Moon Mission

NASA's uncrewed Artemis 1 Orion spacecraft takes a selfie near the moon in November 2022. (Image credit: NASA) We'll have to wait a bit longer to see the first crewed moon mission since the Apollo era lift off. NASA announced today (Dec. 5) that it's delaying the planned launch of…

Payload fairing halves lying aside a structural test article following a fairing separation test for the Long March 10 series rocket. Credit: CALT BREMEN, Germany — China has taken another step toward its crewed lunar goals by successfully testing fairing separation for its Long March 10 moon rocket series. The…

NASA has unveiled nine potential landing regions near the moon's South Pole for the Artemis III mission, marking the first crewed lunar landing in over 50 years. These regions, all uncharted by human exploration, will undergo detailed scientific and engineering analyses to assess their suitability for the historic mission. Set…

Andre Douglas' first three months as a NASA astronaut have taken him from training in Arizona to readying for a moon mission. Douglas, who became eligible for NASA spaceflight assignments in March, was named a backup for the highly anticipated Artemis 2 mission just weeks after he passed two years…

You’re standing on the moon, gazing up at the Sun without the protective blanket of an atmosphere that we know and love on Earth. The sky is a stark, black canvas dotted with stars; the Sun is an unfiltered beacon. Now, picture this surreal scene interrupted by a massive solar…

NASA's next moon spacecraft for humans made one small leap into an altitude chamber for vital testing before it brings astronauts on board. The Orion spacecraft for Artemis 2 is slated to fly around the moon with four astronauts no earlier than September 2025 — but first, engineers with NASA…

Artist's illustration of Astrobotic's CubeRover and Griffin lunar lander on the surface of the moon. (Image credit: Astrobotic/Mission Control) COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Astrobotic's next moon mission will send not one but two rovers to Earth's nearest neighbor. The Pittsburgh-based company plans to launch the first-ever mission of its Griffin…

The U.S. government has directed NASA to give the moon its own time zone. The space agency has until the end of 2026 to establish "Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC),"according to a memo sent to NASA by the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). Lunar time will run differently…

Lander by Houston company Intuitive Machines is the first commercial craft to touch down on lunar surface US company Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lunar landing vehicle sent back this image before its historic touchdown. Photo: Intuitive Machines Powered by automated translation A Moon mission that marked the first time a commercial…

A selfie snapped by Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lander on the surface of the moon on Feb. 22, 2024. The company shared this shot via X on Feb. 29, 2024, the day Odie powered down. (Image credit: Intuitive Machines) The first successful private moon-landing mission is officially over. On Feb. 22,…