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Utah Business

Five decades since humans first stepped foot on the moon, we're heading back — and Utah is making it possible.

A group of guests from NASA teams working on the Artemis program visited the Clark Planetarium on Tuesday to talk about the next steps in space exploration. Utah will play an essential role in two of NASA’s upcoming missions: Artemis II and Artemis III, which are heading to the moon.

Artemis II, which is scheduled to launch in April 2026, will be the first mission with crew aboard the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft.

Astronaut Kjell Lindgren called Utah a “partner in exploration for decades.” With more than 3,000 Artemis suppliers nationwide, Utah has become the factory for the very propulsion systems that the SLS rocket uses.

Read more from Bryan Barba about Utah’s role in getting humans back to the moon.

This BYU grad helped Orrin Hatch go viral. Now Dana Perino’s helping him do the same

Matt Whitlock made waves running the social media accounts of Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch during his final term. Now, he’s a rising star in conservative media.

Six years ago, Whitlock’s funny tweet about paper straws caught the eye of one of the most-watched television hosts in the country, Dana Perino. Perino has been a champion of Whitlock’s latest online endeavor, a punchy 10-minute podcast that transforms the Trump-era news cycle into clear takeaways for voters and concise talking points for Republican politicians and their communications staffers.

“Matt has transitioned from a behind-the-scenes strategist to a trusted, more public voice,” Perino told the Deseret News, “without losing the humility and discipline that made him so effective in the first place.”

Brigham Tomco writes, “As red-state senators and representatives struggle to craft a compelling message on Medicaid reforms, ICE raids and Iran, Whitlock offers a polished rundown, twice a week, with digestible news nuggets tailored for what he calls his ‘most valuable focus group’ — his family, split between Utah and California.”

Read more about why Dana Perino says Matt Whitlock is a rising GOP star.

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