Sls

Two Paths Diverge The 21st century space race isn’t between countries - it’s between philosophies. NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) and SpaceX’s Starship represent two radically different bets on how to explore deep space. The SLS is the traditional aerospace approach: specialized hardware, proven technology, massive government investment, and a decades-long development timeline. Starship is the startup approach: rapid iteration, reusability, vertical integration, and “fail fast” in practice. Both are heading to the Moon. Only one philosophy will define deep space exploration beyond. ...

Mission status note: this page includes a time-sensitive status snapshot from April 6, 2026. For live updates, use the official NASA links below and the site tracking page. In Brief Artemis II is NASA’s first crewed mission of the Artemis program and the first time astronauts have traveled toward the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. The mission uses NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft to send four astronauts on a roughly 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth. ...