nasa moon mission

In a momentous leap for space exploration, the United States marked a significant milestone with the touchdown of the Odysseus lander on the moon's south polar region. However, the triumph was not without its share of unexpected twists. Odysseus, the first US-built spacecraft to land on the moon in over 50 years, encountered a huge setback upon landing, finding itself tipped over on its side, as revealed by US space agency NASA and Intuitive Machines via (the Gaurdian). Intuitive Machines CEO, Steve Altemus, disclosed…

When the first US-made moon lander launched in more than 50 years experienced a critical failure shortly after reaching space on Monday, the news was initially a shock. But NASA was prepared. The Peregrine lander, built by a Pittsburgh-based startup called Astrobotic, had barely been deployed into orbit before it suffered an apparent propulsion error, causing it to leak propellant into space. After a day, the company said there was no chance the spacecraft would reach the moon.NASA actually anticipated a few low-stakes…

The global space economy grew 8% to $546 billion in 2022 and is projected to climb another 41% over the next five years, according to a leading space nonprofit.The sector is expected to show resiliency in the coming years, despite uncertainty about the global economy and a recent slowdown in space investment. Companies are seeing continued revenue growth from commercial space assets and governments around the world boosting expenditures, according to a report from the Space Foundation, a Colorado Springs, Colorado-based…

When a NASA spacecraft successfully knocked an asteroid off course last year it sent dozens of boulders skittering into space, images from the Hubble telescope showed on Thursday.NASA's fridge-sized DART probe smashed into the pyramid-sized, rugby ball-shaped asteroid Dimorphos roughly 11 million kilometres (6.8 million miles) from Earth in September last year. The spacecraft knocked the asteroid significantly off course in the first-ever such test of Earth's planetary defences. New images taken by the Hubble Space…

After years of hard work and the best of technology deployed to find any signs of life on Mars, NASA has some good news. NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover appears to have made a major discovery that could point towards life on Mars. What the rover has found, are signs of life on the Red Planet. The rover has been exploring Mars' Jezero crater for three years now, and recent findings suggest the presence of something incredible - organic molecules, which are fundamental building blocks of life.Jezero Crater is considered an…

NASA's Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER), the agency's inaugural robotic Moon rover, has accomplished a significant milestone in its preparations for lunar exploration. The mobile robot recently underwent a series of rigorous tests to ensure its safe navigation off the Astrobotic Griffin lunar lander and onto the lunar surface. This operation, known as egress, poses one of the most challenging aspects of the rover's upcoming 100-day mission, according to NASA.Conducted at NASA's Ames Research Center…

NASA is gearing up for its long-awaited return to the Moon after over 50 years, when it landed a huge number of astronauts there, but this time, the mission is more ambitious than merely leaving footprints behind. The space agency has set its sights on mining the Moon for valuable resources, with plans to kickstart the initiative as early as the next decade.NASA intends to send a drill rig to the Moon next month as a precursor to establishing large-scale lunar regolith mining by 2032. As reported by The Guardian, a…

On April 3, 2023, NASA announced the four astronauts who will make up the crew of Artemis II, which is scheduled to launch in late 2024.The Artemis II mission will send these four astronauts on a 10-day mission that culminates in a flyby of the Moon. While they won't head to the surface, they will be the first people to leave Earth's immediate vicinity and be the first near the Moon in more than 50 years. This mission will test the technology and equipment that's necessary for future lunar landings and is a significant…

NASA tapped astronauts Christina Koch and Victor Glover for a team of four people to ride around the moon on the Artemis II crewed mission next year.The pair will be joined by Canadian Jeremy Hansen and Reid Wiseman on the flight, the space agency said Monday at an event in Houston. Wiseman, the former chief of the astronaut office, will be Artemis II's commander. Koch, who was previously part of NASA's all-women spacewalk, will be the first woman to go to deep space. Glover, the ship's pilot, will be the first person of…

NASA on Monday named the four astronauts who will fly to the moon by the end of next year, including one woman and three men.The three Americans and one Canadian were introduced during a ceremony in Houston, home to the nation's astronauts as well as Mission Control. “This is humanity's crew,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. The four astronauts will be the first to fly NASA's Orion capsule, launching atop a Space Launch System rocket from Kennedy Space Center no earlier than late 2024. They will not land or even go…