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☆ What’s on the far side of the moon? Here’s why scientists want to find out
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-03 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“The far side of the moon is very different from the near side,” said Li Chunlai, China National Space Administration deputy chief designer. The Yutu-2 lunar rover took an image of the Chang'e-4 lunar probe on the far side of the moon on January 11, 2019. Far side mysteriesDespite years of orbital data and samples collected during six of the Apollo missions, scientists are still trying to answer key questions about the moon. Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty ImagesChang’e-6 is just one mission heading to the moon’s far side as NASA has plans to send robotic missions there as well. Cracking the lunar codeOne of the most fundamental questions that scientists have tried to answer is how the moon formed.

Persons: Von, hasn’t, ”, Li Chunlai, David Trone, Bill Nelson, ” Nelson, “ We’re, Pink Floyd, Renu Malhotra, Louise Foucar, we’ve, Noah Petro, Artemis III, “, ” Petro, Artemis, Malhotra, Brett Denevi, ” Denevi, Hector Retamal, Denevi, Aitken, “ it’s, CNN’s Wayne Chang Organizations: CNN, China National Space Administration, NASA, Louise Foucar Marshall Science Research, Planetary Sciences, University of Arizona, Apollo, Reconnaissance, Artemis, Soviet Union, Johns Hopkins, Getty Locations: China, Tucson, AFP, Hainan Province

☆ Japan’s ‘Moon Sniper’ returns images after third long, lunar night
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Temperatures during the lunar night can plunge to minus 208 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 133 degrees Celsius), according to NASA. And Moon Sniper wasn’t expected to withstand even one lunar night, which is a period of darkness on the moon lasting about two weeks. Riding out the lunar nightThe mission team communicated with Moon Sniper on April 23 after the lander rode out its third lunar night. From JAXAIn addition to surviving the extreme cold of the lunar night, Moon Sniper has also endured the searing temperatures of the lunar day, which can reach 250 degrees Fahrenheit (121 degrees Celsius), according to NASA. On February 29, after seven days of operating, Odie went to sleep because it wasn’t intended to survive the lunar night.

Persons: CNN —, Smart, SLIM, ’, Moon, ”, Odysseus, Odie ”, Odie, “ Odie, Jack Fischer, Fischer, ” Fischer, “, I’m, Vikram, Artemis, Noah Petro, Artemis III, ” Petro Organizations: CNN, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, NASA, JAXA, Reconnaissance, Artemis, Apollo Locations: Japan, Houston, India, China

☆ NASA and Nokia are taking 4G into space
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Jack Bantock | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

That’s the shared vision of NASA and Nokia, who have partnered to set up a cellular network on the Moon to help lay the building blocks for long-term human presence on other planets. A SpaceX rocket is due to launch this year — the exact date has yet to be confirmed — carrying a simple 4G network to the Moon. The 4G network unit is being built by Nokia’s Bell Labs using a range of off-the-shelf commercial components. Images of ice — transmitted back to the lander and then Earth in near real-time via the cellular network — would be a world-first. NASA selected Bell Labs as part of its Tipping Point initiative, a series of partnerships with companies to develop technologies for future missions that puts them in prime position for key roles in the future space economy.

Persons: ” Walt Engelund, Shackleton, Engelund, Artemis —, ”, ” Thierry Klein, ” Klein Organizations: CNN, NASA, Nokia, SpaceX, Technology, Nokia’s Bell Labs, Nokia Bell Labs, Bell Labs, US Defense, Research Projects Agency, DARPA, Bell Labs Solutions Research, Nokia Bell

☆ Biden Pulls Closer to Japan to Counter China
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-10 | by ( Matthew Cullen | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

President Biden today hosted Japan’s prime minister, Fumio Kishida, at the White House for a pomp-filled state visit. The tightening of the U.S.-Japan relationship is an important part of the Biden administration’s efforts to counter China’s aggressive actions in the Indo-Pacific region. Tomorrow, Biden and Kishida will meet with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. of the Philippines. Biden and Kishida today outlined the formation of a joint defense council that could support more exports of equipment produced in Japan, new cooperation on ventures in space and collaboration between research institutions. Biden announced that NASA’s Artemis program would take a Japanese astronaut to the moon, which would be a first for a non-American.

Persons: Biden, Fumio Kishida, Kishida, —, Paul Simon, Donald Trump, Ferdinand Marcos Jr Organizations: White, U.S ., Biden Locations: U.S, Japan, Philippines

☆ Investing in Space: Where NASA made cuts in its underwhelming budget request
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

CNBC's Investing in Space newsletter offers a view into the business of space exploration and privatization, delivered straight to your inbox. A year ago, the space agency was seeking budgets of $27.2 billion and $27.7 billion for 2024 and 2025, respectively. Moreover, NASA's budget remains a tiny fraction (less than 0.4%!) But the branch isn't exactly enthused, with Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall giving the 2025 request an "acceptable" grade. Space Force's budget has already surpassed NASA's, and the Pentagon is seeking $29.4 billion for the branch in 2025.

Persons: CNBC's Michael Sheetz, what's, Artemis, Frank Kendall, That's Organizations: House, NASA, Congress, Exploration Systems, Planetary Society, Air Force, Pentagon, Space Force, Security, NSSL

☆ SpaceX’s Starship hits key milestones in test flight but is lost now
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Jackie Wattles | Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

CNN —A SpaceX Starship rocket launched on its third test flight from the Starbase facility in Boca Chica, Texas and achieved multiple milestones Thursday morning before likely breaking apart. “But again, just it’s incredible to see how much further we got this time around.”SpaceX also never intended to recover Starship after this flight test. The Super Heavy booster burned through most of its fuel and broke away from the Starship spacecraft, the upper stage that rides atop the Super Heavy. Meanwhile, the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the “mishap” involving both the Super Heavy booster and the Starship spacecraft. The SpaceX Starship rocket system lifts off from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, for its third integrated test flight on Thursday.

Persons: TDRSS, ”, Dan Huot, Artemis, “, Bill Nelson, ” Huot, Elon Musk, Chandan Khanna, Huot, It’s, Kate Tice Organizations: CNN, SpaceX Starship, NASA, SpaceX, Twitter, Super, Federal Aviation Administration, Boca, FAA, “, Getty Locations: Boca Chica , Texas, Mars, of Mexico, Starbase, SpaceX’s

☆ SpaceX Starship: FAA approves company’s plans for third test flight
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —SpaceX is once again set to fly its gargantuan Starship rocket — the most powerful launch vehicle ever constructed — after federal regulators approved the company’s plans for a third test flight. This test flight comes after two attempts to get the massive Starship vehicle to orbital speeds in 2023 ended in explosions, with the spacecraft and booster erupting into flames before reaching their intended landing sites. What success looks like for SpaceXMusk has indicated that he believes Starship has a high chance of successfully completing this third test flight. “Certainly the third flight is a much better rocket than flights one or two.”Musk said before the last Starship test flight in November that the vehicle had about a 50% chance of success. After the first and second Starship test flights ended in explosions, the company immediately sought to frame these mishaps as successes.

Persons: Elon Musk, Artemis, SpaceX Musk, ”, ” Musk Organizations: CNN, SpaceX, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, NASA, Super Locations: United States, China, of Mexico

☆ Moon landing attempt: Odysseus ran into last-minute navigation issues
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 lander, also called Odysseus or “Odie,” is on the lunar surface after experiencing unexpected issues hours prior to landing. “Intuitive Machines made the decision to reassign the primary navigation sensors from Odysseus … to use the sensors on NASA’s Navigation Doppler Lidar,” according to the webcast. With its landing legs and sensors pointed toward the lunar terrain, Odysseus relied on the Lidar payload to locate a safe landing spot. The IM-1 mission comes amid a renewed international dash for the lunar surface. Odysseus passes over the near side of the moon following lunar orbit insertion on February 21.

Persons: Odie, ”, Steve Altemus, Odysseus, Gary Jordan, …, landers, Farzin, Jeff Koons, We’re, ” Altemus, Altemus Organizations: CNN, NASA, Soviet, Columbia, Embry, Riddle Aeronautical University, Astrobotic Technology, Peregrine, Payload Services Locations: China, India, Japan, Malapert, Daytona Beach , Florida

☆ Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus: Why moon-landing missions are hard to do
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Kristin Fisher | Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The lunar lander called Odysseus or IM-1, created by Houston-based company Intuitive Machines, is barreling toward the moon. If it fails, Odysseus would become the third lunar lander to meet a fiery demise on the moon in less than a year. Russia’s first lunar lander mission in 47 years, Luna 25, failed in August 2023 when it crash-landed. Overall, more than half of all lunar landing attempts have ended in failure — tough odds for a feat humanity first pulled off nearly 60 years ago. The US remains the only country to have put humans on the lunar surface, most recently in 1972 with the Apollo 17 mission.

Persons: Odysseus, Luna, Ispace, Japan —, hasn’t, Scott Pace, George Washington, “, ” Pace, Artemis, ”, Greg Autry, “ There’s, India’s, Jitendra Singh, Satish, Satish Baby, ” Singh, Astrobotic, Steve Altemus, it’s, Glynn Lunney, ” Autry, “ Neil, Armstrong, “ We’ve, Joel Kearns Organizations: CNN, Technology, Policy Institute, ”, Arizona State University’s Thunderbird School of Global Management, State for Science, Indian Space Research Organisation, Space, Getty, Economic Times, NASA, Payload Services, Johnson Space Center, AP Locations: United States, Houston, Japan, Soviet, States, China, India, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, AFP, New York, Los Angeles, what's

☆ Odysseus moon mission will aim for landing near lunar south pole
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The imminent launch attempt follows closely on the heels of a separate US lunar landing mission that failed in January. After burning through its fuel, the rocket will detach from Odie, leaving the lunar lander to fly solo through space. Houston-based Intuitive Machines developed the Nova-C moon lander under a NASA initiative. Packed on board the lunar lander are six NASA science and technology payloads. The device is set to pop off of the lunar lander as it approaches the surface and capture images of the vehicle’s descent.

Persons: “ Odie, ”, Odie, NASA’s, Stephen Altemus, NASA Odie, Astrobotic Technology’s Peregrine, Farzin Amzajerdian, Jeff Koons, we’ll, ” Altemus Organizations: CNN, NASA, SpaceX, NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Payload Services, Langley Research, Embry, Riddle Aeronautical University Locations: Florida, Houston, Russia, Japan, China, India, Hampton , Virginia, Columbia, Daytona Beach , Florida

☆ Commercial Landings Will Change the Moon Forever - The New York Times
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-21 | by ( Rebecca Boyle | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

If all goes as planned, Nova-C, built by the private company Intuitive Machines, under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, will touch down on the moon about seven days later, bearing suites of scientific instruments. Peregrine, built by Astrobotic Technology under another Commercial Lunar Payload Services contract, successfully flew into space on Jan. 8, but its mission was cut short because of a fuel leak. It failed to be the first private mission to land on the moon, but Nova-C could succeed — and so could the one after that, and many more. For the first time, the moon will be occupied by private capital, including small startups whose aims transcend science and exploration, launching landers and capsules. The Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, as part of Artemis, encourages private companies to build landers and even rovers that NASA can pay to use, as opposed to the traditional approach of NASA-built equipment.

Persons: Jeff Koons, Peregrine, —, landers, Artemis Organizations: Payload Services, Astrobotic Technology, NASA Locations: Nova

☆ Lunar Anthropocene: Humans may have kicked off a new geological period on the moon
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-14 | by ( Ashley Strickland | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Touching down on the lunar surface is incredibly difficult, as evidenced by numerous crashes that have made their mark and created new craters. Ultimately, 12 NASA astronauts walked on the lunar surface between 1969 and 1972. Declaring a Lunar Anthropocene could make it clear that the moon is changing in ways it wouldn’t naturally due to human exploration, the researchers said. But a propulsion issue noticed hours after liftoff means that Peregrine won’t be able to attempt a moon landing, and currently, its fate is uncertain. NASA/JSCThe Apollo 11 lunar landing marked the first time humans set foot on another world.

Persons: —, ”, Justin Holcomb, ” Holcomb, bootprints, NASA’s, Micrometeorites, Eugene A, Cernan, It's, ‘, landers, Russia’s Luna, Astrobotic, Peregrine won’t, “, we’re Organizations: CNN, NASA, Geoscience, Kansas Geological Survey, University of Kansas, ”, Humanity, ASU, Apollo, JSC, Navajo Locations: Soviet, Mare Imbrium, Kansas, Canada, ’, Africa

☆ Japan Becomes the Latest Country to Land on the Moon
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Kenneth Chang | More About Kenneth Chang | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A Japanese robotic spacecraft successfully set down on the moon on Friday — but its solar panels were not generating power, which will cut the length of time it will be able to operate to a few hours. With this achievement, Japan is now the fifth country to send a spacecraft that made a soft landing on the moon. The spacecraft, the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, was intended to demonstrate precision landing, within a football field of a targeted destination rather than an uncertainty of miles that most landers are capable of. The technology could also be useful for future missions like those in NASA’s Artemis program . Japan is a partner in that program, which will send astronauts back to the moon in the coming years.

Persons: landers Organizations: JAXA, Smart Locations: Japan

☆ NASA delays crewed Artemis moon missions into 2025 as companies navigate challenges
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-09 | by ( Michael Sheetz | In Michaeljsheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

NASA is pushing back the schedule for upcoming missions of its flagship Artemis lunar program by about a year as the agency's contractors work to finish technology needed to return U.S. astronauts to the moon's surface. Artemis 2 — with a four-person crew, which NASA announced last spring — was previously planned to launch in November, while Artemis 3 had been targeting December 2025. The pair of missions are set to follow the uncrewed Artemis I mission that flew in 2022. The Artemis program represents a series of missions with escalating goals, aiming to return astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo era. Nelson's comments confirm reporting by CNN and Reuters that NASA would be pushing out the schedule for the program.

Persons: Artemis, Reid Wiseman Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen, Bill Nelson, —, Lockheed Martin, Elon, Jeff Bezos Organizations: NASA, Artemis, CNN, Reuters, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Lockheed, SpaceX, Collins Aerospace, SpaceX's Locations: U.S

LONDON (AP) — You won’t see Tom Hanks on one of those space tourism flights that whisk celebrities and millionaires on a suborbital jaunt for a few hours. “I think I’d need a little bit longer in paradise.”Going to the moon is another matter – and the subject of “The Moonwalkers,” an immersive documentary co-written and narrated by Hanks. Political Cartoons View All 1277 ImagesVisitors sit on benches surrounded by imagery as the 50-minute film brings NASA’s Apollo space missions to life. His performance as Jim Lovell, commander of a space mission in jeopardy, in “Apollo 13” helped revive popular interest in the Apollo program in the 1990s. What hooked Hanks on space was not so much the cutting-edge science as the human drama.

Persons: Tom Hanks, ” Hanks, “, Hanks, Artemis, ”, Christopher Riley, John F, Kennedy, Jim Lovell, he’d, John Wayne, Jason, humanity’s, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen, Glover, “ It’s, ” Koch Organizations: Associated Press, Argonauts, Artemis, Kennedy Space Center Locations: London, British, China, India

☆ Tom Hanks brings love of space to new immersive London show
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Marie-Louise Gumuchian | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/3] Tom Hanks poses at "The Moonwalkers: A Journey With Tom Hanks" immersive show at the Lightroom venue in London, Britain in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters on December 5, 2023. Justin Sutcliffe/Lightroom/Handout via REUTERS Acquire Licensing RightsLONDON, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Archive footage of space rockets taking off beam across giant walls in a new immersive show in London, as Hollywood actor Tom Hanks narrates the story of human voyages to the moon. "The Moonwalkers: A Journey With Tom Hanks" looks at the first moon landings of the Apollo missions from 1969 to 1972 and their successor, NASA's human spaceflight program, Artemis. Hanks played space commander Jim Lovell in the 1995 film "Apollo 13", about the troubled space mission which was forced to abort a planned moon landing after an oxygen-tank explosion. But I think I need a little bit more time up there to ponder the infinite universe.”"The Moonwalkers: A Journey With Tom Hanks" runs December 6 - April 21, 2024.

Persons: Tom Hanks, Justin Sutcliffe, Artemis, Oscar, Hanks, Victor Glover, Jeremy Hansen, Glover, Hansen, Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, We've, Jim Lovell, I'd, Marie, Louise Gumuchian, Sharon Singleton Organizations: Reuters, REUTERS Acquire, Thomson Locations: London, Britain, Handout, London's King

☆ Senators want faster FAA approval for commercial spaceflights
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Kristin Fisher | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The top two lawmakers on the US Senate’s space and science subcommittee are pushing federal regulators to accelerate the approval of commercial space launches, arguing that the current pace could cost the United States its edge in the new space race. ‘Keeping pace with industry demand’The FAA’s Office of Commercial Space Transportation is responsible for protecting public safety while simultaneously greenlighting a growing number of commercial space launches, which have quadrupled in just four years. The FAA has already licensed 104 launches this year, compared to 26 launches in 2019. We cannot be our own worst enemy when it comes to beating China to the moon and Mars,” Schmitt told CNN. The senators are now asking Coleman to respond to several questions, including what additional resources he may need to accelerate the launch licensing process, by November 28.

Persons: Kyrsten Sinema, Eric Schmitt, Kelvin Coleman, ”, “, Coleman, Senators Kyrsten Sinema, Al Drago, Eva Marie Uzcategui, we’re, William Gerstenmaier, Sinema, Schmitt of Missouri, ” Schmitt Organizations: CNN, United, Federal Aviation, FAA, Transportation, Senators, Bloomberg, Getty, Elon, SpaceX, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Regulators, Republican, China Locations: United States, Arizona, China, Beijing

☆ SpaceX Starship: What’s next for the most powerful rocket ever built
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

CNN —Mere moments after SpaceX’s Starship system — the most powerful rocket ever built — was lost in a test flight Saturday, a somewhat complicated narrative around the vehicle began to emerge. “What we did today will provide invaluable data to continue rapidly developing Starship,” SpaceX said Saturday in a statement. SpaceX's mega rocket Starship launches for a test flight from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on Saturday, November 18, 2023. The Starship spacecraft was then able to ignite its own engines and break away from the Super Heavy rocket booster to continue the mission. SpaceX's Starship rocket prototypes are seen at the SpaceX Starbase in Brownsville, Texas, on August 19, 2023.

Persons: CNN —, Artemis III —, Bill Nelson, SpaceX, —, Eric Gay, John Insprucker, Elon Musk, Jim Watson, Wayne Hale, they’ve, ” Hale, “, They’ve, ”, SpaceX’s, Christina Hammock Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman, Jeremy Hansen, Wiseman, Glover, Hammock Koch, Hansen, Artemis, Bill Ingalls, Hale, Jeff Bezos, Lakiesha Hawkins, ” Hawkins, NASA isn’t, Apollo Hale, Neil A, Armstrong, Michael Collins, Edwin E, Aldrin Jr, ” What’s, Veronica Cardenas, Reuters It’s Organizations: CNN, SpaceX, NASA, China, Super, International Astronautical, Getty, FAA, CSA, Canadian Space Agency, Orion, Planetary Society, SLS, Origin, Blue, Kennedy Space Center, Saturn, Earth, ” CNN, Reuters, Federal Aviation Administration Locations: Starbase, Boca Chica , Texas, Baku, Azerbaijian, Boca Chica, South Texas, AFP, Texas, Washington, Florida, “, SpaceX’s, Brownsville , Texas

SpaceX on Saturday aims to perform its second uncrewed test flight of its massive Starship rocket after the last attempt in April successfully launched but exploded minutes later. Now, months after the first flight test, SpaceX has rebuilt its megarocket and is targeting a 20-minute launch window Saturday at 8 a.m. The test was initially scheduled for Friday, but SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that a part of the rocket needed to be replaced. SpaceX had to gain clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration to perform the test, which it received earlier this week. “The FAA has given license authorization for the second launch of the @SpaceX Starship Super Heavy vehicle,” the FAA posted on social media on Wednesday.

Persons: “, SpaceX, Elon Musk, ”, Jim Free Organizations: SpaceX, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, NASA Locations: Texas, Indian, Hawaii, Mars

☆ SpaceX Starship: World’s most powerful rocket ready for takeoff
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( Jackie Wattles | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —After months of rebuilding and clearing red tape following the April explosion of the Starship system’s first test flight, SpaceX is set for its next attempt. The Starship spacecraft stacked atop the Super Heavy booster is intended to play a key role in the NASA Artemis III moon mission, currently slated for 2025. After its fuel is spent, the Super Heavy will detach from the Starship spacecraft and fall back toward the ocean. “These delays may seem small in the big scheme of things but … delays in each and every test flight adds up. One group of activists sued the FAA in May, alleging regulators had failed to comply with federal environmental law when they greenlit Starship’s April test flight.

Persons: Elon Musk, Musk, they’re, NASA Artemis, ”, Musk’s, SpaceX’s, NASA’s —, Jim Free, “, ” Musk, William Gerstenmaier —, we’re, ” Gerstenmaier, Jared Margolis Organizations: CNN, SpaceX, Super, NASA, International Astronautical, “, NASA’s, Systems, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA, Center for Biological Locations: Riding, Boca Chica , Texas, South Texas, Texas, Padre, of Mexico, Hawaii, Baku, Azerbaijian, China

☆ Exclusive: Jacobs poised to merge government consulting unit with Amentum
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-16 | by ( David Carnevali | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Joe Skipper/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsNov 16 (Reuters) - Engineering consultant Jacobs Solutions Inc (J.N) is in advanced talks to merge its government consulting arm at a valuation of more than $4 billion with private equity-owned Amentum Services Inc, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday. Under the terms discussed, Amentum would merge with Jacobs' Critical Mission Solutions (CMS) business to create a new publicly traded company that would be majority-owned by Jacobs' shareholders, the sources said. Jacobs, Amentum, Lindsay Goldberg and American Securities did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The deal with Amentum would free up resources for Jacobs to focus on its people and places solutions division, which provides transportation and environmental consulting to government entities and private sector clients, and PA Consulting, a management consulting business advising across several sectors. Amentum provides technical and advisory services to government clients including the Air Force and NASA, as well as commercial clients such as ExxonMobil (XOM.N) and Caterpillar (CAT.N).

Persons: Joe Skipper, Amentum, Jacobs, Lindsay Goldberg —, Lindsay Goldberg, Robert Pragada, Artemis, Aecom, PAE, David Carnevali, Lisa Shumaker Organizations: Kennedy Space Center, REUTERS, Engineering, Solutions Inc, Amentum Services Inc, Jacobs, American Securities, NASA, PA Consulting, Air Force, ExxonMobil, Caterpillar, Thomson Locations: Cape Canaveral , Florida, U.S, New York

☆ Partner nations on China's lunar research station programme
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Belarus this week joined China's International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) programme, the third country to sign up this month for a plan to eventually set up a permanently inhabited outpost on the moon's south pole. Earlier in October, Pakistan and Azerbaijan joined the ILRS, a project jointly initiated by China and Russia in 2021 and widely seen as a rival to the U.S.-led Artemis programme. Lunar missions this decade will establish a "basic" version of the research station, followed by more missions in the 2030s to construct a "full" version of the base. By 2050, the ILRS is expected to be a fully operational station for lunar research, and potentially also a launch pad for crewed missions to other planets in the solar system. Note: (*) denotes founding memberReporting by Ryan Woo; Editing by Emelia Sithole-MatariseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Artemis, Ryan Woo, Emelia Sithole Organizations: China's, Research, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Belarus, Pakistan, Azerbaijan, China, Russia, U.S

☆ Pakistan joins China's club of lunar base partners
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

BEIJING, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Pakistan has joined China's expanding club of partners in an ambitious project to build a research station on the moon's south pole. Jointly with Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister Anwar ul Haq Kakar witnessed the signing of an initial cooperation agreement in Beijing on Wednesday. The China National Space Administration said on Friday cooperation would cover areas including the engineering and operational aspects of the Chinese lunar base programme. China, which aims to become a major space power by 2030, has already secured cooperation from Russia, Venezuela and South Africa. It has fixed a target to land its astronauts on the moon by the end of this decade.

Persons: Chinese Premier Li Qiang, Anwar ul Haq Kakar, Ryan Woo, Deborah Kyvrikosaios Organizations: Chinese Premier, China National Space Administration, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, Pakistan, Beijing, China, Russia, Venezuela, South Africa, U.S

The spacecraft would also make room for 200 kilograms (440 pounds) of foreign science payloads, the agency said on its website. This could allow overseas partners to conduct lunar research by “piggybacking” off the mission, Chinese state media said. China is not alone in elevating its space program and lunar ambitions as multiple countries eye the potential scientific benefit, national prestige and access to resources and further deep space exploration that successful moon missions could bring. That same week, Russia’s first lunar mission in decades ended in failure with its Luna 25 spacecraft crashing into the moon’s surface. Its last mission, Chang’e-5, landed on the moon in December 2020 and returned with samples of lunar rocks and soil.

Persons: CNSA, ”, “ piggybacking, Artemis, Hu Hao, Hu, can’t, Pakistan’s Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Space Administration, International Astronautical, United, NASA, Artemis, Aitken, European Space Agency Locations: Hong Kong, Beijing, Baku, Azerbaijan, China, Russia, Venezuela, South Africa, India, United States, Italian

☆ China offers to collaborate on lunar mission as deadlines loom
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

BEIJING, Oct 3 (Reuters) - China, which aims to become a major space power by 2030, has opened up a key lunar mission to international cooperation as mission deadlines loom for setting up a permanent habitat on the south pole of the moon. The Chang'e-8 mission will follow the Chang'e-7 in 2026, which also aims to search for lunar resources on the moon's south pole. The two missions will lay the foundations for the construction of the Beijing-led International Lunar Research Station (ILRS) in the 2030s. China aims to land astronauts on the moon by 2030. On the 2025 Artemis 3 mission, two U.S. astronauts will land on the lunar south pole, a region previously unvisited by any human.

Persons: CNSA, Ryan Woo, Gerry Doyle Organizations: China National Space Administration, International Astronautical, Lunar Research, Artemis, U.S ., NASA, U.S, Artemis Accords, U.S . State Department, Thomson Locations: BEIJING, China, Baku, Azerbaijan, Beijing, U.S, India, Russia, Venezuela

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