National Space Society

OPINION
By Burt Dicht
NSS Space Coast Correspondent
Image: New Glenn Second Stage (Credit: Blue Origin)

When Blue Origin’s New Glenn 3 mission (NG-3) suffered an upper-stage failure, the reaction on social media was immediate and, in many ways, familiar. Commentary quickly emerged based on limited information, with some concluding that Blue Origin is not ready for this class of launch, that Artemis could be at risk, or that a single provider model would be preferable.

As an engineer, I find…

By Burt Dicht
NSS Space Coast Correspondent
(Updated post)

I was at Jetty Park this morning with fellow NSS member Fred Becker to witness the New Glenn‑3 launch as the Space Coast moved into daylight. The launch came at 7:25 a.m. EDT, from SLC-36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, about 40 minutes into the two‑hour window. There had been a brief hold before the countdown resumed, and even through a hazy sky you could follow the vehicle from liftoff through ascent.

Category: Nonfiction
Reviewed by: Casey Suire
Title: Return to Launch: Florida and America’s Space Industry
Author: Stephen C. Smith
Format: Hardcover/Kindle
Pages: 348
Publisher: University of Florida Press
Date: March 2026
Retail price: $38.00/$36.10
ISBN: 978-1683406563
Find this book

On March 24, NASA unveiled an ambitious plan to construct a lunar base. Infrastructure for the proposed outpost includes robotic and crewed landers, habitat modules, Lunar Terrain Vehicles (LTVs), MoonFall…

By Burt Dicht
NSS Space Coast Correspondent
NSS Managing Director of Membership

More than half a century after the last Apollo astronauts left the Moon’s neighborhood, four human beings climbed aboard an Orion spacecraft, rode a pillar of 8.8 million pounds of thrust into the Florida sky, and flew farther from home than anyone in history. When they came back nine days later, splashing down in the Pacific southwest of San Diego on April 10, 2026 — they brought with them something the world had…

Now we must focus on continued forward-looking goals

In the evening of April 10, the Artemis 2 mission concluded with a flawless reentry and splashdown off the coast of Southern California. From its launch on April 1 to the crew recovery on Friday, the flight was one for the history books, with every major system working as planned.

“Congratulations to the crew and the teams who made this possible,” said Karlton Johnson, NSS CEO. “Four heroic crew members carried the flag into deep space, going…

By Burt Dicht
NSS Space Coast Correspondent

Artemis II – By the Numbers

Flight Day 10 — Friday, April 10, 2026

Status at Wake-Up

The crew began the final phase of their journey home to the songs “Run to the Water” by Live — selected by the crew themselves and “Free” by Zac Brown Band, as they prepared for their third return trajectory correction burn. When they woke up, they were 61,326 miles from Earth.

The Final Burn

The third and final return trajectory correction burn occurred at 2:53 p.m.…

By Burt Dicht
NSS Space Coast Correspondent

THE FINAL FULL DAY IN SPACE

Flight Day 9 – Almost Home

On their last full day in space, the Artemis II crew began the morning with “Lonesome Drifter” by Charley Crockett, approaching Earth at 147,337 miles. By midday, Orion was traveling at 2,808 mph — a speed that will continue building rapidly as Earth’s gravitational pull strengthens.

OVERNIGHT UPDATE — SECOND RETURN TRAJECTORY BURN

Orion’s thrusters ignited for the second return trajectory…

By Burt Dicht
NSS Space Coast Correspondent

HEADING HOME

Flight Day 8 in deep space

The Artemis II crew began Flight Day 8 at 200,278 miles from Earth, waking to “Under Pressure” by Queen and David Bowie. The day’s two primary test objectives were the orthostatic intolerance garment evaluation and a manual piloting demonstration, though flight controllers elected to forgo the manual piloting demo after a liquid oxygen pressurization issue in the service module was flagged for troubleshooting.…

By Burt Dicht
NSS Space Coast Correspondent

Image: On the first shift during the lunar flyby observation period, the Artemis II crew captured more than two-thirds of the Moon. The 600-mile-wide impact crater in the lower middle, Orientale basin, lies along the transition between the near and far sides and is sometimes partly visible from Earth.

HEADING HOME

Flight Day 7 in deep space — Heading Home

After their historic lunar flyby, the Artemis II crew began preparing for the journey back to…

By Burt Dicht
NSS Space Coast Correspondent

Artemis II Dashboard (as of 11:30 am EDT)

THE HISTORIC LUNAR FLYBY

Flight Day 6 in deep space — The Artemis II mission completed a historic seven-hour lunar flyby — humanity’s first return to the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, capturing images of the lunar far side.

RECORD BROKEN: FARTHEST HUMANS HAVE EVER TRAVELED FROM EARTH

At 1:56 p.m. EDT, the Artemis II crew surpassed the distance record for human spaceflight’s farthest distance from Earth,…