Latest articles by Leonard David
China's lunar lander aces touchdown and takeoff tests ahead of planned 2030 crewed moon mission (video)
China conducted takeoff and touchdown tests with its "Lanyue" moon lander on Aug. 6, 2025, as it prepares to launch a crewed lunar mission by 2030.
China wants to return samples from Mars, but will it allow other nations to inspect its containment methods?
International oversight would reduce risks, but could be "a politically sensitive and contentious matter."
NASA or the Space Force: Who should protect Earth from dangerous asteroids?
NASA currently leads the nation's planetary defense efforts, but some are calling for the Space Force to take control.
Wild new 'Skyfall' Mars mission would drop 6 scout helicopters onto the Red Planet from the air
"With six helicopters, Skyfall offers a low-cost solution that multiplies the range we would cover, the data we would collect, and the scientific research we would conduct."
Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill' gives US Space Force $1 billion for secretive X-37B space plane
U.S. President Trump's "One, Big Beautiful Bill Act," H.R. 1 includes $1 billion for the U.S. Space Force (USSF) X-37B military spacecraft program.
Could asteroid mining actually work? Maybe if we start with impact sites on the moon
"Can humanity enjoy the benefits of both asteroid and lunar mining without compromise, or do we have to choose one at the expense of the other?"
Private lunar landing: How Blue Ghost measured the moon's electric and magnetic fields
Private lunar landing: How Blue Ghost measured the moon's electric and magnetic fields
Is the US forfeiting its Red Planet leadership to China's Mars Sample Return plan?
"Returning the scientifically selected samples that await us on Mars, as part of a balanced portfolio, will help to ensure the US does not cede leadership in deep space to other nations, such as China."
A failed Soviet Venus probe from the '70s crashed to Earth in May — why was it so hard to track?
"Being off even a little bit represents hundreds or thousands of kilometers in distance on the surface of the Earth."
NASA moon orbiter spies grave of crashed Japanese lunar lander (image)
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has imaged the crash site of Resilience, a moon lander built and operated by the Tokyo-based company ispace.
Saving Gateway, SLS and Orion? Sen. Ted Cruz proposes $10 billion more for NASA's moon and Mars efforts
Sen. Ted Cruz's newly unveiled legislative directives for Senate Republicans’ budget reconciliation bill would dedicate almost $10 billion to win the new space race with China.
Lunar landers and 'Transporter' tankers: Blue Origin unveils its blueprint for the moon
Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin has begun revealing how it plans to establish itself as a provider of hardware that will enable long-term human stays on the moon.
Can we protect historical sites on the moon before it's too late?
A number of groups and individuals say there's a need to protect lunar history before it's too late.
Could deciphering dolphin language help us communicate with ET?
There are creatures here on Earth that may give us clues about how to communicate with extraterrestrial intelligence — dolphins, which are famously social and smart.
Can we actually build a thriving economy on and around the moon?
Building a sustainable economy on the moon won't be easy, but we at least have some ideas about how to get started.
US and China need a space hotline for orbital emergencies, experts say
The Council on Foreign Relations released a new report calling for the United States to make space a top national priority.
Trump's proposed 2026 NASA budget cuts will cede our space 'position of leadership to other nations', top scientists say
The chairs of several NASA analysis and assessment groups (AGs) issued a statement in response to the Trump administration's proposed budget that would gut science programs.
Trump's 2026 budget plan would cancel NASA's Mars Sample Return mission. Experts say that's a 'major step back'
The White House says NASA's Mars Sample Return mission is a waste of money, but experts say the mission could help it achieve its goal of putting humans on Mars.
New Mexico's Spaceport America looks up and into the future
Spaceport America is the first purpose-built commercial spaceport in the world — but its executive director has a portfolio of ideas to further grow the launch complex.
'Right now, we are in what has to be a Golden Age of asteroid exploration.' Scientists celebrate NASA's latest space rock flyby
Asteroid experts are pondering the scientific output from the NASA Lucy spacecraft after it shot by its celestial destination, the main belt asteroid named Donaldjohanson.
New images of Soviet Venus lander falling to Earth suggest its parachute may be out
The soon-to-reenter Soviet Cosmos 482 Venus probe is getting increased attention by satellite trackers – and new imagery provides some interesting details.
A failed Soviet Venus lander will fall back to Earth after being stranded for 53 years
A Venus lander launched by the Soviet Union in 1972 has been predicted to fall back to Earth some time in May.
'We learned so much that we didn't know': Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost moon lander mission was full of surprises
Firefly Aerospace's CEO Jason Kim says the company's successful Blue Ghost moon lander mission revealed 'so much that we didn't know' about the lunar surface.
