China’s human spaceflight agency has given names to spacecraft being developed to put astronauts on the moon. Mengzhou is the name for the spacecraft that will take astronauts beyond low Earth orbit, while the lunar lander has been named Lanyue. Lanyue means “Embracing the Moon,” referencing the Tang dynasty poet Li Bai. China’s human spaceflight Agency, CMSA, said in a press statement that the chosen name appears in a Mao Zedong poem. Mengzhou, meanwhile, means “Dream Vessel” and fits into the naming style for China’s Shenzhou and Tianzhou spacecraft, which…
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China eyes May 2024 launch for 1st-ever lunar sample-return mission to moon’s far side
Engineers working on China’s Chang’e-6 mission have foregone family reunions over the Lunar New Year to help get the spacecraft ready for launch. The components of the complex Chang’e-6 moon sample return mission arrived at Wenchang spaceport on Hainan island in early January. There, a team of engineers and researchers, many with extensive experience from the 2020 Chang’e-5 mission, is intensively testing and adjusting the equipment, according to a China Central Television (CCTV) report. The mission will make the first ever attempt at collecting material from the far side of…
Read MoreChina puts models of its future crewed moon landing spacecraft on display
China is displaying models of the rockets and spacecraft it is developing to send its astronauts to the moon. The event, the “Exhibition of Achievements in China Manned Space Program,” opened in Shanghai at the New International Expo Center on Dec. 29. The exhibition features the Long March 10 rocket, a lunar lander spacecraft and a next-generation crew spacecraft. Related: Not just Artemis: China and Russia plan to put boots on the moon, too The Long March 10 builds on China’s current rocket, the Long March 5. The next-gen spacecraft…
Read MoreJapan’s ‘Moon Sniper’ probe attempts historic soft-landing on lunar surface. But did it make it?
A Japanese lander touched down on the moon this morning (Jan. 19), but it wasn’t immediately clear if the probe survived the historic maneuver. The robotic SLIM spacecraft hit the gray dirt on schedule today at 10:20 a.m. EST, but that’s about all we know at this point. “From the telemetry, what we see is the SLIM has landed,” a spokesperson with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said during live commentary of the landing this morning. “We are now checking the status.” The agency will hold a press conference…
Read MoreDHL delivering Everest rock, ‘meme’ coin to the moon on Astrobotic lander
A rock from the top of Mount Everest, a tiny time capsule from Belgium, a physical “meme” coin, a collection of Reddit posts and a letter from a private astronaut who followed his father into space are now all being delivered to the moon. But it is not NASA nor any of the world’s other space agencies that are shipping these items to the lunar surface. It is DHL. The same American-founded German logistics company that is perhaps best known for its delivery services across Europe has expanded its worldwide…
Read MoreJapan’s SLIM ‘moon sniper’ lander arrives in lunar orbit for Christmas
A Japanese spacecraft just took a huge step toward pulling off the nation’s first-ever moon landing. Japan’s robotic SLIM moon lander arrived in lunar orbit on Christmas Day (Dec. 25) as planned, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency announced. The spacecraft entered lunar orbit at 2:51 a.m. EDT (4:51 p.m. Japan Standard Time, 0751 GMT). “The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is pleased to announce that the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) was successfully inserted into lunar orbit at 16:51 (Japan Standard Time, JST) on December 25, 2023,” JAXA officials…
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