Episode summary
NASA Set to Launch Crew to Moon for First Time in 50 Years | Bloomberg Businessweek
Bloomberg Businessweek Daily
· · 37 min · Hosts: Carol Massar, Tim Stenovec · Guests: Ed Ludlow, Rebecca Homkes, Andrew Szczurowski, Ben Gagnon
Summary
NASA’s Artemis II mission is the centerpiece of the show: astronauts are set to launch on a 10-day flight around the moon, the first crewed return to the lunar vicinity in more than half a century. Bloomberg’s Ed Ludlow, reporting from Kennedy Space Center, said the launch was tracking toward 6:24 p.m. Eastern time, but weather remained the main uncertainty. He also emphasized the technical stakes: the Boeing-built SLS rocket and Lockheed Martin Orion capsule are NASA’s largest human-rated launch system and a crucial dress rehearsal for the agency’s moon-landing ambitions later in the decade.
The discussion put the mission in historical and geopolitical context. The host and guests said Artemis has been delayed for years, while China’s lunar ambitions help explain why the U.S. is pressing ahead. Ludlow also described SpaceX’s proposed role in a future Artemis architecture and said the company’s confidential IPO filing is aimed at funding its next phase, including space-based data centers.
Later segments shifted to markets and the economy, where Rebecca Homkes argued leaders are struggling because uncertainty is harder to manage than recession. Andrew Cizarowski said investors should focus on rates, oil shocks, and a weaker consumer, while Ben Ganon explained why his company is abandoning bitcoin mining for AI infrastructure, citing richer valuations and surging demand for data-center capacity.
Key takeaways
- The host said Artemis II is a historic test flight because it would send a four-person crew farther in space than any humans have traveled before.
- Ed Ludlow said NASA was seeing about 80% favorable weather, but cumulus clouds and lightning risk could still delay liftoff.
- Rebecca Homkes argued executives are more comfortable with downturns than with uncertainty, which she said creates hesitation and bad linear forecasting.
- Andrew Cizarowski said an oil price shock is a supply shock the Fed cannot easily offset, so bond investors may prefer the front end of the Treasury curve.
- Ben Ganon said Keel Infrastructure is exiting bitcoin mining and shifting fully into HPC and AI because the energy infrastructure business can command much higher multiples.
Notable quotes
“They are poised to lift off this evening on a 10-day journey that will slingshot them around the moon”
“everything is tracking. You know, the fueling of the SLS uh rocket and launch system was completed at about uh 1:00 p.m. local time”
“that makes it the most powerful human uh rated human certified system to ever launch from Earth”
“uncertainty is much more challenging, right? And that's why we're seeing so much unease and hesitation right now”
“I mean, the Fed's hands are tied at this point”
How the episode opens
Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio, news. — This is Bloomberg Business Week Daily, reporting from the magazine that helps global leaders stay ahead with insight on the people, companies, and trends shaping today's complex economy. Plus, global business, finance, and tech news as it happens. The Bloomberg Business Week Daily podcast with Carol Masser and Tim Stenc on Bloomberg Radio.
Hours away from sending NASA astronauts back to the moon. They are well kind of around the moon, I should say. They are poised to lift off this evening on a 10-day journey that will slingshot them around the moon, marking humanity's return to the lunar vicinity for the first time, Tim, in more than half a century. So, it's been a long time.
He's got a front row seat to it all. Bloomberg Tech co-host Ed Ledllo. He's at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Ed, set the scene for us. What's going on around you and and where are these astronauts as they do make their way to the vehicle to head head to the launch pad?
Yeah, the crew left Kennedy Space Center in the last 15 minutes. They got into their modified what's essentially an RV, the Luna bus, and now on their way to the pad. And it's so difficult.
There's no certainty in space, guys, right? especially when human life is involved and this is a human crew. But everything is tracking.
You know, the fueling of the SLS uh rocket and launch system was completed at about uh 1:00 p.m. local time. Uh and you know, we are tracking as best we can to 6:24 p.m.
Eastern time to take off. And I am not a meteorologist as I said to Tim earlier on Bloomberg television, but you know, the biggest factor probably is the weather.
From the episode’s captions: roughly the first two minutes, lightly cleaned. Keep watching on YouTube →
Topics
- nasa artemis
- moon mission
- space launch system
- defense contractors
- bitfarms rebrand
Companies and tickers mentioned
- LMT
- BA
- MS
- NASA
- Lockheed Martin
- Boeing
- Morgan Stanley
- Bitfarms
- Keel Infrastructure
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Summary, takeaways and quote selection by Octagon. Quotes are short excerpts; the full conversation is in the episode.
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