Payloads

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar lander lifts off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1:05 a.m. EST on Thursday, February 15, 2024. As part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, Intuitive Machines’ first lunar mission will carry NASA science and commercial payloads to the Moon to study plume-surface interactions, space weather/lunar surface interactions, radio astronomy, precision landing technologies, and a…

Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander will deliver five NASA payloads to the Moon following its January 8 launch on a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket. Credit: Astrobotic TechnologyIn a major 2024 mission, NASA sent five payloads to the Moon to study its environment and potential water presence, launching under the innovative CLPS initiative with Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander. This mission signifies a leap in lunar exploration and commercial space endeavors.NASA will kick off 2024 by sending five payloads to the Moon aboard…

A brand new rocket, United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur, lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 2:18 am (0718 GMT) for its maiden voyage, carrying Astrobotic's Peregrine Lunar Lander. Mission control staff cheered and applauded as the lander separated from the rocket around 48 minutes later without problems -- a key milestone for the private company. ULA's president and CEO Tony Bruno praised the launch on NASA's…

Four Indian space startups are set to launch their payloads to demonstrate microsatellite subsystems, thrusters or small engines that keep satellites in desired orbits, and radiation shield coating for satellites on board ISRO's PSLV-C58 mission on Monday. Hyderabad-based Dhruva Space will validate the functionality and robustness of the P-30 nanosatellite platform and its various subsystems in-orbit as part of 'Launching Expeditions for Aspiring Payloads - Technology Demonstrator' (LEAP-TD) payload on the PSLV-C58…

Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set for another adventurous X-ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat) mission later…

Artist’s conception of China’s Chang’e 5 mission, which concluded in 2020.Illustration: CNSATwo years ago, China’s Chang’e 5 mission made history by returning lunar samples to Earth for the first time in more than 40 years. The mission’s successor, Chang’e 6, is not only designed to return a second batch of samples from the far side of the Moon—a feat never attempted before—it will also be bringing four payloads along for the ride.The Chang’e 6 mission is scheduled to launch from China’s coastal Wenchang spaceport in 2025…

As India eyes setting up its own space station by 2035, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has proposed to the industry to collaborate with it in developing a reusable rocket capable of carrying heavier payloads into orbit.Dubbed as the Next-Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV), ISRO Chairman S Somanath said the space agency was working on the design of the rocket and would like the industry to collaborate with it in the development.“The intent is to bring industry along in the development process. All the money…

The US space agency NASA has chosen engineering Draper Labs of Massachusetts for delivering Artemis science investigations to the far side of the moon in 2025. Draper has been awarded the contract to deliver experiments as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative under Artemis mission. Draper will be using its SERIES-2 lander to carry the load. It has been tasked with end-to-end delivery services that include payload integration, delivery from Earth to the Moon, and payload operations.The lab…