Bridenstine asks Congress to fully fund lunar lander program quickly

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine used a Dec. 5 speech on Capitol Hill to implore Congress to finish a fiscal year 2020 appropriations bill for NASA as soon as possible to give the agency funding to proceed on a lunar lander program.

NASA orbiter spots crash site of Indian lunar lander

NASA, with the assistance of an amateur image analyst, has identified the crash site of India’s Vikram lunar lander, the agency announced Dec. 2.

New details emerge about failed lunar landings

The Indian government has offered new details about what happened during its first attempt to land on the moon in September.

NASA adds five companies to commercial lunar lander program

NASA announced Nov. 18 that it was adding five companies to a contract to perform commercial deliveries of payloads to the surface of the moon, a group that ranges from small ventures to Blue Origin and SpaceX.

NASA warns budget uncertainty could slow exploration programs

A NASA official warned that extended delays in finalizing a fiscal year 2020 budget for the agency could have implications for its ability to stay on schedule for returning humans to the moon in 2024.

Boeing offers SLS-launched lunar lander to NASA

Boeing announced Nov. 5 that it has submitted a proposal to NASA to develop a lunar lander that could be launched in a single piece on a Space Launch System rocket.

Artemis missions face sample return crunch

NASA is emphasizing the science that astronauts will do when they return to the moon in the Artemis program, but agency officials acknowledge that the initial missions might be limited in how many lunar samples they can return.

Japanese lunar lander company ispace on schedule for 2021 first mission

Japanese lunar lander company ispace says it’s on track to launch its first mission in 2021 while supporting an American partner on potential NASA missions.

Intuitive Machines secures launch contract, wins lawsuit

Intuitive Machines, a company with a NASA contract to fly payloads to the moon in 2021, announced Oct. 2 it has signed a contract with SpaceX for the launch of its lunar lander.

NASA issues call for proposals for human lunar landers

NASA issued a final version of its call for proposals for a human lunar lander system Sept. 30, giving companies the option to at least initially bypass the lunar Gateway.

House stopgap funding bill includes no extra NASA funding

A House version of a stopgap spending bill does not include any special provisions for NASA, which threatens to delay work on lunar landers needed for the agency to achieve its goal of returning astronauts to the moon by 2024.

The 2019 Wernher von Braun Memorial Symposium

Earlier date this year: September 10-12!

Join us for the 12th annual von Braun Symposium, one-and-a-half days of sessions and talks on exploration technology, workforce development, lunar surface operations, policy, commercialization, and m…

India’s moon landing attempt ends in communication loss

India's bid to become the fourth country to land on the moon ended with loss of contact with the Chandrayaan-2 mission lander during the final stages of the Sept. 6 landing attempt.

Safety panel pleased with Artemis project but concerned about leadership

Members of a NASA safety panel praised the agency for moving ahead quickly with aspects of its Artemis program to return humans to the moon, but warned about perceptions of a leadership vacuum for that effort.

NASA refines plans for Artemis lunar lander

NASA has updated a draft solicitation for crewed lunar landers, adjusting details about how it plans to procure landers to meet the agency’s goal of landing humans on the moon by 2024.

PTScientists acquired, to continue lunar lander work

German lunar lander company PTScientists, which filed for bankruptcy in July, announced it has been acquired by an unidentified aerospace company, allowing it to continue operations.