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A report by a NASA review panel says a error in pointing software caused the Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft's solar panels to face away from the sun.

NPR

NASA lost a lunar spacecraft one day after launch. A new report details what went wrong

by Joe Palca February 26, 2026February 26, 2026

Why did a $72 million mission to study water on the moon fail so soon after launch? A new NASA report has the answer.

A day after NASA said it was eyeing a potential March 6 launch date for the Artemis II lunar mission, the space agency now says new complications could derail all of the March launch dates. The rocket, seen here at the Kennedy Space Center launch pad on Friday, may need to be rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for additional tests.

NPR

NASA’s Artemis II lunar mission may not launch in March after all

by Russell Lewis February 21, 2026February 21, 2026

NASA says an “interrupted flow” of helium to the rocket system could require a rollback to the Vehicle Assembly Building. If it happens, NASA says the launch to the moon would be delayed until April.

NASA' says it's ready to launch four people on a trip around the moon on the Artemis II mission as early as March 6.

NPR

NASA eyes March 6 to launch 4 astronauts to the moon on Artemis II mission

by Nell Greenfieldboyce February 20, 2026February 20, 2026

The four astronauts heading to the moon for the lunar fly-by are the first humans to venture there since 1972. The ten-day mission will travel more than 600,000 miles.

This view from the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour shows Boeing’s Starliner docked to the International Space Station on July 3, 2024.

NPR

NASA chief blasts Boeing, space agency for failed Starliner astronaut mission

by Brendan Byrne February 19, 2026February 19, 2026

NASA’s Jared Isaacman slammed Boeing for failures with its Starliner spacecraft, which was deemed unsafe to return its crew of two astronauts from the International Space Station

The four members of NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 mission stand with a "hands in" pose while wearing their spacesuits.

NPR

On their way! 4 people on NASA Crew-12 mission launch to International Space Station

by Russell Lewis February 13, 2026February 13, 2026

The four are set to dock with the space station on Saturday, returning the orbital lab to its full complement of seven. NASA’s last mission, Crew-11, left a month early due to an ill crew member.

NASA has delayed the launch of its Artemis II lunar fly-by mission by at least a month. Testing of the rocket, shown here on the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida last Sunday, revealed a number of issues. The launch, with four astronauts, would be the first crewed mission to the Moon in more than 50 years.

NPR

NASA delays the launch of Artemis II lunar mission by at least a month

by Brendan Byrne February 3, 2026February 3, 2026

NASA is targeting March for the launch of four astronauts on a ten-day mission to circle the moon and return safely to Earth, traveling farther than any humans have ventured in deep space.

The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft are seen at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Sunday.

NPR

What to know about Artemis II’s ‘wet dress rehearsal’

by Chandelis Duster February 1, 2026February 1, 2026

As astronauts prepare to fly around the moon, critical testing must occur before there is “Go” for launch.

A Blue Origin New Shepard rocket launches from West Texas on March 31, 2022. Blue Origin has announced its stopping human space launches for at least two years as it focuses

NPR

Blue Origin pauses space tourism flights to focus on lunar lander

by Brendan Byrne January 30, 2026January 30, 2026

Blue Origin, owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, says it’s stopping human spaceflights for at least two years. The move will allow it to “shift resources” to the company’s lunar landing capabilities.

The space shuttle Challenger lifts off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 28, 1986, in a cloud of smoke.

NPR

40 years after Challenger: Lingering guilt and lessons learned

by Howard Berkes January 25, 2026January 25, 2026

Forty years after the Challenger disaster, NPR explores the engineers’ last-minute efforts to stop the launch, their decades of guilt and the vital lessons that remain critical for NASA today.

Artemis II will send a crew of four astronauts on a journey around the moon as the United States prepares to send American astronauts to the moon for the first time in more than five decades.

NPR

NASA rolls out Artemis II craft ahead of crewed lunar orbit

by Alana Wise January 17, 2026January 17, 2026

Mission Artemis plans to send Americans to the moon for the first time since the Nixon administration.