lunar lander Archives - SpaceNews https://spacenews.com Covering the business and politics of space Wed, 07 May 2025 11:32:04 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://spacenews.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/cropped-SN_forza_star-32x32.png lunar lander Archives - SpaceNews https://spacenews.com 32 32 80681979 Resilience lunar lander enters orbit around the moon https://spacenews.com/resilience-lunar-lander-enters-orbit-around-the-moon/ https://spacenews.com/resilience-lunar-lander-enters-orbit-around-the-moon/#respond Wed, 07 May 2025 11:32:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=517108 ispace Resilience lander

Japanese company ispace says its second lunar lander in now in orbit around the moon ahead of a landing attempt in early June.

The post Resilience lunar lander enters orbit around the moon appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/resilience-lunar-lander-enters-orbit-around-the-moon/feed/ 0 517108
Redwire and ispace U.S. to collaborate on lunar missions https://spacenews.com/redwire-and-ispace-u-s-to-collaborate-on-lunar-missions/ https://spacenews.com/redwire-and-ispace-u-s-to-collaborate-on-lunar-missions/#respond Tue, 08 Apr 2025 21:00:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=515922 ispace APEX 1.0 lander

Redwire and ispace U.S. have agreed to collaborate on future lunar missions, seeking to tap into what the companies see as growing interest from companies and governments.

The post Redwire and ispace U.S. to collaborate on lunar missions appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/redwire-and-ispace-u-s-to-collaborate-on-lunar-missions/feed/ 0 515922
Intuitive Machines emphasizes diversification beyond lunar landers https://spacenews.com/intuitive-machines-emphasizes-diversification-beyond-lunar-landers/ https://spacenews.com/intuitive-machines-emphasizes-diversification-beyond-lunar-landers/#respond Wed, 26 Mar 2025 11:47:16 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=515046 IM-2 landing

After two hard landings on the moon, Intuitive Machines is outlining a more diversified future for the company, with a greater emphasis on data services.

The post Intuitive Machines emphasizes diversification beyond lunar landers appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/intuitive-machines-emphasizes-diversification-beyond-lunar-landers/feed/ 0 515046
Firefly Aerospace wraps up successful Blue Ghost 1 mission https://spacenews.com/firefly-aerospace-wraps-up-successful-blue-ghost-1-mission/ https://spacenews.com/firefly-aerospace-wraps-up-successful-blue-ghost-1-mission/#respond Mon, 17 Mar 2025 15:40:51 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=514615 Blue Ghost 1 at sunset

Firefly Aerospace says that its Blue Ghost 1 lunar lander mission has ended as expected, completing all its objectives.

The post Firefly Aerospace wraps up successful Blue Ghost 1 mission appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/firefly-aerospace-wraps-up-successful-blue-ghost-1-mission/feed/ 0 514615
NASA hails Blue Ghost 1 mission as “proof positive” of CLPS program https://spacenews.com/nasa-hails-blue-ghost-1-mission-as-proof-positive-of-clps-program/ https://spacenews.com/nasa-hails-blue-ghost-1-mission-as-proof-positive-of-clps-program/#respond Fri, 14 Mar 2025 09:19:47 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=514487 Blue Ghost 1 shadow

NASA says its program to use commercial spacecraft to deliver payloads to the lunar surface is working well despite just a single fully successful landing in four attempts.

The post NASA hails Blue Ghost 1 mission as “proof positive” of CLPS program appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/nasa-hails-blue-ghost-1-mission-as-proof-positive-of-clps-program/feed/ 0 514487
IM-2 lunar lander mission ends https://spacenews.com/im-2-lunar-lander-mission-ends/ https://spacenews.com/im-2-lunar-lander-mission-ends/#respond Fri, 07 Mar 2025 17:57:30 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=514100 IM-2 landing

Intuitive Machines says its second lunar landing mission is over after concluding the toppled lander cannot generate sufficient power.

The post IM-2 lunar lander mission ends appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/im-2-lunar-lander-mission-ends/feed/ 0 514100
IM-2 lunar lander on its side after touchdown https://spacenews.com/im-2-lunar-lander-touches-down-status-unclear/ https://spacenews.com/im-2-lunar-lander-touches-down-status-unclear/#respond Thu, 06 Mar 2025 18:30:24 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=514040 IM-2 descent

The second lunar lander mission by Intuitive Machines reached the surface of the moon March 6, but its status after landing was not clear.

The post IM-2 lunar lander on its side after touchdown appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/im-2-lunar-lander-touches-down-status-unclear/feed/ 0 514040
Firefly’s Blue Ghost 1 lands on the moon https://spacenews.com/fireflys-blue-ghost-1-lands-on-the-moon/ https://spacenews.com/fireflys-blue-ghost-1-lands-on-the-moon/#respond Sun, 02 Mar 2025 08:57:03 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513730 Blue Ghost 1 shadow

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost 1 lunar landed touched down on the surface of the moon March 2.

The post Firefly’s Blue Ghost 1 lands on the moon appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/fireflys-blue-ghost-1-lands-on-the-moon/feed/ 0 513730
Falcon 9 launches second Intuitive Machines lunar lander https://spacenews.com/falcon-9-launches-second-intuitive-machines-lunar-lander/ https://spacenews.com/falcon-9-launches-second-intuitive-machines-lunar-lander/#respond Thu, 27 Feb 2025 02:15:19 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513617 IM-2 liftoff

Intuitive Machines’ second lunar lander is on its way to the moon after a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch Feb. 26 that also deployed three rideshare payloads.

The post Falcon 9 launches second Intuitive Machines lunar lander appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/falcon-9-launches-second-intuitive-machines-lunar-lander/feed/ 0 513617
Second Intuitive Machines lunar lander ready for launch https://spacenews.com/second-intuitive-machines-lunar-lander-ready-for-launch/ https://spacenews.com/second-intuitive-machines-lunar-lander-ready-for-launch/#respond Wed, 26 Feb 2025 12:33:32 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513576 IM-2

The second lunar lander mission by Intuitive Machines is set to launch, taking to the moon NASA and commercial payloads as well as several rideshare spacecraft.

The post Second Intuitive Machines lunar lander ready for launch appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/second-intuitive-machines-lunar-lander-ready-for-launch/feed/ 0 513576
Blue Ghost 1 enters lunar orbit as Resilience flies by the moon https://spacenews.com/blue-ghost-1-enters-lunar-orbit-as-resilience-flies-by-the-moon/ https://spacenews.com/blue-ghost-1-enters-lunar-orbit-as-resilience-flies-by-the-moon/#respond Sat, 15 Feb 2025 14:18:39 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=513125 Blue Ghost 1 in lunar orbit

One commercial lunar lander has entered orbit around the moon while another, launched at the same time, made a lunar flyby to set up a later return.

The post Blue Ghost 1 enters lunar orbit as Resilience flies by the moon appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/blue-ghost-1-enters-lunar-orbit-as-resilience-flies-by-the-moon/feed/ 0 513125
Astrolab to fly its FLIP lunar rover on Astrobotic’s Griffin-1 lander https://spacenews.com/astrolab-to-fly-its-flip-lunar-lander-on-astrobotics-griffin-1-lander/ https://spacenews.com/astrolab-to-fly-its-flip-lunar-lander-on-astrobotics-griffin-1-lander/#respond Wed, 05 Feb 2025 15:00:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=512528 Griffin and FLIP

Astrobotic will deliver a lunar rover built by Venturi Astrolab to the south polar region of the moon as soon as the end of this year.

The post Astrolab to fly its FLIP lunar rover on Astrobotic’s Griffin-1 lander appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/astrolab-to-fly-its-flip-lunar-lander-on-astrobotics-griffin-1-lander/feed/ 0 512528
Falcon 9 launches American and Japanese commercial lunar landers https://spacenews.com/falcon-9-launches-american-and-japanese-commercial-lunar-landers/ https://spacenews.com/falcon-9-launches-american-and-japanese-commercial-lunar-landers/#respond Wed, 15 Jan 2025 09:00:36 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=511486 F9 launch Firefly ispace

A Falcon 9 successfully launched Jan. 15 two landers built by American and Japanese companies taking different paths to the surface of the moon.

The post Falcon 9 launches American and Japanese commercial lunar landers appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/falcon-9-launches-american-and-japanese-commercial-lunar-landers/feed/ 0 511486
Firefly wins NASA contract for third lunar lander mission https://spacenews.com/firefly-wins-nasa-contract-for-third-lunar-lander-mission/ https://spacenews.com/firefly-wins-nasa-contract-for-third-lunar-lander-mission/#respond Thu, 19 Dec 2024 10:29:37 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=510345 Blue Ghost 3

NASA selected Firefly Aerospace for a third lunar lander mission, this one including a rover, to launch in 2028.

The post Firefly wins NASA contract for third lunar lander mission appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/firefly-wins-nasa-contract-for-third-lunar-lander-mission/feed/ 0 510345
Firefly, ispace lunar landers to share Falcon 9 launch https://spacenews.com/firefly-ispace-lunar-landers-to-share-falcon-9-launch/ https://spacenews.com/firefly-ispace-lunar-landers-to-share-falcon-9-launch/#respond Thu, 19 Dec 2024 00:11:51 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=510324 Blue Ghost 1

Japanese lunar lander developer ispace has confirmed that its second mission will launch on the same Falcon 9 as Firefly’s first lunar lander.

The post Firefly, ispace lunar landers to share Falcon 9 launch appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/firefly-ispace-lunar-landers-to-share-falcon-9-launch/feed/ 0 510324
Firefly sets January launch date for first lunar lander mission https://spacenews.com/firefly-sets-january-launch-date-for-first-lunar-lander-mission/ https://spacenews.com/firefly-sets-january-launch-date-for-first-lunar-lander-mission/#respond Mon, 25 Nov 2024 22:04:49 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=509375 Blue Ghost 1

Firefly Aerospace says it is planning a launch of its first lunar lander mission in January, meaning that none of the three commercial lander missions once slated to launch in the fourth quarter of this year will do so.

The post Firefly sets January launch date for first lunar lander mission appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/firefly-sets-january-launch-date-for-first-lunar-lander-mission/feed/ 0 509375
Foust Forward | Is there a business case for the moon? https://spacenews.com/foust-forward-is-there-a-business-case-for-the-moon/ https://spacenews.com/foust-forward-is-there-a-business-case-for-the-moon/#respond Fri, 15 Nov 2024 13:00:00 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=508912 Intuitive Machines is preparing IM-2, a Nova-C lunar lander dubbed Athena, for an early January mission to the moon’s south pole. Onboard the lander is NASA’s Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) experiment designed to search for water ice on the moon. Credit: Intuitive Machines

Enough commercial activity is heading to the moon in the next few months to create a traffic jam. Firefly Aerospace, ispace and Intuitive Machines are all launching commercial lunar lander […]

The post Foust Forward | Is there a business case for the moon? appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/foust-forward-is-there-a-business-case-for-the-moon/feed/ 0 508912
Second ispace lunar lander planned for launch in December https://spacenews.com/second-ispace-lunar-lander-planned-for-launch-in-december/ https://spacenews.com/second-ispace-lunar-lander-planned-for-launch-in-december/#respond Thu, 12 Sep 2024 19:11:40 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=505807 ispace Resilience lander

Japanese company ispace expects to launch its second lunar lander mission as soon as December, making it one of three companies planning missions to the moon by the end of the year.

The post Second ispace lunar lander planned for launch in December appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/second-ispace-lunar-lander-planned-for-launch-in-december/feed/ 0 505807
NASA selects Intuitive Machines for south pole lunar lander mission https://spacenews.com/nasa-selects-intuitive-machines-for-south-pole-lunar-lander-mission/ https://spacenews.com/nasa-selects-intuitive-machines-for-south-pole-lunar-lander-mission/#respond Thu, 29 Aug 2024 22:55:15 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=505012 Nova-C lander

NASA has selected Intuitive Machines to deliver a set of payloads to the south polar region of the moon in 2027, the first award under a commercial lunar lander program in nearly a year and a half.

The post NASA selects Intuitive Machines for south pole lunar lander mission appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/nasa-selects-intuitive-machines-for-south-pole-lunar-lander-mission/feed/ 0 505012
Valve problem blamed for Peregrine lunar lander failure https://spacenews.com/valve-problem-blamed-for-peregrine-lunar-lander-failure/ https://spacenews.com/valve-problem-blamed-for-peregrine-lunar-lander-failure/#respond Tue, 27 Aug 2024 17:31:50 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=504900 Peregrine Earth

Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander was unable to make it to the moon because of a failure of a single valve, leading to work to redesign the valve and overall propulsion system on the company’s larger Griffin lander.

The post Valve problem blamed for Peregrine lunar lander failure appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/valve-problem-blamed-for-peregrine-lunar-lander-failure/feed/ 0 504900
Firefly Aerospace’s lunar lander begins pre-launch environmental tests https://spacenews.com/firefly-aerospaces-lunar-lander-begins-pre-launch-environmental-tests/ https://spacenews.com/firefly-aerospaces-lunar-lander-begins-pre-launch-environmental-tests/#respond Mon, 26 Aug 2024 13:00:04 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=504849 Blue Ghost lunar lander

Firefly Aerospace has completed its first lunar lander and shipped the spacecraft to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory for testing ahead of a launch late this year.

The post Firefly Aerospace’s lunar lander begins pre-launch environmental tests appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/firefly-aerospaces-lunar-lander-begins-pre-launch-environmental-tests/feed/ 0 504849
Intuitive Machines seeks to take over NASA’s VIPER lunar rover https://spacenews.com/intuitive-machines-seeks-to-take-over-nasas-viper-lunar-rover/ https://spacenews.com/intuitive-machines-seeks-to-take-over-nasas-viper-lunar-rover/#respond Wed, 14 Aug 2024 00:46:03 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=498619 VIPER at JSC

Intuitive Machines says it is organizing a coalition of organizations that will offer to take over a NASA lunar rover mission, launching it on one of the company’s landers.

The post Intuitive Machines seeks to take over NASA’s VIPER lunar rover appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/intuitive-machines-seeks-to-take-over-nasas-viper-lunar-rover/feed/ 0 498619
NASA payload to fly on first Blue Origin lunar lander mission https://spacenews.com/nasa-payload-to-fly-on-first-blue-origin-lunar-lander-mission/ https://spacenews.com/nasa-payload-to-fly-on-first-blue-origin-lunar-lander-mission/#respond Mon, 12 Aug 2024 13:35:06 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=498497 Blue Moon Mk 1

A NASA payload will hitch a ride to the moon on Blue Origin’s first lunar lander mission, scheduled to launch as soon as next March.

The post NASA payload to fly on first Blue Origin lunar lander mission appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/nasa-payload-to-fly-on-first-blue-origin-lunar-lander-mission/feed/ 0 498497
NASA to soon resume awards of lunar lander missions https://spacenews.com/nasa-to-soon-resume-awards-of-lunar-lander-missions/ https://spacenews.com/nasa-to-soon-resume-awards-of-lunar-lander-missions/#respond Fri, 02 Aug 2024 11:46:49 +0000 https://spacenews.com/?p=498038 Griffin lander

NASA plans to soon make its first robotic lunar lander awards in more than a year as the agency and the industry grapple with uncertainty in the overall program linked to the cancellation of a rover mission.

The post NASA to soon resume awards of lunar lander missions appeared first on SpaceNews.

]]>
https://spacenews.com/nasa-to-soon-resume-awards-of-lunar-lander-missions/feed/ 0 498038