Welcome to Edition 8.35 of the Rocket Report! This week, the headlines are dominated by the big changes in NASA’s exploration program. The announcement of a Moon base and a nuclear-powered rocket to Mars has sent ripples through space enthusiasts everywhere.

The shakeups come as NASA gears up for Artemis II, a circumlunar flight carrying four astronauts around the Moon just one week away from launch. The Ars team will be diving into this mission in upcoming articles, so stay tuned.

NASA’s decision to pause work on the Gateway outpost and repurpose the Power and Propulsion Element module for a nuclear-electric propulsion demonstration is no surprise given the Trump administration's space policy. The $4.5 billion investment in the Gateway program now finds its future in interplanetary efficiency, with the SR-1 Freedom mission set to launch by 2028.

The new nuclear mission represents a significant leap for human exploration, potentially revolutionizing deep-space travel through higher efficiency and lower thrust. This marks a crucial step towards Mars missions and long-duration spaceflights, but also raises questions about the future of lunar outposts.

As always, we welcome reader submissions to keep us informed on the latest in rockets and launches. If you don’t want to miss an issue, please subscribe using the form below (the form will not appear on AMP-enabled versions of the site). Each report will include information on small-, medium- and heavy-lift rockets, as well as a quick look ahead at the next three launches on the calendar.