Life update: This week I’m moving to Bangalore, the space hub of India. Looking ahead, I’m excited to expand my space horizons and coverage by continually existing where the country’s space epicenter is.Announcement: With no Moon missions launching this month, and no major updates expected from ongoing missions, I’ve decided to take the coming Monday...

Desired capabilities of the Artemis Lunar Terrain Vehicle. Image: NASAOn April 3, NASA selected teams led by Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, and Venturi Astrolab to mature their designs for a versatile Lunar Terrain Vehicle (LTV), one of which will be used on a firm, fixed price service basis by NASA across Artemis missions starting with Artemis...

Look, I hate social networks. I’m not active on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, Threads, and the ilk. And that’s despite the fact that I’m an independent space writer who needs to promote my work because no one else will do it for me. But trust me, it all works fine without social media.Even if we look at the more ethical socials like Mastodon...

Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin beside the solar-powered seismic experiment he just deployed. The experiment’s antenna is pointed at Earth. Image: NASANASA selects science instruments to be deployed on the Moon by Artemis III astronautsIn a historic return since Apollo, NASA aims to land astronauts on our Moon again in late 2026 with Artemis III. What...

An update about the last Indian Space Progress edition before we begin this one: My review of India’s Gaganyaan mission to send astronauts to space has been republished on Jeff Foust’s revered community blog The Space Review! ^_^How ISRO is building a reusable spaceplaneISRO’s spaceplane test vehicle autonomously lands on a runway. Image: ISROAlmost...

China doubles down on lunar infrastructure with the launch and orbital insertion of Queqiao 2The March 20, 2024 launch of the Queqiao 2 lunar orbiter on a Long March 8 rocket. Image: CNSAOn March 20 at 00:31 UTC, China’s Long March 8 rocket launched the 1200-kilogram Queqiao 2 lunar communications relay satellite on a Moon-ward trajectory with an orbit...