Artemis II and Blue Origin for Yuri's Night

Happy Yuri's Night AKA International Day for Human Space Flight! As I have since 2019, I'm sharing updates on the progress of Artemis. I begin with Artemis II to the Moon: Launch to Splashdown (NASA Mission Animation).

The Artemis II mission, slated to launch early 2026, will fly four astronauts around the Moon. This mission will last for about 10 days and will be the first crewed test flight of the Space Launch System rocket, the Orion spacecraft, and the Exploration Ground Systems at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Florida needed to support them.

Not only will this mission be the first time in over 50 years that human beings have seen the Moon close-up, Artemis II will also prepare us for future human landings on the Moon starting with the Artemis III mission and help prepare for future missions to Mars.

That's much more detailed than the Artemis previews in 'NASA 2025: To the Moon, Mars, and Beyond' and 'ESA 2025: A fifty-years legacy of building the future'. I'm looking forward to the mission.

NASA Johnson has more as it explains How Gateway Will Support NASA’s Artemis Campaign and Pave the Way for Future Mars Missions.

“We know how to live and work in low Earth orbit. Now, it’s time to go further.” Gateway, humanity’s first lunar space station, will advance science and exploration on and around the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign. Gateway will also help NASA and its partners test the technologies and operations essential for a sustained presence in deep space, laying the groundwork for the first human mission to Mars. This video brings together insights from the “Houston We Have a Podcast” miniseries on Gateway, “Lunar Space Station 101,” where NASA leaders and astronauts discuss how Gateway will shape the future of space exploration.

Voices featured: NASA astronaut Randy Bresnik, deputy director for NASA's Exploration Operations Office Stephanie Dudley, ESA astronaut Luca Parmitano, and NASA’s Lunar Architecture Lead Shatel Bhakta.

I'm looking forward to Gateway as well. Two space stations, at least as long as the ISS remains in orbit!

The final NASA Johnons video I'm sharing today is Preparing for Artemis: NASA's Geology Training for Lunar Exploration.

From the volcanic fields of Arizona to the lunar-like landscape of Iceland, NASA scientists are actively preparing astronauts and mission support teams for conducting science on the Moon.

Learn about NASA’s rich history of geology training and hear how scientists and engineers are getting ready to bring back samples that will help us learn about the origins of our solar system.

I'm a geologist as well as a paleontologist, so I find this video not just professionally interesting, but thrilling. May it come to pass!

All that will happen next year and later this decade. Now for something scheduled to happen next week. ABC News reports Blue Origin's next mission will have all-female crew.

Aerospace engineer Aisha Bowe joins ABC News Live to discuss the significance of Blue Origin’s all-female space crew.

Yes, Katy Perry is a member of the crew. Since the host said he was singing "Firework," I close with Katy Perry - Firework (Official Music Video).


Katy Perry, astronaut. I never thought I'd ever type that.

That's a wrap for Yuri's Night, when I celebrate the promise of space. Now stay tuned for Apophis Day, when I report on the perils of space.