Moonshot

Moonshot

Moonshot is a lightweight macOS menu bar application built for space enthusiasts who want to follow NASA’s upcoming Artemis II mission without constantly checking websites, news feeds, or mission dashboards. The app brings mission tracking directly to the desktop, providing a dedicated place to monitor key milestones throughout the lunar mission.

Using publicly available NASA data, Moonshot displays mission phases, countdowns to major events, mission elapsed time, crew information, and timeline updates in real time. Rather than presenting raw data alone, the app organizes information into a format that is easy to follow throughout the mission lifecycle, from launch preparation to lunar flyby and eventual return to Earth.

One of the more appealing aspects of the project is its focus on ambient awareness. By living in the macOS menu bar, Moonshot allows users to keep track of mission progress throughout the day without needing to actively follow every update. It functions almost like a live companion for one of NASA's most significant upcoming human spaceflight missions.

The application also includes a visual Earth-Moon-Orion timeline, helping users understand where the spacecraft is within the broader mission journey. For people who enjoy space exploration, astronomy, or NASA programs, Moonshot provides a simple way to stay connected to Artemis II as it unfolds.

Built with SwiftUI and released as an open-source project, Moonshot feels less like a traditional news application and more like a focused utility created specifically for those who want a persistent window into humanity's return to deep space exploration.