Moon

A NASA next-generation rover designed to sniff out water and ice at the lunar south pole has just been assigned a ride, with SpaceX's Falcon Heavy given the job of launching it along with a medium-capacity lander to the Moon in 2023.

Scientists have predicted the presence and movement of ocean currents in the vast subsurface ocean of Enceladus. The moon, which is sheathed in a 20 km thick shell of ice, is one of the most promising prospects in the search for ET.

ESA has unveiled a spherical robot that may one day be used to explore caves on the Moon. Called the Descent And Exploration in Deep Autonomy of Lunar Underground Structures (DAEDALUS) robot, the spelunking rover is propelled by its extendable arms.

ESA plans to use its upcoming Lunar Pathfinder mission to experiment with expanding sat nav coverage to the Moon. By tuning in to the Galileo and GPS satellite constellations, the goal is to provide more precise fixes for spacecraft in lunar orbit.

Using mathematical models, a team of researchers has investigated various configurations of lunar landing spacecraft to determine the best approach for setting down astronauts on the Moon and returning them to an orbiting lunar station.

In the event of a global catastrophe, how would we protect the wide variety of plants and animals on Earth? A team of researchers has now proposed a “Noah’s Ark” on the Moon that stores millions of samples of seeds, spores, sperm and eggs.

A newly announced upgrade to Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket system will serve as a new type of testbed for NASA's Moon exploration efforts, offering minutes of simulated lunar gravity by spinning through suborbital space.

Fifty years ago today, on January 31, 1971, a Saturn V rocket lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center carrying Apollo 14`. As the follow-on from the ill-fated Apollo 13, this was the Moon mission that would make or break the US space program.

After fears that it might require disassembly, Lockheed Martin has completed work on the Artemis I Orion spacecraft and has formally transferred possession to NASA's Exploration Ground Systems team at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Space exploration in 2021 will see some major milestones to look forward to. From maiden flights to fiery endings, long-awaited launches to history-making first steps, here are some of the biggest upcoming events in space exploration this year.

China’s landmark lunar sampling mission has drawn to a close with the Chang’e-5 spacecraft touching down in Mongolia, bringing rocks collected from the Moon back to the Earth for the first time in decades.

China’s landmark Chang’e-5 mission has passed another milestone, with the spacecraft’s lander successfully lifting off from the Moon to dock with the orbiter module after gathering samples from the surface.