China’s Chang’e-6 lunar mission has made a successful landing on the far side and is currently busy collecting samples to be sent back to Earth. The first set of data was transmitted from the Chang’e 6 descent-ascent combination upon its arrival on Sunday morning (Beijing Time). The landing was assisted by China’s newly positioned Queqiao-2… Read More »
China has launched a probe that will fly to the far side of the moon and bring pieces of it back to Earth. The Chang’e-6 probe aims to help us better understand the far side of the lunar surface. The area is difficult to explore because radio communication with Earth has been lost; But because… Read More »
Despite the failure of the United States’ first commercial lunar lander to launch in space, Astrobotic Technology continues to push forward with its next lunar mission and is still on schedule to launch before the end of the year. The hardware build of the Astrobotic Griffin Mission One lander is currently on display at the… Read More »
Japan’s moon landing error caused its robot to land upside down (left), while Israeli nonprofit SpaceIL’s error caused its lander to crash (right).JAXA/Takara Tomy/Sony Group Corporation/Doshisha University; NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University; Business Content Intuitive Machines’ uncrewed Odysseus moon landing nearly failed due to a single safety switch. Other moon landing attempts have crashed or burned due… Read More »
Editor’s note: A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. To get it in your inbox, Sign up for free here. Gazing at February’s full moon, which will light up the night sky this weekend, may feel a little more special than usual after a stunning moon landing. Just a week… Read More »
Editor’s note: A version of this story appeared in CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. To get it in your inbox, Sign up for free here. Gazing at February’s full moon, which will light up the night sky this weekend, may feel a little more special than usual after a stunning moon landing. Just a week… Read More »
After a nail-biting landing and tense silence on the lunar surface, the United States returned to the moon. The robotic lander Odysseus, built by Houston-based company Intuitive Machines, touched down near the moon’s south pole this evening (February 22). This was a turning point for space exploration: No private spacecraft had ever made a soft… Read More »
Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander, which will fly to the moon in February.Intuitive Machines/NASA NASA returned to the moon for the first time in more than 50 years on Thursday with the help of Houston-based company Intuitive Machines. The uncrewed Odysseus lunar lander, built and operated by Intuitive Machines, became the first commercial spacecraft to land… Read More »
A view from the Intuitive Machines Odysseus mission in Earth orbit on February 16, 2024. (Intuitive Machines via The New York Times) On Wednesday morning, a robotic lunar lander launched by a company in Houston came close to reaching the moon. The Intuitive Machines company announced that the Odysseus spacecraft fired its engine for six… Read More »