Explorers On The Moon
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NASA’s Astrobee Robots Gain New Capabilities via Arkisys Partnership
NASA has partnered with Arkisys to extend the Astrobee robotic mission aboard the ISS. The free-flying robots are set to support future exploration by performing spacecraft maintenance and assisting astronauts. The collaboration sustains a platform vital for testing new technologies in microgravity as NASA prepares missions to the Moon and Mars.
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Artemis 2 Orion Capsule Named “Integrity” for Upcoming Moon Flyby
On Sept. 24, 2025, NASA’s Artemis 2 crew announced their Orion spacecraft will be called Integrity. The name symbolizes trust and respect as four astronauts prepare for a 10-day flight around the Moon, the first crewed lunar mission in over five decades.
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Blue Origin to Land NASA’s VIPER Rover on the Moon's South Pole in 2027
NASA chose Blue Origin to deliver the VIPER rover to the Moon’s South Pole by late 2027 under a $190 million CLPS contract. VIPER will explore permanently shadowed craters for water ice, a key resource for Artemis goals and sustainable human exploration on the lunar surface.
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Who Is Megan McArthur, the First Woman to Pilot NASA's SpaceX Dragon?
NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, the first woman to pilot a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, retires after 20 years. She logged 213 days in space, flew two missions, and was the last to handle the Hubble Telescope. Her contributions to ISS science and leadership roles shaped future lunar and Mars exploration, leaving a lasting mark on NASA’s mission
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ESA’s JUICE Probe Uses Venus Flyby to Stay on Track for Jupiter’s Icy Moons
The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) successfully executed a Venus flyby on August 31, 2025, using the planet’s gravity to speed toward Jupiter. Engineers overcame a brief antenna glitch before the maneuver, and the spacecraft endured Venus’s intense heat by shielding itself with its high-gain antenna.
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NASA Unveils Plans for Lunar Nuclear Reactor by 2030 Amid Rising Moon Race
NASA plans to build a 100-kilowatt nuclear fission reactor on the Moon’s south pole by 2030 to power Artemis missions and future lunar bases. The site offers access to water ice but raises legal and diplomatic concerns under the Outer Space Treaty. With China and Russia advancing their own lunar power plants, the move from the US.
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India, Japan Sign Deal For Joint Chandrayaan-5 Mission To Explore Moon's South Pole
India and Japan on Friday signed the implementing arrangement for the Chandrayaan-5 mission, a joint exploration of the polar region of the moon by the space agencies of the two countries.
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Russia Launches Bion-M No.2 with Mice, Flies, and Seeds to Study Space Biology
Russia’s latest resupply mission to low-Earth orbit has delivered a unique scientific cargo: 75 mice, 1,000 fruit flies, microbes, cell cultures, and plant seeds aboard the Bion-M No.2 biosatellite. Over the next month, these organisms will orbit Earth, helping scientists study how microgravity and cosmic radiation affect life. Some mice are gene...
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NASA Aims to Deploy Nuclear Reactor on Moon by 2030 for Strategic Power
NASA is accelerating plans to deploy a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030, according to interim head Sean Duffy. The reactor would ensure steady power through long lunar nights and help secure water-ice resources at the Moon’s south pole. China and Russia also aim for lunar reactors by the mid-2030s, sparking a geopolitical “moon ...
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NASA Awards Firefly $177M for 2029 Mission to Deliver Rovers to Moon’s South Pole
NASA has awarded Firefly Aerospace a $176.7 million contract for a groundbreaking 2029 mission to the moon’s south pole. The CLPS mission will deploy multiple rovers and scientific instruments to explore permanently shadowed regions, analyze lunar regolith, and search for water ice—key steps toward supporting Artemis program goals and enabling ...
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Scientists Explore Role of Space Radiation in Powering Alien Microbial Life
A new study proposes that life may exist far from sunlight in a “radiolytic habitable zone” deep beneath the icy surfaces of Mars, Europa, and Enceladus. Cosmic rays, which can penetrate rock and ice, break water molecules apart to release hydrogen, oxygen, and energy-rich electrons. These can fuel microbes in subsurface water, much like bacter...
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ESA JUICE Mission Scans Jupiter's Lunar Crater in Test Run for Alien Life
ESA’s JUICE spacecraft scanned the famous Earthrise crater on the Moon to test radar for future exploration of Jupiter’s icy moons. The data confirmed JUICE’s radar accuracy, setting the stage for a search for life beneath Europa and Ganymede. The crater, immortalised in a 1968 Apollo 8 photo, now plays a role in extraterrestrial science.
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'HOPE' In Ladakh To Simulate Life On Mars, A "Rehearsal" For Future
Located at an altitude of 4.3 kilometres above sea level, Himalayan Outpost for Planetary Exploration (HOPE) is designed to simulate Mars-like conditions and will serve as a testbed for future crewed missions to the Moon and beyond.
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China’s Tianwen 2 Probe Snaps Striking Views of Earth and Moon While En Route to Asteroid
China’s Tianwen 2 spacecraft, now millions of kilometers from Earth, captured distant images of Earth and the moon as it journeys to asteroid Kamo'oalewa. Set to collect samples by 2026 and return them in 2027, the mission could reveal insights into the solar system’s formation—before continuing on to a second deep-space target, comet 311P/PA...
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Japanese Private Lunar Lander Resilience Fails Mission, Crashes on Moon
Japan’s private moonshot ended in disappointment as ispace’s Resilience lander crashed during final descent. A delay in rangefinder data prevented timely deceleration, causing a hard landing on the lunar surface. This marks the company’s second failure. Despite the setback, ispace plans future missions in 2027 with the upgraded Apex 1.0 lande...
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NASA’s Astrobee Robots Gain New Capabilities via Arkisys Partnership
NASA has partnered with Arkisys to extend the Astrobee robotic mission aboard the ISS. The free-flying robots are set to support future exploration by performing spacecraft maintenance and assisting astronauts. The collaboration sustains a platform vital for testing new technologies in microgravity as NASA prepares missions to the Moon and Mars.
-
Artemis 2 Orion Capsule Named “Integrity” for Upcoming Moon Flyby
On Sept. 24, 2025, NASA’s Artemis 2 crew announced their Orion spacecraft will be called Integrity. The name symbolizes trust and respect as four astronauts prepare for a 10-day flight around the Moon, the first crewed lunar mission in over five decades.
-
Blue Origin to Land NASA’s VIPER Rover on the Moon's South Pole in 2027
NASA chose Blue Origin to deliver the VIPER rover to the Moon’s South Pole by late 2027 under a $190 million CLPS contract. VIPER will explore permanently shadowed craters for water ice, a key resource for Artemis goals and sustainable human exploration on the lunar surface.
-
Who Is Megan McArthur, the First Woman to Pilot NASA's SpaceX Dragon?
NASA astronaut Megan McArthur, the first woman to pilot a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, retires after 20 years. She logged 213 days in space, flew two missions, and was the last to handle the Hubble Telescope. Her contributions to ISS science and leadership roles shaped future lunar and Mars exploration, leaving a lasting mark on NASA’s mission
-
ESA’s JUICE Probe Uses Venus Flyby to Stay on Track for Jupiter’s Icy Moons
The European Space Agency’s Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) successfully executed a Venus flyby on August 31, 2025, using the planet’s gravity to speed toward Jupiter. Engineers overcame a brief antenna glitch before the maneuver, and the spacecraft endured Venus’s intense heat by shielding itself with its high-gain antenna.
-
NASA Unveils Plans for Lunar Nuclear Reactor by 2030 Amid Rising Moon Race
NASA plans to build a 100-kilowatt nuclear fission reactor on the Moon’s south pole by 2030 to power Artemis missions and future lunar bases. The site offers access to water ice but raises legal and diplomatic concerns under the Outer Space Treaty. With China and Russia advancing their own lunar power plants, the move from the US.
-
India, Japan Sign Deal For Joint Chandrayaan-5 Mission To Explore Moon's South Pole
India and Japan on Friday signed the implementing arrangement for the Chandrayaan-5 mission, a joint exploration of the polar region of the moon by the space agencies of the two countries.
-
Russia Launches Bion-M No.2 with Mice, Flies, and Seeds to Study Space Biology
Russia’s latest resupply mission to low-Earth orbit has delivered a unique scientific cargo: 75 mice, 1,000 fruit flies, microbes, cell cultures, and plant seeds aboard the Bion-M No.2 biosatellite. Over the next month, these organisms will orbit Earth, helping scientists study how microgravity and cosmic radiation affect life. Some mice are gene...
-
NASA Aims to Deploy Nuclear Reactor on Moon by 2030 for Strategic Power
NASA is accelerating plans to deploy a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030, according to interim head Sean Duffy. The reactor would ensure steady power through long lunar nights and help secure water-ice resources at the Moon’s south pole. China and Russia also aim for lunar reactors by the mid-2030s, sparking a geopolitical “moon ...
-
NASA Awards Firefly $177M for 2029 Mission to Deliver Rovers to Moon’s South Pole
NASA has awarded Firefly Aerospace a $176.7 million contract for a groundbreaking 2029 mission to the moon’s south pole. The CLPS mission will deploy multiple rovers and scientific instruments to explore permanently shadowed regions, analyze lunar regolith, and search for water ice—key steps toward supporting Artemis program goals and enabling ...
-
Scientists Explore Role of Space Radiation in Powering Alien Microbial Life
A new study proposes that life may exist far from sunlight in a “radiolytic habitable zone” deep beneath the icy surfaces of Mars, Europa, and Enceladus. Cosmic rays, which can penetrate rock and ice, break water molecules apart to release hydrogen, oxygen, and energy-rich electrons. These can fuel microbes in subsurface water, much like bacter...
-
ESA JUICE Mission Scans Jupiter's Lunar Crater in Test Run for Alien Life
ESA’s JUICE spacecraft scanned the famous Earthrise crater on the Moon to test radar for future exploration of Jupiter’s icy moons. The data confirmed JUICE’s radar accuracy, setting the stage for a search for life beneath Europa and Ganymede. The crater, immortalised in a 1968 Apollo 8 photo, now plays a role in extraterrestrial science.
-
'HOPE' In Ladakh To Simulate Life On Mars, A "Rehearsal" For Future
Located at an altitude of 4.3 kilometres above sea level, Himalayan Outpost for Planetary Exploration (HOPE) is designed to simulate Mars-like conditions and will serve as a testbed for future crewed missions to the Moon and beyond.
-
China’s Tianwen 2 Probe Snaps Striking Views of Earth and Moon While En Route to Asteroid
China’s Tianwen 2 spacecraft, now millions of kilometers from Earth, captured distant images of Earth and the moon as it journeys to asteroid Kamo'oalewa. Set to collect samples by 2026 and return them in 2027, the mission could reveal insights into the solar system’s formation—before continuing on to a second deep-space target, comet 311P/PA...
-
Japanese Private Lunar Lander Resilience Fails Mission, Crashes on Moon
Japan’s private moonshot ended in disappointment as ispace’s Resilience lander crashed during final descent. A delay in rangefinder data prevented timely deceleration, causing a hard landing on the lunar surface. This marks the company’s second failure. Despite the setback, ispace plans future missions in 2027 with the upgraded Apex 1.0 lande...
