Can Starlink Solve NASA's Artemis Problem? | This Week in Spaceflight

This week: NASA is soliciting commercial bids for a high-speed comms system on Artemis III to support live 4K rendezvous and docking in low-Earth orbit, Airbus has installed the solar arrays on Orion’s European Service Module, and Astrolab’s FLIP rover completed its first Earth drives ahead of a lunar South Pole mission. Blue Origin has two New Glenn first stages, continued RF compatibility and BE-7 engine testing on the Blue Moon Mk1 lander, and demonstrated the davit system that will lower NASA’s VIPER rover to the surface. Firefly and Rocket Lab both delivered strong Q1 updates with major hardware progress on Alpha/Eclipse and Neutron, while PLD Space showed flight-ready Miura 5 tanks and strongback hardware, The Exploration Company wrapped Huracan methane engine tests, and ESA baked the Rosalind Franklin Mars rover’s massive parachute for sterilization. Plus, NEO Surveyor telescope integration advances, Virgin Galactic’s next-generation SpaceShip leaves the factory, and the usual launch recaps and next-week preview. ⚡ Become a member of NASASpaceflight's channel for exclusive discord access, fast turnaround clips, and other exclusive benefits. Your support helps us continue our 24/7 coverage. Click JOIN above to get started.⚡ 🤵 Hosted by Elysia Segal. 🖋️ Written by Martijn Luinstra & Martin Smith. 🎥 Footage from: Patrick O'Laughlin, D Wise, Space Coast Live, NASA, SpaceX, Blue Origin, PLD Space, The Exploration Company, Rocket Lab, Airbus, Astrolab, Firefly Aerospace, Seagate Space/Firefly Aerospace, Northrop Grumman, United States Space Force, MurrayJ @Muzzner on X, ESA, NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona, NASA/BAE Systems Space & Mission Systems, NASA/JPL-Caltech, ESA/Mlabspace, Virgin Galactic, CCTV/CNSA, Shanghai SpaceSail Technologies, LandSpace. ✂️ Edited by Ryan Caton. 💼 Produced by Kevin Michael Reed (@kmreed). 🔍 If you are interested in using footage from this video, please review our content use policy: https://www.nasaspaceflight.com/content-use-policy/ #Artemis #NASA #Starship #SpaceNews #Spaceflight #NewGlenn #BlueOrigin #Firefly #SpaceX #Orion #SLS #LunarMission #RocketLaunch #SpaceExploration #NextSpaceflight LDAPAABJRG2UMCU3