Weiren Wu, the Chief Designer of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP), recently announced an ambitious plan to put Chinese footprints on the lunar surface by 2030. This announcement came just prior to this year’s Space Day of China, an annual event celebrated on April 24th meant to showcase the space industry achievements of the China National Space Administration (CNSA). ...
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Meet the Four Astronauts Who’ll Fly Around the Moon for Artemis II
The four astronauts chosen for NASA’s Artemis II mission will check off a string of firsts during their flight around the moon, scheduled for next year. It’ll mark the first trip beyond Earth orbit for a woman, for a person of color and for a Canadian. Artemis II will represent yet another first for Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen: Based on ...
Read More »China Hints at Its Goals for a Lunar Base
In June 2021, China announced it was partnering with Russia to launch a lunar exploration program that would rival NASA’s Artemis Program. This program would include robotic landers, orbiters, and crewed missions that would culminate with the creation of an outpost around the Moon’s southern polar region – the International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). While the details are still scant, ...
Read More »What Time is It on the Moon? It May Get its Own Timezone
When the first people set foot on the Moon for long-term projects, they’ll need a lot of things, including their own time zone. That makes sense since they’ll be on an entirely different world. And, they’ll depend on a whole new set of technologies that will need time coordination with each other. So, space agencies are now figuring out what ...
Read More »It Should be Possible to Farm on the Moon
An astronaut’s gotta eat, right? Especially if they are on a long-duration mission to places like the Moon. Scientists have been looking into how the lunar regolith could possibly support growing food for humans, as growing plants for food and oxygen will be critical for future long-term lunar missions. One company has been diligently researching this concept and they say ...
Read More »Navigation Could be Done on the Moon Just by Looking at Nearby Landmarks
When humans start living and working on the Moon in the Artemis missions, they’re going to need good navigational aids. Sure, they’ll have a GPS equivalent to help them find their way around. And, there’ll be LunaNet, the Moon’s equivalent to the Internet. But, there are places on the lunar that are pretty remote. In those cases, explorers could require ...
Read More »Japanese moon lander, NASA hitchhiker payload launched by SpaceX
SFN Live A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral early Sunday with a commercial Japanese robotic moon lander and a NASA hitchhiker micro-payload called Lunar Flashlight that will seek out signs of water ice hidden in the permanently dark floors of craters at the moon’s poles. The 229-foot-tall (70-meter) Falcon 9 launcher departed from pad 40 at ...
Read More »What’s Next for China’s Lunar Exploration Plans?
China is starting to become a force in space exploration. Its main focal point of lunar exploration has started bearing fruit, with several successes, including a sample return mission and the first-ever craft to land on the far side. So what’s next for the Lunar Exploration Program? Establishing a research base may be on the cards, but the country doesn’t ...
Read More »Our Guide to Tuesday’s Total Lunar Eclipse
The November 8th total lunar eclipse spans the Pacific and is the last until 2025. Set your alarms: if skies cooperate, next Tuesday morning’s lunar eclipse on November 8th is worth getting up for and braving the cold. Not only is this one of the top astronomical events for 2022, but it’s also the last total lunar eclipse for a ...
Read More »Here is Where Astronauts Might Land on the Moon
In just four days, the inaugural mission of the Artemis Program will lift off from Kennedy Space Center in Florida! Dubbed Artemis I, this mission will see the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft achieve flight together for the first time. The mission will last between 39 and 42 days and consist of the uncrewed Orion flying beyond the ...
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