Deep Space Extra

CDSE congratulates NASA, space industry on successful Artemis II mission

Coalition Members in the News – Amentum, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, L3Harris, Northrop Grumman and CDSE President & CEO Allen Cutler in the News

Coalition for Deep Space Exploration (4/11): The Coalition for Deep Space Exploration (CDSE) congratulates NASA and its industry partners on the successful completion of the Artemis II mission. This milestone in human exploration included the second successful flight of the Space Launch System (SLS), Orion’s historic journey with crew around the Moon, and the safe splashdown and recovery of both crew and spacecraft by Exploration Ground Systems. “Across the globe, millions witnessed a picture-perfect launch, marveled at the wonders of the Moon, and now celebrate the successful return of the Artemis II crew,” said CDSE President and CEO Allen Cutler. “Artemis II is a defining achievement for human space exploration. This mission proved that the systems required to carry astronauts to the Moon are operational and ready to support sustained human operations in deep space.”

Here is a list of news that were published in our Newsletter during the week of April 5, 2026:

Human Space Exploration

• NASA cheers first successful Moon mission since 1972
  Coalition Members in the News – Aerojet Rocketdyne, Amentum, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman;
• Artemis II crew splashes down near San Diego after historic Moon mission;
• Space: A new frontier in medicine;
• Artemis II getting ready for splashdown tomorrow;
• Artemis crew’s families enthralled by messages from space;
• Debrief: DOD’s new space tracking system steps up for Artemis;
• Artemis II astronauts reflect on historic flight as they wrap up Moon mission;
• ‘Screams of delight’: Artemis crew flying home to thrilled NASA scientists;
• Artemis II crew recovery: What to expect from splashdown off San Diego
  Coalition Member in the News – Amentum;
• Highlights from Artemis II reveal life in space is even weirder than we thought;
• Artemis II LIVE: Astronauts on Orion leave Moon behind for trip home;
• Stunning images, a chat with friends another great day for Artemis II;
• ISS to be deorbited as planned in 2030 Roscosmos CEO;
• Trump calls Artemis II astronauts “modern-day pioneers” in live conversation after circling the Moon;
• Get caught up on the Artemis II crew’s journey to the Moon. What’s happened so far and what’s next;
• Artemis II crew breaks Apollo 13 record, reaching 252,760 miles from Earth;
• NASA’s Artemis II crew are quite the photographers. See what they’ve snapped so far;
• It’s time for Artemis II to break Apollo 13’s distance record. What to know about the Moon flyby;
• What NASA chief Jared Isaacman is looking for in the coming days as Artemis II loops around the Moon;

Space Science

• Space weather can be deadly. Here’s how NASA protects the Artemis II crew;
• JWST reveals a “forbidden” planet with a baffling composition;
• A meteor shower on the Moon (UPDATED);
• Jupiter’s strong magnetic field may explain why it has so many large moons;
• A naked-eye comet is coming;
• New study suggests gravitational waves may have created dark matter;
• Artemis astronauts survey lunar surface on flyby, solar eclipse up next;
• The Artemis II crew saw parts of the Moon never seen before. Here’s what they said;
• The powerful new Rubin Observatory just found 11,000 new asteroids and measured ‘tens of thousands more’;
• Astronauts just saw meteoroids hit the Moon;
• Blue Origin plans a pair of low-flying prospectors around the lunar south pole;
• Artemis II crew capture new photo of far side of the Moon;
• If life exists in Venus’ atmosphere, it could have come from Earth;

Other News

•  Artemis looms large in NASA’s shrinking budget;
• U.S. and Canadian astronauts capture global attention with Artemis II Moon flight;
• Space travel tickets are back, but prices keep rising;
• NASA stops work on SLS Mobile Launcher 2;
• NASA’s Moon ship and rocket seem to be working well, so what about the landers?;
• China’s commercial Tianlong-3 rocket fails on debut launch;
• Trump FY2027 NASA budget supports Moon missions, but cuts everything else;

Major Space-Related Activities for the Week

• Launched last Thursday, NASA’s Artemis II Moon mission with NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen will makes its close pass over the far side of the Moon on Monday and begin its return toward Earth, which is to unfold on Friday with a parachute assisted splashdown and recovery in the Pacific Ocean at 8:06 p.m. EDT.;
• NASA is providing 24/7 live coverage of the Artemis II mission over its YouTube channel;
• The Beyond Earth Institute on Tuesday at 1 p.m. EDT will host a webinar on NASA’s evolving plans to safely deorbit the aging ISS after transitioning research and other operations to multiple Commercial LEO Destinations (CLDs).;
• Meanwhile, the U.S. House and Senate are beginning a second week of their spring break.

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