Tag: Moon
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Blue Origin racks up a full six minutes of firing time on BE-7 moon lander engine
Blue Origin’s BE-7 rocket engine executes a test firing in June. The green flame is produced by the engine’s ignition system. (Blue Origin Photo) RENTON, Wash. — Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture says it has test-fired its BE-7 rocket engine for the total six-minute duration it would need for a landing on…
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NASA’s target for the first launch of its SLS moon rocket shifts from 2020 to 2021
NASA engineers load a test article for the SLS liquid-oxygen tank into its test stand at Marshall Space Flight Center in Alabama. (NASA Photo) NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told lawmakers today that the first launch of the heavy-lift Space Launch System was “definitely achievable by 2021,” seemingly signaling a shift in the plan for a…
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NASA boss pleads for funding to ensure 2024 moon landing
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine testifies to lawmakers Wednesday on Capitol Hill. Credit: NASA/Bill Ingalls NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told a Senate panel Wednesday that a budget impasse and subsequent spending freeze later this year would be “devastating” to the agency’s goal of sending the first woman and next…
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Government officials are reaching out to commercial ventures for space race revival
An artist’s conception shows a next-generation moon lander. (NASA Illustration) RENTON, Wash. — Fifty years after the landmark Apollo 11 mission blasted off for the climax of the U.S.-Soviet space race, officials from NASA and the Air Force highlighted the role of commercial space ventures in running a new race for American leadership on the…
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Launch of Indian moon lander postponed by ‘technical snag’
The GSLV Mk.3 launcher awaiting liftoff with the Chandrayaan 2 lunar mission. Credit: ISRO Indian engineers called off the launch of the Chandrayaan 2 lunar landing mission Sunday after observing a “technical snag” during the final hour of the countdown, India’s space agency said. The robotic probe was counting down to liftoff from the Satish…
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Video highlights from Chandrayaan 2’s launch campaign
EDITOR’S NOTE: Updated to reflect new launch date of July 22. These video highlights released by the Indian Space Research Organization show the launch campaign to prepare for liftoff of the Chandrayaan 2 moon mission aboard a GSLV Mk.3 rocket. The Chandrayaan 2 spacecraft, comprising a lunar orbiter, lander and rover, is set for liftoff at…
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India seeks to join exclusive company with ambitious moon mission
Artist’s illustration of the Chandrayaan 2 spacecraft in lunar orbit. The mission’s landing craft — which carries the rover — is visible at top, and the orbiter segment is at bottom. Credit: ISRO India’s ambitious $142 million Chandrayaan 2 moon mission, comprising a orbiter, lander and rover, is set for liftoff Sunday to begin a…
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GSLV Mk.3 rolls out for launch of Indian moon mission
The 143-foot-tall (43.5-meter) GSLV Mk.3 rocket rolls out of its assembly building with the Chandrayaan 2 spacecraft on-board. Credit: ISRO The 142-foot-tall (43.4-meter) rocket that will send aloft India’s Chandrayaan 2 moon mission Sunday has arrived on its launch pad on the Indian east coast. The Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk.3, or GSLV Mk.3, is…
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NASA shakes up moon program management
STORY WRITTEN FOR CBS NEWS & USED WITH PERMISSION File photo of Bill Gerstenmaier, the former head of NASA’s human spaceflight division. Credit: NASA/Paul E. Alers In a major shakeup at NASA Headquarters, agency Administrator Jim Bridenstine said Wednesday that Bill Gerstenmaier, the widely respected director of human spaceflight, has been replaced in the midst of an…
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India’s first moon lander stacked for launch
The Chandrayaan 2 mission’s Vikram landing craft and Pragyan rover undergo preparations for launch at the Satish Dhawan Space Center on India’s east coast. Credit: ISRO India’s first lunar lander has been hoisted on top of its GSLV Mk.3 rocket ahead of a liftoff scheduled for Sunday. The launch aboard India’s most powerful rocket —…