Early Tuesday morning at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in South China's Hainan province, the China National Space Administration successfully launched its Chang'e 5 mission to the moon. The mission is intended to bring back samples of lunar material from the moon for the first time in 44 years. Chang'e 5 launched atop a Long March 5 heavy-lift carrier rocket, the biggest and most powerful launch vehicle China has.
Most samples of moon dust and rocks that are available for scientists to study on Earth date back to the Apollo era, with the last samples being returned from the moon in the 70s. China wants to change that, and this week will launch the Chang'e-5 probe that will collect material from the moon's surface and return it to Earth for study. The mission will test China's ability to pick up samples remotely in preparation for more complicated missions in the future.
The NASA Office of Inspector General has published its 2020 report detailing the challenges the space agency faces and how they may shape the next few years. A total of seven challenges are listed, the first revolving around NASA's ambitious goal to return humans to the Moon in 2024. According to the report, it may not be able to achieve that deadline.
A group of astronomers from the University of Texas at Austin believe that reviving an old NASA plan from a decade ago could solve a problem other telescopes are unable to tackle. The astronomers believe that the massive telescope would be able to study the first stars in the universe. Researchers in the project say that the James Webb Space Telescope will look back to a time when galaxies first formed.
Blue Origin is a space business owned by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. Recently the company shed some light on its plans to deliver cargo to the moon in 2023. The mission would be in support of a possible mission to put astronauts on the moon as early as 2024.
NASA is once again seeking partners for its Artemis program, but this time it isn't interested in sending payloads or developing new exploration technologies. Instead, NASA wants partners who can help tell the story of its return to the Moon, seeking to 'engage, excite, and inspire a worldwide audience.' NASA Administrator Bridenstine said the space agency is looking for content that exceeds its 'standard coverage.'
Planetary scientists from Brown University have developed a new remote-sensing technique to study a mineral called olivine on the moon. Researchers say that olivine could help them understand the early evolution of the moon and other planetary bodies. The mineral is important because it's understood to be a significant component of the interiors of rocky planets.
Halloween is here, and while the pandemic has messed up trick-or-treating for most people around the country, there is one treat that you can enjoy tonight. We mentioned a while back that tonight is a rare Blue Moon. A Blue Moon is the second full moon in a single month.
NASA is giving its VIPER lunar rover a pair of car-like floodlights that resemble the kind you may mount on your truck or Jeep for off-roading at night. The floodlights will be used to illuminate the darkest parts of the Moon, enabling the VIPER rover to hunt for water in places it would otherwise struggle to see. NASA has shown off one of its floodlight prototypes ahead of the mission.
SOFIA detected water on the sunlight surface of the moon for the first time in human history. It was previously known that water existed in some of the darkest and coldest regions on the moon. The big deal today is that there may be water available for use by humans on the surface and up to a meter below the surface of the moon.
The lunar rover portion of China's Chang'e-4 lunar probe recently had a milestone after traveling 565.9 meters, as of Saturday, since leaving the lander portion behind. According to the China National Space Administration, the lander and the rover have been switched to dormant mode for the lunar night after operating stably for the 23rd lunar day.
The NASA Human Landing System Program has completed a key milestone in progress towards sending the first humans back to the moon since the Apollo era. The Human Landing System (HLS) has conducted its Certification Baseline Reviews with three US companies competing to provide Landers to deliver Artemis astronauts to the moon.