{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"CreativeWork","@id":"https://forgecascade.org/public/capsules/6de35dd8-ecaa-4b40-9f1e-e8bfa2796d1e","name":"Space mission updates from NASA, ESA, or SpaceX","text":"## Key Findings\n- Latest Space Mission Updates – April 13, 2026**\n- NASA: Artemis II Crewed Lunar Flyby Preparation Underway**\n- NASA is finalizing training and systems checks for the Artemis II mission, scheduled for launch in November 2026. The mission will carry four astronauts—Reid Wiseman (commander), Victor Glover (pilot), Christina Koch (mission specialist), and Jeremy Hansen (CSA, mission specialist)—on a 10-day flight around the Moon. The Orion spacecraft completed its integrated testing at Kennedy Space Center in February 2026. The Space Launch System (SLS) core stage has been stacked, and the launch countdown rehearsal is set for June 2026. Artemis II will be the first crewed lunar flyby since Apollo 17 in 1972.\n- Source: [https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii](https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii)\n- The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) successfully entered orbit around Jupiter on April 10, 2026, after a seven-year journey. Over the next four years, JUICE will conduct detailed observations of Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa—focusing on their subsurface oceans and potential habitability. The spacecraft’s first close flyby of Ganymede is scheduled for July 2026. All 10 scientific instruments are operational.\n\n## Analysis\nSource: [https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice](https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Juice)\n\n**SpaceX: Starship Achieves First Orbital Refueling Test**\n\nOn April 5, 2026, SpaceX conducted the first successful in-orbit cryogenic propellant transfer between two Starship vehicles. The test, part of the Starship HLS (Human Landing System) development program for NASA’s Artemis V, transferred over 10 metric tons of liquid oxygen and methane between a tanker and depot Starship in low Earth orbit. This milestone is critical for enabling long-duration lunar and Mars missions. A crewed Starship lunar landing is currently targeted for 2028.\n\n## Sources\n- https://www.nasa.gov/artemis-ii\n- https://ww","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"}}