NASA must choose: continue Artemis while abandoning Boeing’s Lunar Gateway, or prioritize Mars, relying on Elon Musk and SpaceX.
NASA
NASA’s Artemis mission to the Moon’s polar regions requires advanced boots to withstand extreme cold and prevent injury.
Ahead of NASA’s crewed Artemis II mission in 2026, its Lunar Trailblazer scouting mission will map the Moon’s surface water this year.
A host of exciting space missions are in store for 2025, including deep-space flyby missions by ESA, JAXA, and NASA.
In December 2022, NASA’s Artemis I mission ended with Orion’s reentry revealing heat shield vulnerabilities, delaying future launches.
NASA is developing nuclear thermal propulsion that could halve Mars transit times compared to chemical rockets.
Trump’s victory puts the future of NASA’s SLS rocket in doubt, with Musk’s SpaceX lurking in the shadows and potentially big consequences for the Great Space Race.
Trump’s ability to sustain U.S. space leadership depends on balancing partnership and progress, and containing his impulses and Musk’s Mars-focused ambitions.
China’s efficient lunar program, with firm timelines and advancing technology, positions it to potentially outpace and dominate the U.S. in returning to the Moon.
Compact CubeSats are affordable to develop and launch and will revolutionize space exploration by enabling targeted missions.