Page 2 - Moon

First US Moon landing in over 50 yrs via private firm likely today: Details

US Moon landing updates: A smooth touchdown would be a big win for the United States to restart its lunar probe, more than 50 years after its Apollo program closed down in 1972

Total Solar Eclipse 2024: Here's when and where to see the eclipse

Total Solar Eclipse 2024: This is great news for all solar enthusiasts as they can witness the total solar eclipse in April this year. Here's all you need to know about it

Explained: Why now is the time to address humanity's impact on the moon

Nasa estimates there are 227,000 kilos of human garbage littering the moon

Nasa spacecraft successfully 'pings' Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander on Moon

Laser instrument onboard a NASA spacecraft orbiting the Moon has successfully pinged the Vikram lander of India's Chandrayaan-3 mission, the US space agency said. The laser beam was transmitted and reflected between the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) and an Oreo-sized device on Vikram lander, opening the door to a new style of precisely locating targets on the Moon's surface, NASA said. The lander was 100 kilometers away from LRO, near Manzinus crater in the Moon's south pole region, when LRO transmitted laser pulses toward it on December 12 last year. After the orbiter registered light that had bounced back from a tiny NASA retroreflector aboard Vikram, NASA scientists knew their technique had finally worked. Sending laser pulses towards an object and measuring how long it takes the light to bounce back is a commonly used way to track the locations of Earth-orbiting satellites from the ground. However, using the technique in reverseto send laser pulses from a moving spacecraf

Japan spacecraft lands on lunar surface, becomes 5th country to reach moon

Japan's space agency said early Saturday that its spacecraft is on the moon, but is still "checking its status". More details will be given at a news conference, officials said. The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, came down onto the lunar surface at around 12:20 am. Tokyo time Saturday (1520 GMT Friday). No astronauts were onboard the spacecraft. If SLIM landed successfully, Japan would become the fifth country to accomplish the feat after the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India. As the spacecraft descended, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's mission control said that everything was going as planned and later said that SLIM was on the lunar surface. But there was no mention of whether the landing was successful. Mission control kept repeating that it was checking its status" and that more information would be given at a news conference. It wasn't immediately clear when the news conference would start. SLIM, nicknamed "the Moon Sniper," started its

US-made lunar lander has 'no chance' of touching down on moon: Report

Astrobotic's announcement comes a day after the moon lander, called Peregrine, launched aboard United Launch Alliance LLC's new Vulcan rocket but suffered an apparent propulsion issue in space

Moon landing attempt by US company appears doomed after critical fuel leak

The first US moon landing attempt in more than 50 years appeared to be doomed after a private company's spacecraft developed a critical fuel leak just hours after Monday's launch. Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology managed to orient its lander toward the sun so the solar panel could collect sunlight and charge its battery, as a special team assessed the status of what was termed a failure in the propulsion system. It soon became apparent, however, that there was a critical loss of fuel," further dimming hope for what had been a planned moon landing on February 23. We are currently assessing what alternative mission profiles may be feasible at this time, the company said in a statement. The problem was reported about seven hours after Monday's predawn liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket provided the lift for Astrobotic's lander, named Peregrine, putting it on a long, roundabout path to the moon. A propulsion system problem ...

Science packed 2024: Human spaceflight tests, deep ocean exploration

After the momentous landing on the moon's south pole, India has now set its sights on more challenging missions -- sending humans to space and getting samples from the lunar surface back to earth. Test flights for both the projects are scheduled in the new year. For Indian scientists it is just not about the moon and beyond. Furthering deep ocean exploration, the country is scheduled to send aquanauts on board the "Samudrayaan", first to a depth of 500 metres in March, and later, achieve its targeted depth of up to 6,000 metres. The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is set to begin the new year with the launch of XPoSat.? The X-Ray Polarimeter Satellite (XPoSat)? will seek to unravel the mysteries of the sources of X-Rays and study the enigmatic world of black holes. The satellite is set for launch on January 1 on board the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) from Sriharikota. This would be followed by the insertion of the Aditya L-1 satellite at the Lagrange Point-1 on .

Cold Moon 2023: Early risers in India witness the Long Night Moon

The early risers of India witnessed the longest and the last full moon called Cold Moon in the early morning today. The cold Moon will be there till the evening of December 27

Biden hosts 4 NASA astronauts, 1st crew aiming to fly around moon in 50 yrs

The four astronauts assigned to fly around the moon for the first time in 50 years met with President Joe Biden on Thursday at the White House, where he showed off an moon rock on display in the Oval Office that was collected in the Apollo era. The Artemis II crew three Americans and one Canadian said the president was making good on a promise to host them at the White House after they were named to the mission earlier this year. They also met with Vice President Kamala Harris. It's been really nice to shake their hands and tell them thank you for their leadership and making it possible for us to have this amazing journey," said pilot Victor Glover. 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 into lunar orbit, but rather fly around the moon and head straight back to Earth, a prelude to a lunar landing by two others planned for a year

The $42 mn clock set to tick once a year, keep time for next 10,000 years

Being built inside a mountain in Texas, the century hand of the 10,000-year clock advances once every 100 years, and the cuckoo will come out on the millennium

ISRO brings back Chandrayaan-3 Propulsion Module to Earth's orbit

On August 23, Vikram Lander made its historic touchdown on the Moon and subsequently, the Pragyan rover was deployed to survey the uncharted lunar south pole

Isro mission to bring soil samples from Moon to Earth: All details inside

ISRO is arranging an ambitious move that will see the national space agency attempting to gather soil or rock samples from the Moon and bring these to Earth, in what will be its first such mission

Getting to the Moon

A clear strategy involving private participation and international collaboration is an absolute must for Isro in its lunar mission

China sends youngest crew to space as it plans to put astronauts on moon

China launched its youngest-ever crew for its orbiting space station on Thursday as it seeks to put astronauts on the moon before 2030. The Shenzhou 17 spacecraft lifted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center on the edge of the Gobi Desert in northwestern China atop a Long March 2-F rocket at 11:14 a.m. (0314 GMT) According to the China Manned Space Agency, the average age of the three-member crew is the youngest since the launch of the space station construction mission, state broadcaster CCTV earlier reported. Their average age is 38, state media China Daily said. Beijing is pursuing plans to place astronauts on the moon before the end of the decade amid a rivalry with the U.S. for reaching new milestones in outer space. This reflects the competition for influence between the world's two largest economies in the technology, military and diplomatic fields. The trio - Tang Hongbo, Tang Shengjie and Jiang Xinlin - will replace a crew that has been on the station for six months

Day not far when Indian will land on Moon in indigenous spacecraft: PM

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said the government has drawn up a roadmap for the development of space sector and that day was not far when an Indian will travel to the Moon in an indigenously built spacecraft. Addressing a function here, the prime minister said India's Gaganyaan will soon ferry Indian astronauts to space and the country also plans to establish its own space station. "We have drawn a strong roadmap till 2040 for the space sector...that day is not far when we will land an Indian on the Moon on our own spacecraft," Modi said after flagging off the first Namo Bharat train on the 17-km stretch of the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System. Modi recalled that India's Moon mission Chandrayaan-3 had recently placed the country's tricolour on the lunar surface. He said India of the 21st century was writing new chapters of progress and the landing of Chandrayaan on the Moon had left the world awestruck. "With the impeccable hosting of the G20 Summit, today's In

India to land man on Moon by 2040, set up space station by 2035: PM Modi

Private sector players see huge business opportunity through joint ecosystem with ISRO

Aim for space station by 2035, India on Moon by 2040: PM Modi to scientists

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday asked scientists to aim to send the first Indian to the Moon by 2040 and set up an Indian space station by 2035, according to an official statement. He gave these directions during a meeting to review the preparedness of the Gaganyaan mission and the first demonstration flight of the crew escape system test vehicle scheduled for October 21. "The meeting evaluated the mission's readiness, affirming its launch in 2025," the statement said. During the meeting, the prime minister outlined the future of India's space exploration endeavours and urged scientists to work towards interplanetary missions, including a Venus Orbiter Mission and a Mars Lander. "Building on the success of Indian space initiatives, including the recent Chandrayaan-3 and Aditya L1 missions, the prime minister directed that India should now aim for new and ambitious goals, including setting up 'Bharatiya Antariksha Station' (Indian space station) by 2035 and sending first ..

Govt declares August 23 as National Space Day to mark moon landing

The government has notified August 23, the day Chandrayaan-3 made a soft landing on the moon, as National Space Day. "...the Government of India has declared the 23rd Day of August of every year as the 'NATIONAL SPACE DAY' to commemorate this historic moment," said a notification issued by the Department of Space dated October 13. India has become the fourth nation in the world to land a spacecraft on the moon and the first to land near the south pole of the lunar surface. The Vikram lander had also deployed the Pragyan rover on the moon to study the lunar surface. "The outcome of this historic mission will benefit mankind in the years to come," the notification said. It added that August 23 marked an important milestone in the country's advancements in Space Missions, which inspired younger generations towards enhanced interest in pursuing STEM and provided a major impetus to the Space sector. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his visit to the Indian Space Research Organisatio

Maybe in your lifetime, people will live on the Moon and then Mars

This time around, the stay will be long-term. To make it happen, Nasa is going to build houses on the moon - ones that can be used not just by astronauts but ordinary civilians as well