Moon
Op-ed | China, the moon, Mars, and beyond — an opportunity for human cooperation
China this week is conducting a robotic lunar sample return mission, something the United States has never done. The mission is proceeding while a Chinese lunar rover is wrapping up its second year of service on the moon — on its far side, something also never done by the United States.
Chang’e-5 successfully lands on moon to collect youngest lunar samples
China’s Chang’e-5 has successfully landed on the moon in a major step towards obtaining the youngest lunar samples so far collected and delivering them to Earth.
New report outlines international approach to lunar exploration
An updated version of a study developed by an international working group backs an approach to lunar exploration that largely follows NASA’s Artemis plans to return humans to the moon in 2024.
Moon patrols could be a future reality for Space Force
U.S. military space activities today are confined to Earth orbit. As NASA begins to establish a permanent presence at the moon and works with the private sector to develop a cislunar economy, the military foresees playing a role protecting those interests if they were challenged by a foreign power.
ULA’s Tory Bruno argues for U.S. investments in the production of fuel in space
Bruno has pitched the idea of a "strategic propellant reserve" to the National Space Council
Space Force members can go to the moon, if they’re picked by NASA
Gen. DT Thompson: There are no plans today to send Space Force units into space.
China is quietly preparing for November launch of the Chang’e-5 lunar sample return mission
China has quietly initiated preparations to launch Chang’e-5, a mission seeking to collect and return the first lunar samples since the 1970s.
Op-ed | Lunapolitics: 10 points to consider
Renewed competition for the moon is the basis for the rise of Lunapolitics: where political and economic interests intersect with the topography and physical properties of the moon, from its subsurface through to cislunar space.
Op-ed | On the verge of a new era for space exploration? Assessing the impact of the ongoing crisis
Establishing an international long-term sustainable lunar presence in partnership with the private sector remains the core focus in space exploration
Op-ed | A U.S. return to the moon is about preserving the rule of law
Two recent op-eds in SpaceNews expound on a U.S. return to the moon but both miss the mark of why a U.S. return is essential: it will reinforce and preserve the rule of law.
Air Force eyeing technology to monitor space traffic near the moon
A team of space startups received an Air Force contract to develop a concept to collect and manage lunar intelligence.
Op-ed | H.R. 5666 will launch the U.S. in the wrong direction
In his Feb. 3 SpaceNews opinion piece, Louis Friedman argues that the NASA authorization bill that recently cleared a House space subcommittee is best direction for America in space. The bill, H.R. 5666, would require the United States to abandon the moon after a flags and footprints lunar landing (while effectively preventing commercial firms from participating). We could not disagree more.
Op-Ed | The United States won’t go back to the moon, I’ll follow China there instead
In a recent SpaceNews Op-ed, Louis Friedman, co-founder and executive director emeritus of The Planetary Society, argues that the U.S. should pursue “a policy more directed to Mars and away from commercial participation. With all due respect to Friedman, I totally disagree. Focusing NASA programs on distant (in space, time, and money) goals can only ensure that U.S. space policy remains empty talk with no action.
2010-2019: The decade in space
It was a decade of enormous change. When it began, SpaceX was on the ropes, cubesats were teaching tools, NASA’s lunar ambitions were back on hold and no one in Washington was calling for a Space Force.
