The key role Huntsville is playing in first manned Moon mission in 50 years

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AL.com
The key role Huntsville is playing in first manned Moon mission in 50 years
Scott Turner
Mon, December 15, 2025 at 3:41 PM EST
3 min read





Marshall Space Flight Center is playing a critical role in keeping the first manned moon mission in 50 years on target.

Roger Baird, associate director at Marshall, told those attending the Redstone Arsenal update last week at the Von Braun Center the launch window for Artemis II opens in less than eight weeks. Artemis II will ferry Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and mission specialist Jeremy Hansen from the Canadian Space Agency around the moon.

“We’re very excited about the Artemis II target of February 2026,” Baird said.

Baird said Marshall has been involved with critical tests and reviews in keeping the lunar mission on schedule.

“Marshall leads the development, integration and operation of SLS (Space Launch System), ensuring this powerful system is ready for the challenges of crewed missions beyond earth orbit,” he said. “Artemis I, which was launched a year ago, was a successful test flight. The lessons we learned are getting us closer to returning astronauts to the moon. It’s been an exciting and busy year for SLS as we prepare for the upcoming Artemis II launch with our teams fully focused on ensuring a safe and successful flight for the crew.”

Marshall teams were involved in the stacking of solid rocket boosters and the assembly of the launch vehicle – named Integrity by the crew – this year.

“We powered up the vehicle, tested its systems and uploaded flight software for the onboard computers, ensuring every component is ready for launch,” Baird said. “Preparing the team is just as important as preparing the hardware.”

Baird said crews have been running full mission simulations for pre-launch, launch and ascent scenarios and managing challenging anomalies along the way.

“With that preparation on the way, we’re moving into the final steps before launch, performing the final integrated vehicle tests in the vehicle assembly building at KSC (Kennedy Space Center),” he said. “We’ll do a countdown demonstration test and roll out to Launch Pad 39B early next year for tanking tests and final launch preparations.”

A budget for NASA introduced by the [Sleezebag] Administration earlier this year left the Artemis program beyond the Artemis II mission in doubt. But Congress later restored funding for the program in the Big Beautiful Bill through Artemis V. The Artemis III mission would be the first to land astronauts on the moon since Apollo 17 in December 1972, with the U.S. in a race with China to return humans to the moon.

During confirmation hearings earlier this month, President Donald [Sleezebag]’s on-again nominee to lead the space agency, Jared Issacman, affirmed his commitment to the budget passed by Congress and the Artemis program. His confirmation is expected to be voted on by the end of the year.

“America will return to the moon before our great rival,” he said. “And we will establish an enduring presence to understand and realize the scientific, economic and nation security value on the lunar surface. Along the way we will pioneer the next giant leap in capabilities to extend America’s reach even further into space.”

Elon Musk’s SpaceX won the crew lunar lander contract with Starship, but the mega rocket remains in flight testing. Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin is working on its Blue Moon landers. It is preparing to launch a prototype next year.

Isaacman said during the hearing that NASA will go with the first company capable of delivering U.S. astronauts to the lunar surface.

“The best thing for SpaceX is a Blue Origin right on their heels, and vice versa,” he said.

Baird said SLS remains on a steady production cadence for Artemis II, III, IV and V.

He also said Marshall will play a key role in the launch and landing of Artemis III and beyond.

“When the next astronauts land on the moon, they’ll do it in industry-led human landing systems managed at Marshall,” Baird said. Baird said Marshall is partnering with industry “to develop landers to safely transport crews to and from the lunar surface and prepare for future missions to Mars.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/key-role-huntsville-playing-first-204154475.html