Anonymousabout 2 hours ago
NASA's Artemis II mission, carrying four astronauts on humanity's first crewed lunar flyby in over 50 years, entered the Moon's gravitational sphere on April 6, 2026 — the culmination of a program that has cost an estimated $93 billion since 2012 and weathered years of schedule slips. As the crew prepares for its closest approach of roughly 4,000 miles from the lunar surface, the mission raises questions about whether the Artemis architecture can sustain itself against rising commercial alternatives and an accelerating Chinese lunar program.