Moon – Page 12 – Spaceflight Now

SLS pathfinder stage arrives at Florida launch site

October 1, 2019 Stephen Clark

A steel tube built as a stand-in for the core stage of NASA’s Space Launch System has arrived at the Kennedy Space Center for a series of rehearsals to hone the skills of technicians before the real rocket reaches the spaceport, an oft-delayed milestone that could still be a year or more away.

NASA announces funding for moon and Mars mission tech

September 27, 2019 Stephen Clark

NASA announced agreements worth a combined $43.2 million with 14 commercial partners Friday — including Blue Origin and SpaceX — to fund experiments in propellant and power generation, in-space refueling, efficient propulsion systems, and lunar rover technology.

NASA to fly CubeSat pathfinder for Gateway in unique lunar orbit

September 26, 2019 Stephen Clark

As soon as next year, NASA plans to launch a CubeSat the size of a microwave oven into a unique elliptical orbit around the moon as a scout for the future lunar Gateway, a mini-space station NASA intends to use as a staging point for crewed lunar landings beginning as soon as 2024.

LRO’s view of Chandrayaan 2 landing site obscured by shadows

September 24, 2019 Stephen Clark

An overflight last week of the Chandrayaan 2 landing site on the moon by NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has turned up no clear sign of the lost Indian lander. Another flyover with better lighting conditions is scheduled next month.

NASA taps Lockheed Martin to build six more Orion crew capsules

September 23, 2019 Stephen Clark

NASA announced Monday it will order at least six reusable Orion crew capsules from Lockheed Martin for $4.6 billion to fly astronauts to the vicinity of the moon in the 2020s, and the agency said it plans to purchase hardware for up to 12 Orion vehicles by 2030.

Launch of South Korean lunar orbiter delayed to 2022

September 20, 2019 Stephen Clark

The launch of South Korea’s first moon orbiter has been delayed from December 2020 until July 2022 after the mission encountered technical issues during development, officials recently announced.

NASA still looking for new human spaceflight chief

September 19, 2019 Stephen Clark

NASA hopes to have a new leader for the agency’s human spaceflight directorate by the end of the year to replace Bill Gerstenmaier, who held the post for nearly 14 years before his reassignment in July amid the Trump administration’s push to land humans on the moon by 2024, a NASA official said Wednesday.

NASA lunar orbiter to image Chandrayaan 2 landing site

September 12, 2019 Stephen Clark

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will try to locate India’s Vikram lander on the moon during a flyover of the landing site Tuesday. Indian space officials said they found the disabled spacecraft on the moon using the country’s own Chandrayaan 2 orbiter, but declined to release any images.

India’s first attempt to land on the moon appears to end in failure

September 6, 2019 Stephen Clark

Ground teams lost communication with India’s first lunar landing mission moments before its scheduled touchdown on the moon Friday, and the robotic research craft apparently crashed during final descent.

Live coverage: Mission control loses contact with Indian moon lander

September 6, 2019 Stephen Clark

Indian ground teams lost contact with a robotic lunar lander and rover minutes before their scheduled touchdown near the moon’s south pole. India was attempting to become the fourth country to achieve a soft landing on the moon.