SpaceX will build a permanently manned moonbase using many lunar Starships. The Lunar Starship will have landing legs, but no heat shield and no flaps. The Lunar Starships would only dock with tankers and would not land back on Earth. SpaceX has increased efforts and planning for a moonbase. Japanese entrepreneur and billionaire Yusaku Maezawa …
Elon Musk says the Long term cost of a single Starship launch can reach $2 million. The reusable payload of 200 tonnes would mean $10 per kilogram for launch cost. If engines were further improved to 250 tons of reusable payload the cost to orbit would be $8 per kilogram. Nextbigfuture notes that sending only …
SpaceX has scheduled a live stream for March 14, 2024 for the third launch orbital test flight of the SpaceX Starship. They have changed the flight plan from previous orbital launches. They will try to make a controlled landing in the Indian Ocean. They will restart engines in orbit and open the payload bay doors. …
Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lunar lander is tipped over on its side. It captured a wide field of view image of Schomberger crater on the Moon approximately 125 miles (200 km) uprange from the intended landing site, at approximately about 6 miles (10 km) altitude. Despite being on it side, the equipment is functioning. The recent …
Intuitive Machines will have a livestream of the IM-1 lunar landing time has hit and there has been a communication issue. They are rebooting the ground transmitter. 3:33 PST Signs of life. Tracking a return signal. Successful Landing confirmed at about 3:35 PST Flight controllers chose to exercise an additional orbit before starting the IM-1 …
Intuitive Machines IM-1, Odysseus, completed its scheduled 408-second main engine lunar orbit insertion burn and is currently in a 92 km circular lunar orbit. Initial data indicates the 800 m/s burn was completed within 2 m/s accuracy. After traveling over 1,000,000 km, Odysseus is now closer to the Moon than the end-to-end distance driving across …
Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar lander had a good launch today on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The NASA payloads aboard the lander aim to help us learn more about terrain and communications near the lunar South Pole. Brian WangBrian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per …
Intuitive Machines will launch the IM-1 mission Nova-C class lunar lander on a SpaceX Falcon 9. The Intuitive Machines IM-1 mission will be the Company’s first attempted lunar landing as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (“CLPS”) initiative, a key part of NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration efforts. The Intuitive Machines 1 (IM-1, TO2-IM) mission …
The European Space Agency and Hassell Studio design for a 144 person moonbase has dozens of inflatable modules that will be covered by regolith. The larger inflatable modules are about 22 feet (7 meters wide), ~60 feet long (~18 meters) and up to 14 feet (4 meters tall at the tallest). This is based upon …
Architect Hassell Studio and the European Space Agency have a Lunar Habitat Master Plan to build a 144 person moon base. Designed in close collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) and Cranfield University, the Lunar Habitat Master Plan —was unveiled at the ESA’s Space Research and Technology Centre in the Netherlands as part of its …
Astrolab’s Flexible Logistics and Exploration (FLEX) rover is built to enhance Lunar and planetary mobility. In November, 2023, Lunar rover developer Astrolab announced eight customers have signed contracts worth more than $160 million for its first mission to the moon in 2026. They signed customers to fly payloads on Mission 1, a flight of the …