The Earth–Moon system as a research area encompasses the coupled dynamical, geophysical, geochemical, and space-environment interactions between Earth and its natural satellite, studied using observational, theoretical, and numerical methods. It includes investigations of orbital and rotational dynamics, tidal dissipation, angular momentum exchange, and long-term evolution of the Earth–Moon distance and obliquity. Research targets internal structure and thermal histories inferred from gravity, seismology, and magnetic data; surface and exospheric processes; impact cratering; and volatile and isotopic compositions. The field also examines Earth–Moon space weather, plasma and magnetospheric interactions, and implications for planetary system formation, comparative planetology, and future exploration architectures.
Satellites and spacecraft in the vast region between Earth and the moon and just beyond—called cislunar space—are crucial for space exploration, scientific advancement and national security. But figuring out where exactly ...
Space Exploration
Feb 4, 2026
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NASA said Tuesday it will now target a March launch of its new moon rocket after running into exasperating fuel leaks during a make-or-break test a day earlier.
Space Exploration
Feb 3, 2026
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NASA ran into exasperating fuel leaks during a make-or-break test of its new moon rocket Monday, calling into question how soon astronauts could take off for a trip around the moon.
Space Exploration
Feb 3, 2026
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NASA fueled its new moon rocket in one final make-or-break test Monday, with hopes of sending astronauts on a lunar fly-around as soon as this coming weekend.
Space Exploration
Feb 2, 2026
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Most near-Earth asteroids are thought to drift in from the main asteroid belt. But a small subset may have a much closer origin: the moon. One intriguing example is 469219 Kamoʻoalewa (2016 HO3), an Earth quasi-satellite ...
Astronomy
Feb 2, 2026
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Earth's radiation budget is a core process of the Earth-atmosphere system, closely linked to global climate and environmental changes. While current satellite observations have greatly advanced our understanding of Earth's ...
Planetary Sciences
Jan 26, 2026
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In 2026, astronauts will travel around the moon for the first time since the Apollo era, powerful new space telescopes will prepare to survey billions of galaxies, and multiple nations will launch missions aimed at finding ...
Space Exploration
Jan 14, 2026
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Even most rocket scientists would rather avoid hard math when they don't have to do it. So when it comes to figuring out orbits in complex three-body systems, like those in cis-lunar space, which is between Earth and the ...
Space Exploration
Dec 29, 2025
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One of the oldest unsolved riddles in planetary science concerns the origin of the moon. Over a century ago, George Darwin proposed that tidal and centrifugal forces on a rapidly rotating proto-Earth caused the moon to be ...
The moon's surface may be more than just a dusty, barren landscape. Over billions of years, tiny particles from Earth's atmosphere have landed in the lunar soil, creating a possible source of life-sustaining substances for ...
Space Exploration
Dec 11, 2025
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