Tag: Moon
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KARI names KPLO as it begins communication testing
The Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) is preparing to launch its Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO), recently named Danuri. Danuri is South Korea’s first of many planned lunar missions in the coming future. This mission is developed and operated by KARI with contributions from NASA. A SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch Danuri on August 2,…
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Astrobotic into testing of Griffin lunar lander for NASA’s Artemis program
Astrobotic, a Pittsburg-based lunar lander company, has fully assembled the test model for its largest lunar lander in development, the Griffin. A medium-class lander, Griffin is designed to deliver up to 625 kilograms to the lunar surface and survive for 14 days while providing communications and power to the payload if required. The fully loaded…
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Two Seattle-area students are finalists in NASA design contest for lunar dirt-digging robots
Project Stardust by Ke “Max” Jiang, left, and Terebro, by Mason Lysaght. (Lunabotics Images) Dig this — two Seattle-area students were semifinalists in a national contest run by NASA in which kids in grades K-12 were tasked with designing a robot that could scoop up and transport lunar soil. The Lunabotics Junior Contest winners were named…
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A year after Blue Origin’s big setback, NASA gets set to support a second commercial moon lander
An astronaut looks at the lunar surface through the hatch of a moon lander. (NASA Illustration) NASA has laid out its plan for choosing a second commercial venture to build a landing system capable of carrying astronauts to and from the lunar surface. The venture would provide a competitive alternative to SpaceX’s lunar landing system,…
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Bad moon falling: Geophysicist adds her own scientific spin to ‘Moonfall’ movie
“Moonfall” features a resurrected space shuttle and an ominously looming moon. (Courtesy of Lionsgate) Even geophysicist Mika McKinnon, one of the science consultants for a $140 million disaster movie called “Moonfall,” admits that the moon-crashing tale is ridiculously exuberant. But what’s wrong with that? “A movie is supposed to be fun, and science is allowed to be fun,”…
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Amazon teams up with Lockheed Martin and Cisco to put Alexa voice assistant on NASA’s moon ship
The Callisto console will be tested in NASA’s Orion capsule. (Amazon / Lockheed Martin / Cisco Illustration) Alexa, when are we arriving at the moon? Putting Amazon’s AI-enabled voice assistant on a moon-bound spaceship may sound like science fiction (hello, HAL!). But it’s due to become science fact later this year when a radiation-hardened console…
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MDA discusses status, mission objectives of Canada’s LEAP lunar rover
Humanity’s next steps in space exploration are focused on exploring like we never have before: returning to the Moon to establish a permanent, sustainable base as we move on to stepping foot on Mars — all of which the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) is actively participating in. While the contribution to the upcoming Lunar Gateway…
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Blue Origin loses lunar lander lawsuit; NASA says SpaceX work will resume ASAP
An artist’s conception shows SpaceX’s Starship rocket ship on the moon. (SpaceX Illustration) A federal judge today rejected Blue Origin’s challenge to a $2.9 billion contract that NASA awarded to SpaceX for building the lunar lander destined to carry astronauts to the moon. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ space venture had argued that NASA gave overly…
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Work on Artemis I Orion nears completion, other Orions make progress
The Artemis I Orion spacecraft is currently undergoing final checkouts before the critical milestone of transportation to the Vehicle Assembly Building for final stacking, integration, and checkout ahead of launch. Meanwhile, the Orion crew modules for the Artemis II, III, and IV missions are also continuing assembly in their processing flows. Artemis I The Artemis…
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Spaceflight Inc. unveils a new breed of orbital tug that’s built for far-out missions
An artist’s conception shows the Sherpa-ES orbital transfer vehicle. (Spaceflight Inc. Graphic) When a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sends a robotic lander to the moon’s south pole, perhaps as early as next year, Seattle-based Spaceflight Inc. plans to make a few extra deliveries with its own piggyback spacecraft. The mission, known as GEO Pathfinder, will…