NASA continues to plan for the launch of the first crewed mission around the Moon in more than 50 years one week from today. Weather or technical issues could still delay the launch, but the agency is gearing up for launch on April 1 with a series of events beginning Friday. The crew of three Americans and one Canadian will spend 10 days in space traveling further from Earth than anyone since the Apollo era.
Companies developing commercial space stations to replace the International Space Station are not pleased with NASA’s latest proposal to change the plan. At a House hearing today, the head of the Commercial Space Federation trade association said his members want to “stick with the plan” and not make changes that are “sowing confusion.”
NASA is again revising its plan to return astronauts to the Moon and establish a sustainable presence there. With the launch of the Artemis II crew around the Moon coming up as soon as next week, today’s announcement is for a fast-paced 10-year program thereafter. Just between 2027 and 2028, the end of President Trump’s second term, 20 robotic landers and at least two human landings are planned. Also by the end of 2028, NASA wants to launch an interplanetary space nuclear reactor as a precursor to a lunar fission reactor already promised by 2030. The international Gateway space station that was to orbit the Moon, however, is “paused,” as NASA focuses on the surface instead.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of March 22-28, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in session this week.
NASA is bringing together the international partners in the Artemis program next week to discuss the program’s new architecture. NASA differentiates Artemis from the Apollo program by emphasizing that this time international partners will be an integral part. But recent changes are raising questions about their role, especially the future of the international Gateway lunar space station.
NASA Associate Administrator Amit Kshatriya said today that to be as agile as possible, the agency is opening up the specifications for early Artemis landings while keeping their sights on the South Pole. He also expanded on recent comments by Administrator Jared Isaacman on quickly establishing a Moon Base using robotic spacecraft as the first steps. Isaacman has said he wants monthly robotic landings at the South Pole starting next year.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week plus a day of March 15-22, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in session this week.
NASA announced today they are targeting April 1 at 6:24 pm Eastern Daylight Time for sending the Artemis II crew around the Moon. In preparation, their Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft will roll back out to the launch pad from the Vehicle Assembly Building on March 19. The launch date is somewhat tentative pending close-out of a few remaining tasks in the VAB, but following a Flight Readiness Review officials sounded confident. Artemis II will not land on the Moon, but the four crew members will be the first humans to reach that distance since the Apollo era.
NASA’s Office of Inspector General’s new report on development of Human Landing Systems for the Artemis program gives NASA credit for its contractual approach, but raises concerns about critical elements that could affect crew safety. Among them are that NASA is not adhering to “test like you fly” principles for the uncrewed demonstration flights or ensuring SpaceX’s Starship will meet the manual control requirement.
Here is SpacePolicyOnline.com’s list of space policy events for the week of March 8-14, 2026 and any insight we can offer about them. The Senate is in session this week. The House is in recess except for pro forma sessions.