On January 3rd, 2019, China’s Chang’e-4 lander touched down on the far side of the Moon and deployed the Yutu rover. In addition to its many instruments, the rover carried an important science experiment known as the Biological Experiment Payload (BEP). Over the next eight days, this payload conducted a vital experiment where it attempted to grow the first plants on the Moon. Included in the payload were cotton, potato, arabidopsis, and rape seeds, along with fly eggs, yeast, and 18 ml (0.6 fluid oz) of water, which was kept at a constant atmospheric pressure.
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Uranus Has Infrared Auroras, Too
Just in time for Hallowe’en, astronomers confirmed the existence of spooky-looking infrared auroras on Uranus. Their existence reveals something about that planet’s misaligned magnetic field.
Falcon 9 launch scrubbed 30 seconds before liftoff with 23 Starlink satellites
File photo of SpaceX’s Starlink V2 Mini satellites inside a payload processing facility at Cape Canaveral earlier this year. Credit: SpaceX
Update 8:38 p.m. EDT (0038 UTC): A scrub was called at T-30 seconds to liftoff. The launch team will target its next launch attempt with a 24-hour recycle. The launch window opens at 7:20 p.m. EDT (2320 UTC).
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches 22 Starlink satellites from California
A Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on Oct. 29, 2023, carrying 22 Starlink satellites. Image: SpaceX.
The first of two Falcon 9 missions SpaceX is planning for Sunday carried into orbit the largest batch of second-generation Starlink satellites to be launched from the West Coast. It was the 50th Starlink launch of the year.
Intuitive Machines targets launch to the Moon in mid-January
The completed Nova-C lander for the IM-1 mission is photographed in mid-October at Intuitive Machines’ facilities in Houston, Texas, ahead of it being shipped to Cape Canaveral, Florida. Image: Intuitive Machines
The first lunar lander aiming for a touchdown at the Moon’s south pole has a new launch date. Intuitive Machines said Friday it is targeting the launch of its Nova-C lander on the IM-1 mission for no earlier than January 12, 2024.
Watch live: ESA’s Earth Observation Commercialisation Forum
ESA’s first-ever Earth Observation Commercialisation Forum will take place next week at ESA Headquarters in Paris from 30 to 31 October 2023. The event will see investors, institutions, entrepreneurs and companies of any size from the Earth observation sector coming together to discuss the commercial potential and challenges of Earth observation. Follow our live steaming on ESA WebTV Two.
This Week's Sky at a Glance, October 27 – November 5
The full Moon on October 28th shines near full Jupiter at opposition this week. Telescopically, Jupiter this week is as big as you'll ever see it,
Earth from Space: Elephant Island
Image: This rare, almost cloud-free view of the remote Elephant Island in Antarctica was captured in February 2023 by the Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission.
On-time Artemis landings by SpaceX, Blue Origin possible, but face “great challenges”
Lisa Watson-Morgan, program manager for the Human Landing System program, moderates a fireside chat with Benji Reed, Sr. Director of Human Spaceflight Programs at SpaceX (left) and John Couluris, Sr. VP of Lunar Transportation at Blue Origin. Image: Will Robinson-Smith
After a successful mission with Artemis 1 in November, 2022, and with the pieces of the Artemis 2 architecture coming together for a launch targeting late 2024, NASA continues to simultaneously push towards the big items that are key to the future missions.
Marsquake Reveals Molten Layer Above Martian Core
An impact far from NASA's Insight lander on Mars set off seismic waves that revealed new details about the Martian interior.
What time is the Full Hunter's Moon lunar eclipse on Oct. 28?
A partial lunar eclipse will be visible in most of the world on Oct. 28. Here we look at what time the eclipse will start and where it can be seen.
Lego's epic 'Dune' Ornithopter building set is now open for pre-orders
Lego has revealed the first details and new images for its new "Dune" Royal Atreides Ornithopter that will be available in 2024 and is now open for pre-orders.
James Webb Space Telescope finds rare heavy chemical element from 'kilonova' explosion
Tellurium, an element rarer than platinum on Earth, was just found in the aftermath of a violent cosmic event 1 billion light-years away, thanks to James Webb Space Telescope.
Mars Still Has Liquid Rock Near its Core
Why doesn’t Mars have a magnetic field? If it did, the planet would be protected from cosmic radiation and charged particles emitted by our Sun. With a magnetic field, perhaps the Red Planet wouldn’t be the dry, barren world it is today.
An Exo-Neptune Beat the Odds and Kept its Atmosphere
As planet-hunting scientists find more and more planets, they’ve encountered some puzzles. One of them concerns the lack of Neptune-size worlds orbiting close to their stars. Astronomers think that these planets aren’t massive enough to retain their atmospheres in the face of their stars’ powerful radiation, which strips it away.
Here's how NASA's Roman Space Telescope will hunt for lonely black holes and distant exoplanets
NASA has revealed how the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will grant astronomers the deepest view into the heart of the Milky Way ever as they hunt for planets, stars, black holes and more.
Satellite data reveals ancient landscape preserved beneath East Antarctic ice sheet
The 'ghost' of ancient river-carved landscape discovered has been preserved beneath the East Antarctic ice sheet since the continent froze over 34 million years ago.
Rocket Lab aims to return to flight this year after September launch failure
Rocket Lab is still investigating what caused its Electron vehicle to fail on Sept. 19, but the company is confident it will be back on the launch pad in 2023.
Artemis 2 Orion spacecraft comes together ahead of 2024 moon mission (photos)
Sections of the Orion spacecraft tasked with flying four astronauts around the moon during the Artemis 2 mission have been joined together. The mission is set for no earlier than late 2024.
Hot summer for Europe's reusable rocket engine
An ongoing project to develop a low-cost, reusable engine for European rockets made considerable progress over the summer and autumn, with a series of tests that achieved full ignition and, ultimately, a 30-second burn with re-ignition of an early prototype of the Prometheus engine.
