Latest news with #ArtemisIIMission
UPI
23-07-2025
- Business
- UPI
NASA seeks moon and Mars communications, navigation proposals
NASA projects the Artemis II Mission patch onto the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida on April 3 before a manned 10-day flight around the moon. File Photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo July 23 (UPI) -- Planned moon and Mars missions require timely communications and navigation systems, which is prompting NASA officials to request ideas via proposals from U.S. firms. NASA on July 7 issued a request for proposals for a "high-bandwidth, high-reliability communications infrastructure" between the surfaces of the moon and Mars and respective Earth-based communications centers. "These partnerships foster important advancements in communications and navigation," said Greg Heckler, deputy program manager for NASA's Space Communications and Navigation program. "It allows our astronauts, our rovers, our spacecraft - all NASA missions - to expand humanity's exploration of the moon, Mars and beyond," Heckler said. The communications and navigation infrastructure would support a marketplace for ongoing science, exploration and economic development in space by NASA and private aerospace firms. More than 100 NASA and private space missions rely on the NASA SCAN program's Near Space and Deep Space networks, according to the space agency. Such missions support astronauts on the International Space Station, future Artemis moon missions, Earth weather monitoring, lunar exploration and researching the solar system and beyond. NASA is accepting submissions through 5 p.m. EDT on Aug. 13. The space agency in December awarded contracts for the Near Space Network to Intuit Machines of Houston; Norway's Kongsberg Satellite Services; SSC Space U.S. Inc. of Horsham, Pa.; and Viasat Inc. of Duluth, Ga. Such initiatives are intended to enable manned missions to Mars and support a moon-based habitat and lunar surface cargo lander. NASA also approved contracts with nine companies that paid each between $200,000 and $300,000 to conduct tests in support of future Mars missions. The tests involve commercial and exploration missions that are part of NASA's Mars Exploration Program, which is slated to send missions to Mars over the next two decades.
UPI
30-05-2025
- Science
- UPI
Next phase of NASA's Artemis II testing set to begin
1 of 2 | NASA projects an image of the Artemis II Mission "Patch" onto the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida in April. The Artemis II mission is planned to be the first to send a crew of four around the moon on a ten day flight. File photo by Joe Marino/UPI | License Photo May 29 (UPI) -- The next phase of testing is set to begin for NASA's crewed Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon, the administration announced Thursday, and will serve as a foundation for travel to Mars. With a major phase of testing complete, teams will begin to ensure that the Artemis II's rocket and ground systems are working correctly. "It will ensure different systems, including core stage engines and booster thrust control, work as planned," a release from NASA said. Testing teams will also simulate a launch-day scenario in which the Artemis II astronauts will test emergency systems and have them simulate leaving their crew quarters after suiting up to board the rocket for launch. NASA scientists will also test their countdown procedures. Artemis II is scheduled to carry the first woman and person of color to the lunar surface. It is scheduled to lift off in April.
