moon

NASA has selected SpaceX's Falcon Heavy rocket to lift the Astrobotic Technology's lander that carries its Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER), the water-hunting rover, to the moon in 2023. VIPER aims to land on the Southern pole of the Lunar surface in Falcon Heavy's first moon visit. It is the same site where astronauts are supposed to land under the Artemis mission slated for 2024.

In a rare incident, space photographer Andrew McMcarthy has captured pictures of the International Space Station in front of the moon while it was preparing for the Extra-Vehicular Activity. Known for capturing wonders through his telescope, Andrew was trying to capture the ISS pass by the moon in the background. Reportedly, the ISS had a scheduled six-hour spacewalk to upgrade the floating space stations.

Researchers from China's Jilin University have identified over 1,09,000 impact craters on the Moon that were previously unrecognized. Reportedly, the scientists combined the data from known craters as well as information provided by China's Chang'e-1 and Chang'e-2 probes. They also calculated the age of 18,996 craters having over 8 km of diameter. Meanwhile, the university's Yang Chen has claimed that the lunar impact crater database promises… read-more

China has successfully retrieved lunar surface samples as the Chang’e-5 spacecraft has touched down on the Moon. Named after the mythical Chinese moon goddess, the spacecraft entered the Moon's orbit after a 112-hour journey from Earth and would collect two kilograms of surface material from a previously unexplored area. The sample will be brought to the Earth in December. China is now mulling over a research mission to Mars.

Metalysis, a UK based firm, will extract oxygen, iron and aluminium from the Moon dust and rocks after it won a contract from the European Space Agency (ESA). The experiment aims to yield oxygen and building materials on the Moon to help reduce the extra weight carried by rockets. Scientists believe, if successful, the experiment would help in building a Lunar base and promote deep-space explorations without worrying about oxygen supply.