Derek Newsome

@derek.space

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Spaceflight Photographer Fighting to keep the dream alive. derek.space derekspace.com He/Him

A set of 3 videos from a 360 camera showcasing the launch of an Atlas V rocket at night
A close up view of an Atlas V launch showing the detailed engine exhaust under the aft of the rocket. Smoke obscures most of the bottom of the frame with the launch mast barely visible behind the rocket at the top of the frame
A ground level shot of the full Space Shuttle Endeavour stack inside of the Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center.
A two panel comic showing someone laying on a couch then sitting up saying "Oh Shit, for real?"
The H3-30 rocket undergoing a static test firing on its launch pad earlier in 2026.
The Vulcan Centaur rocket for LV-01 being stacked inside of VIF-A at Cape Canaveral. The rocket is surrounded by support structures and trusses while the upper stage is lowered onto it via a crane out of view.
The first Ariane 64 launching with the LE-01 payload for Amazon. The rocket is in the center of the frame with a firey exhaust below it. Smoke partially obscures the pad from the base. It is a partly cloudy sky.
Blue Moon Mk1 in a processing facility with a large American flag behind it
A screenshot of the NASA Moon Base News Conference with Jared Isaacman at the podium. Lori Glaze and Carlos García-Galán are sat under a screen with a photo of Blue Moon Mk1
New Glenn is horizontally positioned during mate. An American flag hangs on the wall in the background.
Photo from Apollo 12s surface EVA with small blemishes in the photo enlarged. The Astronauts shadow is visible in the bottom right.
A ground floor view of the Vertical Integration Center inside of the VAB at Kennedy Space Center. The SLS rocket core stage is visible inside of the massive tooling as it is worked on.
Signal Mirror Flash at 19 miles – Author: signal mirror- CC BY 2.0
The NASA meatball logo squarified
A Blue Origin Twitter/X post showing a photo of the Endurance lunar lander and an information update: Endurance is going through a variety of tests ahead of launch in Florida. First one complete: modal testing ✅ We used sensors to measure how our lunar lander will respond to launch conditions. The test was performed with Endurance mounted on both the New Glenn flight Launch Vehicle Separation System (LVSS) and a GS2 payload adapter.
The Blue Moon MK1 lunar lander "Endurance" mounted atop a payload adapter inside Blue Origin's TCAT facility during modal testing.
New Glenn lifting off from Launch Complex 36 as spectators view the launch from Jetty Park
New Glenn horizontal on top of its Transport Erector as it rolls out to Launch Complex 36
New Glenn booster "Never Tell Me The Odds" on top of the Jacklyn recovery vessel. The rocket is amongst a cloudy sky
A US Navy Diver photo of the Artemis II Heat Shield underwater showing a near perfectly even wear pattern across the spacecraft.
Endurance spacecraft wrapped in a large white protective container, positioned on a flatbed trailer. The container features an "Endurance" mission logo. The scene includes blue sky and some equipment nearby. Blue Origin photo by Derek Newsome
Above all else, I care about outcomes, and so does the hardworking team at NASA, focused on delivering for the American people and everyone around the world who eagerly await the headlines we all experienced this past weekend.
I am not here to favor companies or perpetuate underperforming programs. I do not want to throw away billions of taxpayer dollars, and time we do not have, on a flavor of a rocket that is not necessary to return astronauts to the moon. Those billions could go toward more Artemis missions or more science and discovery. Our focus must be on the immensely hard task of sending astronauts to the Moon with frequency and safely so we can land and stay.
You cannot point to the ML-2 structure and a single EUS tank and say it was “pretty much done" and you certainly have no specifics as to the suitability of stage adapter. The Government Accountability Office has been clear on the timing and remaining costs for both ML-2 and EUS, based on a history of OIG oversight reports. Simply put, we would be committing billions more to troubled programs when we can work cooperatively with the OEM and its joint venture to leverage an in-production upper stage with decades of flight heritage and get very good at turning ML-1. Of course, we retain the option of working with industry on ML-2, converting it to the SLS standard, or harvesting parts.
Even with as clean of a mission as Artemis II, it is hard to imagine waiting until 2028 to fly again and jump right to a lunar landing. SLS and Orion must launch with a reasonable cadence, and we need every opportunity to learn. That is why we added Artemis III, an easy trade against funding programs overbudget and behind schedule, in advance of a landing on Artemis IV.
The idea that Artemis II was only held up by the heat shield is not correct. Administrator Bill Nelson stated in December 2024, two years after Artemis I flew, that we would refly the same heat shield design on Artemis II, yet the mission did not fly until April 2026. On a side note, if leadership knew at the time that Artemis II would not launch until April 2026, it probably would have made sense to replace the heat shield altogether.
I understand some in the community have an affinity for specific hardware, but the focus should be on outcomes. With respect to SLS, the desired outcome is launching crewed Orion spacecraft at a reasonable cadence, rebuilding muscle memory, and buying down risk so we can land astronauts on the Moon. This is until such time as there are multiple crewed pathways that allow us to undertake lunar missions with even greater frequency and at lower cost, so that Artemis can live on for decades into the future.
An X Post from Jared Isaacman. Due to the length each paragraph will be posted in the rest of the thread with their individual alt text.
New Glenn hoisted in the air at LC-36
The New Glenn rocket on the ramp at Launch Complex 36. A large hangar is in the background, with the ocean visible in the upper left. A cruise ship is departing Port Canaveral
A screenshot of Youtube with the Artemis II Live Mission Coverage broadcast and its viewcount
Orion Integrity under parachutes just before splashdown
A screenshot of youtube showing the Artemis The First Flight | Full Original Score
Orion Integrity separates from its service module
A photo showing New Glenn Booster 3, No, It’s Necessary , at the Blue Origin manufacturing facility.
A screenshot of a Blue Origin Instagram post showing my photo of New Glenn being lifted in the Integration Facility
The New Glenn rocket for NG-3 being lifted inside the Integration Facility at Launch Complex 36. The rocket is suspended from the ceiling by a gantry crane as it is lifted onto the Transport Erector. Blue Origin Photo by Derek Newsome
A photo of the lunar surface showing the crater soon to be named Carroll, in honor of Reid Wiseman's late wife.
A remote camera view of the first Vulcan rocket launching at the base of SLC-41
A Video montage of the first Vulcan-Centaur rocket launch set to the audio of Star Trek : First Contact. Specifically the scene showing the launch of the Phoenix.
A short video showcasing different parts of the Artemis II Mission set to Chappell Roan's Pink Pony Club
Earth through the window of the Orion spacecraft "Integrity"
Budget Authority ($ in millions) 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 2031 NASA Total 24,838.3 24,438.3 18,829.1 18,829.1 18,829.1 18,829.1 18,829.1 Exploration 7,666.2 7,783.0 8,513.9 8,493.9 8,173.9 8,153.9 8,133.9 Moon and Mars Transportation System -- -- 4,219.1 3,888.1 3,172.2 3,659.4 3,659.4 Orion Program -- -- 1,221.8 1,001.2 779.3 565.5 -- Crew Vehicle Development -- -- 1,214.3 1,001.2 779.3 565.5 -- Space Launch System -- -- 1,495.3 -- -- -- -- Exploration Ground Systems -- -- 757.9 649.6 579.6 574.7 -- Commercial Moon & Mars Infrastructure & Transportation -- -- 744.1 2,237.3 1,813.3 2,519.2 3,659.4 Moon and Mars Systems Development -- -- 3,810.1 3,506.5 3,237.7 3,290.5 3,214.5 xEVA and Human Surface Mobility Program -- -- 830.3 899.5 844.2 853.6 836.6 Human Landing System -- -- 2,277.2 1,834.2 1,542.2 1,553.2 1,531.2 HLS Initial Capability -- -- 758.7 362.2 541.5 567.2 585.7 Advanced Exploration Systems -- -- 163.6 163.2 163.2 163.2 163.2 Mars Technology -- -- 438.8 529.4 607.0 680.2 643.2 Human Research Program -- -- 100.3 80.3 81.1 40.3 40.3 Human Exploration Requirements & Architecture -- -- 484.7 1,099.4 1,764.0 1,204.0 1,260.0 Strategy and Architecture -- -- 113.2 108.9 108.9 108.9 108.9 Future Systems -- -- 371.5 990.4 1,655.1 1,095.1 1,151.1 Space Operations 4,220.0 4,175.0 3,047.2 3,047.2 3,347.2 3,347.2 3,347.2 Commercial LEO Development -- -- 299.7 299.8 599.8 599.8 1,577.2 International Space Station -- -- 921.2 921.2 921.3 921.3 921.3 Space Transportation -- -- 1,152.5 1,152.4 1,152.3 1,152.3 174.7 Crew and Cargo Program -- -- 1,070.9 1,070.9 1,070.8 1,070.8 93.2 Commercial Crew Program -- -- 81.6 81.5 81.5 81.5 81.6
The two Solid Rocket Boosters from Artemis II fall away from the rocket
A photo of Mobile Launcher 2 with one of the EUSU arms being removed during the Artemis II launch.
A vertical composition of Artemis II climbing into the sky. The rocket is in a clear blue sky near the top of the frame with the tail of fire and smoke below it. A single cloud is visible on the left
A reversed video of the Artemis II launch titled April Fools
The Artemis II launch over Florida. The swampland of Merritt island takes up the bottom of the screen before the smoke from liftoff. The rocket is atop a large flame near the top right of the frame.
The SLS rocket climbs away into a near cloudless sky with a nearly 600 foot long tail of fire from the twin solid rocket boosters.
The Artemis II SLS rocket sits on Launch Complex 39B ahead of fueling. Image Credit: NASA/Keegan Barber
Birds take flight above the Indian river with Artemis II in the background. The sun is showing rays below the clouds onto the skyline.
The sun rising behind the Artemis II SLS rocket on Launch Complex 39B. The sun is partially obscured by clouds with the launch pad clearly visible above the treeline. The Indian River is in the bottom of the frame.
The first New Glenn rocket at Space Launch Complex 36 ahead of the NG-1 mission. The rocket is in between two large towers, the left one a skinny pyramid shaped lightning arrestor, the right one a squared off access tower. A large water tower sits to the left of the towers. A sunset is backlighting clouds behind the rocket and pad.
The LEGO Shuttle Carrier Aircraft with Enterprise (left) next to the LEGO USS Enterprise D (right) on a glass table.
The first Soyuz-5 rocket at the Baikonur Cosmodrome after integration. The rocket will be placed onto a transport-erector to take it to the launch pad and raise it to vertical.
A CAD model of the RL10CX-3EL along with its listed performance parameters: Propellants: LO2 & LH2 LO2/H2 Mixture Ratio: 4.7:1 Engine Cycle: Expander Thrust Level: 24.30 klbf Champer Temperature: ~3165 K Camber Pressure: 630 psi Nozzle Area Ratio: 285:1 Specific Impulse: ~470.5s Engine Thrust/Weight Ratio: ~40.5 Engine Legnth: 4.24 m Nozzle Exit Diameter: 2.15 m Service Life: 10s of hrs Start/Stop Cycles: 100s
A screenshot of lightroom showing a folder with multiple photo albums in it for ULA launches.
(e) EXPLORATION UPPER STAGE.— (1) IN GENERAL.—To meet the capability requirements under section 302(c)(2) of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration Authorization Act of 2010 (42 U.S.C. 18322(c)(2)), the Administrator shall continue development of the Exploration Upper Stage for the Space Launch System on a schedule consistent with the Artemis IV lunar mission.