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Germany to Send First European Astronaut Around the Moon on Artemis Mission
Europe has secured its first astronaut seat to orbit the Moon through NASA’s Artemis program, marking a historic milestone for ESA. Director General Josef Aschbacher confirmed that a German astronaut will take the inaugural European lunar-orbit mission, enabled by Europe’s contributions to Orion’s service module and the Lunar Gateway. Veteran...
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SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launch of Private Griffin Moon Lander Pushed to 2026 Amid Testing Phase
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy launch carrying Astrobotic’s Griffin-1 lunar lander has been delayed to July 2026 due to ongoing testing. The mission, part of NASA’s CLPS program, will deliver multiple rovers and cultural payloads to the Moon, marking a key milestone for private lunar exploration.
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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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SpaceX Reschedules Planned Starship Test Flight Launch Due to Equipment Glitch
SpaceX has postponed the highly anticipated 10th test flight of its Starship megarocket after engineers discovered a glitch in the launch pad’s ground systems. The launch was originally set for Sunday, Aug. 24, from the company’s Starbase facility in South Texas but was halted just 17 minutes before liftoff. The countdown was paused to allow tr...
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China Conducts First Test Of Manned Lunar Lander 'Lanyue'
China conducted its first test on Wednesday of a lunar lander that it hopes will put the first Chinese on the moon before 2030, the country's manned space program said.
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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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NASA To Lose About 20% Of Staff Amid Trump's Federal Workforce Cuts
The US space agency NASA will lose about 3,900 employees under Donald Trump's sweeping effort to trim the federal workforce -- at the same time as the president prioritizes plans for crewed missions to the Moon and Mars.
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NASA’s RASSOR Robot Digs Deep into Moon Mining Future with Successful Test
NASA’s RASSOR robot recently underwent testing at Kennedy Space Center, successfully excavating simulated lunar soil with its unique counterrotating drums. This trial validates RASSOR’s traction and digging capabilities, paving the way for IPEx—the next-gen, autonomous excavator designed to harvest Moon resources like oxygen and water. The te...
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NASA Stacks Artemis 2 Second Stage While the Future of SLS Remains Uncertain
NASA has stacked the Artemis 2 rocket’s second stage at Kennedy Space Centre, marking major progress toward its 2026 crewed moon mission. Despite this milestone, a recent budget proposal recommends ending the SLS program after Artemis 3, raising questions about the long-term future of NASA's lunar exploration strategy and deep space transportatio...
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Elon Musk Says Starship To Depart For Mars By 2026, Human Landing Likely By 2031
NASA is also awaiting a modified version of Starship as a lunar lander for its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon this decade.
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ISRO Expands with Two Launchpads, Chandrayaan-4 to Launch in 2028 with Lunar Sample Return Mission
Isro is developing two new launchpads in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to support its growing space program. Chandrayaan-4, a 9,200 kg mission planned for 2028, will involve a lunar sample return. The organisation is also collaborating with NASA on the NISAR satellite for environmental monitoring. In the past decade, Isro has launched 433 satellite...
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Firefly Blue Ghost Moon Lander Successfully Lands on Moon for NASA Mission
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander has successfully landed on the Moon, marking a major milestone in private space exploration. Part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, the mission aims to study radiation levels, test lunar sample collection, and capture a total solar eclipse. The spacecraft, which landed in Mare Cris...
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Blue Ghost Lander Lowers Orbit, Prepares for Lunar Touchdown on March 2
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander has successfully lowered its orbit to 120 km in preparation for a lunar touchdown on March 2. The spacecraft, which launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Mission teams are monitoring its orbit and finalizing descent plans, though commun...
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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...
-
Germany to Send First European Astronaut Around the Moon on Artemis Mission
Europe has secured its first astronaut seat to orbit the Moon through NASA’s Artemis program, marking a historic milestone for ESA. Director General Josef Aschbacher confirmed that a German astronaut will take the inaugural European lunar-orbit mission, enabled by Europe’s contributions to Orion’s service module and the Lunar Gateway. Veteran...
-
SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launch of Private Griffin Moon Lander Pushed to 2026 Amid Testing Phase
SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy launch carrying Astrobotic’s Griffin-1 lunar lander has been delayed to July 2026 due to ongoing testing. The mission, part of NASA’s CLPS program, will deliver multiple rovers and cultural payloads to the Moon, marking a key milestone for private lunar exploration.
-
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
-
SpaceX Reschedules Planned Starship Test Flight Launch Due to Equipment Glitch
SpaceX has postponed the highly anticipated 10th test flight of its Starship megarocket after engineers discovered a glitch in the launch pad’s ground systems. The launch was originally set for Sunday, Aug. 24, from the company’s Starbase facility in South Texas but was halted just 17 minutes before liftoff. The countdown was paused to allow tr...
-
China Conducts First Test Of Manned Lunar Lander 'Lanyue'
China conducted its first test on Wednesday of a lunar lander that it hopes will put the first Chinese on the moon before 2030, the country's manned space program said.
-
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 ...
-
NASA To Lose About 20% Of Staff Amid Trump's Federal Workforce Cuts
The US space agency NASA will lose about 3,900 employees under Donald Trump's sweeping effort to trim the federal workforce -- at the same time as the president prioritizes plans for crewed missions to the Moon and Mars.
-
NASA’s RASSOR Robot Digs Deep into Moon Mining Future with Successful Test
NASA’s RASSOR robot recently underwent testing at Kennedy Space Center, successfully excavating simulated lunar soil with its unique counterrotating drums. This trial validates RASSOR’s traction and digging capabilities, paving the way for IPEx—the next-gen, autonomous excavator designed to harvest Moon resources like oxygen and water. The te...
-
NASA Stacks Artemis 2 Second Stage While the Future of SLS Remains Uncertain
NASA has stacked the Artemis 2 rocket’s second stage at Kennedy Space Centre, marking major progress toward its 2026 crewed moon mission. Despite this milestone, a recent budget proposal recommends ending the SLS program after Artemis 3, raising questions about the long-term future of NASA's lunar exploration strategy and deep space transportatio...
-
Elon Musk Says Starship To Depart For Mars By 2026, Human Landing Likely By 2031
NASA is also awaiting a modified version of Starship as a lunar lander for its Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the Moon this decade.
-
ISRO Expands with Two Launchpads, Chandrayaan-4 to Launch in 2028 with Lunar Sample Return Mission
Isro is developing two new launchpads in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu to support its growing space program. Chandrayaan-4, a 9,200 kg mission planned for 2028, will involve a lunar sample return. The organisation is also collaborating with NASA on the NISAR satellite for environmental monitoring. In the past decade, Isro has launched 433 satellite...
-
Firefly Blue Ghost Moon Lander Successfully Lands on Moon for NASA Mission
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander has successfully landed on the Moon, marking a major milestone in private space exploration. Part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, the mission aims to study radiation levels, test lunar sample collection, and capture a total solar eclipse. The spacecraft, which landed in Mare Cris...
-
Blue Ghost Lander Lowers Orbit, Prepares for Lunar Touchdown on March 2
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander has successfully lowered its orbit to 120 km in preparation for a lunar touchdown on March 2. The spacecraft, which launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Mission teams are monitoring its orbit and finalizing descent plans, though commun...
-
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...
