The explosion Thursday night of the SpaceX Starship was a reminder that there’s only rocket right now that NASA says is capable of reaching the moon.

Critics have called the Space Launch System outdated and wasteful for years, but now, with President Trump retaking the White House, Boeing is warning its employees who work on the SLS that they could lose their jobs very soon.

Thanks for reading the WKMG-TV space newsletter.

Thanks for reading the WKMG-TV space newsletter.

The core stage of NASA's Space Launch System for Artemis II completed its journey to Kennedy Space Center Tuesday.

NASA and the White House say an international astronaut will be invited on a future moon landing.

The four astronauts assigned to fly around the moon for the first time in 50 years have met with President Joe Biden at the White House.

Concerns about SpaceX’s progress in developing its Starship mega rocket will likely mean that the Artemis III moon landing won’t happen in 2025 as targeted, according to a new report by the Government Accounting Office.

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The mission is a year away, but preparations continue toward launching astronauts deeper into space than any crew in more than 50 years.

NASA officials joined the four-person crew of Artemis II on Tuesday to give an update on mission preparations at Kennedy Space Center.

NASA is now a major step closer to launching its next Artemis moon mission – the one with astronauts on board.

Executive Director Peter Cranis of the Space Coast Office of Tourism said that by the time Artemis II lifts off in 2024, he hopes the county will be looking at three years of record tourism dollars.

NASA officials announced the astronauts who will crew the Artemis II mission as early as 2024.

Amanda Stevenson is a lead engineer at NASA on the Artemis ll mission.

As NASA prepares for its future Artemis missions, the agency is continuing to test a redesigned engine for its mega moon rocket.

Just weeks after the resounding success of the Artemis I mission, NASA is already moving ahead with Artemis II — even though it won't launch until 2024.

As soon as Artemis I ended so perfectly Sunday, gently splashing down in the pacific, the Orion capsule scorched but intact, NASA looked ahead to Artemis II.

NASA is set to bring its latest update on the Artemis I mission on Monday as the mission is now at its midway point.

Artemis I mission management team gave a “go” for the next launch attempt for NASA’s mega moon rocket.

The launch of NASA’s mega moon rocket will be delayed past this week’s launch period as teams work to resolve fuel leak issues.

The Moon is finally in reach again for humankind. At least that’s the goal for NASA’s Artemis I, which is set for launch from Cape Canaveral on Monday.

NASA crews at Kennedy Space Center are seeing a light at the end of the tunnel as they ready for the first launch of the Space Launch System rocket for the Artemis I mission.

NASA will not set a launch date for Artemis until the team gets through a wet dress rehearsal successfully.

NASA now has a date set for its second attempt at a wet dress rehearsal for its Artemis I mission, a crucial test in the space agency's goal to return astronauts to the moon.

NASA is opening competition for private companies to build the landers for missions that follow.

The first piece of hardware of the first rocket to fly humans around the moon in decades arrived in Florida this week.

NASA's Orion spacecraft to launch its first mission later this year

A recently discovered fault in the agency’s Orion capsule has engineers troubleshooting solutions that could impact the timing of its test flight, currently scheduled for liftoff from Kennedy Space Center next November. Though the PDU itself still works, what is essentially part of its backup system is out of the picture. The three-week test will see the 16-foot-diameter capsule launch on SLS, orbit the moon for six days, then return for splashdown off the California coast. In its July report, the OIG said continuing to produce Orion capsules for all Artemis missions before certain milestones are complete, like Artemis I, poses serious risks. Last month’s discovery of the PDU issue appears to reinforce their position.

On Friday, the agency released its first-ever agency wide economic impact report. According to the report, 43 states receive an economic impact of more than $10 million. Of those 43 states, eight have an economic impact of $1 billion or more, reports News 6 partner Florida Today. In Florida, NASA’s economic output was $5.9 billion. “With an investment of just one-half of 1% of the federal budget, NASA generates significant total economic output annually.