Moon

Venturi Astrolab, the developer of the Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) rover, has inked an agreement with SpaceX that is set to propel its innovative rover to the lunar surface aboard a Starship flight. This ambitious mission, scheduled for a potential launch in mid-2026, marks SpaceX’s first-ever commercial cargo contract for lunar delivery.

It’s been an entire week since Chandrayaan-3 landed on the Moon, putting India in a small club of those who can do it. Since then ISRO has been sharing photos from its lander and rover, as well as some early science results. On Wednesday, ISRO treated us to a photo of the Chandrayaan-3 lander, on the surface of the Moon, courtesy of the small rover that tagged along for the ride.

Between the increasing need and decreasing budgets, NASA’s Deep Space Network is running into constraints during big missions like Artemis 1. DSN’s director is concerned the lack of funding to expand deep space communications and the continued requirement to drop everything for these missions will harm NASA’s other science missions.

On Wednesday, August 30th, we’ll have our second full moon of the month! This occurrence is known as a “blue moon,” and just as the saying goes, it doesn’t happen often.

What makes this blue moon even more special is that it also coincides with a supermoon creating a rare event that won’t happen again until 2037. Here’s what time the rare blue supermoon occurs in different areas of the world…

We have been watching two lunar missions as they progress towards the lunar surface. The first mission involves India’s Chandrayaan 3 lunar lander and rover, while the second pertains to Russia’s Luna 25 lander. Presently, one mission is experiencing a smoother journey compared to the other.

Next month is starting out with a bang! This year August will feature two supermoons, one of which will be the largest and brightest of the year. Here’s what to know…

A Swiss company called Astrostrom is working with the European Space Agency to study the possibility of building a solar power satellite using lunar resources.

In the early hours here in the United States, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) launched its largest and most powerful rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre. Atop the rocket was the nation’s second attempt to land on the Moon, this time with an improved lander.

ispace announced it had solved the mystery of why its lander failed to have a successful touchdown on the lunar surface last month. Thanks to a software feature intended to help save the lander, the glitch ended up being its demise.

Last month, the Japan-based company ispace attempted to land the first-ever privately funded lunar lander on the Moon. Named the HAKUTO-R, it sadly did not land softly, and NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter discovered its impact crater.

Friday morning, NASA announced that the Blue Origin-led team won NASA’s contract to be the agency’s second Human Landing System for Artemis crewed missions to the Moon. Right now, its first Crewed mission is set to be Artemis 5 in 2029.

China has announced bold plans for a manned lunar base tucked away in a permanently shadowed area on the Moon, which local media says will begin construction as soon as this decade.

ispace’s HAKUTO-R lander, which was launched last December, attempted to land on the Moon today, April 25. The mission was looking likely to be the first commercial company to successfully land a spacecraft on the Moon, but late in the landing phase, ispace lost communication with the uncrewed spacecraft.

We are officially at the T minus one-year mark for the next trans-American solar eclipse. April 8, 2024, will mark seven years since the last solar eclipse to transverse the nation. Here’s all you need to know to prepare for next year.

The European Space Agency’s High-Level Advisory Group (HLAG) released a report on the current state of Europe’s human exploration program. It calls for the continent to go all in on space, or risk being left in the dust.

Europe has become a key partner in many of NASA’s programs, including the Artemis Program. However, the continent’s space agency seems to have much more ambitious plans, rather than just helping NASA with its goals. The ESA’s HLAG report makes it clear that its objective should be to bolster its commercial market with its own human exploration program, including low Earth orbit and the Moon.

NASA is returning humanity to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years, but this time powered by the growing commercial space industry. To walk on the Moon, you need a few essential tools to survive. One of those was unveiled today – a space suit.

With humanity on the cusp of returning astronauts to deep space, one organization is attempting to garner support to give the Moon a time zone.

Spearheading this is the European Space Agency, which says space organizations agree “a common lunar reference time” for timekeeping is important for all lunar systems to reference, be they robotic missions or human surface stays.

Over the weekend, we finally got word of who will fly on the mysterious dearMoon mission paid for by Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa. The crew is filled with artists from all mediums and even a media member. Check out who will be flying on dearMoon below.

Early tomorrow morning, people around the globe will have the opportunity to view one of the most spectacular events in the sky, a total lunar eclipse. Here’s a rundown of how to watch this event and why total lunar eclipses are often referred to as “blood moons.”