This year marks America’s 250th anniversary and a nationwide campaign called “America 250” is underway to highlight the best of what the United States has to offer.

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Have you ever dreamed of going to space? Now you can! Well, at least your name can.

As part of NASA’s “Send Your Name with Artemis II” effort, names of anyone who signs up before January 21, 2026, will be loaded on an SD card and secured on the rocket before launch. To commemorate the flight, everyone taking part will be able to download a boarding pass with their name on it as a keepsake.

You can join this historic Artemis II mission and be an honorary member of the crew!

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NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) and the Artemis Missions will be the United States’ path back to the Moon and beyond.

Rep. Brian Babin, Chairman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, wrote about the importance of SLS in a recent piece for the Washington Times, saying: “NASA’s Moon to Mars program is the law, and the Artemis program is the cornerstone.”

“The mission is clear: Return to the lunar frontier and then go on to Mars,” emphasized Chairman Babin. “We’ve got to do it fast, do it first and do it right.”

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America’s space plane has landed after more than a year in orbit.

The Space Force’s X-37B touched down like a conventional airplane at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, 434 days after launching on a rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The uncrewed vehicle completed a number of experiments on its voyage, including using the drag of the Earth’s atmosphere to slow down. The maneuver, known as aerobraking, is considered a pioneering innovation.

Although a plane spending more than a year in space may seem long, this mission was less than half the length of the returnable X-37B’s longest – more than 900 days.

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Scott Wallace, a 44-year veteran of the industry, knows it firsthand. Hear the vice president of Votaw Precision Technologies in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. discuss the importance of having a steady stream of work.

“We’ve got personnel that’s critical in our business. Training and keeping them trained to machine within a thousandth of an inch on twelve-foot diameter. That kind of person, you have to keep and train and have work for.”

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NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) is designed to take astronauts and cargo to the Moon, Mars, and into Deep Space. It’s a manufacturing marvel, featuring four RS-25 engines that produce 2 million pounds of thrust and powerful rocket boosters that generate 3.6 million pounds of thrust. These components propel an advanced avionics suite, the core stage, and upper stage backbone of the SLS rocket to the incredible speed of 17,000 miles per hour in just over eight minutes.

Years of engineering, development, and testing have delivered NASA’s premier rocket that represents the future of space exploration.

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On December 11, 2017, the White House Space Policy Directive 1 was signed. It was the first step toward integrating private and public partners for a new era of space exploration, including the Artemis Missions.

With NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) at its core, the signing of this legislation laid the foundation for the next American astronauts to go to the Moon since 1972, and eventually to Mars and Deep Space.

The approaching new year presents a new opportunity to take the next steps forward in the American space program.

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Since December 28, 2023, the X-37B – similar in shape and design to the Space Shuttle, but a quarter of the size – has conducted a number of experiments in a highly elliptical orbit. Recently, it began a series of novel maneuvers, known as aerobraking, to change its orbit and safely dispose of its service module.

Aerobraking is a technique that relies on the drag of Earth’s atmosphere to allow the plane to change orbits with more fuel efficiency.

“This novel and efficient series of maneuvers demonstrates the Space Force’s commitment to achieving groundbreaking innovation as it conducts national security missions in space,” said Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall.

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Kennedy Space Center got a special delivery recently, as NASA’s Pegasus transport barge safely brought several components for the next three Artemis missions.

The centerpiece of the Artemis missions is NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS), the largest and most powerful rocket ever built. It is designed to transport astronauts, cargo, and science experiments to the moon, Mars, and deep space.

SLS completed its first mission – Artemis 1 – in November 2022. The newly delivered components will support Artemis 2, 3, and 4.

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Today, there are unlimited opportunities for consequential partnerships in space, specifically for the Artemis program, centered around the powerful Space Launch System (SLS). But for them to succeed they must focus solely on the mission.

“NASA must choose its mission partners wisely. As it moves forward with Artemis, continuing to collaborate with proven, trusted entities will enhance the mission’s success and guarantee support, expertise, and systematic knowledge from the platform at Kennedy Space Center to Deep Space,” Jim Duffy, a nuclear physics PhD, wrote for RealClearScience.

There has never been a more exciting or meaningful moment in time for the American space program. Trusted partnerships on SLS and other NASA-led missions will enhance U.S. space, defense and national security priorities and ensure our country is the world leader in exploring the final frontier.

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