China’s Chang’e-6 lunar module returned to Earth on Tuesday, successfully completing its historic mission to collect the first samples from the far side of the moon in a major step for the country’s ambitious space program. The reentry module “landed successfully” at a designated area in China’s northern Inner Mongolia region just after 2pm local… Read More »
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Japan’s “Lunar Sniper” lander has defied the odds for the third time and managed to survive another long, cold lunar night despite not being designed to withstand such harsh conditions, according to the Japan Aerospace… Read More »
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Japan’s “Lunar Sniper” lander has defied the odds for the third time and managed to survive another long, cold lunar night despite not being designed to withstand such harsh conditions, according to the Japan Aerospace… Read More »
India’s Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft historical descent A new study reveals that this asteroid, found near the Moon’s south pole last August, kicked up almost no lunar dust as it descended, thanks to its unique engine configuration. As a result, its cameras obtained clear images of the landing zone in the critical minutes before landing, capturing images… 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 »
A technology used to protect the first astronauts to land on the moon is now returning to the lunar surface, and you may already have some of this technology hanging in your cloakroom. Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar lander “Odysseus” (“Odie” for short) will attempt to become the first U.S.-built commercial spacecraft to land on the… Read More »
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific breakthroughs and more. A region of the Moon at the center of a new international space race may be less hospitable than once thought because it may contain water ice, new research has revealed. Interest in the Moon’s… Read More »
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific breakthroughs and more. A region of the Moon at the center of a new international space race may be less hospitable than once thought because it may contain water ice, new research has revealed. Interest in the Moon’s… Read More »
Japan launched the Intelligent Lander for Lunar Exploration (SLIM) on the lunar surface on January 20, 2024. Despite the power issue with the lander, the event is of both political and technical importance. This is Japan’s first Moon landing; This makes it only the fifth country in the world to successfully land on the Moon.… Read More »