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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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Study Reveals What Presence Of CO2 On Eight Saturn Moons Means
The study aims to help scientists understand the existence of CO2 on planetary bodies, the process of formation and evolution.
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Earth to Spin Faster on July 22 to Make It One of the Shortest Days in Recorded History
On Tuesday, July 22, 2025, Earth will complete its rotation 1.34 milliseconds faster than the usual 24 hours, scientists say. That will make it the second-shortest day ever recorded, just behind July 10, 2025. The trend of shorter days has accelerated since 2020, attributed to factors like the Moon’s position, mass shifts from melting ice, and at...
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A Fourth 'Mysterious' Form Of Water That Could Form On Alien Planets Observed
Even the icy planets in our solar system such as Neptune, Uranus or Jupiter's moon Europa, might have harboured plastic ice VII.
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NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer Moon Probe Struggles with Power and Signal Loss
NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer, launched on 26 February, has lost communication and is running low on power. The spacecraft, meant to detect water ice on the moon, has been unable to perform key trajectory corrections. Ground controllers are using the Deep Space Network and observatories to assess its position, but recovery remains uncertain. The missi...
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Athena Lunar Lander Successfully Lands Near Moon’s South Pole on IM-2 Mission
Intuitive Machines' Athena lunar lander has successfully landed near the Moon’s south pole as part of NASA’s IM-2 mission. Launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the lander aims to explore lunar resources and test new technologies, including NASA’s PRIME-1 water ice experiment and Nokia’s 4G network. The exact condition of Athena remains...
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Chandrayaan-3 Suggests Ice May Exist On Moon At More Locations
Ice could be present at more locations right beneath the Moon's surface at the poles than previously thought, a study of data collected by the Chandrayaan-3 mission has suggested.
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SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches Athena Lander, NASA's Lunar Trailblazer to Moon
On February 26, 2025, SpaceX Falcon 9 launched Athena and NASA's Lunar Trailblazer from Kennedy Space Center. Athena, developed by Intuitive Machines, will land near Mons Mouton to investigate lunar ice using the PRIME-1 drill. Lunar Trailblazer will orbit the Moon, mapping water ice deposits. The mission includes two secondary vehicles: MAPP, a ro...
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NASA’s IM-2 Mission Brings Ice Mining, Mobile Robots, and More on Moon
NASA is launching IM-2, the second lunar mission under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, to explore the Moon’s South Pole. The Nova-C lander, built by Intuitive Machines, will carry groundbreaking technologies, including an ice-mining drill, a mobile hopping drone, and a lunar 4G network. These innovations will help scienti...
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Scientists Observe Rare Plastic Ice, A Hybrid Form of Ice and Water, Under Extreme Pressure and Heat
Researchers have observed plastic ice, a phase where water molecules rotate while staying in a solid structure. The discovery, made under extreme pressure and heat, could provide new insights into the composition of icy exoplanets and moons. The findings suggest plastic ice VII may have existed in Europa and Titan's interiors and could influence nu...
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NASA’s PRIME-1 Mission to Study Lunar Ice and Advance Moon Exploration
NASA’s PRIME-1 mission, set to launch on Intuitive Machines’ Athena lander, will explore lunar ice and subsurface materials at Mons Mouton near the Moon’s South Pole. The mission features the TRIDENT drill, which will extract soil samples up to one meter deep, and the MSOLO spectrometer, which will analyze gases released from these samples to...
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Athena Lunar Mission Set to Deploy 'Gracie' Hopper for Crater Exploration Near Moon's South Pole
Intuitive Machines, in collaboration with NASA, is preparing to launch the Athena lunar mission, featuring the 'Gracie' hopper designed for crater exploration near the Moon's south pole. Scheduled to launch from Florida's Space Coast within a four-day window starting on February 26, Athena will carry multiple payloads, including 'Gracie,' a small r...
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NASA Looks for Private Partners To Revive VIPER Moon Rover Mission
NASA is inviting private companies to collaborate on deploying the VIPER moon rover, initially halted due to budget constraints. The rover, designed to locate lunar water ice, was previously set to launch aboard Astrobotic’s Griffin lander. Companies must submit proposals by February 20, 2025, with final selections expected mid-year. Chosen firms...
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New Chemical Models Might Reveal Whether Icy Moons of Saturn and Jupiter Contain Life
Recent studies aim to determine the habitability of Saturn's moon Enceladus using improved chemical models. These tools simulate how organic compounds interact with icy environments under extreme conditions. The research, led by Charity Phillips-Lander and Florent Bocher, focuses on phenomena such as organic-doped ice pores, replicating conditions ...
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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 ...
-
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...
-
Study Reveals What Presence Of CO2 On Eight Saturn Moons Means
The study aims to help scientists understand the existence of CO2 on planetary bodies, the process of formation and evolution.
-
Earth to Spin Faster on July 22 to Make It One of the Shortest Days in Recorded History
On Tuesday, July 22, 2025, Earth will complete its rotation 1.34 milliseconds faster than the usual 24 hours, scientists say. That will make it the second-shortest day ever recorded, just behind July 10, 2025. The trend of shorter days has accelerated since 2020, attributed to factors like the Moon’s position, mass shifts from melting ice, and at...
-
A Fourth 'Mysterious' Form Of Water That Could Form On Alien Planets Observed
Even the icy planets in our solar system such as Neptune, Uranus or Jupiter's moon Europa, might have harboured plastic ice VII.
-
NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer Moon Probe Struggles with Power and Signal Loss
NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer, launched on 26 February, has lost communication and is running low on power. The spacecraft, meant to detect water ice on the moon, has been unable to perform key trajectory corrections. Ground controllers are using the Deep Space Network and observatories to assess its position, but recovery remains uncertain. The missi...
-
Athena Lunar Lander Successfully Lands Near Moon’s South Pole on IM-2 Mission
Intuitive Machines' Athena lunar lander has successfully landed near the Moon’s south pole as part of NASA’s IM-2 mission. Launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the lander aims to explore lunar resources and test new technologies, including NASA’s PRIME-1 water ice experiment and Nokia’s 4G network. The exact condition of Athena remains...
-
Chandrayaan-3 Suggests Ice May Exist On Moon At More Locations
Ice could be present at more locations right beneath the Moon's surface at the poles than previously thought, a study of data collected by the Chandrayaan-3 mission has suggested.
-
SpaceX Falcon 9 Launches Athena Lander, NASA's Lunar Trailblazer to Moon
On February 26, 2025, SpaceX Falcon 9 launched Athena and NASA's Lunar Trailblazer from Kennedy Space Center. Athena, developed by Intuitive Machines, will land near Mons Mouton to investigate lunar ice using the PRIME-1 drill. Lunar Trailblazer will orbit the Moon, mapping water ice deposits. The mission includes two secondary vehicles: MAPP, a ro...
-
NASA’s IM-2 Mission Brings Ice Mining, Mobile Robots, and More on Moon
NASA is launching IM-2, the second lunar mission under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, to explore the Moon’s South Pole. The Nova-C lander, built by Intuitive Machines, will carry groundbreaking technologies, including an ice-mining drill, a mobile hopping drone, and a lunar 4G network. These innovations will help scienti...
-
Scientists Observe Rare Plastic Ice, A Hybrid Form of Ice and Water, Under Extreme Pressure and Heat
Researchers have observed plastic ice, a phase where water molecules rotate while staying in a solid structure. The discovery, made under extreme pressure and heat, could provide new insights into the composition of icy exoplanets and moons. The findings suggest plastic ice VII may have existed in Europa and Titan's interiors and could influence nu...
-
NASA’s PRIME-1 Mission to Study Lunar Ice and Advance Moon Exploration
NASA’s PRIME-1 mission, set to launch on Intuitive Machines’ Athena lander, will explore lunar ice and subsurface materials at Mons Mouton near the Moon’s South Pole. The mission features the TRIDENT drill, which will extract soil samples up to one meter deep, and the MSOLO spectrometer, which will analyze gases released from these samples to...
-
Athena Lunar Mission Set to Deploy 'Gracie' Hopper for Crater Exploration Near Moon's South Pole
Intuitive Machines, in collaboration with NASA, is preparing to launch the Athena lunar mission, featuring the 'Gracie' hopper designed for crater exploration near the Moon's south pole. Scheduled to launch from Florida's Space Coast within a four-day window starting on February 26, Athena will carry multiple payloads, including 'Gracie,' a small r...
-
NASA Looks for Private Partners To Revive VIPER Moon Rover Mission
NASA is inviting private companies to collaborate on deploying the VIPER moon rover, initially halted due to budget constraints. The rover, designed to locate lunar water ice, was previously set to launch aboard Astrobotic’s Griffin lander. Companies must submit proposals by February 20, 2025, with final selections expected mid-year. Chosen firms...
-
New Chemical Models Might Reveal Whether Icy Moons of Saturn and Jupiter Contain Life
Recent studies aim to determine the habitability of Saturn's moon Enceladus using improved chemical models. These tools simulate how organic compounds interact with icy environments under extreme conditions. The research, led by Charity Phillips-Lander and Florent Bocher, focuses on phenomena such as organic-doped ice pores, replicating conditions ...
