Tag: Moon
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For the first launch of ULA’s Vulcan rocket, it’s Christmas or next year
Three days at Christmastime will be the final chance for United Launch Alliance to get its new Vulcan rocket off the ground this year, the company’s chief executive announced Tuesday. Still waiting for delivery of an upper stage and a final round of qualification testing following a test mishap earlier this year, Tory Bruno, ULA’s…
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China Details Solar System Exploration Plans
In the last few weeks, China has not only conducted several launches — of which one failed — but also detailed its Solar System exploration plans for the next decade, with updated details and target dates for several missions. Chinese Long-Term Solar Exploration Plan At the 74th International Astronautical Congress, China revealed an updated roadmap…
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It’s crunch time for companies building NASA’s commercial lunar landers
Within a few months, NASA may celebrate the first successful landing of an American spacecraft on the Moon in more than 50 years. This would be an immense confidence boost for commercial startups with an eye on the nascent market for lunar missions. It would also signal to NASA that it can rely on commercial…
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India’s accomplishments in space are getting more impressive
It’s been more than a week since India’s Chandrayaan 3 mission landed on the Moon, and it’s a good time to assess where the world’s most populous nation stands relative to other global space powers. The successful arrival of the Chandrayaan 3 mission’s Vikram lander on the Moon made India the first country besides China…
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India’s accomplishments in space are getting more impressive
It’s been more than a week since India’s Chandrayaan 3 mission landed on the Moon, and it’s a good time to assess where the world’s most populous nation stands relative to other global space powers. The successful arrival of the Chandrayaan 3 mission’s Vikram lander on the Moon made India the first country besides China…
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India becomes the fourth country to land a spacecraft on the Moon
A robotic landing craft from India successfully touched down in the southern polar region of the Moon on Wednesday, making the rising space power the fourth nation to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface. The Vikram lander from India’s Chandrayaan 3 mission landed at approximately 8:33 am EDT (12:33 UTC) after a nail-biting…
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India’s robotic lander touches down on the moon, lifting spirits at home and abroad
Indian mission controllers cheer the successful touchdown of the Vikram lunar lander. (ISRO via YouTube) A robotic Indian lander set down safely on the moon today, setting off a wave of pride that reached from Mission Control in Bengaluru to Seattle’s tech community. “India is now on the moon,” Prime Minister Narendra Modi said over…
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After Russia’s failure, India is next in line to attempt a Moon landing
India’s Chandrayaan 3 spacecraft is setting up for a final descent to the surface of the Moon on Wednesday, four days after Russia’s Luna 25 lander cratered following a botched engine burn. If all goes according to plan, the Chandrayaan 3 lander—named Vikram—will settle softly onto the lunar surface at 8:34 am EDT (12:34 UTC)…
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Looking past Luna 25’s lunar landing failure: what’s next?
On Aug. 19, at 11:10 UTC, the Russian spacecraft Luna 25 performed a planned orbit maneuver. After an eight-day flight and two orbit corrections, it was parked in a circumlunar 90 by 113-kilometer orbit. It was time to transfer to the pre-landing orbit with the parameters of 18 by 100 kilometers. But something went wrong,…
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Russia’s Luna 25 lander crashes on the Moon
An animation depicts the Luna 25 probe in orbit above the Moon’s surface. Image: Roscomos. Russia’s first mission to the Moon for nearly 50 years ended in failure when the Luna 25 spacecraft crashed onto the surface, the Russian space agency Roscomos said Sunday. In an official statement published to the Telegram social media account…