Lunar lander

NASA's Artemis mission has embarked on a journey to the Moon with the launch of Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lunar lander, named Odysseus, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1:05 a.m. EST. This initiative, part of NASA's CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) program and the broader Artemis campaign aims to deliver a suite of science instruments and technology demonstrations to our nearest celestial neighbor.Unveiling the Lunar EnvironmentAccording to the US Space Agency, the…

Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lander has begun its eight-day voyage to the Moon. The mission is fraught with peril, as every previous attempt by private companies to land softly on the Moon has ended in failure. Here’s what needs to go right for this Houston-based company to enter into the history books.China's Plan to Land Astronauts on the MoonIn the latest effort to return the United States to the lunar surface, Intuitive Machines, under an $118 million contract with NASA, launched its Nova-C class lunar lander,…

Intuitive Machines' Odysseus has started making its way to the moon and could make history as the first privately built lander to touch down on the lunar surface. The lander was ferried to space by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket using a booster that already had 17 flights under its belt before this one and could even fly again in the future, seeing as it had safely returned to Earth on the company's Landing Zone 1. Both SpaceX and Intuitive Machines have confirmed that Odysseus has successfully been deployed and has started its…

A new mission is headed towards the Moon, with hopes of touching down on the lunar surface for a chance at a historic landing. But given the recent string of failures, we’re understandably nervous.China's Plan to Land Astronauts on the MoonOn Wednesday, Intuitive Machine is set to launch its Nova-C lander on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The liftoff is scheduled for 12:57 a.m. ET from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Houston-based company is hoping to be the first to put a…

Intuitive Machines is preparing its Nova-C lander for takeoff, hoping that it becomes the first private mission to touchdown on the lunar surface following a a few failed attempts by others. The lander is packed with science and technology instruments for NASA, as well as some commercial payloads that have no place on the Moon. As the business of Moon landings takes off, however, money might be the only deciding factor on what touches down on that dusty surface.China's Plan to Land Astronauts on the MoonOn Wednesday at…

This Valentine’s Day, there will be more than love in the air, with SpaceX scheduled to launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 Moon lander. Should Odysseus successfully touch down on the lunar surface eight days later, Intuitive Machines will achieve a first in commercial space travel—a a feat that would follow a series of ill-fated attempts at the title.China's Plan to Land Astronauts on the MoonThe multi-day launch window for Intuitive Machines’ much-anticipated IM-1 mission begins at 12:57 a.m. ET…

Japan’s SLIM, the Smart Lander for Investigation Moon, has entered a dormant mode on the Moon’s Shioli Crater, facing a 14-day lunar night with temperatures dropping below -200 degrees Fahrenheit.China's Plan to Land Astronauts on the MoonNight has fallen at Shioli Crater, and that means it’s likely the end of the line for SLIM. The lander has been placed into a hibernation mode from which it’s not expected to wake. But that doesn’t mean Japan’s space agency, JAXA, won’t try to revive the project in a couple of weeks.…

China is planning to send its next lander to the lunar surface, this time targeting an impact crater with a sun-lit rim that could hold precious resources for long-duration stays on the Moon.China's Plan to Land Astronauts on the MoonThe upcoming Chang’e 7 mission, scheduled for launch in 2026, is targeting a landing site on the Shackleton crater in the Moon’s south pole, according to a recent paper published in National Science Review. The lander, along with a rover and a small flying probe (likely a hopping probe), aim…

Despite taking an unfortunate tumble on the lunar surface, Japan’s lunar lander has regained power more than a week after ending up face down on the Moon.China's Plan to Land Astronauts on the MoonThe Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced on Sunday that it had established communication with its Moon mission and resumed its operations. SLIM’s multiband spectroscopic camera (MBC) was even used to snap a photo of a rock dubbed “toy poodle” on the lunar surface, the space agency wrote on X.SLIM, short for Smart…

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Company shared the first image of its lander on the lunar surface, revealing that the spacecraft touched down on the moon upside-down. It’s a remarkable recovery for the spacecraft, which experienced an “abnormality in the main engine” that affected the landing orientation when it was just 50 meters above the lunar surface, JAXA said in an update Thursday. Despite this abnormality — which resulted in the spacecraft’s solar panels being unable to charge, because they are not oriented…