WASHINGTON — Intuitive Machines has decided to bring in-house the production of satellites for a cislunar communications system, giving the company more schedule control and the ability to pursue other satellite opportunities. To continue reading this article: Register now and get3 free articles every month. You’ll also receive our weekly SpaceNews This Week newsletter every Friday. Opt-out at any time. …
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The device operates like a 3D printer but replaces conventional heat sources with concentrated solar energy. A parabolic reflector gathers sunlight and channels it through fibre optic bundles, intensifying the light to more than 3,000 times the strength of sunlight at Earth’s surface. At the focal point, temperatures exceed 1,300°C, hot enough to melt regolith into solid, dense shapes. Tests …
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Both the U.S. and China have set their sights on the Moon, aiming to break ground on permanent lunar bases within the next decade. Though there’s no legal basis for claiming territory in space, whichever country gets there first will gain a coveted first-mover advantage, allowing it to set certain ground rules about who can do what, where. But getting …
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Photo: CMSA Global Times learned from the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) on Thursday that China’s Lanyue lander successfully completed a comprehensive landing and takeoff verification test at the extraterrestrial landing test site in Huailai county, North China’s Hebei Province on Wednesday. This test, the CMSA said, marks China’s first landing and takeoff experiment for a manned spacecraft on an …
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On Sept 7, 2025, a dramatic “blood moon” will rise as Earth experiences its second total lunar eclipse of the year. Skywatchers across Asia and Western Australia will get the best view of the Sept. 7 total lunar eclipse from start to finish, but those in Europe, Africa, eastern Australia and New Zealand may still catch a glimpse of the …
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The future of human exploration on the Moon depends largely on our ability to sustain astronauts with limited resources. A recent study published in Acta Astronautica has delved into one promising solution: the use of lunar photobioreactors (PBRs) to produce oxygen and food directly on the Moon. This approach seeks to reduce the need for costly supplies shipped from Earth. …
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NASA has finally given up on Lunar Trailblazer. The 440-pound (200-kilogram) moon orbiter went dark on Feb. 27, 2025 a day after it launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. NASA kept trying to hail the probe for months afterward but finally threw in the towel last week. “While it was not the outcome we had hoped for, mission experiences …
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NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer sits in a clean room at Lockheed Martin Space in Colorado during testing in August 2024. The mission was to investigate the nature of the Moon’s water, but controllers lost contact with the spacecraft a day after launch in February. Lockheed Martin photo via NASA Aug. 4 (UPI) — NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer mission to the moon ended …
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IN A NUTSHELL 🌕 Chinese researchers have developed a solar-powered device to extract water, oxygen, and fuel from the Moon’s regolith. 🔬 The device utilizes sunlight and heat to facilitate reactions between lunar soil and carbon dioxide. 🚀 This innovation could significantly aid in establishing long-term lunar colonies by providing essential resources. 🛠 Researchers face challenges such as extreme temperature …
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The set’s large, main futuristic rover with its rocker suspension, four-wheel steering, deployable solar panels, and rotating arm is not based on any specific vehicle Lunar Outpost is building now, but was inspired by the company’s plans. More to come “We have five lunar surface missions in total booked. One of the upcoming ones is really cool. It’s with the …
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