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Kids in South Korea and a Moon mission
South Korea is about to have its Chandrayaan 1 moment.
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By Jatan Mehta | Dives into lunar exploration, space technology, Indian space, planetary science, and more.
Japan and Selene
ispace Japan’s lander launches for the Moon, carrying UAE’s rover and hopes for its future lunar ambitions
Edit on May 29, 2023: The lander failed to touchdown. :( Today, December 11, private Japanese company ispace inc. launched its first ever Moon mission M1 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. ispace’s robotic “Hakuto-R” spacecraft is now on a low-energy, fuel-efficient trajectory to the Moon, after four months of
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Past mistakes to avoid in our grand return to the Moon this decade
The last two decades mark the beginning of a true return to exploring our Moon. The 2000s saw Europe, Japan, China and India launch their successful lunar orbiters SMART-1, SELENE, Chang’e 1 and Chandrayaan 1 respectively. The 2010s can be defined by roller coaster Moon landing attempts, with China
US Artemis
The bevy of rovers heading for the Moon
A look at all the big and small mobile robots that will explore the lunar surface over the next five years.
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The time NASA figured out that our Moon is cratered all the way down
And a parallel to what we’re building now as we return to the Moon.
Indian Space
Reviewing Mangalyaan, India’s first Mars mission
Despite falling short on scientific promises, the orbiter boosted India’s fledgling planetary program.
Indian Space
Again, Mangalyaan was never a science mission
When India’s Mangalyaan spacecraft successfully entered Mars orbit on September 23, 2014, it made ISRO only the fourth organization in the world to achieve the feat, after the United States, the Soviet Union, and ESA. The fact that Mangalyaan was India’s first interplanetary mission, and cost just $70
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How the Apollo missions transformed our understanding of the Moon’s origin
And how going back to the Moon will tell us how Earth and Luna formed.
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Everything we know about the rover NASA's Artemis astronauts will drive on the Moon
The Lunar Terrain Vehicle will be vastly more capable than the rover rode by Apollo astronauts.
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Are planets with two stars promising places for life?
A look at the potential for habitable planets in binary systems despite their chaotic births.
US Artemis
NASA’s Artemis I is loaded with sidekick science and technology missions
January 2023 Edit: I’ve covered post-launch updates on the CubeSats on Moon Monday #104, #105, and #108. NASA is all set to launch the SLS rocket on August 29, setting in motion the historic Artemis I mission to send an uncrewed Orion spacecraft around the Moon and back. While
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My articles on Indian space
Here are all notable articles and blog posts I’ve published on India’s largely successful—but also very opaque—space program, including all of its planetary missions. I keep updating any evergreen posts within this list, and will maintain the list itself for the convenience of readers, so make