Latest news with #Artemis'
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Reshaping our return to the moon: Trump's 2026 budget gives Artemis a major facelift
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The Trump administration wants to give NASA's Artemis moon program a serious facelift. The White House's proposed 2026 "skinny budget," which was released today (May 2), would fundamentally reshape Artemis, which aims to establish a sustainable human presence on and around the moon by the end of the 2020s. The budget would cut NASA's "legacy human exploration systems" funding by $879 million and phase out the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) moon rocket and Orion capsule — Artemis' current backbone — after just two more flights. It would also immediately cancel Gateway, the small space station NASA aims to build in lunar orbit to support Artemis operations. "SLS alone costs $4 billion per launch and is 140% over budget," the skinny budget document reads. "The Budget funds a program to replace SLS and Orion flights to the moon with more cost-effective commercial systems that would support more ambitious subsequent lunar missions." Those commercial systems would presumably be provided by SpaceX and/or Blue Origin, both of which are already working on crewed lunar landers for use on Artemis missions and rockets that could get astronauts very far afield (Starship in SpaceX's case, and New Glenn for Blue Origin). SLS and Orion have flown once together to date — on Artemis 1, a 25-day flight that sent an uncrewed Orion to lunar orbit and back in late 2022. The duo's next two flights — which will be their last, if the budget proposal is enacted by Congress — will both be crewed. Artemis 2, targeted to launch in spring 2026, will send four astronauts around the moon. Artemis 3 will land people near the moon's south pole in 2027, if all goes according to plan. Gateway would get no such runway; it's slated for immediate termination, according to the budget document. NASA currently plans to assemble the station in lunar orbit in 2027. Some progress toward this goal has been made; for example, the station's main habitation module, known as HALO, arrived in the United States last month from Italy, where it was built. Related stories: — 'Their loss diminishes us all': Scientists emphasize how Trump's mass NOAA layoffs endanger the world — Scientists warn of consequences as over 800 NOAA workers are fired: 'Censoring science does not change the facts' — Trump administration's NOAA layoffs affected the space weather service that tracks solar storms The skinny budget — a pared-down summary of the full 2026 budget request — is a rough one for many other NASA programs as well. Overall, the White House proposal cuts the space agency's funding by $6 billion from enacted 2025 levels, a reduction of nearly 25%. That would be the biggest single-year cut in NASA's history, according to The Planetary Society, a nonprofit organization that advocates for space exploration. The budget would cut space science and Earth science by $2.3 billion and $1.2 billion, respectively. The proposal ends NASA's Mars sample return program and "eliminates funding for low-priority climate monitoring satellites," among other impacts. These and other NASA cuts are "in line with the Administration's objectives of returning to the moon before China and putting a man on Mars," according to the budget document.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Apprentices at risk of redundancy at electric boat firm
High-profile manufacturing start-up Artemis Technologies has ended its apprenticeship scheme, putting 14 apprentices at risk of redundancy. The Belfast-based firm is developing zero carbon emission electrically propelled boats. It said the decision to end the apprenticeship scheme had not been made lightly and reflected the challenges common to new businesses. "We underestimated the level of resources required to provide our apprentices with the development and training they truly deserve," a spokesperson said. "It would be unfair to continue without being able to support them fully." The apprenticeships were being delivered in partnership with Belfast Metropolitan College, which will now try to find alternative placements for them. Three additional staff members are also at risk of redundancy as part of a review of the company's operations. "This restructuring ensures that we can focus on our mission and create future opportunities," the spokesperson said. "We are deeply committed to supporting those affected during this transition and express our gratitude to our entire team for their professionalism and resilience at this challenging time." Artemis' major project is the development of a zero carbon emissions ferry which is currently expected to be operational later in 2025.. Bangor-Belfast commuter pilot ferry launch delayed
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Apprentices at risk of redundancy at electric boat firm
High-profile manufacturing start-up Artemis Technologies has ended its apprenticeship scheme, putting 14 apprentices at risk of redundancy. The Belfast-based firm is developing zero carbon emission electrically propelled boats. It said the decision to end the apprenticeship scheme had not been made lightly and reflected the challenges common to new businesses. "We underestimated the level of resources required to provide our apprentices with the development and training they truly deserve," a spokesperson said. "It would be unfair to continue without being able to support them fully." The apprenticeships were being delivered in partnership with Belfast Metropolitan College, which will now try to find alternative placements for them. Three additional staff members are also at risk of redundancy as part of a review of the company's operations. "This restructuring ensures that we can focus on our mission and create future opportunities," the spokesperson said. "We are deeply committed to supporting those affected during this transition and express our gratitude to our entire team for their professionalism and resilience at this challenging time." Artemis' major project is the development of a zero carbon emissions ferry which is currently expected to be operational later in 2025.. Bangor-Belfast commuter pilot ferry launch delayed
BBC News
01-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Belfast: Apprentice roles at risk at Artemis as scheme ends
High-profile manufacturing start-up Artemis Technologies has ended its apprenticeship scheme, putting 14 apprentices at risk of Belfast-based firm is developing zero carbon emission electrically propelled said the decision to end the apprenticeship scheme had not been made lightly and reflected the challenges common to new businesses."We underestimated the level of resources required to provide our apprentices with the development and training they truly deserve," a spokesperson said. "It would be unfair to continue without being able to support them fully."The apprenticeships were being delivered in partnership with Belfast Metropolitan College, which will now try to find alternative placements for additional staff members are also at risk of redundancy as part of a review of the company's operations."This restructuring ensures that we can focus on our mission and create future opportunities," the spokesperson said. "We are deeply committed to supporting those affected during this transition and express our gratitude to our entire team for their professionalism and resilience at this challenging time."Artemis' major project is the development of a zero carbon emissions ferry which is currently expected to be operational later in 2025..
Yahoo
26-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Shooting for the moon, Intuitive Machines to launch daring lunar lander for NASA on Feb. 26
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida — Intuitive Machines is poised to launch its second lunar lander in as many years, marking a significant milestone in commercial space exploration. The mission, known as IM-2, is set to lift off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center here on Florida's Space Coast on Wednesday (Feb. 26), at 7:17 p.m. EST (0017 GMT on Feb. 27). You'll be able to watch the liftoff live via NASA and/or SpaceX when the time comes. The spacecraft, an Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander named Athena, is carrying a suite of lunar science instruments and technology demonstrations aimed at advancing our understanding of the moon's environment and its available resources. IM-2 is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which contracts with private companies to deliver scientific instruments and technology demonstrations to the lunar surface. Through the CLPS initiative, NASA hopes to accelerate exploration and research in preparation for future crewed missions to the moon and a sustained presence on the lunar surface under the agency's Artemis program. Fittingly for this mission, in mythology, Athena is Artemis' half-sister. Related: Intuitive Machines lands on moon in nail-biting descent of private Odysseus lander, a 1st for US since 1972 IM-2 follows Houston-based Intuitive Machines' first mission to the moon, IM-1, which launched in February 2024. Despite a rough touchdown during which the mission's lander, named "Odysseus," tipped partway over, IM-1 provided the company with valuable insights for future missions. "We ended up on our side, and we weren't able to use our large, high-gain antenna to send data back to the Earth," Trent Martin, Intuitive Machines' senior vice president of space systems, told "This time, hopefully, we land in a more precise position." That "precise position" is near the moon's south pole — specifically, the Mons Mouton region. That area is of particular interest to researchers due to its potential water ice deposits, which are considered essential for future human exploration and in-situ resource utilization (ISRU). Assessment of the local lunar resources is one of IM-2's primary focuses. Athena will deploy NASA's Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment 1 (PRIME-1) –– a two-instrument device composed of a drill called TRIDENT (The Regolith Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain) and MSolo mass spectrometer (Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations). Together, the duo will extract and analyze lunar material from up to 3 feet (1 meter) beneath the surface to test for volatiles like water and carbon dioxide. "This is an important technology demonstration," said Niki Werkheiser, director of technology maturation at NASA's Space Technology Mission Directorate, during an IM-2 press briefing on Tuesday (Feb. 25). "It will provide critical data to help us better understand the moon's surface and minimize the risk to future ISRU missions." Athena also carries an Intuitive Machines Micro-Nova hopper vehicle nicknamed "Grace," in honor of computer science pioneer Grace Hopper. With a range of nearly a mile from Athena, Grace is equipped with an inertial measurement unit, star tracker, lidar and a situational awareness camera. Grace will undertake multiple "hops" across the lunar surface and explore the interior of a permanently shadowed crater. To communicate with Grace when the hopper is out of sight of the Athena lander, a separate rover named MAPP (Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform), built by Colorado company Lunar Outpost, will be deployed to the lunar surface with the moon's first cellular network. Developed by Nokia Bell Labs, this Lunar Surface Communications System will test high-speed, long-range communication using components already used in current 4G/LTE networks around Earth. Athena is also outfitted with a Laser Retro-Reflector Array (LRA). The LRA is a set of eight small mirrors mounted on the lunar lander to reflect laser light back to an emitting spacecraft, enabling precise determination of the lander's location on the moon's surface. Like the reflectors that guide planes, the LRA mirrors can provide guidance and navigation for future missions, both crewed and robotic. "LRA is completely passive — it requires no power, thermal control or interaction with the lander, allowing it to be used for decades on the lunar surface," explained Daniel Cremons, LRA deputy principal investigator at NASA's Goddard Spaceflight Center in Maryland. "If a laser altimeter, either during orbit or descent, shines onto the Laser Retroreflector Array, it will show up as thousands of times brighter than the surrounding terrain — like landing lights on a runway." Related: The age of the private moon mission has begun Related stories: — SpaceX launches 2 private lunar landers to the moon (video, photos) — NASA gives Intuitive Machines $117 million for 2027 mission to moon's south pole — Private Odysseus moon lander broke a leg during historic touchdown (new photos) Following launch, the solar-powered Athena will set course for a four- to five-day journey to lunar orbit. The lander will touch down 1.5 to three days later, then operate on the lunar surface for about 10 Earth days. In addition to Athena, the Falcon 9 launch will also carry NASA's Lunar Trailblazer, a small satellite designed to map water ice deposits. Lunar Trailblazer will deploy during transit and enter orbit around the moon to conduct its scientific mission. Intuitive Machines isn't the only one headed to –– or already in orbit around –– the moon. Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost and Japan-based ispace's Resilience landers both launched toward the moon atop a Falcon 9 last month. Blue Ghost is already in lunar orbit and is poised to land on Sunday morning (March 2). Blue Ghost is also flying under the CLPS umbrella and aims to deliver NASA payloads to the lunar surface, facilitating a rapid growth of activity around our nearest celestial neighbor. (Resilience isn't flying any NASA payloads.)
