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☆ Space photos from 5 recent moon-landing missions show how tiny engineering errors can cause big problems, like crashing or landing sideways
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

The Houston-based company's uncrewed Odysseus lander was almost lost to one of the tiniest possible mistakes. The view from the Intuitive Machines Odysseus lander as it descended to its landing site. Intuitive MachinesWith less than two hours to go before landing, Intuitive Machines engineers frantically whipped up a new navigation system. Indeed, several robotic moon landing attempts have crashed or otherwise malfunctioned in the last few years. Similarly, Intuitive Machines' success on Thursday shows that small errors don't necessarily have to spell the end of a mission.

Persons: Steve Altemus, Trent Martin, Odysseus, Astrobotic —, Peregrine, Astrobotic Astrobotic, Astrobotic, Vikram, SpaceNews, Robert Braun, Kailasavadivoo Sivan, ispace, NASA's, Braun, Japan's Smart Lander, SLIM, LEV, Takara Tomy Organizations: US, Business, NASA, Reconnaissance, Goddard, Arizona State University, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, NASA's Goddard Space Flight, freefall, JAXA, Takara, Sony Group Corporation, Doshisha Locations: India, Japan, Houston

☆ Investing in Space: Former NASA official explains 'shots on goal' approach to cargo moon landings
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. We're six years on from NASA declaring it would look to American companies to deliver cargo and research to the moon. As much as CLPS companies are bidding against each other for contracts, it's another example of what I've called space industry coopetition — simultaneous cooperation and competition. Already, Astrobotic represents that dynamic, holding a briefing with other CLPS companies to share the learnings from the company's first effort. But how many CLPS mission failures will NASA tolerate?

Persons: CNBC's Michael Sheetz, it's, Thomas Zurbuchen, Zurbuchen, Z, Astrobotic's, – Organizations: NASA, Payload, Aerospace

☆ Moon company Intuitive Machines begins first mission after SpaceX launch
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander launched from Florida on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, beginning the IM-1 mission. Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander "Odysseus" deploys from the upper stage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket to begin the IM-1 mission. NASA leadership emphasized before the launch that "IM-1 is an Intuitive Machines' mission, it's not a NASA mission." After landing, Intuitive Machines aims to operate Odysseus on the surface for up to seven days. Last month, U.S. company Astrobotic got its first moon mission off the ground but encountered problems shortly after launch.

Persons: Paul Hennessy, Trent Martin, Odysseus, it's, Joel Kearns, Kearns, Russia —, ispace, Astrobotic, didn't Organizations: SpaceX, Kennedy Space Center, Anadolu, Getty Images, Machines, SpaceX's, NASA, Payload, Artemis, Nasdaq, Marshall Space, Center, Soviet Union —, U.S Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida, Getty Images Texas, U.S, Florida, United States, Wednesday's, Japan, Russia, Soviet Union, China, India

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Another private U.S. company took a shot at the moon Thursday, launching a month after a rival’s lunar lander missed its mark and came crashing back. NASA, the main sponsor with experiments on board, is hoping for a successful moon landing next week as it seeks to jumpstart the lunar economy ahead of astronaut missions. SpaceX’s Falcon rocket blasted off in the middle of the night from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, dispatching Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander on its way to the moon, 230,000 miles (370,000 kilometers) away. If all goes well, a touchdown attempt would occur Feb. 22, after a day in lunar orbit. Only five countries — the U.S., Russia, China, India and Japan — have scored a lunar landing and no private business has yet done so.

Persons: NASA’s, Japan —, Steve Altemus, Astrobotic, Gene Cernan, Harrison Schmitt, let’s, Trent Martin, Jeff Koons, Embry Organizations: NASA, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Pacific, Columbia, Riddle, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla, U.S, Russia, China, India, Japan, Houston, Antarctica, Israeli, Tokyo

☆ US moon landing: Second NASA-backed company aims for lunar landing attempt
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-12 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

It will amount to “a high-energy fastball pitch towards the moon,” as Intuitive Machines CEO Stephen Altemus put it. Once in Earth’s orbit, the lunar lander will separate from the rocket and begin venturing on its own, using an onboard engine to boost itself on a direct trajectory toward the lunar surface. Founded in 2013, Intuitive Machines will be the second of the CLPS program participants — after Astrobotic — to attempt a moon landing. If all goes according to plan, Odysseus will spend seven days operating on the moon as the lunar lander basks in the sun. Altemus estimates that Intuitive Machines has about an 80% chance of safely landing Odysseus on the moon.

Persons: Odysseus, Odie, Stephen Altemus, Peregrine, Chandan Khanna, CLPS, ”, Joel Kearns, Astrobotic —, Jeff Koons —, —, “ We’ve, who’s, Odysseus ’, Altemus, “ It’s, ” Altemus Organizations: CNN, NASA, SpaceX, Technology, Cape Canaveral Space Force, Payload, “, Columbia, United States, Peregrine Locations: United States, Cape Canaveral , Florida, Houston, Pittsburgh, Cape, China, India, Japan, British, Russia

☆ Yes, the moon is shrinking but that's not the disturbing news scientists discovered that could threaten future NASA missions
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-01 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

AdvertisementDanger at the lunar south poleArtemis III plans to land astronauts near the moon's south pole , which contains water ice, among other vital resources. Even small tremors at the moon's south pole could trigger landslides, according to a NASA press release, which may be dangerous to astronauts. Asteroids and comets have also broken up the lunar surface, Nicholas Schmerr, a co-author on the study, said in a statement . Astronaut James B. Irwin, lunar module pilot, works at the Lunar Roving Vehicle during the first Apollo 15 lunar surface extravehicular activity (EVA). The setback will likely also delay NASA's later missions and the agency's aspirations to build a permanent base at the moon's south pole.

Persons: Artemis, —, Artemis III, Tom Watters, Watters, Shackleton, Nicholas Schmerr, James B, Irwin, Artemis II Organizations: Service, NASA, Science, Newsweek, BBC, Lunar, Apollo, CNN, Orion

☆ After Peregrine failed to land on the moon, Astrobotic still plans to launch another lunar lander in November
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

This month, Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander failed to reach the moon due to a fuel leak. Despite the setback, Astrobotic plans to launch a second lunar lander in November. AdvertisementEarlier this month, the space company Astrobotic launched its Peregrine mission toward the moon, but the spacecraft never made it and ultimately burned up in Earth's atmosphere. During Astrobotic's first press conference since its failed Peregrine mission, the company's CEO, John Thornton, said Astrobotic is more excited than ever to attempt to send another lunar lander to the moon. AdvertisementAn illustration showing Astrobotic's Griffin moon-landing system deploying NASA's VIPER ice-hunting robot to the lunar surface.

Persons: Astrobotic, —, Astrobotic's, Peregrine, John Thornton, Thornton, it's, Griffin, that's, Astrobotic's Griffin, Joel Kearns, Kearns, hadn't, NASA hasn't Organizations: Service, Peregrine, Astrobotic's, NASA, NASA NASA, Payload Locations: NASA's

Astrobotic Technology said contact and then tracking was lost as its lunar lander reentered Earth's atmosphere Thursday, 10 days after launching from Florida. It was the first U.S. lunar lander in more than a half-century. Right before Friday’s U.S. news conference, a lunar lander from Japan touched down on the moon, but it was unable to generate crucial solar power. The U.S., Russia, China and India have successfully landed spacecraft on the moon and only the U.S. has landed astronauts. Flight controllers were able to turn on some experiments and collect data,The company is already is working on an even bigger lunar lander that will carry NASA's Viper rover to the moon in a year.

Persons: company’s, moonshot, John Thornton, ” Thornton, Astrobotic, Thornton, Peregrine, NASA —, Gene Roddenberry Organizations: —, Pacific, Astrobotic Technology, . Space Command, NASA, Pittsburgh, Engineers, “, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, AP Locations: CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla, U.S, Florida, Japan, Russia, China, India

☆ Investing in Space: Pentagon's satellite constellation awards near $10 billion
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Now we're pushing $10 billion in awards, to build more than 400 satellites, with seven companies in the mix. York Space has been tapped to make more satellites than anyone but Northrop Grumman, to the tune of $1.3 billion. – The Wall Street Journal / Deere Hyperspectral satellite imagery company Pixxel opens Bengaluru facility, a 30,000-square-foot facility in India for satellite manufacturing. – KeyBancBoldly goingKurt Vogel named as NASA associate administrator for the agency's space technology directorate, effective immediately, previously having been the director of space architectures at the agency. – NASAfor the agency's space technology directorate, effective immediately, previously having been the director of space architectures at the agency.

Persons: Yasin Ozturk, CNBC's Michael Sheetz, – Northrop, Lockheed Martin, L3Harris, Northrop Grumman, you've, Momentus, John Plumb, –, Artemis, – SpacePolicyOnline, Tom Mueller's, Redwire, KeyBanc, Kurt Vogel, Chiara Pedersoli, Marco Fuchs, – OHB, – OHB Frank Di Pentino Organizations: SpaceX, . Space Force, Cape Canaveral Space Force, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Space Force, Space Development Agency, – Northrop Grumman, Lockheed, York, Space, Lab, Sierra Space, CNBC, CNBC NASA, Boeing, NASA, NASA ESA, Science, Technology, Industry, ISS, – NASA SpaceX, Deere, Street, Deere Deere, KKR Locations: Cape, Florida, United States, U.S, Brazil, Bengaluru, India

☆ Astrobotic's lander might still travel far enough to reach the moon, but the moon won't be there
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The lander is still going, despite a fuel leak that dashed hopes of a soft moon landing, Astrobotic said. AdvertisementAstrobotic's lunar lander could still make it far enough to reach the moon — but the moon will be in the wrong place when it arrives. This means the lander could yet reach the lunar distance — the required number of miles to reach the moon. Astrobotic's Peregrine lander, seen here before launch. There are a slew of private lunar lander missions in the works.

Persons: Astrobotic, —, Peregrine, Astrobotic Astrobotic's, that's, Astrobotic's Peregrine Organizations: Service, NASA, Astrobotic's, Payload Locations: Houston

☆ Former SpaceX engineers explain how the US's first moon landing mission in decades may have gone wrong and how to prevent similar anomalies
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-11 | by ( Jenny Mcgrath | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Space company Astrobotic's lunar lander won't reach the moon after a fuel leak. Most space companies don't operate like SpaceX does, they said, which can lead to mistakes. The NASA-backed mission was meant to be the first time a private company's spacecraft landed on the moon. This is far from the first time a private space company has experienced an anomaly . Two former SpaceX engineers told Business Insider that space companies that invest heavily in testing and robust software processes tend to be successful and learn from their failures .

Persons: —, Peregrine, Karthik Gollapudi, Jason Hunter, Hunter, Gollapudi, Astrobotic's Peregrine, NASA's Organizations: SpaceX, Service, NASA, Companies

☆ Astrobiotic thinks it knows what caused the fuel leak that doomed the first US moon mission since Apollo
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewAstrobotic has a theory for what may have caused its lander to fail on its mission to the moon. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. But its hopes were quickly dashed after a fuel leak caused a failure in the spacecraft's propellant system. It does, however, hope to gather as much scientific information as it can while the spacecraft is still operational, Business Insider previously reported. AdvertisementAnother US firm, Houston-based Intuitive Machines, aims to send its own NASA-backed spacecraft, Nova-C, toward the moon in mid-February.

Persons: —, Astrobotic, Peregrine Organizations: Service, Business, United Launch Alliance, United, NASA, Planetary Society Locations: Houston

☆ It looks like China will leapfrog the US in the race to the moon after a fuel leak ruined a pivotal mission
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

China is gearing up to launch a lunar lander within the next few months. The news comes days after a fuel leak doomed a US space mission to the lunar surface. The Chinese mission will attempt the first-ever sample collection from the far side of the moon. AdvertisementA rendering of the Chang'e 5, China's previous lander mission to the moon, on the lunar surface. Another company, Intuitive Machines, is getting ready to launch its own NASA-backed lunar lander, IM-1, within the next few weeks.

Persons: —, Ren Junchuan, Astrobotic's, it's Organizations: Service, China National Space Agency, NASA, Staff, Getty, European Space Agency, Xinhua, Peregrine Locations: China, Xinhua, France, Italy, Sweden, Pakistani

The US's first lunar lander in decades has met its doom. After launching on Monday, Peregrine Mission One started leaking fuel, Astrobotic said. Peregrine Mission One, a lunar lander built by Astrobotic, started leaking fuel hours after it launched from Cape Canaveral in Florida on Monday. The helium may have put the oxidizer tank under too much pressure, causing it to rupture and create the fuel leak, Astrobotic added. Peregrine Mission One is a nearly 2,900-pound uncrewed lander that carries 20 payloads from seven countries and 16 companies.

Persons: Peregrine, Astrobotic, — Organizations: Peregrine Mission, Service, Grumman, DHL MoonBox, DHL, Peregrine, United Launch Alliance Vulcan Locations: Cape Canaveral, Florida, Hungary, Seychelles

☆ U.S. lunar company's inaugural mission falls short of moon landing after spacecraft malfunction
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-09 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Astrobotic's Peregrine lunar lander is seen during preparations for launch near NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic's inaugural lunar mission suffered a malfunction shortly after launch, and the company is calling off the landing attempt. It would have been the first U.S. moon landing in more than 50 years. The company suspects the malfunction was a failure within the spacecraft's propulsion system, causing a leak that is quickly draining the vehicle of fuel. However, after activating its propulsion system, Peregrine suffered an issue and began tumbling.

Persons: Astrobotic, Peregrine Organizations: NASA's Kennedy Space Center, NASA Locations: NASA's, Florida . Pittsburgh, U.S, Cape Canaveral , Florida

☆ NASA's $93 billion moon-landing program looks really bad right now
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-09 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The first human moon landing in more than 50 years also got bumped, from 2025 to September 2026. CHANDAN KHANNA/Getty ImagesLaunched on Monday as part of NASA's commercial lunar program, Astrobotic Technology's Peregrine lander was supposed to serve as a scout for the astronauts. Related storiesNASA is relying heavily on private companies for its Artemis moon-landing program for astronauts, named after the mythological twin sister of Apollo. SpaceX's Starship mega rocket will be needed to get the first Artemis moonwalkers from lunar orbit down to the surface and back up. In a test flight of its new moon rocket in 2022, the space agency sent an empty Orion capsule into lunar orbit and returned it to Earth.

Persons: —, Bill Nelson, Peregrine Lunar Lander, CHANDAN KHANNA, Astrobotic, Peregrine, Artemis, Timothy Clary, Elon Musk's, Amit Kshatriya Organizations: NASA, Service, Artemis, United Launch Alliance, Houston, Getty, SpaceX Locations: Pittsburgh, Texas, of Mexico, AFP

☆ United Launch Alliance's debut Vulcan mission slips to 2023 -CEO
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-10 | by ( Joey Roulette | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Oct 10 (Reuters) - United Launch Alliance has pushed the debut launch of its new Vulcan rocket to early 2023 at the request of one of its customers, the company's chief executive said, further delaying a benchmark mission crucial to the Boeing-Lockheed joint venture's launch business. Vulcan, a roughly 200 foot-tall rocket in the final stages of development, will be the centerpiece to ULA's launch business. Vulcan, priced at roughly $110 million per launch, already has some 80 contracted missions lined up. It will compete with SpaceX's Falcon 9, priced roughly $62 million per launch, and Blue Origin's forthcoming New Glenn rocket, which uses the same engines as Vulcan. If Astrobotic's lander is delayed beyond Q1 2023, ULA would replace it with a pickup truck-sized dummy payload in order to meet the narrowing window of time to demonstrate Vulcan for the Space Force.

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