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Moon

Scientists say a giant impact knocked off the raw ingredients for the moon off the primitive molten Earth and into orbit.

Related Topics: Earth, Apollo Program, Moon Phases 

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CAPSTONE will be the first cubesat to fly in Earth-moon space, settling into a near rectilinear halo orbit around the moon.

Tiny cubesat launching next year to blaze trail for NASA moon-orbiting space station

By Leonard David

A high-tech pioneer for NASA's moon-orbiting Gateway space station is being readied for liftoff early next year.

Earth's moon is thought to have formed when a Mars-sized object, called Theia, slammed into the early Earth 4.4 billion years ago, blasting out material that later coalesced in to a large satellite as depicted in this artist's illustration.

'Giant impact' theory of moon's formation gets another boost

By Elizabeth Howell

Scientists have found fresh evidence in lunar rocks showing that the moon was likely formed after a Mars-sized planet crashed into the proto-Earth more than 4 billion years ago.

chang'e 3 lunar lander

China's Chang'e 3 lunar lander still going strong after 7 years on the moon

By Andrew Jones

China has lunar spacecraft operating on both the near and far sides of the moon, according to an update from the China National Space Administration.

An artist's depiction of astronauts working on the moon as part of NASA's Artemis program.

NASA still targeting moon's south pole for 2024 crew landing

By Mike Wall

NASA is definitely targeting the moon's south pole for a crewed landing in 2024 — but that timeline will be difficult to achieve if Congress doesn't open its purse strings, and fast.

An artist's depiction of astronauts working on the moon.

The 1st Artemis astronauts on the moon may not visit the lunar south pole after all, NASA says

By Meghan Bartels

For 18 months, NASA has focused on landing astronauts in 2024 near the moon's south pole, but that last piece of the directive may need to take a back seat if executing the mission gets too tricky.

As multiple nations have exploration crosshairs on Earth's moon, including private sector interests, there's also increasing discussion of the military utility of cislunar space and lunar territory, too.

Is Earth-moon space the US military's new high ground?

By Leonard David

U.S. military officials have increasingly flagged a new role in guarding American assets and interests in Earth-moon space.

Dynetics has built a full-scale prototype of its crewed lunar lander, which the company hopes will start landing NASA astronauts on the moon in 2024.

Will this lander carry humans to the moon? Dynetics unveils lunar mock-up

By Mike Wall

Dynetics has built a full-scale mock-up of the lander it hopes will soon be carrying NASA astronauts to the moon.

See the moon, Venus and the Beehive star cluster in the early morning sky on Sept. 14, 2020.

See Venus swing by the crescent moon Monday morning

By Joe Rao

The moon and Venus will form a triangle with the Beehive star cluster in the predawn sky on Monday (Sept. 14).

The near-side of the moon, as seen by NASA's robotic Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.

NASA wants to buy moon dirt from private companies

By Mike Wall

NASA, which has already booked robotic rides to the lunar surface on commercial landers, now aims to pay private companies to collect moon dirt.

More of the rust was found on the near-side of the moon. The near-side of the moon is captured here by NASA's robotic Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft.

The moon is rusty, and it’s likely Earth's fault

By Yasemin Saplakoglu

The moon is turning ever so slightly red, and it's likely Earth's fault.

Artist's illustration of the planned Toyota/JAXA crewed rover on the moon.

Meet 'Lunar Cruiser': Japan's big moon rover for astronauts gets a nickname

By Mike Wall

The crewed lunar rover being developed by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and Toyota now has a (nick)name.

An artist's depiction of Masten's lunar lander on the surface of the moon.

NASA-sponsored moon mission will launch on a SpaceX rocket

By Meghan Bartels

A NASA-contracted lunar lander bound for the moon's South Pole will launch on a SpaceX rocket in late 2022.

An artist's depiction of the Chandrayaan-2 orbiter studying the moon's surface.

India's Chandrayaan-2 moon mission hits 1-year mark in lunar orbit

By Elizabeth Howell

India's Chandrayaan-2 mission has finished one year and 4,400 orbits around the moon — and the spacecraft is just getting started, officials said in a press release.

See the lunar crater Copernicus near the moon's terminator on Aug. 27, 2020.

Sunrise at Copernicus crater: How to see the 'Monarch of the Moon'

By Joe Rao

You can see the moon's famous Copernicus crater along the lunar terminator — the line lunar between day and night — on Thursday (Aug. 27).

An artist's illustration of an Artemis landing craft at the lunar south pole.

Cold as (lunar) ice: Protecting the moon's polar regions from contamination

By Leonard David

Can humanity mine water ice at the moon's poles without compromising these regions' great scientific potential?

The National Team’s engineering mockup of the crew lander vehicle at NASA Johnson Space Center’s iconic Building 9.

Blue Origin-led 'National Team' delivers mock-up moon lander to NASA for tests

By Mike Wall

A private team led by Jeff Bezos' spaceflight company Blue Origin has delivered a mock-up of its crewed moon lander to NASA for testing.

An artist's depiction of the first ispace lander, scheduled to launch in 2022, on the moon.

Japanese startup ispace raises $28 million in new funding for private moon landings

By Meghan Bartels

The Japanese space startup ispace is launching a new "Blueprint Moon" data analysis service on top of its plans for private lunar landings after raising $28 million in new investments.

This photograph shows the laser-ranging facility at the Goddard Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory in Greenbelt, Maryland trying to hit the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) with green laser light. For the first time, another facility in Grasse, France successfully bounced a laser (using infrared light) off the LRO's onboard mirror.

Astronomers bounced a laser off a spacecraft whirling around the moon

By Rafi Letzter

That's one precise laser shot.

The Black Moon arrives on Wednesday, July 31.

Black Moon 2020: What it is (and why you can't see it)

By Joe Rao

Tuesday's sky (Aug. 18) is host to a somewhat unusual lunar event in the Western Hemisphere: a third new moon in a season of four new moons, which some people call a "Black Moon."

The Japanese company ispace aims to launch the private Hakuto-R moon lander in 2022 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

Japan's ispace aims for 2022 moon landing for private Hakuto-R spacecraft

By Elizabeth Howell

A Japanese company that hopes to land people on the moon one day has unveiled the final design of its first robotic lunar lander, which will launch in 2022 on a SpaceX rocket.