Ray Blanco:

What Artemis II Will Validate Before NASA Attempts a Crewed Lunar Landing

If all goes to plan, NASA will launch its Artemis II mission in February 2026. It will be the first time NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) flies a crew to space and the first time humans fly to the moon since the end of the Apollo era in the 1970s.

Artemis II is also set to fly much further beyond the moon than any crewed space mission in history. It will pave the way for future habitation on the moon and for human exploration of our solar system.

NASA has scheduled Feb. 6 as the prime launch date for Artemis II. However, the space agency will only fly the mission when it can ensure the crew’s safety aboard SLS. The space agency has stated that launch windows are open in February, March, and April.

During their 10-day flight around the moon, the Artemis II astronauts will test the crewed Orion capsule’s life-support and deep-space systems, perform a lunar flyby, and also conduct scientific observations. 

If all goes according to plan, NASA will then look ahead to the Artemis III lunar landing mission. That mission will be the first time humans land on the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.

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Ari Goldschmidt:

SpaceX Eyes Mid-March for First Test of Upgraded Starship Rocket

The delayed first test of SpaceX’s upgraded Starship rocket is now slated for mid-March, according to a post from CEO Elon Musk on his social media site X.

This third version of Starship, or V3, is larger and more powerful. Crucially, the company plans to use Starship V3 to launch its next-generation Starlink satellites, which will be capable of faster data speeds but weigh more and are larger. 

V3 is also the first version of the rocket that is meant to dock with other Starships in Earth orbit, a capability the company needs in order to reach the moon or Mars.

This all comes as SpaceX is racing toward an IPO later this year, and under pressure from the Trump administration to return U.S. astronauts to the surface of the moon before the end of his second term. Starship, the most powerful rocket ever developed, is currently a key part of NASA’s mission to fulfill that goal.

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Chris Campbell:

BlackRock Files With SEC to Launch iShares Bitcoin Premium Income ETF

BlackRock could soon debut its iShares Bitcoin Premium Income ETF, according to a registration statement filed with the SEC on Friday.

The new ETF will track the "performance of the price of Bitcoin while providing premium income through an actively managed strategy of writing (selling) call options on IBIT shares and, from time to time, on indices that track spot bitcoin exchange-traded products ('ETPs'), including [iShares Bitcoin Trust] (such indices, 'ETP Indices')," the issuer said in its SEC filing.

In practice, this means the fund sells options that give other investors the right to buy its IBIT shares at a set price and collects the option premiums as income. Shares in the ETF will represent fractional beneficial interests in that income and the fund's Bitcoin, IBIT shares, and cash.

A BlackRock spokesperson said the firm cannot comment further on how the new fund will compare to competitors or when it will share details about the expense ratio for the new ETF.

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