lunar lander
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NASA Tests Lunar Lighthouse With the Help of Private Odie Lander
Landing on the Moon is one thing, but not getting lost on its gray, dusty surface presents an entirely different challenge. The Apollo astronauts eyeballed their way across the lunar terrain, but NASA is hoping to develop a better navigation system for future astronauts exploring the Moon. In late February, NASA tested an autonomous navigation…
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Not Dead Yet: Japan’s Upside-Down Moon Lander Unexpectedly Wakes Up After Lunar Night
The SLIM lunar lander unexpectedly sprung back to life after hibernating during the freezing lunar night, sending a signal back to Earth more than a month after ending up face down on the Moon. On Monday, Japan’s space agency revealed that it reestablished communication with its lander. Yes, breaking this into two sentences can improve…
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‘Odie’ Lander Begins Its Journey to the Moon. Here’s What’s Next
Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lander has begun its eight-day voyage to the Moon. The mission is fraught with peril, as every previous attempt by private companies to land softly on the Moon has ended in failure. Here’s what needs to go right for this Houston-based company to enter into the history books. In the latest effort…
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Love and Rockets: A Valentine’s Day Launch Aims to Break Moon Landing Jinx
This Valentine’s Day, there will be more than love in the air, with SpaceX scheduled to launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 Moon lander. Should Odysseus successfully touch down on the lunar surface eight days later,Intuitive Machines will achieve a first in commercial space travel—a a feat that would follow a series…