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The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, dubbed the "Moon Sniper" touched down in January making Japan only the fifth nation to achieve a soft lunar landing
The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, dubbed the "Moon Sniper" touched down in January making Japan only the fifth nation to achieve a soft lunar landing.

Japan's space agency said on Monday it had ended its Moon lander operation after losing communication with the uncrewed spaceship last week.

The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM), dubbed the "Moon Sniper" for its landing precision, touched down eight months ago—making Japan only the fifth nation to achieve a soft lunar landing.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) wrote on X there was no response from the SLIM after trying to communicate last week following three frigid lunar nights or six cold weeks.

"We judged that there was no prospect of restoring communication with SLIM, and at around 22:40 (1340 GMT) on August 23, we sent a command to stop the SLIM activity," JAXA said, nearly a year after launching the operation.

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This is ESA: your perfect introduction to what Europe does in space

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NASA decides to keep 2 astronauts in space until February, nixes return on troubled Boeing capsule
This photo provided by NASA shows Boeing's Starliner spacecraft which launched astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station docked to the Harmony module's forward port on July 3, 2024, seen from a window on the SpaceX Dragon Endeavour spacecraft docked to the adjacent port. Credit: NASA via AP

NASA decided Saturday it's too risky to bring two astronauts back to Earth in Boeing's troubled new capsule, and they'll have to wait until next year for a ride home with SpaceX.

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Washington (AFP) Aug 25, 2024
The decision to transfer the crew of Boeing's Starliner to a SpaceX mission after the spacecraft malfunctioned is just the latest twist in a long saga that has undermined the credibility of the US aerospace giant. Here is a recap of the setbacks and delays on Starliner's journey to fly a crew to the International Space Station - and how it was unable to bring them back again. - 2014: N
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 26, 2024
Bluestone Investment Partners has finalized a strategic investment in Qualis Corporation, a Huntsville, Alabama-based firm specializing in missile defense and space systems technology. Qualis is known for its role in advancing next-generation missile defense and satellite communications systems, providing key services in modeling, simulation, and testing. The company excels in simulating R
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 26, 2024
Physicians at the Medical College of Georgia (MCG) at Augusta University are collaborating with the Polaris Dawn mission, part of the Polaris Program's series of human spaceflights, to explore the causes of eye changes that many astronauts experience during space missions. These changes, known as Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome (SANS), can result in a range of symptoms from needing
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Washington DC (UPI) Aug 22, 2024
SpaceX on \revealed the Crew Dragon capsules that will take part in the Polaris Dawn and Crew-9 astronaut missions on Aug. 27 and Sept. 4. The capsules were rolled out Wednesday at its processing facility in Florida with SpaceX saying on social media they were "readying for flight." Polaris Dawn is the first of three private missions paid for by billionaire tech owner Jared Isaac
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Washington (AFP) Aug 24, 2024
SpaceX is coming to Boeing's rescue. The legacy company needing aid from an upstart rival is hardly welcome news to the aerospace giant. Because of problems with Boeing's Starliner spacecraft, two astronauts who rode on it to the International Space Station in June will finally return to Earth on a vessel built by Elon Musk's SpaceX. NASA's announcement Saturday of that plan represe
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Houston (AFP) Aug 24, 2024
Two US astronauts who arrived at the International Space Station aboard Boeing's Starliner will have to stay six more months and return home with rival SpaceX, NASA said Saturday, in a fresh public relations blow to the crisis-hit aviation giant. The return of Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams had already been delayed for weeks by thruster malfunctions of the Boeing spacecraft
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Washington DC (UPI) Aug 24, 2024
Boeing Starliner crewmembers Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stranded aboard the International Space Station since June, will remain there until February, NASA administrators announced Saturday. In weighing whether to allow them to try to return to Earth aboard their malfunctioning Starliner craft or wait until the completion of the upcoming SpaceX Crew-9 Dragon mission i
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Washington (AFP) Aug 24, 2024
NASA is expected to decide Saturday whether two astronauts who arrived at the International Space Station aboard Boeing's Starliner should return on that craft - or brace for a longer wait to fly home with rival SpaceX. The latter solution would not only create a fresh public relations headache for Boeing, but possibly result in astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams spending a total of
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 26, 2024
Blue Origin is gearing up for its eighth human spaceflight, the NS-26 mission, scheduled to launch on Thursday, August 29, from the company's Launch Site One in West Texas. The launch window is set to open at 8:00 AM CDT / 1300 UTC, with live coverage starting 40 minutes prior on BlueOrigin.com. The NS-26 mission will be crewed by six passengers: Nicolina Elrick, Rob Ferl, Eugene Grin, Dr.
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Atlanta GA (SPX) Aug 23, 2024
Most space mission systems historically have used one spacecraft designed to complete an entire mission independently. Whether it was a weather satellite or a human-crewed module like Apollo, nearly every spacecraft was deployed and performed its one-off mission completely on its own. But today, space industry organizations are exploring missions with many satellites working together. For
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Los Angeles CA (SPX) Aug 23, 2024
Scout Space Inc., a prominent provider of in-space observation services focusing on space security and autonomous solutions, is set to achieve a major milestone with the first demonstration of an innovative Space Domain Awareness (SDA) capability in very low Earth orbit (vLEO). This demonstration, named "Morning Sparrow," will take place aboard a reusable, taskable, sub-orbital spaceplane platfo
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