The complicated multi-parachute landing system for the European Space Agency’s ExoMars landing mission in 2020 is under scrutiny after it failed a second test. The test on 5 August, of the large 35 m diameter subsonic main parachute was deemed a failure. It...
India’s second lunar mission Chandrayaan-2 was launched at 0913 GMT on 22 July 2019, from the Sriharikota launch site. The initial plan was to place the spacecraft into a low Earth orbit. From here it will slowly raise its orbit and then be injected into a...
The UK Space Agency and NASA have signed a new “Statement of Intent” to cooperate on lunar missions. The declaration was made on the same day of the 50th anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11 – the first human landing on the Moon. UK Science...
In a mini “Night of the Long Knives”, NASA’s Administrator Jim Bridenstine has demoted its head of its Human Exploration and Operations (HEO) Mission Directorate Bill Gerstenmaier and his deputy Bill Hill. Gerstenmaier becomes a special adviser to...
On 27 May 2019, NASA selected the Dragonfly eight-rotor drone craft as a New Horizons mission to land on and make flights between points on Saturn’s moon Titan. The mission is due to be launched in 2026, and, will arrive at Titan eight years later after making...
Space News reports that on 31 May 2019, NASA awarded lunar landing contracts initially to three companies out of the nine finalists in the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS). The three winners of the contracts worth a total of US$250 million will make one...
