July 25, 2025

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Artemis II Crew Readies for Moon Orbit as Italy Backs Lunar Habitat

NASA gears up for Artemis II, the first crewed lunar flight since Apollo, slated for spring 2025 from Kennedy Space Center. Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen will test Orion’s life-support, navigation and communications on a nine-day loop around the Moon.

Meanwhile, European partners Thales Alenia Space and the Italian Space Agency have inked a contract to develop the Multi-Purpose Habitation module, a 10-year, mobile lunar outpost set to launch in 2033. This habitat will support crewed missions, remote science operations and pave the way for sustainable surface exploration. (Sources: NASA; Reuters)

Astronomers Warn Asteroid 2024 YR4 May Strike the Moon in 2032

A building-sized asteroid discovered in late 2024 has shifted from an Earth threat to a lunar one.

Recent observations by ground telescopes and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have ruled out a direct collision with our planet by December 22, 2032, but they’ve refined asteroid 2024 YR4’s trajectory enough to reveal a 4.3% chance of a lunar impact on the near side. The roughly 60-meter-wide rock could punch a 1 km-wide crater, sending fine-grained ejecta toward Earth and endangering satellites and any future lunar habitats.

Scientists now argue for expanding planetary defense to include the Moon, planning further JWST tracking in 2026 and assessing whether a DART-style deflection mission may be needed when the asteroid reappears in 2028.

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NASA Staff Rally Against Proposed Budget Cuts

WASHINGTON, D.C. — On July 20, nearly 100 NASA employees, contractors and supporters converged on the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum to protest President Trump’s proposed 2026 budget under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Organized by advocacy group NASA Needs Help, the “Moon Day” demonstration warned that slashing up to 50% of NASA’s science portfolio could cancel more than 40 missions and trigger mass layoffs.

Congressional pushback is already under way. Representatives Zoe Lofgren and Valerie Foushee have accused interim Administrator Sean Duffy of acting “outside his legal authority,” while the Senate Appropriations Committee is advancing a measure to fund NASA at fiscal year 2025 levels. Protesters argue swift legislative action is essential to safeguard U.S. space leadership and preserve STEM education programs.

Webb Telescope Exceeds Expectations in Third Year of Science Operations

Three years after its launch, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has far surpassed mission goals, delivering breakthrough observations of asteroids, the earliest galaxies, hidden black holes and distant exoplanets. Deputy Project Scientist Dr. Macarena García Marín highlighted Webb’s ability to map the surfaces of more than 60 near-Earth objects, confirm galaxies at redshift ~15 and probe the atmospheres of some 80 worlds beyond our solar system (NASA).

Looking ahead to Cycle 2 proposals, the mission team plans to deepen studies of cosmic dawn, refine planetary defense strategies and expand the hunt for habitable exoplanets—all while maintaining a remarkable 98% instrument uptime and extending Webb’s operational lifetime beyond its original five-year baseline.

China’s Space Program Narrows Gap with U.S.

China’s space program is matching U.S. capabilities across lunar exploration, orbital stations and rocket launches, signaling a new era of competition. In June 2024, Chang’e-6 delivered the first-ever samples from the Moon’s far side, and by early 2025, the Tiangong space station will be fully operational with three modules hosting international crews. Meanwhile, more than 60 successful Long March launches in 2024 put China on par with the U.S. launch cadence, while new heavy-lift and reusable rockets promise further gains. NASA officials warn that China’s momentum is accelerating beyond follow-the-leader status and is poised to challenge Artemis timelines and global partnerships.

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Artemis II Crew Gears Up for 2025 Moon Orbit as Italy Backs Lunar Habitat