The four-member crew NASA astronauts Randy Bresnik, Frank Rubio and Andre Douglas, alongside European Space Agency astronaut Luca Parmitano will not land on the lunar surface but will conduct orbital operations and technical demonstrations designed to support future Moon landings.

The mission will focus on testing spacecraft docking procedures involving the Orion capsule and two separate lunar landers, a critical capability for upcoming deep space operations under NASA’s Artemis program.

NASA said the Artemis III mission builds on the success of Artemis II, which recently completed a record-breaking lunar flyby that surpassed the distance benchmark set by Apollo 13.

“To the Artemis III crew, we wish you Godspeed on the journey ahead,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said during the announcement.

Mission specialist Andre Douglas said the selection marked an emotional milestone, describing his reaction as overwhelming, while commander Randy Bresnik emphasized the crew’s readiness to undertake the mission.

NASA’s Artemis program aims to return astronauts to the Moon for the first time since the Apollo era of the 1970s. The agency has also adjusted its timeline to accelerate preparations for a future landing, with a crewed lunar surface mission now targeted for 2028.

The program relies heavily on commercial partnerships, with SpaceX and Blue Origin competing to develop lunar landers. NASA officials said recent setbacks, including a Blue Origin rocket failure during a ground test in Florida, are being treated as learning opportunities, with confidence that development timelines remain on track.

NASA officials also said the broader Artemis initiative is intended to lay the groundwork for a sustained lunar presence, including the potential development of a future Moon base that could support eventual human missions to Mars.

The ministry said missile, rocket and air defense systems accounted for 29% of export deals, making them the largest category of sales. Observation and optronics systems also recorded strong growth.

European countries were the biggest buyers, accounting for 36% of exports, followed by Asia-Pacific nations with 32%. Countries in the Middle East and North Africa purchased 15%.

Defense Minister Israel Katz linked the export growth to the performance of Israel’s military and defense industries during ongoing conflicts involving Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran.

The announcement comes as Israel seeks to expand production of Arrow missile interceptors amid continued regional tensions and heightened demand for advanced air defense systems.

The blast occurred around 11:00 a.m. at the company’s research and development site, which works on advanced weapons technologies, rocket systems and aerospace projects.

Hanwha Aerospace CEO Son Jae-il said the accident may have occurred during the cleaning of equipment used in rocket propellant production, where explosive residue could have remained on tools.

The company pledged a comprehensive review of its safety procedures following the deadly incident. Political parties also announced they would scale back election campaign activities ahead of local elections as a mark of respect for the victims.

The agreement represents a significant reopening of a market that had once accounted for a major share of Boeing’s global commercial aircraft deliveries before trade tensions and safety concerns sharply reduced Chinese demand.

Speaking aboard Air Force One after departing Beijing, Trump said China also secured an option to purchase as many as 750 additional Boeing aircraft under the arrangement. Boeing later confirmed the 200-plane order but did not disclose aircraft models, delivery timelines or financial terms.

“We had a very successful trip to China and accomplished our major goal of reopening the China market to orders for Boeing aircraft,” the company said in a statement, adding that it expected to continue addressing China’s long-term aviation demand.

Boeing Chief Executive Kelly Ortberg joined a delegation of senior American executives accompanying Trump during the Beijing visit as U.S. companies sought to deepen commercial engagement with China despite ongoing geopolitical tensions.

Trump said the agreement would also benefit GE Aerospace, which he said could supply between 400 and 450 aircraft engines tied to the deal. GE Aerospace Chief Executive H. Lawrence Culp was also part of the delegation.

The Trump administration has increasingly positioned Boeing at the center of its strategy to expand U.S. manufacturing exports and strengthen industrial competitiveness abroad. Several major aircraft orders have followed presidential visits and bilateral meetings during Trump’s second term.

Last year, Qatar Airways agreed to purchase up to 210 Boeing widebody aircraft during Trump’s Middle East visit, while Korean Air later formalized a deal valued at roughly $50 billion for aircraft, engines and maintenance services following talks in Washington with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.

Additional orders followed from Turkish Airlines, Emirates and FlyDubai, helping Boeing recover from a prolonged downturn in international sales.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, China accounted for roughly one-third of Boeing’s narrowbody aircraft deliveries. The company’s position weakened after deteriorating U.S.-China relations and the grounding of the 737 MAX fleet following two fatal crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia that killed 346 people.

China became the first country to suspend operations of the 737 MAX in 2019 and resumed flights only in 2023, later than many other aviation markets.
Ortberg assumed leadership of Boeing in 2024 during a period of mounting operational and financial pressure after a panel blowout aboard a 737 MAX flight departing Portland, Oregon intensified scrutiny over manufacturing standards and safety controls.

Analysts said details surrounding broader trade agreements reached during the Trump-Xi summit remained limited. Bonnie Glaser said there was little publicly available information on other potential Chinese purchases involving U.S. agricultural and energy exports.

A spacecraft that plowed into a small, harmless asteroid millions of miles away succeeded in shifting its orbit, NASA said Tuesday in announcing the results of its save-the-world test.