Lander

The Senate just advanced the beef between SpaceX and Blue Origin

A controversial amendment pushed by Jeff Bezos’ space firm Blue Origin passed the Senate Wednesday night, inching closer to becoming law. Crammed inside a mammoth science and technology bill designed primarily to counter competition from China, the amendment would allow NASA to spend up to $10 billion on its embattled Moon lander program. Aside from… Read more

China drives its rover on the surface of Mars

China became the second country to successfully deploy a vehicle on Mars on Saturday, and the first to do so on its inaugural visit to the Red Planet. Reuters reported that the solar-powered Zhurong rover drove down the ramp of its landing capsule on to the surface of Mars at about 10:40 AM Beijing time…. Read more

China releases first images from its Zhurong rover on Mars

China’s Zhurong rover has beamed back its first images from the surface of Mars after landing on a vast plain called Utopia Planitia. The rover plunged through the Martian atmosphere last Friday, bundled together with a lander after separating from China’s Tianwen-1 probe. The new images released by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) show… Read more

China is set to land on Mars for the first time

Sometime between tonight and next Wednesday, China will attempt to land a pair of robots on the surface of Mars, making a daring bid to become the second country to land and operate a rover on the Red Planet. The Tianwen-1 spacecraft, which has been orbiting Mars since February, will eject a rover and lander… Read more

From Texas to Hawaii: SpaceX plans first orbital Starship test

SpaceX plans to have its first Starship test flight to orbit launch from Texas and splash down off the coast of an island in Hawaii, according to a document the company filed with the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday. The orbital flight test would mark the first time SpaceX stacks both elements of its massive… Read more

Proposed bill aims to toss a new wrench in NASA’s Moon lander plan

A senior lawmaker proposed a controversial piece of legislation on Wednesday that directs NASA to pick a second company to build the agency’s next Moon landers — in addition to Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which was awarded a $2.9 billion NASA contract to build a lander earlier this year. The bill hasn’t passed the full Senate… Read more

NASA suspends SpaceX’s $2.9 billion moon lander contract after rivals protest

NASA has suspended work on SpaceX’s new $2.9 billion lunar lander contract while a federal watchdog agency adjudicates two protests over the award, the agency said Friday. Putting the Human Landing System (or HLS) work on hold until the GAO makes a decision on the two protests means SpaceX won’t immediately receive its first chunk… Read more

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin protests NASA’s $2.9 billion SpaceX contract

Jeff Bezos’ space company Blue Origin is protesting NASA’s decision to award SpaceX $2.9 billion for a pair of missions to land on the Moon by 2024. NASA’s Human Landing System program, which funded development of three rival lunar lander prototypes (including Blue Origin’s), was expected to pick two of those landers in April. But… Read more

Elon Musk’s SpaceX will reportedly build NASA’s lunar lander

NASA picked Elon Musk’s SpaceX to receive $2.9 billion to build a lunar lander, as part of the Artemis mission to send humans to the Moon by 2024, The Washington Post reported. It’s a major vote of confidence in SpaceX from NASA — as no other company received money. There were three major contenders for… Read more

Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin delays New Glenn debut to late 2022

Blue Origin is delaying the debut launch of its massive, centerpiece rocket New Glenn to late 2022, the company announced Thursday, citing a key Pentagon contract it lost out on to rival firms SpaceX and United Launch Alliance as the reason for the delay. New Glenn is a massive, partially reusable heavy-lift rocket designed to… Read more

China becomes latest country to reach Mars with Tianwen-1 probe

China’s Tianwen-1 spacecraft successfully rolled into Mars orbit Wednesday morning, the China National Space Administration confirmed. The probe’s arrival makes China the sixth space-faring power to reach the planet. It’s also the second country this month to celebrate its first Mars mission, arriving a day after the UAE’s Hope orbiter entered Martian orbit Tuesday morning…. Read more

Space travel: aim high in 2021

Nothing went as planned in the space sector either 2019. Like almost all sectors, space activities have been hit hard by the pandemic. Observers were particularly looking forward to the start of seven planned space missions, some things went great: SpaceX sent astronauts into space, China brought moon rocks back to Earth. But many other… Read more

The 'mole' fails: NASA gives up measuring the internal temperature of Mars

NASA raises the white flag and gives up to measure the temperature of Mars. The “mole” that had to place a thermal probe 3 meters deep to measure the heat loss of the Red Planet did not go beyond 3 centimeters. by Manolo De Agostini published 17 January 2021 , at 08: 01 in the… Read more

Watch NASA test fire its massive new rocket

Four huge rocket engines will roar to life on Saturday, in a crucial test for NASA’s powerful next-generation rocket. This long-awaited trial run won’t leave the ground, but it will be so powerful that officials have warned that it may be heard up to 60 miles away. Saturday’s test is the last step in series… Read more

Best standing desk 2021: Excellent work tables for upright productivity

(Pocket-lint) – Standing desks are here to stay. Initially dismissed by some as a fad when they first gained popularity a few years ago, most people who’ve actually tried them are converts – being able to change your posture and spend some time working on your feet can be a real boon if you’ve got… Read more