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Israeli probe crashes in attempt to become first privately-funded moon lander
An Israeli-built spacecraft seeking to become the first privately-developed probe to land on the moon crashed on descent Thursday, but the mission was widely lauded as a breakthrough for the commercial space industry, and Israeli prime minster Benjamin Netanyahu said the country would try again.
VideoLive coverage: Israel’s Beresheet lander lost during descent to the moon
The privately-funded, Israeli-built Beresheet spacecraft failed Thursday during its historic attempt to land on the moon, seeking to become the first mission to reach the lunar surface without significant government backing. The landing was expected to occur at 1925 GMT (3:25 p.m. EDT).
VideoPrivately-funded Israeli probe set for daring moon landing attempt
An Israeli-built spacecraft financed through donations from billionaire philanthropists is set to make history Thursday when it tries to become the first privately-funded probe to land on the moon.
Japan’s Hayabusa 2 probe releases ‘bomb’ at asteroid
Japan's Hayabusa 2 spacecraft dropped an explosive charge on asteroid Ryugu on Thursday night in an audacious attempt to carve a crater on the object, exposing pristine underground rocks to be retrieved by the probe for return to Earth.
Israel’s Beresheet lander brakes into lunar orbit
Six weeks after launching from Cape Canaveral, an Israeli-built probe funded through private donations arrived in orbit around the moon Thursday, setting the the stage for the mission's final descent to the lunar surface April 11.
VideoIsrael’s Beresheet lander heads for make-or-break lunar capture maneuver
An Israeli spacecraft has one shot Thursday to swing into orbit around the moon with a six-minute engine firing, a critical maneuver that will set up for the privately-funded probe's historic landing attempt April 11.
InSight scientists not sure stalled Mars heat probe can be recovered
Ground teams analyzing data from a heat probe that got stuck soon after it started digging into the Martian crust under NASA's robotic InSight lander still hope they can free the mole from an obstruction that halted its progress more than a month ago, but the mission's chief scientist says the chances of completing the heat probe experiment -- one of InSight's two main science instruments -- may not look promising.
Beresheet lander on course for the moon
The privately-funded Israeli Bersesheet lander is on course to enter orbit around the moon April 4 after another boost from its main engine Tuesday.
NASA’s OSIRIS-REx spacecraft finds particles flying off asteroid Bennu
The early months of NASA's OSIRIS-REx mission's exploration of asteroid Bennu have revealed big surprises, scientists said Tuesday, including plumes of particles streaming away from the asteroid, sometimes with enough velocity for rocks to break out of Bennu's tenuous gravitational grip and escape into space.
VideoHayabusa 2’s asteroid touch-and-go comes to life in dramatic new video
A camera riding on Japan's Hayabusa 2 spacecraft recorded stunning views of the probe's final descent to asteroid Ryugu last month, showing the rocky debris kicked up by the robot explorer's touch-and-go landing to collect a sample for return to Earth.