Moon
India launches Chandrayaan-2 lunar orbiter and lander mission
India successfully launched its Chandrayaan-2 orbiter and lunar surface spacecraft Monday, a week after the first launch attempt was scrubbed due to an issue with the launch vehicle.
Safety panel calls on NASA to apply commercial crew lessons for Artemis
As NASA starts development of lunar landers for Artemis, it should carefully incorporate the lessons learned from the commercial crew program, a safety panel advised.
White House reiterates human moon missions on the path to Mars
A day after President Trump appeared to cast doubt on NASA’s plans to send humans to the moon, a White House official said the moon remained a goal of the agency’s programs as a step towards Mars.
U.S. and Japan to cooperate on return to the moon
The governments of the United States and Japan have agreed to further cooperation in space which could include flying Japanese astronauts to the moon.
NASA seeks a rapid launch of a lunar lander
Although NASA’s new goal of landing humans on the moon in five years may sound aggressive, most of the hardware needed to carry out that mission is already, or soon will be, under development.
Foust Forward | Can racing back to the moon speed up a human mission to Mars?
Mars advocates have a conflicted relationship with the moon, which they consider something of a frenemy. The moon could serve as a proving ground to test technologies needed for Mars missions just three days from Earth.
NASA selects 11 companies for lunar lander studies
NASA announced May 16 it has selected 11 companies to begin studies and initial prototype development of portions of lunar landers the agency hopes can help it meet its 2024 human landing goal.
Bridenstine says $1.6 billion at “low end” of funding needed to keep 2024 lunar landing on schedule
A day after NASA unveiled an amended budget request to support a human landing on the moon in 2024, the agency’s leader warned that if Congress provided less than the request it increased the risk of missing that deadline.
Foust Forward | Selling a fuzzy vision of going back to the moon
It’s been nearly six weeks since Vice President Mike Pence charged NASA with landing humans on the moon by 2024. Since then, the space industry, as well as members of Congress, have been seeking answers to two questions: how will NASA carry this out, and for how much?
Administration still working on revised budget proposal for 2024 lunar goal
NASA officials said May 8 the administration is still one to two weeks away from delivering a revised budget proposal to land humans on the moon by 2024, amid growing frustration from members of Congress.
NASA’s accelerated moon plans create uncertainty for international partners
As NASA develops its plans to accelerate a human return to the surface of the moon, international partners are left wondering what roles, if any, they will have in that effort.
Lockheed Martin offers architecture for 2024 human lunar landing
Lockheed Martin says it has developed an approach to achieving the goal of landing humans on the south pole of the moon by 2024, but warns that construction of essential hardware would have to start soon to meet that deadline.
Bridenstine outlines two-phase approach for accelerated lunar return
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said the agency’s approach to moving up a human lunar landing from 2028 to 2024 will focus first on speed and then on sustainability.
Advisory group seeks role evaluating NASA’s lunar plans
The advisory group of the National Space Council wants to take on a role evaluating NASA’s plans to return humans to the moon by 2024, once those plans are developed.
House committee presses Bridenstine for details on moon plan
NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine faced criticism from some House members at an April 2 hearing who questioned the urgency of the administration’s plans to accelerate a human return to the moon and sought details about how much it will cost.
Bridenstine says “nothing off the table” as NASA develops new lunar plan
Insisting that all options are under consideration, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said April 1 that he hopes to develop an initial plan within the next couple of weeks for getting astronauts to the surface of the moon by 2024.
