Imagine a spacecraft gently touching down on the moon. This is exactly what Intuitive Machines is planning to do with its second lunar lander, Athena. This mission, called IM-2, is scheduled to launch on February 26th from Florida's Space Coast. The launch will be broadcast live, so everyone can watch the excitement unfold. Athena is packed with scientific t...
NASA has big plans to return to the Moon by 2026 with its Artemis II mission. But before that, they’re sending two missions to the lunar south pole to search for resources. One of these missions is Lunar Trailblazer, a satellite that's going to study water on the Moon. Scientists think there might be water in the form of ice or liquid in shady craters. This water cou...
NASA is planning to bring Martian rocks back to Earth, but they haven't finalized their plan yet. Instead, they're leaving the big decision up to the incoming President, Donald J. Trump. The mission, called Mars Sample Return, was initially estimated to cost up to $11 billion, but NASA has found ways to reduce the size and weight, bringing the cost down to less than ...
NASA just hit the pause button on its Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe (IMAP) mission. The spacecraft, initially set for a spring 2025 launch, will now lift off no earlier than September. Why the delay? NASA needs more time to prep the flight systems. This isn't the first time IMAP's launch has been pushed back – it was once planned for 2024. IMAP's job? ...
Get ready for another exciting journey to the Moon! NASA is teaming up with Firefly Aerospace to send a lunar lander named Blue Ghost. This lander will study some cool things once it touches down on the far side of the Moon. It's part of a program called Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), where NASA works with private companies to explore the Moon. Blue Ghost...
Imagine diving into space exploration without even leaving Earth. NASA has some thrilling plans up its sleeve, according to experts from the National Academies. They suggest focusing on two big projects. First, they want to figure out the magnetosphere, which is like an invisible shield around our planet, safeguarding us from harsh solar winds. Second, they aim to ge...
NASA's Perseverance rover, which landed in Mars' Jezero Crater in 2021, recently captured an amazing view of the crater from its western slope. After exploring the crater floor, the rover began climbing the rim. On September 27, it snapped 44 photos, which were combined to create a mosaic showing familiar landmarks. The image reveals the challenges ahead, like a stee...
An astronaut from NASA had to be taken to the hospital after returning from a long stay at the International Space Station. The trip was supposed to last only eight months, but it got extended due to some issues with Boeing's capsule and Hurricane Milton. After landing in the Gulf of Mexico, one of the astronauts faced a medical problem. NASA decided to send this ast...
Imagine you're heading to the moon. Last year, Prada and Axiom Space teamed up to design a fancy new spacesuit for NASA's Artemis III mission. It's the first time humans will set foot on the moon since 1972. The suit was just unveiled at an astronautical congress in Milan, and it's not your average spacesuit. This one is white with red and gray highlights, making it...
NASA is making a big change in how it talks to space. Instead of using its own satellites, like the Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS), it's switching to commercial ones. This is happening on November 8th. These new satellites are made by companies like SpaceX and Inmarsat. NASA will use them for future missions close to Earth. But don't worry, the TDRS system...