Max Evans @_MaxQ_

Whatever one thinks about the financial wisdom of investing in the SpaceX IPO, or its impact on Mars dreams, I am fucking thrilled for employees who have busted their asses for a quarter of a century. They deserve this, and will inject further money and momentum into new space.

Starting with some energy, and my inability to write brief updates, I am just extremely proud of the NASA crew, our industry, and our international partners. We are getting into a rhythm here at NASA. Earlier this year, setbacks put the Artemis II rocket back in the VAB for repairs, and we determined it was necessary to add another mission, Artemis III in 2027. Since then, we have unveiled the Ignition plans to build a Moon Base and nuclear-powered spaceships, launched a highly successful mission around the Moon, brought the crew home safely, and now watched the torch pass to Artemis III. There will be no shortage of major milestones to celebrate in the months ahead as we build the Moon Base and launch the Nancy Grace Roman telescope. I am beyond proud of the team and all the momentum and excitement around the space program. I do want to take this moment to address two of the questions I have been seeing since the crew announcement. Why are there no women assigned to Artemis III? I have seen reactions ranging from disappointment to outrage. I have personally been to space twice with 50% female crews. My closest advisors and some of the smartest engineers I know are women. In our latest NASA leadership organization, nearly 50% of the Center Directors and Mission Directorate leadership are women. The last astronaut candidate class selected under this Administration was majority female because they were the best of the best, including one astronaut I previously went to space with. In a world with so much controversy, I hope this can be a moment where we celebrate the astronauts selected, respect the integrity of the process, and recognize the extraordinary depth of talent across the entire corps. The crew selection does not involve any political appointees. The Astronaut Office assigns the crew that gives the mission the best chance of meeting its objectives, taking into account many factors, including the background and expertise of the astronauts, such as test pilot experience, development work on specific programs, and availability. For example, those raising this concern may not be aware of the pipeline of crews already preparing to launch to the Space Station, or those who have been undergoing lunar-specific training that would be a better fit for a future surface mission. The Artemis III astronauts are experienced, qualified, and deserve to be celebrated for the mission they have been assigned, just as the crews that follow will be celebrated when their time comes. We have an extraordinary astronaut corps, and every mission and every crew is part of a larger campaign to get America back to the Moon and to build the future we all dreamed about as children. What are the objectives for Artemis III if both landers will not be fully ready? Coming off a highly successful lunar mission like Artemis II, it is not surprising that the bar is set high for Artemis III. I think it is important to understand how difficult and dangerous it is to land astronauts on the Moon. We have not done it in a very long time, and we want to draw from a past playbook for success. That means getting into a cadence of launching, learning, and rolling improvements into the next mission. First and foremost, it is imperative for SLS to be flying with some frequency for operational currency and, honestly, safety. Earlier this year, it was very clear across NASA leadership that an additional mission was necessary in 2027. It is also imperative to gain interoperability data from rendezvous and docking with landers in Earth orbit. We do not need those landers that are still in development to be fully capable and certified for landing on the Moon on Artemis III, but we do need to test certain systems and controllability. Not to mention, we are moving quickly into a future where we do not require a single rocket to bring everything necessary for a mission to space, and as such, gaining experience with multi-launch campaigns and on-orbit assembly is directionally correct. The Blue Origin test lander for Artemis III will incorporate many of the most important systems and subsystems that have not previously been operated by the provider, including ECLSS in a crew cabin, and other avionics. With SpaceX, they have demonstrated many of those capabilities continuously on Crew Dragon, but other controllability tests are important based on the negative-X axis acceleration that will be necessary when Starship undertakes the TLI burn to the Moon with a docked Orion. After Artemis III, we will learn a lot and roll in further improvements, be that hardware, software, or procedural updates, as both providers undertake end-to-end uncrewed demonstrations to the surface in 2028, in advance of Artemis IV, where NASA astronauts will finally complete the grand return to the Moon. As I said in my remarks yesterday, when Gene Cernan left the lunar surface on Apollo 17, he said, “We leave as we came, and, God willing, we shall return, with peace and hope for all mankind.” We are returning, and we are doing so with the fire carried forward from Apollo, the lessons learned from Artemis II, the crew of Artemis III, and all those who will follow. NASA will send the very best crews for the right missions. If the composition of our astronaut corps and our latest class of candidates says anything, it is that we have exactly the talent required to get the job done. Godspeed Artemis III, and all those who will follow.

Fresh rockets rolling off the line. Factory is busier than ever. Our 100th Electron rocket is in this lineup.

@Truthful_ast Real

It is…so strange to see Starship/Starbase hardware here at the Kennedy Space Center. A booster transport stand and 2 ship transport stands are currently idle by the turn basin, having been unloaded from SpaceX’s transport barge “You’ll Thank Me Later” earlier today. Flight vehicles are gonna be here before we know it! 📸 - @NASASpaceflight nsf.live/spacecoast

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I was excited for today…excited to cheer on the Agency and my friends as we named the Artemis III crew. What I didn’t expect was the feeling of complete, unbridled happiness in my soul as @Astro_Jeremy (from afar), @Astro_Christina, @AstroVicGlover and I ceremonially handed our baton to the next crew. We did it, and we did it well. @AstroKomrade, @astro_luca, Frank Rubio, @Astro_AndreD — you have the controls!! You will do it, and I know you will do it well. Godspeed, Artemis III

Proud to continue our partnership with @esa as Luca Parmitano joins the Artemis III crew. Great things happen when trusted partners come together around bold goals. Together, Artemis III will prove the capabilities and operational rhythm needed for the next era of lunar exploration.

European Space Agency @esa

a day ago

Our astronaut Luca Parmitano is assigned as pilot of NASA’s #ArtemisIII mission. With Europe powering Orion with the European Service Module, this mission will test the critical operations preparing for humankind's return to the Moon. A strong step forward for ESA–NASA

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“We just want to say how completely fired up we are for you.” Artemis II crew members @astro_reid, @AstroVicGlover, and @Astro_Christina hand the Artemis baton to the newly-announced Artemis III crew.

Seeing Randy, Luca, Frank, and Andre in their OCSS’ makes it all real. Godspeed, gents!

@Erdayastronaut

With mission architecture as complex as Artemis III’s is, it’s a delight to see these outstanding gentlemen selected! Let’s go!!!

Ryan Caton @dpoddolphinpro

a day ago

INTRODUCING: ARTEMIS III Commander, Randy Bresnik 🇺🇸 Pilot, Luca Parmitano 🇮🇹 Mission Specialist 1, Frank Rubio 🇺🇸 Mission Specialist 2, Andre Douglas 🇺🇸 @NASASpaceflight

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Artemis III crew: MS Andre Douglas MS Frank Rubio Pilot Luca Parmitano (European Space Agency) Commander Randy Bresnik

SpaceX on the Space Coast, doing Space things. Starship Ship Transport Ringwall 2 after egressing SpaceX Barge "You'll Thank Me Later" at the KSC Turn Basin, while Falcon 9 Booster B1080-27 rolls out for Starlink 10-54 nsf.live/spacecoast

True to its name, Never Tell Me The Odds has safely returned to Rocket Park.

We’ve raised €270 million in Series D funding. This strategic backing powers our global expansion, accelerates serial production of our Spectrum launch vehicle, and drives new global launch sites. Backed by leading European and international investors, we deliver scalable orbital launch systems to secure sovereign space access for Europe, NATO, and allied nations. Read more: isaraerospace.com/press/isar-aer…

The sun has set on our Stage 1 structure's time in Moses Lake, but it will soon rise over our launch site in Cape Canaveral. No one said the road to launch was easy, but it sure is a pretty ride. 🚀🌅 Read our blog to learn more about the proto-qualification campaign: stokespace.com/nova-stage-1-c…

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UPDATE: The Artemis III event will start at 11:30am ET (1530 UTC) on Tuesday, June 9!

NASA @NASA

3 days ago

Coming soon: one of history’s most complex missions Tune in on Tuesday, June 9, at 11am ET, to meet the astronauts flying aboard Artemis III, the mission that will test docking capabilities with commercial landers in low Earth orbit — an important step to crewed lunar landings.

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Starship Update with Max Evans (@_MaxQ_) ➡️youtube.com/watch?v=mgb-oY…

@EzekielOverstr1 You’re a good man, Charlie Brown Looking forward to hearing about your next adventure!