News Archive / Tagged: Lunar

• Observers in western Kentucky treated to stunning view of solar eclipse

  Laurel KornfeldAugust 22nd, 2017

  Eclipse watchers in western Kentucky experienced the August 21, 2017, total solar eclipse in a cloudless sky, with one of its longest periods of totality – lasting approximately two minutes and 27 seconds.

• International Lunar Observatory to offer a new astrophysical perspective

  Tomasz NowakowskiAugust 12th, 2017

  Scheduled to be sent to the south pole of the Moon sometime in 2019, the International Lunar Observatory is expected to conduct the first astrophysical observations from the lunar surface. The mission managers hope that it will offer a brand new astrophysical perspective for scientists worldwide.

• China eyes manned lunar landing by 2036

  Tomasz NowakowskiAugust 9th, 2017

  Recent and rather bold statements made by Chinese officials suggest that the country is moving forward toward its goal of sending Taikonauts to the surface of the Moon.

• Russian launch services operator eyes lunar mission in early 2020s

  Curt GodwinAugust 8th, 2017

  While several private companies are vying to claim their share of the Google Lunar XPRIZE (GLXP) by landing a spacecraft on the Moon before 2017 ends, they aren't the only ones with a focus on Earth's natural satellite. Glavkosmos, a subsidiary of Russia's Roscosmos, has announced their intention of launching small vehicles as co-manifested payloads on larger Moon-bound missions.

• First-ever laser communications terminal to be tested on the Moon

  Tomasz NowakowskiJuly 25th, 2017

  ATLAS Space Operations Inc., a company specializing in cloud-based satellite management and control services, has announced that it will test the first-ever laser communications terminal on the lunar surface. The company has recently signed a contract with Astrobotic Technology Inc., which could see their system fly to the Moon in late 2019.

• Our Spaceflight Heritage: 48 years since Apollo 11 landed on the Moon

  Collin SkocikJuly 20th, 2017

  On July 20, 1969 – 48 years ago today – the world was changed forever when two human beings walked on the Moon. 38-year-old Neil Armstrong stepped off the ladder of the flimsy, spidery Lunar Module "Eagle" onto the soft and pliant dust of the Moon’s Sea of Tranquillity (Mare Tranquillitatis) and spoke the immortal words: “That’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.”

• Moon Express announces trio of expeditions to the Moon

  Curt GodwinJuly 14th, 2017

  On July 12, 2017, NewSpace company Moon Express announced plans for a trio of missions to the Moon, the first of which is tentatively scheduled for late in 2017 – potentially making them the first commercial company to reach Earth's natural satellite.

• Kit Grabbe: Astrobotic on path to affordable commercial access to the Moon

  Tomasz NowakowskiJune 6th, 2017

  Pittsburgh-based space robotics company Astrobotic Technology, Inc., is accelerating its work on the Peregrine lander designed to deliver payloads to the Moon. The company has recently hired space veteran Kit Grabbe, who will oversee the development of the Peregrine Lunar Lander system.

• Paving the way to the Moon: Estonian CubeSat to test new technologies

  Tomasz NowakowskiApril 26th, 2017

  Estonia plans to launch a CubeSat into space in early 2019 with the aim to test advanced technologies, including a plasma brake for deorbiting satellites and an electric sail propulsion system. The mission, named ESTCube-2, is expected to serve as a prototype for Estonia’s future Moon-orbiting spacecraft.

• SpaceX’s 2018 Moon mission faces significant challenges

  Curt GodwinMarch 15th, 2017

  Last month's announcement that SpaceX has been approached to fly two private citizens on a trip around the Moon in late 2018 – fresh on the heels of a similar announcement from NASA – has ignited considerable debate among industry insiders, pundits, and followers of the New Space company.

• Lost Moon orbiter found using new radar technique

  Paul KnightlyMarch 14th, 2017

  NASA has spotted a lost spacecraft orbiting the Moon as well as its own Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter thanks to a newly developed radar technique.

• SpaceX to fly 2 people around Moon in 2018

  Derek RichardsonFebruary 27th, 2017

  SpaceX announced on Feb. 27, 2017, that it will be sending two people on a free-return trajectory around the Moon in late 2018 using the company’s yet-to-be-flown Crew Dragon spacecraft. The announcement came with less than 24 hours notice when NewSpace company CEO and founder tweeted about it.

• EM-1 could become Apollo 8 for the 21st century

  Derek RichardsonFebruary 24th, 2017

  NASA is taking a hard look at having crew fly on the first integrated mission of the agency's Space Launch System (SLS) super-heavy-lift rocket and Orion spacecraft. At present, NASA is only undertaking a feasibility study, reviewing what risks would be incurred, what needs to be added to allow for this happen, and what potential benefits could be had.

• Bill introduced to redirect NASA to Moon, establish sustained presence

  Derek RichardsonFebruary 7th, 2017

  A bill that would direct NASA to return to the Moon and establish a sustained presence was referred to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space, and Technology on Feb. 3, 2017.

• Scientists propose first astrophysics mission to the Moon

  Tomasz NowakowskiFebruary 7th, 2017

  A team of researchers led by Richard Miller of the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has recently proposed a next-generation mission to the Moon called the Lunar Occultation Explorer (LOX), which is now under review by NASA. If accepted by the agency, it will be the first dedicated astrophysics lunar mission.