JAXA’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) may have snapped its last image before going dormant on the lunar surface. To see if that is truly the case, the team will need to wait for just over 2-weeks for optimal lighting and temperature conditions before it can possibly be revived.
The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA’s) Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) touched down on the Moon in an unexpected position, or more specifically, upside down. This makes Japan the fifth country in history to reach the lunar surface, but trouble with the probe’s solar batteries made it hard at first to figure out if the spacecraft made it in the target zone.
Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander will deliver five NASA payloads to Sinus Viscositatis, a large flat region on the Moon that was once a giant lava flow near the Gruithuisen Domes. It’s set to launch on Monday, January 8, from Cape Canaveral, Florida, atop a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket.
Photo credit: ESA–A. Romeo
Astronauts recently put the ESA’s Handheld Universal Lunar Camera (HULC) to the test in the lunar-like landscapes of Lanzarote, Spain, as part of the PANGAEA training program. The latter aims to prepare astronauts to become effective field scientists for future missions to the lunar surface, including NASA’s Artemis III, which will land on the South Pole of the Moon.
NASA’s Artemis II rocket core stage is currently being prepped for final assembly. After installing all four RS-25 engines onto the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket core stage, it will then be transported to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The Toyota Baby Lunar Cruiser concept, designed in collaboration with CALTY Design Research, may some day reach the Moon and beyond should the automaker be awarded a contract from NASA, ESA, JAXA, etc. It draws inspiration from the original FJ40 Land Cruiser as well as the real Lunar Cruiser being developed by the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and Toyota.
The Indian Space Research Organization’s (ISRO) Chandrayaan-3 mission has successfully deployed its rover, called Pragyan, at the Moon’s south pole. Since lunar dust is very different from that on the surface of Earth and in the absence of air on the Moon, it could adhere to materials of the rover, causing issues.
The ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) officially announced today that its Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft has successfully landed on the surface of the Moon, after launching on July 14 with a budget of just $74-million. If all goes to plan Chandrayaan-3 should remain functional for roughly 14 days, running a series of experiments, while the rover will make its first appearance within the next few days once deployed from the lander.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) announced that their Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft has entered lunar orbit and is expected to land on the Moon in just over two weeks if all goes to plan. Chandrayaan-3, consisting of a lander, propulsion module and rover, will now perform a series of maneuvers to gradually reduce its orbit before touching down on the Moon.
