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Experts Trace Lost Lunar Lander—to 2 Different Spots

India's Chandrayaan-2 orbiter could solve the Luna 9 mystery once and for all

(Newser) - Nearly six decades after it made history for the first soft landing on a celestial body other than Earth, a tiny Soviet robot may have finally have been traced—to two different spots on the moon. Two research teams say they've independently zeroed in on what could be Luna...

Musk Says He Plans to Build Factories on the Moon

Plan includes lunar 'mass driver' to launch AI satellites into orbit

(Newser) - Elon Musk's pivot from Mars to the moon is recent, but he's not short on enthusiasm. He told xAI staff Tuesday the company, which he has merged with SpaceX , "has to go to the moon" and build a lunar factory to crank out AI satellites—and a...

Musk: SpaceX Shifts Focus From Mars to Moon

He says lunar city could happen in under a decade, while Mars city would take more than 20 years

(Newser) - Elon Musk just quietly rewrote his space dream—this time with a lunar address instead of a Martian ZIP code. As the Super Bowl kicked off Sunday, the SpaceX CEO posted on X that his company has "already shifted focus to building a self-growing city on the Moon,"...

Fuel Leaks Delay Moon Mission by a Month
NASA's
Moon Mission
Again Stalls
Feb 3, 2026 8:33 AM CST

NASA's Moon Mission Again Stalls

Artemis II now set for a possible March launch date due to fuel leaks

(Newser) - NASA has again delayed the planned start of its fly-around-the-moon mission after its mega-rocket sprang a leak. The agency says the launch of Artemis II, which had been shooting for as early as Sunday in Florida, will now slip to March after engineers spotted hydrogen leaking from the Space Launch...

Moon Mission Could Launch as Soon as Feb. 6

Artemis II Mission will test redesigned Orion re-entry after 2022 heat-shield issues

(Newser) - NASA is getting ready to send astronauts around the moon for the first time in more than half a century—and then pull off the riskiest part: bringing them home. The Artemis II mission, targeted for launch as soon as February, will put four astronauts—NASA's Reid Wiseman, Victor...

China Just Put Its Astronauts Through Cave Boot Camp

Training in Chongqing caves tested emergency response, psychological resilience

(Newser) - Chinese astronauts just wrapped up a month or so spent largely underground, in an exercise meant to prep them for where Beijing wants to send them next. China's astronaut corps put 28 crew members through cave training in a mountainous part of Chongqing, with small teams rotating through six-day,...

2026 Will Be an 'Exciting Year' for Sky Shows

Supermoons, eclipses, auroras—oh my!

(Newser) - The moon and sun will share top billing in 2026. Kicking off the year's cosmic wonders is the moon, drawing the first astronauts to visit in more than 50 years, as well as a caravan of robotic lunar landers, including Jeff Bezos' new supersize Blue Moon. An astronomical blue...

Year's Last Supermoon Is Near
Year's Last
Supermoon Is Near
Dec 2, 2025 12:50 PM CST

Year's Last Supermoon Is Near

Thursday's is the final one for 2025

(Newser) - The last supermoon of the year is about to shine in December skies. Supermoons happen a few times a year in clusters, taking advantage of the sweet spot in the moon's elliptical orbit, and Thursday night's event is the last of three in a row in 2025.
  • The
...

November's Supermoon Is the Closest of the Year

It's the second of 3 supermoons in 2025

(Newser) - The moon will look slightly bigger and brighter Wednesday night during the closest supermoon of the year. The moon's orbit around the Earth isn't a perfect circle, so it gets nearer and farther as it swings around. A so-called supermoon happens when a full moon is closer to...

China Sets Date for Putting Its Astronauts on the Moon

'Landing a person on the moon by 2030 is firm'

(Newser) - China said on Thursday it's on track to land astronauts on the moon by 2030, as it also introduced the next crew of astronauts who will head to its space station as part of the country's ambitious plans to be a leader in space exploration. "Currently, each...

Fresh Clues on Saturn Moon Boost Case for Alien Life

Cassini data reveals complex organics in the icy plumes of Enceladus

(Newser) - Scientists have uncovered new evidence that Saturn's moon Enceladus may be one of the solar system's most promising candidates for extraterrestrial life. According to a study published in Nature Astronomy cited by the New York Post , researchers from the University of Stuttgart analyzed ice grains ejected from...

NASA's Manned Moon Mission May Have a Date

First window of opportunity for Artemis II opens on the evening of Feb. 5

(Newser) - NASA is gearing up to send astronauts beyond low earth orbit for the first time in more than 50 years—perhaps as soon as the evening of Feb. 5. On Tuesday, officials announced that they're pushing toward a launch window for the ambitious Artemis II mission that opens...

In New Space Race, NASA Shuts Out the Chinese

Chinese nationals with valid visas are suddenly blocked from space programs

(Newser) - NASA has officially barred Chinese nationals from accessing its facilities, materials, and digital networks, escalating tensions in the ongoing rivalry between the US and China's ambitious space programs. The move, first reported by Bloomberg and later confirmed by the agency, means that Chinese citizens with valid US visas—...

Newly Discovered Uranus Moon Is Remarkably Small

You could walk across it in 2 hours

(Newser) - Astronomers have spotted a tiny new moon orbiting Uranus—so small you could walk around it in roughly two hours, reports NBC News . Spotted by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope in February, the new satellite is only about six miles wide, which might explain why it was not...

Duffy Wants a Nuclear Reactor on the Moon, Fast

Move aims to outpace China as NASA faces budget cuts

(Newser) - Sean Duffy, the interim NASA administrator and Transportation Secretary, is reportedly set to announce an accelerated push to deploy a nuclear reactor on the moon—a move that would mark his most significant step since stepping into the dual role. Documents reviewed by Politico indicate this initiative sets a...

Earth's Spin to Speed Up, Making Days Slightly Shorter

Moon's position will shave milliseconds off 3 days this summer

(Newser) - Earth is set to spin a bit faster in the coming months, leading to slightly shorter days, according to scientists. On July 9, July 22, and August 5, the effect will be most noticeable, with each day ending up between 1.3 and 1.51 milliseconds shorter than usual....

NASA Captures Image of Lander's Crash Site

Japanese company's craft slammed into the moon last month

(Newser) - A NASA spacecraft around the moon has photographed the crash site of a Japanese company's lunar lander. NASA released the pictures Friday, two weeks after ispace's lander slammed into the moon , per the AP . The images show a dark smudge where the lander, named Resilience, and its mini...

Lunar Lander From Japan Crashes Into Moon

It's another failed mission for the company, ispace

(Newser) - A private lunar lander from Japan crashed while attempting a touchdown Friday , the latest casualty in the commercial rush to the moon, the AP reports. The Tokyo-based company ispace declared the mission a failure several hours after communication was lost with the lander. Flight controllers scrambled to gain contact, but...

A Private Lander Homes In On North Side of the Moon

Japanese company ispace is headed for a touchdown on the moon's untouched side

(Newser) - A private lunar lander from Japan is closing in on the moon, reports the AP , aiming for a touchdown in the unexplored far north with a mini-rover. The landing attempt by Tokyo-based company ispace on Friday in Japan is the latest entry in the rapidly expanding commercial lunar rush. The...

Spring's First Meteor Show Is Almost Here

Lyrids peak on Tuesday

(Newser) - The first meteor shower of spring is nearly upon us. The Lyrids peak in the early morning hours of Tuesday, reports the AP . Details:
  • When: The best time to head outside to catch a few is between 3am and 5am Tuesday, just before dawn, per Space.com .
  • How: No
...

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