gateway to Astronaut Photography of Earth site, offering new views of the Moon, Earth and the crew’s flyby.
- NASA says the full Artemis II dataset will move into the Planetary Data System, the agency’s science repository, with preliminary science and operations reports due by October.
- Artemis II in April ran about 10 days, flew behind the Moon, set a new human distance record and splashed down on April 10 after proving Orion’s life‑support, navigation and reentry systems.
- Looking to 2027–2028, NASA plans an orbital docking test with one or more commercial lunar landers and aims for a crewed landing around 2028, which will require in‑orbit refueling where tanker ships top up a lander in space.
- Partner readiness remains mixed and funding is uncertain, with Blue Origin’s Mark 1 lander completing thermal‑vacuum tests, New Glenn suffering a recent launch setback, SpaceX still progressing Starship tests, and a White House proposal seeking a 23% cut to NASA’s 2027 budget.