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NASA is pushing back the schedule for upcoming missions of its flagship Artemis lunar program by about a year.
The next Artemis mission, which will be the first to carry crew, is now targeting September 2025, NASA leadership announced on Tuesday.
The Artemis program represents a series of missions with escalating goals, aiming to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo era.

The crew members of the Artemis 2 mission of the U.S. space agency NASA, left to right, Reid Wiseman Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen, stand at a press event in the ArianeGroup building.
Hauke-Christian Dittrich | Picture Alliance | Getty Images

NASA is pushing back the schedule for upcoming missions of its flagship Artemis lunar program by about a year as the agency’s contractors work to finish technology needed to return U.S. astronauts to the moon’s surface.
“We are adjusting our schedule to target Artemis 2 for September of 2025 and September of 2026 for Artemis 3, which will send humans for the first time to the lunar south pole,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said during a press briefing on Tuesday.

Artemis 2 — with a four-person crew, which NASA announced last spring — was previously planned to launch in November, while Artemis 3 had been targeting December 2025.
The pair of missions are set to follow the uncrewed Artemis I mission that flew in 2022. The Artemis program represents a series of missions with escalating goals, aiming to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo era.

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Nelson’s comments confirm reporting by CNN and Reuters that NASA would be pushing out the schedule for the program. Delays to Artemis have long appeared likely, especially after NASA’s Inspector General detailed challenges with crucial infrastructure of the program in a report late last year.
Artemis relies on a variety of vehicles and equipment built by companies including Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin, Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Axiom Space and RTX’s Collins Aerospace are also developing lunar spacesuits to support the program.
But many of those companies still face obstacles, whether with development or technology setbacks, such as problematic batteries in Lockheed’s Orion capsule and issues demonstrating in-space refueling with SpaceX’s Starship. Already, NASA’s Artemis effort has been delayed for years, with the program running billions over budget.

NASA has spent more than $42 billion since 2012 to develop and build the systems behind the Artemis program, with the agency’s Inspector General noting that the initial missions will cost $4.2 billion per launch.

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Home price gains are being fueled by a decline in mortgage rates.
Home prices jumped 5.2% on an annual basis in November.
Detroit saw the largest annual price gain, surpassing Miami.

A “For Sale” sign hangs outside a home on the west side of Detroit, Michigan.
Fabrizio Costantini | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Home prices are rising faster and faster each month, fueled by a decline in mortgage rates.
On a national level, home prices jumped 5.2% in November compared to the same month a year earlier, according to a new report from analytics firm CoreLogic. That’s up from a 4.7% annual gain in October.

States in the Northeast led the gains, with Rhode Island (11.6%), Connecticut (10.6%) and New Jersey (10.5%) seeing the strongest growth. Areas seeing year-over-year price declines in November were Idaho (-1.3%); Utah (-0.4%); and Washington, D.C. (-0.2%).
“This continued strength remains remarkable amid the nation’s affordability crunch but speaks to the pent-up demand that is driving home prices higher,” Selma Hepp, chief economist for CoreLogic, said in a release. “Markets where the prolonged inventory shortage has been exacerbated by the lack of new homes for sale recorded notable price gains over the course of 2023,” she added.
The lower the mortgage rate, the greater the buying power for consumers. While prices are expected to soften slightly later next year, much of that will depend on supply. At current low supply levels and demand increasing due to lower mortgage rates, for now at least, prices have nowhere to go but up.
After hitting more than a dozen record lows in the first two years of the Covid-19 pandemic, mortgage rates began rising sharply in 2022 and hit a more than 20-year high in October last year. The average rate on the 30-year fixed loan briefly crossed over 8%. It has since fallen back and is now in the high 6% range.

Detroit topples Miami

On the city level, Detroit saw the largest annual price gain at 8.7%, surpassing Miami, which came in at 8.3%, according to CoreLogic. Miami had held the top spot for 16 months.

“Detroit lagged appreciation during the pandemic so some of this was a catch up,” said Hepp. “Other Mid-west areas [are] seeing stronger appreciation because they’re more affordable.”
While the median price of a home in Detroit is still among the most affordable in the nation, the market is considered overvalued due to local income levels.
Roughly 82% of the nation’s 397 metropolitan housing markets surveyed by CoreLogic were considered overvalued. That means Detroit’s home prices are overly high compared with local household incomes. Notably, large cities considered “normal” in valuation were Boston; Chicago; Los Angeles; and Washington, D.C.
“It really depends on who is buying in the area, and we’ve seen more higher income folks buying in those areas,” Hepp said.Don’t miss these stories from CNBC PRO: More

The National Football League offered voluntary buyouts to at least 200 employees.
The league employs about 1,100 people. It wasn’t clear how many buyouts the NFL aims to achieve.
The news comes as the NFL gears up for the playoffs, which begin this weekend.

Nick Laham | Getty Images

The National Football League offered voluntary buyouts to at least 200 employees as it gears up for start of the playoffs this coming weekend, according to a memo obtained by CNBC.
The NFL, which has about 1,100 employees, told staff that it is “continuously evaluating ways to enhance efficiency and improve outcomes,” according to the memo.

“Every organization is increasingly challenged to be agile, responsible and strategic. The NFL is no exception,” the memo says.
The buyouts come when the league has shown financial strength, with revenue in 2022 hitting nearly $12 billion. Commissioner Roger Goodell has set a goal of reaching $25 billion in annual revenue by 2027. Teams are also valued at high levels. In July, NFL owners approved the sale of the Washington Commanders, a franchise that hasn’t won a Super Bowl in more than three decades, for a record $6 billion.
The league sent the buyout memo to employees who qualified, which is dependent on their age and the number of years they worked in the league office, with the total number equal or exceeding 70. It wasn’t immediately clear how many buyouts the NFL is aiming for.
The league offered eligible employees three weeks salary for every year served, in addition to bonuses. Staffers will have until the end of February to decide whether to take the buyout.
The NFL said its strategy going forward includes international expansion, the growth of flag football, and the continued development of media and digital operations.

“How we operate, where we invest our capital, and the workforce must evolve to align with these strategic priorities to best position the league for continued success,” the memo says.
In May, the NFL Network laid off about 5% of its workforce.
News of the buyouts was first reported by Sports Business Journal.
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Clarification: This story was updated to clarify the NFL’s formula for offering the buyouts. More

Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic’s inaugural lunar mission suffered a malfunction shortly after launch, and the company is calling off the landing attempt.
It would have been the first U.S. moon landing in more than 50 years.
Both Astrobotic and NASA have cargo lunar landing attempts lined up, with three American companies scheduled to launch missions this year.

Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander is seen during preparations for launch near NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
United Launch Alliance

Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic’s inaugural lunar mission suffered a malfunction shortly after launch, and the company is calling off the landing attempt.
It would have been the first U.S. moon landing in more than 50 years.

Astrobotic said late Monday that the goal for its Peregrine moon lander is now to get “as close to lunar distance as we can” before the spacecraft begins tumbling and loses power. The company suspects the malfunction was a failure within the spacecraft’s propulsion system, causing a leak that is quickly draining the vehicle of fuel.
The company had aimed to make a moon landing attempt on Feb. 23, but in light of the propulsion problem has since been “maximizing the science and data we can capture,” the company said in a post on social media platform X.
Astrobotic’s Peregrine is carrying 20 payloads for government and commercial customers, five of which are for NASA under a $108 million contract.

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Peregrine was deployed successfully after launching on the inaugural flight of ULA’s Vulcan rocket early Monday morning, which made its long-awaited debut from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Hours after separating from the rocket, Astrobotic announced it was receiving data from the lander and that many of its systems were working as expected. However, after activating its propulsion system, Peregrine suffered an issue and began tumbling.

United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur lifts off from Space Launch Complex 41d at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Jan. 8, 2024, for its maiden voyage, carrying Astrobotic’s Peregrine Lunar Lander.
Gregg Newton | AFP | Getty Images

Astrobotic spent the following hours improvising and was able to get the spacecraft’s solar arrays pointing toward the sun to charge Peregrine’s battery. But the propellant leak has since meant that Peregrine has only enough fuel to remain stable until Thursday.
“We are using Peregrine’s existing power to perform as many payload and spacecraft operations as possible,” Astrobotic said.
While Peregrine Mission One will not be the first American spacecraft to land on the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972, both the company and NASA have subsequent attempts lined up. Astrobotic’s inaugural flight is just the first of six launches of lunar landers from three different American companies slated for this year alone.
The push falls under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, which aims to deliver science and cargo to the moon with increasing regularity in support of the agency’s Artemis crew program.
Astrobotic has a second lunar mission funded already, with the company saying it has so far secured upward of $450 million in government and commercial contracts.
“We are grateful for the outpouring of support we’re receiving — from messages on social media to phone calls and helping hands. This is what makes the space industry so special, that we unite in the face of adversity,” Astrobotic wrote in a statement.Don’t miss these stories from CNBC PRO: More

American is making a host of changes to its AAdvantage frequent flyer program.
The carrier limited some services to frequent flyer members.
American said it won’t change earnings requirements for elite status this year

An American Airlines Airbus 321 sits at the gate at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia, on July 23, 2023.
Daniel Slim | AFP | Getty Images

First things first: American Airlines isn’t changing the requirements to earn elite status at the airline in the coming earning year.
Those thresholds are typically top of mind for frequent flyers as airlines have been tweaking their loyalty programs in recent years as travel demand surges and ranks of elites swell.

And while American increased the threshold to earn its lowest level, Gold, for the 2023-2024 earning year ending Feb. 29, the carrier won’t move those needles for the next earning period. Elite status on airlines rewards big spenders with perks like complimentary upgrades and free checked bags.
American is making a host of changes, announced Tuesday, that will extend some services solely to AAdvantage members.

Here’s what’s changing:

Under the program changes, only American AAdvantage members will be able to fly standby for domestic flights without paying a fee, to hold a flight for 24 hours before booking, or purchase one-day passes to its Admirals Club lounges or Flagship lounges. Currently, all customers can access those services.
“Just being a member is a status,” said Scott Chandler, American’s senior vice president of loyalty and revenue management.
AAdvantage members will also be able to use trip credits for six months longer than nonmembers and will be able to get a partial trip credit when canceling restrictive basic economy tickets, if they pay a fee.

The changes highlight American’s focus on getting more customers to sign up for its loyalty program. These programs generate billions of dollars a year for airlines. Delta Air Lines last year said it would start offering free Wi-Fi on board for members of its SkyMiles frequent flyer program.
Loyalty programs were a lifeline for airlines during the Covid pandemic when travel slowed to a trickle. Carriers earn money when customers spend on co-branded or other rewards credit cards, selling frequent flyer points to banks, regardless of what customers are spending on, from flights to new countertops.
American, United and Delta have all recently overhauled their loyalty programs to reward big spenders, with passengers earning more points and elite status based on how much they spend, not how far they fly.
Carriers have been grappling with a surge in elite travelers, repeatedly increasing the requirements to earn status, and tweaking benefits. Part of that was due to airlines allowing customers to hold onto their status during the pandemic, even though they weren’t traveling.
Delta last year walked back some of its changes, including stricter limits on access to its popular airport lounges after customer complaints. All three carriers are building larger airport lounges to accommodate more people.
American also said it will start allowing customers to earn miles for paying for cabin upgrades and let them redeem their miles for upgrades on partner airlines. For customers striving for elite status, the airline will give them bonus loyalty points after they’ve earned 15,000. Gold status, the lowest tier, requires 40,000 loyalty points.

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United Airlines has found loose bolts on door plugs of several Boeing 737 Max 9 planes during inspections.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday grounded dozens of 737 Max 9s after the panel blew out midflight on Alaska Flight 1282.
Plane manufacturer Boeing earlier Monday said it sent instructions to airlines to conduct the inspections of the Max 9s in their fleets.

A United Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 aircraft lands at San Francisco International Airport in California on March 13, 2019.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images

United Airlines said Monday that it has found loose bolts on door plugs of several Boeing 737 Max 9 planes during inspections spurred when a panel of that type blew out during an Alaska Airlines flight using that type of aircraft last week.
The Federal Aviation Administration on Saturday grounded dozens of 737 Max 9s after the panel blew out midflight on Alaska Flight 1282, calling for inspections.

United has 79 of the Max 9 planes in its fleet and is the biggest operator of the jet model.
“Since we began preliminary inspections on Saturday, we have found instances that appear to relate to installation issues in the door plug — for example, bolts that needed additional tightening,” United said in a statement. “These findings will be remedied by our Tech Ops team to safely return the aircraft to service.”
Plane manufacturer Boeing said earlier Monday it issued instructions to airlines to conduct the inspections of the Max 9s in their fleets. United had begun some preliminary inspection work in the past few days.
“We are committed to ensuring every Boeing airplane meets design specifications and the highest safety and quality standards,” Boeing said in a statement Monday evening. “We regret the impact this has had on our customers and their passengers.”
No one was seriously injured in the accident aboard the Alaska Airlines flight, though the blown-out panel produced a force so violent that some headrests and seatbacks were ripped from the cabin and the cockpit door was flung open, according to initial details of a federal safety investigation. No passengers were seated in the two seats next to the panel.

The National Transportation Safety Board said the accident would have been worse at cruising altitude when passengers and crews are walking around the cabin.
But the accident places fresh scrutiny on Boeing, which has spent years trying to clean up a host of quality defects, while also ramping up aircraft production, including of the 737 Max. CEO Dave Calhoun has spent months trying to assure airlines, investors and financial analysts that the company is improving its supply chain and working to resolve its quality problems.
Calhoun canceled a company leadership summit this week and plans to hold an all-employee call on Tuesday.
Alaska Airlines, which is set to inspect its fleet of more than 60 737 Max 9s, didn’t immediately comment on whether it, too, has found loose bolts.
The FAA declined to comment on United’s findings. Boeing didn’t immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
The 737 Max is Boeing’s best-selling aircraft, with more than 4,000 orders to fill. However, the more common Max 8, which is not affected by the grounding, makes up the majority of those orders.Don’t miss these stories from CNBC PRO: More

JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes will step down next month, the company said Monday.
The airline’s chief operating officer, Joanna Geraghty, will take the helm.
The departure comes as JetBlue is in the process of trying to acquire budget carrier Spirit Airlines.

Robin Hayes, CEO of JetBlue Airways, speaks to guests following the airline’s inaugural flight from John F. Kennedy Airport in New York to London Heathrow Airport in London on Aug. 12, 2021.
Chris J. Ratcliffe | Bloomberg | Getty Images

JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes will step down next month, the company said Monday. The airline’s chief operating officer, Joanna Geraghty, will take the helm.
The departure comes as JetBlue tries to acquire budget carrier Spirit Airlines, a nearly $4 billion combination that the New York-based carrier argues will help it grow and better compete against larger rivals such as Delta and United.

The U.S. Department of Justice sued to block the merger last year. A decision by a federal judge in Boston is expected in the coming weeks after a trial that wrapped up late last year.
Hayes, a more than three-decade airline industry veteran, cited the high-pressure nature of the job in announcing his resignation via a company statement.
“It’s bittersweet to retire from this airline I love, but I will always feel a part of the JetBlue team and be rooting for its continued success,” Hayes said. “However, the extraordinary challenges and pressure of this job have taken their toll, and on the advice of my doctor and after talking to my wife, it’s time I put more focus on my health and well-being.”
Hayes will remain on the board of directors until he leaves his post on Feb. 12, at which point he will stay on as a strategic advisor and Geraghty will join the board.

Joanna Geraghty, president and chief operating officer of JetBlue Airways, speaks during a Bloomberg Television interview at the World Aviation Festival in London on Sept. 5, 2019.
Chris Ratcliffe | Bloomberg | Getty Images

Geraghty has spent about two decades at JetBlue, the majority of the relatively young carrier’s lifespan. During that time, the airline expanded internationally and launched a business class.

But JetBlue, whose flights are concentrated in the heavily congested New York-area airspace and other busy patches of the country such as Florida, has struggled in recent months.
Geraghty will be tasked with righting the ship and, if the DOJ is unsuccessful in blocking a Spirit tie-up, overseeing that merger process. JetBlue plans to convert Spirit’s bright yellow and densely packed planes into its own cushier configurations.
Geraghty was named COO in 2018 and headed parts of the business, including its growing network and its revenue management.
Correction: This story has been updated to correct that Robin Hayes will remain on JetBlue’s board of directors until he leaves his post as CEO on Feb. 12, 2024.Don’t miss these stories from CNBC PRO: More

The CEO of brand management firm Authentic Brands Group said Shein’s annual revenue is “a lot more” than $30 billion annually. 
As a private company, Shein does not disclose its financials, but Authentic’s CEO Jamie Salter is familiar with them because of a partnership he inked with the company last summer.
If Shein’s sales are “a lot more” than $30 billion annually, it would put the company’s sales in line with those of Zara’s owner Inditex and above those of H&M.

Shoppers walks past advertisements on the opening day of fast-fashion e-commerce giant Shein, which hosted a brick-and-mortar pop up inside Forever 21 at the Ontario Mills Mall in Ontario on Oct. 19, 2023.
Allen J. Schaben | Los Angeles Times | Getty Images

ORLANDO, Fla. — Little is known about how much revenue Shein draws or just how profitable it is.
But the fast-fashion company’s sales are “a lot more” than the $30 billion it reportedly brings in annually, one of the retailer’s key partners said Monday.

“Shein is the fastest growing fashion retailer in the world, if not the biggest fashion retailer in the world,” Jamie Salter, the founder and CEO of privately owned brand management firm Authentic Brands Group, said during a fireside chat at the ICR Conference in Orlando.
“There’s talks that they do 30 billion, do they do 40 billion? Do they do 35 billion? I’m not going to tell you exactly what they do, but I can tell you they do a lot more than $30 billion,” Salter continued in an apparent reference to Shein’s annual sales. 
As a private company, Shein does not disclose its financials. However, it may soon have to after the retailer confidentially filed to go public in the U.S., following torrid growth and months of efforts to resolve a range of concerns lawmakers had about its business practices.
However, Salter is familiar with Shein’s financials because of a partnership he inked with the company last summer. As part of the deal, Shein acquired about a third of Sparc Group, a joint venture that includes Authentic and Simon Property Group. Sparc took a minority stake in Shein.
Sparc is the operator of Forever 21, which Authentic owns. As part of the partnership, Shein has begun selling a co-branded clothing line with Forever 21 and hosting pop-up events at the retailer’s many mall stores. 

Very little is known about Shein’s financials, but bits and pieces have leaked to the press in recent years as the retailer has geared up for an initial public offering. The best Shein revenue figure available came in a Wall Street Journal story in May, which said the company did $23 billion in sales in 2022, citing people close to the company.
The outlet reported that Shein had set a target to grow sales by 40% in 2023, which would have brought its revenue above $30 billion. It is unclear if the company hit that goal. 
Shein did not immediately respond to CNBC’s request for comment.
If Shein’s sales are “a lot more” than $30 billion annually, its revenue would still be far smaller than that of retail giants such as Walmart and Amazon, which do hundreds of billions in sales annually. However, the figure would put it at least in line with Zara’s owner Inditex, which posted €32 billion in sales in 2022, and H&M, which saw about $22 billion in sales that year.
A sales total above $30 billion would mean Shein dwarfs American retailers such as Abercrombie & Fitch and American Eagle, which most recently reported annual sales of $3.7 billion and $5 billion, respectively. 
During the discussion, Salter talked about Authentic’s story, its growth plans and how he decided to partner with Shein. When asked what some of his biggest mistakes were, he said one was not acknowledging the competitive threat posed by Shein and China-based online marketplace Temu earlier. 
“My partner, [Simon Property Group CEO David Simon] said, ‘Why are you going partners with Shein? Like you think that’s the right decision?’ and I said, ‘David, it’s the right decision, we cannot beat them. Their supply chain is too good. They know what’s going on. They’ve figured this out. We need to partner with them,'” Salter recalled. “So I was the brave one that said, ‘Let’s go partner with these guys.'” 
Salter said the partnership is still in its early stages. “We’re dating right now,” he said, as the two companies are still learning how to trust each other. 
“The pop-ups have been huge home runs and, you know, Forever 21 by Shein has been good, has not been great, but it’s just early. So the jury’s still out,” said Salter. “You’re dealing with some people that, they don’t speak the language the same way we do, they have a different set of rules than we do and trust factor, it takes time, you know? You don’t learn to trust somebody in 15 minutes. You have to earn that trust. … It’s a work in progress.” Don’t miss these stories from CNBC PRO: More