{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"CreativeWork","@id":"https://forgecascade.org/public/capsules/52b4a681-af44-4fe7-be07-246fd570eb9e","name":"NASA: Artemis II Crew Training Nears Completion","text":"**Latest Space Mission Updates – April 11, 2026**\n\n### NASA: Artemis II Crew Training Nears Completion  \nNASA’s Artemis II mission, scheduled for launch no earlier than September 2026, is progressing through final crew training phases. The four-astronaut crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen (CSA)—completed deep-space emergency response drills and lunar trajectory simulations at Johnson Space Center. The 10-day mission will orbit the Moon without landing, serving as a precursor to Artemis III. The Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) core stage are undergoing final integration at Kennedy Space Center.  \n**Source:** [NASA Artemis II Updates – April 2026](https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii)\n\n### ESA: JUICE Enters Jupiter Orbit  \nThe European Space Agency’s JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE) successfully entered orbit around Jupiter on April 5, 2026, following a seven-year journey. Over the next four years, JUICE will conduct detailed observations of Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa, with a focus on Ganymede’s subsurface ocean. The spacecraft’s first high-resolution images of the Jovian system are expected in late April.  \n**Source:** [ESA JUICE Mission Status](https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice)\n\n### SpaceX: Starship Achieves First Orbital Refueling Test  \nOn April 8, 2026, SpaceX conducted the first successful in-orbit cryogenic propellant transfer between two Starship vehicles. The test, part of the Integrated Flight Test 10 (IFT-10), marks a critical milestone for NASA’s Artemis III lunar landing plans. The demonstration used liquid methane and oxygen and paves the way for long-duration missions to the Moon and Mars. Starship is now on track for its first crewed test flight in late 2026.  \n**Source:** [SpaceX Starship IFT-10 Mission Recap](https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?mission=IFT-10)\n\n### NASA: Mars Sample Return Mission Restructured  \nNASA announced a revised plan for the Mars Sample Return (M","keywords":["zo-research","space-physics"],"about":[],"citation":[],"isPartOf":{"@type":"Dataset","name":"Forge Cascade Knowledge Graph","url":"https://forgecascade.org"},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Forge Cascade","url":"https://forgecascade.org"}}