NASA returns moon rocket to pad, eyeing April 1 launch
NASA on Thursday began returning its towering SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft to its Florida launch pad ahead of a planned flyby of the moon, after completing necessary repairs.
NASA on Thursday began returning its towering SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft to its Florida launch pad ahead of a planned flyby of the moon, after completing necessary repairs.
Space Exploration
Mar 20, 2026
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NASA's Artemis II mission plans to fly around the moon and back this April. Four astronauts will board the mammoth Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for the test flight, spending 10 days off-Earth. They won't be touching down—this ...
Space Exploration
Mar 19, 2026
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In 1959, the Luna 2 probe from the Soviet Union became the very first human-made object to reach our closest celestial neighbor. In the decades since, we have been leaving footprints—both literally and figuratively—all over ...
Space Exploration
Mar 19, 2026
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Two recent studies suggest that fiber-optic cables laid directly on the moon's surface could potentially detect moonquakes, offering a simpler way to gather seismic data to support future human and robotic exploration.
Space Exploration
Mar 18, 2026
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One particularly well-known fact about the moon is that it doesn't have much of a magnetosphere to speak of. There's no blanket to protect it from the solar wind ravaging its surface, blowing away its atmosphere and charging ...
Planetary Sciences
Mar 16, 2026
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Apollo 11 first landed astronauts on the moon in 1969, but the journey to the lunar surface actually began 43 years before, in snowy Massachusetts.
Space Exploration
Mar 16, 2026
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NASA cleared its moon rocket on Thursday for an April launch with four astronauts after completing the latest round of repairs.
Space Exploration
Mar 12, 2026
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A US Senate committee has directed NASA to begin work on a moon base "as soon as is practicable." Under legislation advanced by the Senate lawmakers, the outpost would serve as a science laboratory and proving ground, where ...
Space Exploration
Mar 12, 2026
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Observations of the Rimae Bode region on the moon reveal five distinct types of terrain and identify several potential landing sites for China's first crewed mission, according to research titled "Geology of Rimae Bode region ...
Space Exploration
Mar 9, 2026
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Here's one less thing to worry about—or to look forward to: NASA has ruled out any chance that an asteroid called 2024 YR4 will hit the moon in 2032. Last year, the uncertainty surrounding the space rock's orbital path held ...
Planetary Sciences
Mar 6, 2026
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