The Cygnus XL cargo spacecraft blasting off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to start its NG-24 mission (Image NASA+)

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A few hours ago, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus XL spacecraft blasted off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral on its NG-24 or CRS NG-24 mission. After about 15 minutes, it successfully separated from the rocket’s last stage and set on its course. This is the 4th resupply mission to the International Space Station with various payloads launched using the Falcon 9 rocket while waiting for the new version of Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket to be ready. It’s also the 2nd to see the use of the new version of the Cygnus cargo spacecraft.

The Orion Integrity spacecraft splashing down (Photo NASA/Bill Ingalls)

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It was afternoon in the USA when NASA’s Orion Integrity spacecraft concluded its Artemis II mission by splashing down off the coast of San Diego. It launched on April 2 atop NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS). Some support ships were in the area to recover Integrity and rescue astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Jeremy Hansen. Everything salvageable was recovered, such as the splashdown system’s parachutes, to gather as much data as possible on the critical phase of the return to Earth.

The Orion Integrity spacecraft and the Moon in the background (Image NASA)

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NASA’s Orion Integrity spacecraft has completed a record-breaking journey around the Moon as part of the Artemis II mission. It didn’t enter lunar orbit, but “merely” circled it to boldly go where no one has gone before, approximately 406,771 kilometers (252,756 miles) from Earth, breaking the record for the maximum distance for a human spaceflight that was held by Apollo 13. That 1970 mission reminds us of the risks astronauts face in space, and after completing that feat, astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, and Jeremy Hansen set course for their return to Earth, scheduled for Friday, April 10.

The Space Launch System lifts off with the Orion Integrity spacecraft (NASA Photo/Bill Ingalls)

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It was afternoon in the USA when NASA’s Orion spacecraft separated from the last stage, called the ICPS (Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage), of the Space Launch System (SLS), which blasted off almost two hours earlier from the Kennedy Space Center. The Orion entered the trajectory that will take it around the Moon to carry out its mission, which will last about 10 days. This is the second launch for the SLS and for the Orion in its full configuration. The Artemis II mission is important because it’s the first of this program to have a crew aboard.

Artist's concept of the Moon base (Image NASA)

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Yesterday, NASA held its Ignition event, featuring a series of announcements regarding its space program. Announcements were expected from new Administrator Jared Isaacman and other agency managers in connection with the Artemis program, to clarify the agency’s intentions regarding the return of astronauts to the Moon. From this perspective, the intention that was announced is to accelerate the pace of missions, also in order to build a permanent base on the Moon. In this new vision, the Lunar Gateway project might be abandoned, although officially, it remains relevant in the long term.

The program for missions to Mars was also part of the event. In this case, the Space Reactor-1 Freedom (SR-1 Freedom) mission was introduced, to be conducted using a spacecraft that will use nuclear electric propulsion, scheduled for launch in December 2028. A fleet of Skyfall helicopters is programmed to be on board, intended to continue exploration of the red planet.