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India is set to celebrate its first <keyword id="22301946" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="National-Space-Day" source="keywords">National Space Day</keyword> on August 23, 2024. In 2023, on this very day, <keyword id="20376714" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Chandrayaan-3" source="keywords">Chandrayaan 3</keyword> accomplished the safe and soft landing of <keyword id="21074312" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Vikram-Lander" source="keywords">Vikram Lander</keyword> on the <keyword id="20381887" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lunar-surface" source="keywords">lunar surface</keyword>. India became the fourth country to land on the moon and the first to land near the southern polar region of the moon. The <keyword id="19909265" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Union-Government" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Union Government" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Union Government">Union Government</keyword> has declared August 23rd as "National Space Day" to celebrate the remarkable success of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission, which accomplished a safe and soft landing of the Vikram Lander and deployed the <keyword id="22760272" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pragyaan-rover" source="keywords">Pragyaan rover</keyword> on the lunar surface near the South Pole. This achievement is being celebrated across the country with the goal of engaging and inspiring the younger generation in the field of <keyword id="21280701" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Space-Science" source="keywords">Space Science</keyword> and Technology. To commemorate this historical achievement, the Department of Fisheries (DoF), <keyword id="19923385" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Government-of-India" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Government of India" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Government of India">Government of India</keyword> (GoI), is organizing a series of seminars and demonstrations, to create awareness about the Application of Space Technologies in the Fisheries Sector. The events are being organized in collaboration with various coastal States and Union Territories, <keyword id="19915124" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ISRO" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="ISRO" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="ISRO">ISRO</keyword> and DoF field offices. Earlier, the notification issued by the Department of Space said India became the first country to land near the South pole of the moon with the success of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission. "With the success of the Chandrayaan-3 Mission on August 23, 2023, with the landing of the Vikram lander and deployment of the Pragyaan Rover on the lunar surface, India joins an elite group of Space faring nations becoming the fourth country to land on the moon and the first nation to land near to South pole of the moon," said the notification. "The outcome of this historic mission will benefit mankind in the years to come," it added. The notification said the day marks an important milestone in the country's advancements in space missions, will inspire younger generations towards enhanced interest in pursuing <keyword id="19960286" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="stem" source="keywords">STEM</keyword> and will provide a major impetus to the space sector. "The Government of India has declared August 23 of every year as 'National Space Day' to commemorate this historic moment," it said.

India set to celebrate first National Space Day on August 23

<ul class="summary-list"><li>This year's full harvest moon is also a supermoon, and it's rising early Tuesday evening.</li><li>There will also be the last partial lunar eclipse of the year later, Tuesday evening. </li></ul>There are a couple of reasons to check out the upcoming <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/full-moon-names-meaning-origin-lunar-calendar-2023">harvest moon</a>. First, it's a supermoon, meaning it will appear slightly bigger and brighter in the night sky than a typical full moon.Second, it coincides with the last <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/see-strawberry-moon-partial-lunar-eclipse-friday-2020-6">partial lunar eclipse</a> of the year. So, depending on your location, you'll be able to see Earth's shadow sweep across a small part of the harvest moon when it rises Tuesday evening.<h2 id="b9f7bcc6-7b06-48e3-a8b1-8f8194454618">The best time to watch the super harvest moon and partial lunar eclipse</h2>The <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/september-harvest-moon-last-supermoon-when-best-time-to-see-2023-9">harvest moon is the full moon</a> that occurs nearest to the first day of autumn. It typically rises in the early evening around sunset, which meant farmers could finish harvesting their fall crops by its bright moonlight, hence the name.This year, the harvest moon will officially be at its fullest on September 17 at 10:35 p.m. ET, according to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/skywatching/the-next-full-moon-is-a-partial-lunar-eclipse-a-supermoon-the-corn-moon-and-the-harvest-moon/">NASA</a>. But the harvest moon will appear full for about three days from Monday evening through Thursday morning, NASA adds. The best time to catch any full moon, including the harvest moon, is <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/super-blood-moon-lunar-eclipse-photos-2021-5#countries-in-the-asian-pacific-rim-including-china-and-indonesia-saw-the-eclipse-just-after-moonrise-2">right around moonrise</a>. <div type="image" title="harvest moon" height="1648" width="2200" msid="113372044" hostid="261" sizebytes="69298"></div>That's because the moon looks larger and adopts a yellow-orangish hue when it's close to the horizon. No one knows why this illusion occurs, <a target="_blank" href="https://science.nasa.gov/solar-system/moon/the-moon-illusion-why-does-the-moon-look-so-big-sometimes/">according to NASA</a>, but it makes for some spectacular moon gazing and photos.The moon will rise over the east horizon around 7 p.m. local time on Tuesday for most of the contiguous US, but check <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.timeanddate.com/moon/">TimeandDate</a> for exactly when moonrise is in your area. Here's when the full harvest moon will rise Tuesday in the five largest US cities:<table style="minWidth: 50px"></colgroup></colgroup><tbody><tr><td>City</td><td>Moonrise (local time)</td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">New York City</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">6:58 p.m.</td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">Los Angeles</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">6:55 p.m.</td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">Chicago</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">6:54 p.m.</td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">Houston</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">7:20 p.m.</td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">Phoenix</td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1">6:30 p.m.</td></tr></tbody></table>Also happening Tuesday evening is a partial lunar eclipse. The eclipse will start at 8:41 p.m. ET, according to NASA, but you likely won't see anything happen until closer to the eclipse's peak at 10:44 p.m. ET, when the maximum area of the moon's surface will be in shadow.A partial lunar eclipse is when <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-lunar-eclipses-work-earth-moon-red-shadow-2018-7">Earth passes between the sun and moon</a>, casting its shadow across a certain percentage of the lunar surface. The more the Earth, sun, and moon are aligned, the greater portion of the moon the Earth eclipses.<div type="image" title="A lunar eclipse with a statue in front" height="683" width="1024" msid="113372045" hostid="261" sizebytes="15568"></div>For this particular eclipse, about 8.4% of the moon will be immersed in shadow, per NASA. So, at the time of the eclipse's peak, you should be able to notice that a small sliver looks like it's missing from the top of the moon."The only impact the eclipse has on seeing the moon is that part of the moon will be dimmer than the part that is outside of the shadow of the Earth," Noah Petro, a research scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, told BI over email.Tuesday's partial eclipse is the last lunar eclipse of the year. The next lunar eclipse will be a total eclipse on March 14, 2025.Just about everyone worldwide can enjoy the upcoming supermoon but only regions of North America, South America, Europe, and Africa will have a chance to see the lunar eclipse. <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://www.timeanddate.com/eclipse/lunar/2024-september-18">TimeandDate</a> has a map showing which portions of the globe will get the best eclipse show.<h2 id="4678bbea-bf93-41a2-9445-1b83e47703af">The harvest moon is the second supermoon of 2024</h2><div type="image" title="red harvest moon rising over eastern horizon with a city in front of it" height="681" width="1024" msid="113372043" hostid="261" sizebytes="13854"></div>This year's harvest moon is the second in a series of four consecutive supermoons, according to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://earthsky.org/astronomy-essentials/what-is-a-supermoon/">EarthSky.</a>Supermoons occur when a full (or new) moon coincides with perigee — the point in the moon's orbit when it's closest to Earth.But that distance isn't always the same value because the moon's orbit is elliptical, not perfectly circular. Therefore, supermoons vary in how much larger and brighter they may look.In general, though, supermoons appear about 7% larger and 15% brighter than a typical full moon, Larry Wasserman, an astronomer at Lowell Observatory in Arizona, told Business Insider via email.<div type="image" title="supermoon rises over a city at night" height="682" width="1024" msid="113372048" hostid="261" sizebytes="45990"></div>This year's harvest moon will be about 222,131 miles from Earth at perigee. To compare, the closest supermoon so far this century, in November 2016, was at a distance of 221,524 miles, according to <a target="_blank" class="" href="https://earthsky.org/sky-archive/closest-supermoon-since-1948/">EarthSky</a>.The next two full moons, on October 17 and November 15, will also be supermoons. In particular, October's full moon — called the Hunter's moon — will be the largest supermoon of the year.

The 2024 harvest moon is the 2nd supermoon and last lunar eclipse this year. Here's the best time to see it when it rises Tuesday.

Bengaluru, Chandrayaan-3 mission's Lander Module which touched down on the lunar surface, has rolled out the rover, <keyword id="439182" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="pragyan" source="Orion">Pragyan</keyword>, with ISRO saying "<keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> took a walk on the moon". On its official X handle, ISRO said the "rover ramped down." "Chandrayaan-3 ROVER: Made in India--Made for the Moon! The Ch-3 Rover ramped down from the lander and India took a walk on the moon!," it said. Official sources had earlier confirmed the development. President <keyword id="2848422" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="droupadi-murmu" source="Orion">Droupadi Murmu</keyword> congratulated the ISRO team for the successful deployment of Pragyan. "Its rolling out a few hours after the landing of <keyword id="1091" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="vikram" source="Orion">Vikram</keyword> marked the success of yet another stage of Chandrayaan 3. I look forward with excitement, alongside my fellow citizens and scientists, to the information and analyses that Pragyan will acquire and enrich our understanding of the moon", she said. In precision landing, Chandrayaan 3's LM Vikram touched down the lunar surface at 6.04 pm on Wednesday, sending the nation into wild celebrations. The ISRO had earlier said the 26 kg six-wheeled rover was scheduled to descend from the lander's belly, onto the Moon's surface, using one of its side panels as a ramp. The lander (Vikram) and rover (Pragyan) -- with a total mass of 1,752 kg -- are designed to operate for one lunar daylight period (about 14 Earth days) to study the surroundings there. However, ISRO officials do not rule out the possibility of them coming to life for another lunar day. The rover will carry out in-situ chemical analysis of the lunar surface during the course of its mobility. Both the lander and the rover have scientific payloads to carry out experiments on the lunar surface. The rover would study the surface of the moon through its payloads APXS - Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectrometer - to derive the chemical composition and infer mineralogical composition to further enhance understanding of the lunar surface. Pragyan also has another payload--Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) to determine the elemental composition of lunar soil and rocks around the lunar landing site. ISRO Chairman S Somnath had earlier said, "After powered descent (of lander) on to the landing site, there will be deployment of ramp and rover coming out. After this all the experiments will take place one after the other -- all of which have to be completed in just one day on the moon, which is 14 days."

India walks on the moon as Pragyan rover rolls on to the lunar surface

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], August 23 (ANI): Ahead of the much-awaited soft landing of the country's third <keyword id="42440" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="moon" source="Orion">moon</keyword> mission -- <keyword id="8011274" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="chandrayaan-3" source="Orion">Chandrayaan-3</keyword>, former <keyword id="6448588" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="isro-chairman" source="Orion">ISRO Chairman</keyword> G <keyword id="52158" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="madhavan-nair" source="Orion">Madhavan Nair</keyword> spoke to and delved into how this mission is significant for overall spacefaring for India and also about the last-minute manoeuvres. "The last leg of its operation and everybody is anxiously looking forward to this great event. As far as the Indian space program is concerned, this is going to be the most significant milestone for planetary exploration. Of course, in the past, we have made an attempt to land on the <keyword id="963787" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="lunar-surface" source="Orion">lunar surface</keyword>, but unfortunately, it did not succeed at the time. Since then, <keyword id="6358064" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="isro" source="Orion">ISRO</keyword> has done considerable studies and simulations and strengthened the designs and provided redundancies so that the mission success probability can be improved," he said. The scheduled timing for the soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on the moon's south pole on August 23, 2023 (Wednesday), is around 18:04 IST, with the powered descent of Vikram lander expected at 1745 IST. With all set for a soft landing, he said the last 20 minutes where the powered descending from the lunar orbit to the lunar surface will take place, is going to be the most challenging moment in the history of this mission. "As far as this soft landing is concerned, not many people have succeeded. It is only USA, Russia and China have succeeded so far to land on the south pole of the Moon. Of course, recently, the Luna spacecraft of Russia also crashed and landed on the lunar surface. Considering all this background, we have to really make sure everything is normal and perfect before the landing operation takes place," he said. "The landing operation involves first reducing the velocity of the spacecraft from 1.6 kilometre per second to a few hundred meters per second and then making it over at a low altitude, taking pictures of the lunar surface and identifying the spot where it can safely land. There are rocks and there are craters and valleys in the region. So one has to really choose the spot on which the landing can take place safely. And this operation will be done in the last minute or so." "And that is the most important event which is as far as the mission is concerned. After reaching identifying the spot, the thrusters again will slowly bring the spacecraft to the lunar surface. After landing there, the rover is suspected to move out and then have the investigation in the southern polar region for about 14 days. It will collect data about the minerals which are there, identify the water sources and also the helium three and so on," he added. "So this is a very significant event as far as ISRO is concerned, and everybody is anxiously looking forward to the successful completion of this event" said Madhavan Nair. In its latest update on Chandrayaan-3 soft landing, ISRO has said the mission is on schedule and systems are undergoing regular checks. This mission, if it turns out to be fruitful, will make India the only country to have marked its presence on the lunar south pole which is considered to be difficult for its rough and harsh conditions, and fourth - after US, China, and Russia - to have successfully landed on the moon's surface. Historically, spacecraft missions to the Moon have primarily targeted the equatorial region due to its favourable terrain and operating conditions. However, the lunar south pole presents a vastly different and more challenging terrain compared to the equatorial region. The spacecraft was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh's Sriharikota on July 14. Ever since the July 14 launch, ISRO has been maintaining that the health of the spacecraft remains "normal". Chandrayaan-3's development phase commenced in January 2020, with the launch planned sometime in 2021. However, the Covid-19 pandemic brought an unforeseen delay to the mission's progress. (ANI)

Chandrayaan-3 most significant milestone for planetary exploration: former ISRO chief

<ul class="summary-list"><li>NASA and Intuitive Machines' <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-intuitive-machines-moon-landing-attempt-after-astrobotic-fail-2024-2">IM-1 mission</a> landed on the moon on Thursday.</li><li>This is NASA's first return to the lunar surface since the last Apollo mission in 1972.</li></ul>An American moon lander touched down on the lunar surface for the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/moon-missions-why-astronauts-have-not-returned-2018-7">first time in more than 50 years</a> on Thursday.The uncrewed Odysseus lander, made by the Houston company Intuitive Machines in collaboration with NASA, claimed a major victory not just for the US but for the space industry at large: It's the first commercial spacecraft to ever <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-moon-landings-on-lunar-south-pole-crashed-2023-8">land on the moon without crashing</a>. The past five years have racked up a series of failed moon landings — by Russia, India, Japan, an Israeli nonprofit, a Japanese company, and, just last month, the NASA collaborator <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/astrobotic-moon-lander-leaking-fuel-after-launch-threatening-mission-2024-1">Astrobotic</a>. Everyone is scrambling to get their feet on the moon in a new race to claim lunar territory and resources.The success of Odysseus brings NASA and its commercial partners, finally, to the front of the 21st century's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-helping-private-companies-build-business-moon-make-lunar-billions-2023-6">mad moon dash</a>.There were some initial complications in the landing. When the spacecraft touched down on the moon, it stopped communication with mission control.<div type="image" title="Illustration of Intuitive Machines' Odysseus spacecraft attempting moon landing" height="604" width="1094" msid="107926875" hostid="261"></div>"We're not dead yet," the mission director, Tim Crain, said on NASA's livestream of the landing. "It's faint, but it's there."A couple of hours later, however, <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/Int_Machines/status/1760838333851148442">Intuitive Machines</a> announced on X it had established communications and learned the spacecraft had landed upright on the moon."After troubleshooting communications, flight controllers have confirmed Odysseus is upright and starting to send data. Right now, we are working to downlink the first images from the lunar surface," the private company wrote on X.<h2>The Odysseus lander's odyssey so far</h2>Odysseus launched atop a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-elon-musk">SpaceX</a> rocket on February 14, carrying 12 payloads — six of them belonging to private companies and six of them science experiments for NASA.The spacecraft traveled 620,000 miles to aim for its destination: a crater in the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-scientist-microbial-life-hiding-on-moon-south-pole-2023-6">moon's south pole</a>.On Thursday, however, the landing was delayed about 45 minutes after the lander's navigation system failed.Intuitive Machines mission controllers scrambled to upload software patches that instructed the lander to instead use a system of navigation lasers that NASA had loaded on board. The NASA laser system was meant to be a demo to see whether the technology even worked — not to guide the landing on its own.As Odysseus plummeted to the lunar surface and tilted itself to point the lasers toward the lunar surface to map it out, everything seemed to be going well. But the lander fell out of communication in the final moments of its descent to the lunar surface.Intuitive Machines mission control reported that it was receiving pings from the lander, which meant it touched down at about 6:24 p.m. ET, intact and alive.It's unclear whether the touchdown issues were related to the navigation-system failure.<h2>A race to the moon's south pole</h2>The IM-1 mission was designed to get NASA and Intuitive Machines closer to the moon's south pole than anyone had ever been before.The US — along with its commercial and international allies — is <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-china-race-to-the-moon-photos-launches-2022-11">racing against China and Russia</a> to establish a permanent base in this lunar region. The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-scientists-discover-moons-hidden-water-stores-2020-10">moon's south pole</a> is so coveted because it contains water frozen in its permanently shadowed craters. In theory, NASA (and anyone else who claims a crater) could use that water to produce fresh rocket fuel from their lunar base.With that fuel, astronauts could <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-made-oxygen-out-of-thin-air-on-mars-2023-9">launch toward Mars</a> from the surface of the moon.Adding a lunar pitstop to a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-seeking-applicants-mars-simulation-habitat-live-year-2024-2">mission to Mars</a> would mean the spacecraft doesn't have to leave Earth with all the fuel required to make it to the red planet.Until now, only <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/india-moon-rover-to-collect-first-samples-lunar-south-pole-2023-8">India</a> had solidly landed in the moon's south-pole region.<h2>Landing on the moon is tricky and expensive</h2>Landing on the moon is no easy feat. The US isn't the only nation to have <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-moon-lander-peregrine-burn-up-earth-atmosphere-satellite-astrobotic-2024-1">tried and failed</a> in previous attempts.India found success several years after crashing during its first attempt. Russia's lunar lander was destroyed in a crash in August, and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/japan-moon-probe-landed-upside-down-still-works-2024-1">Japan's landed upside down</a> in January.<div type="image" title="The IM-1 mission spacecraft floating in space with Earth in the background." height="945" width="1260" msid="107926876" hostid="261"></div>"Spaceflight is hard. A million things have to go right, and if one thing goes wrong, you can still have a failure," Trent Martin, the vice president of Intuitive Machines' space systems, said during a NASA press briefing last month.In fact, only about 50% of lunar landing missions succeed. While technology has advanced a lot since Apollo, the moon's treacherous terrain and distance from Earth make failure pretty likely.<h2>Space exploration goes commercial</h2>The IM-1 mission is part of NASA's new deep-space strategy.Through its Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, the government space agency can <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-helping-private-companies-build-business-moon-make-lunar-billions-2023-6">outsource spacecraft design to private companies</a>, such as Intuitive Machines.The idea is that companies build the hardware, and NASA hitches a ride, saving taxpayer money and giving the agency more options.IM-1 wasn't the first time NASA has done this. For its last lunar-landing attempt in January, NASA partnered with the Pittsburgh company Astrobotic Technology to send its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/us-moon-lander-peregrine-burn-up-earth-atmosphere-satellite-astrobotic-2024-1">Peregrine spacecraft</a> to the moon. But the mission didn't succeed.<div type="image" title="Earth photographed by the Intuitive Machines' Odysseus moon lander." height="945" width="1260" msid="107926877" hostid="261"></div>NASA has several CLPS missions scheduled over the next two years, including two more with Intuitive Machines.In Intuitive Machines' next mission, its spacecraft is scheduled to launch toward the moon's south pole again in 2024, this time to deliver a drill designed to dig down into a ridge near the Shackleton crater to look for ice.Even later this year, a different Intuitive Machines spacecraft is scheduled to head to the western edge of the moon's near side. In that mission, it's targeting a specific geographic feature named a "lunar swirl" that has a localized magnetic field.So NASA and Intuitive Machines have officially put the new commercial lunar era in swing, and they're just getting started.

NASA is back on the moon &mdash; with the first commercial lunar landing ever

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Astronauts could one day hop a train on the moon.</li><li>DARPA, the famed US research agency, has asked a firm to come up with a lunar railroad concept. </li></ul>Astronauts may one day be able to hop on a train to travel the moon's surface.DARPA, the US Defense Department's secretive research agency, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.space.com/darpa-moon-tech-study-future-lunar-economy">has been tasked</a> with figuring out how to support astronauts who could soon be living on the moon for extended periods.The plans are highly hypothetical — there are currently no permanent structures on the moon at all, and no people have been there since 1972.But the US and other nations want to get people on the moon once again, and that would require futuristic infrastructure to provide reliable power, comms, and transport.As part of this mission, DARPA tasked US aerospace and defense tech firm Northrop Grumman to develop a concept for a lunar railway.If realized, this railroad could transport people, supplies, and commercial cargo on the moon, <a target="_blank" href="https://news.northropgrumman.com/news/releases/northrop-grumman-to-develop-concept-for-lunar-railroad">Northrop Grumman</a> said in a statement Tuesday.The firm will not be building the railway but figuring out if it is physically and financially possible.They will have to find clever ideas to sidestep the moon's brutal landscape. Abrasive lunar dust, for one, can ruin tracks and transporters, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nasa.gov/general/float-flexible-levitation-on-a-track/">NASA previously said</a>.NASA previously investigated a concept for a magnetic levitating train called FLOAT to avoid that problem. In that concept, electromagnetic tracks shuttled levitating robots carrying cargo back and forth.<div type="image" title="An artist's illustration shows solar panels laid out in tracks on the moon. On top of these are robotic trays carrying lunar dust to a lunar base seen in the distance." height="2070" width="2693" msid="108651514" hostid="261" sizebytes="350880"></div>The study found the concept was doable, but required more investigation, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.c4isrnet.com/battlefield-tech/space/2023/08/16/darpa-to-explore-technology-needed-for-moon-based-economy/">per Breaking Defense.</a> It's not clear whether Northrop Grumman intends to pursue that idea or come up with something else.Though this may all sound like science fiction, it's not as far-fetched as you might think.NASA has a longterm plan underway to get people on the moon. The Artemis program kicked off with <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-artemis-orion-spaceship-enters-moon-orbit-progress-toward-astronauts-2022-11">a flight around the moon in 2022.</a>Its ultimate aim is to establish astronauts on the moon and Mars, setting the groundwork for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-helping-private-companies-build-business-moon-make-lunar-billions-2023-6">commercial exploitation</a> of the solar system.For the next Artemis mission, the agency aims to send astronauts back to the moon for the first time in over 50 years <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-shares-progress-toward-early-artemis-moon-missions-with-crew/#:~:text=NASA%20will%20now%20target%20September,remains%20on%20track%20for%202028.">by the end of 2025</a>.Commercial partners, meanwhile, are already thinking of ways to <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/marshall/nasa-geologist-paves-the-way-for-building-on-the-moon/">mine the moon.</a>This could provide building materials, water that could be used to power rockets toward Mars, and Helium-3 — a precious isotope that could be used in fusion reactors.NASA and other space agencies have also been looking at putting <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rolls-royce-concept-nuclear-reactor-could-power-colony-on-moon-2023-12">miniature nuclear reactors</a> on the moon to power the bases. Plans also include putting <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/no-gps-on-moon-nasa-esa-artemis-plans-to-fix-2023-1">comms and GPS satellites</a> in the moon's orbit to allow astronauts to navigate, talk — and even stream — from the lunar surface.Before this can happen, however, NASA needs to sort out the problem of getting astronauts to the moon from Earth. At this juncture, this depends on SpaceX and Blue Origins finessing their experimental mega-rockets.Elon Musk's Starship last week <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/starship-launch-success-elon-musk-vision-cheap-space-travel-closer-2024-3">passed a milestone</a> when the almost 400-foot-tall rocket flew in space for the first time. Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin, for its part, aims to launch its behemoth <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/jeff-bezos-blue-origin-new-glenn-move-faster-2023-12">New Glenn</a> by the end of this year.

All aboard the moon train: DARPA is trying to figure out how to build a lunar railroad

<ul class="summary-list"><li>China's new teaser for its lunar base appeared to show a NASA Space Shuttle taking off.</li><li>It's a peculiar detail in the clip, because China and the US don't work with each other in space.</li></ul>A new concept video showcasing China's planned lunar base appeared to feature a NASA Space Shuttle lifting off from the facility — a detail that was then omitted in a later broadcast of the clip.Released by the China National Space Administration on April 26, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnsa.gov.cn/english/n6465652/n6760280/c10514400/content.html">the video</a> contained a CGI rendering of Beijing's vision for its International Lunar Research Station in 2045.The <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/globaltimesnews/status/1783025747466297626">rendering </a>shows an astronaut waving a Chinese flag over a research campus on the moon, while a spacecraft shaped like a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-challenger-space-shuttle-explosion-anniversary-2020-1">Space Shuttle</a> takes off in the background with a signature orange rocket booster.American rocket boosters were orange because of a <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/114022main_tps_fs.pdf">foam used uniquely by NASA</a> to insulate fuel tanks during the Space Shuttle era of 1981 to 2011, during which the administration ran 135 missions.<div type="image" title="Stacked Space Shuttle For Mission 51-J With Orbiter Atlantis, August 1985." height="2774" width="3699" msid="109874491" hostid="261" sizebytes="296434"></div>The apparent Space Shuttle's appearance in China's video is peculiar. The <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-china-collaboration-illegal-2015-10">US prohibits NASA</a> from working with China in space, and Beijing has long touted its new space station and <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-to-build-moon-station-five-years-lunar-soil-bricks-2023-4">ambitions for a lunar base</a> as independent and China-led.Meanwhile, the US and NASA have been signaling <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-china-race-to-the-moon-photos-launches-2022-11">an urgent need to establish their own base</a> on the moon before China, marking a race between both nations to put their astronauts on the lunar surface.It's unclear if showing a Space Shuttle was intended by China's space administration, but the spacecraft using a Chinese base in 2045 would be nearly impossible.That's because the Space Shuttle was retired in 2011, with NASA now focusing on its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nasa.gov/reference/orion-spacecraft/#:~:text=NASA's%20Orion%20spacecraft%20is%20built,from%20deep%20space%20return%20velocities.">new Orion Spacecraft</a> with a heavy-lift rocket system for its trips to the moon. The administration typically relies on <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/spacex-elon-musk">Elon Musk's SpaceX</a> to transport astronauts to the International Space Station.The apparent video gaffe was noticed on China's side. In the same <a target="_blank" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laYHCDgRsMA&amp;ab_channel=CGTN">video</a> posted by state broadcaster CGTN the day after, the Space Shuttle was blurred out — a censorship tool often deployed in China on short deadlines.China's State Council Information Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider.Beijing says it plans for its international lunar base to be built jointly by other countries as a collaborative effort. In the lead-up to that endeavor, <a target="_blank" href="https://www.cnsa.gov.cn/english/n6465652/n6465653/c10523137/content.html">CNSA launched a robotic probe to the moon</a> on Friday in the world's first attempt to retrieve samples from the moon's far side.However, the <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-could-attack-us-satellites-from-moon-warns-general-2024-3">US has warned</a> amid tense Sino-American relations that Beijing's track record with controlling resources on Earth means NASA shouldn't allow it to establish a base on the moon first.NASA's spending on its <a target="_blank" href="https://www.businessinsider.com/first-country-land-moon-precedent-rules-china-us-artemis-nasa-2024-1">Artemis project,</a> its effort to put US astronauts on the moon a second time, is expected to reach around $93 billion by 2025.It's asked the US government for <a target="_blank" href="https://www.nasa.gov/fy-2025-budget-request/">$7.6 billion for the Artemis campaign budget in 2025</a>, or just over a quarter of its total administration budget request of $25.3 billion.The first Artemis crewed mission is expected to land on the moon in late 2025, though this deadline was originally meant to be November 2024.

China's hype video for its lunar base showed what looked like a NASA Space Shuttle lifting off, which it then realized and tried to fix

<ul class="summary-list"><li>NASA chief Bill Nelson said China could claim the moon as its own territory.</li><li>He told Politico that Chinese aggression in the South China Sea indicated what might happen on the moon.</li></ul>The head of NASA has said that China could claim the moon as its own territory if beats the US in the race to the lunar surface.In an interview with <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/01/01/we-better-watch-out-nasa-boss-sounds-alarm-on-chinese-moon-ambitions-00075803">Politico</a>, published Sunday, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/chinese-aggressive-behavior-south-china-sea-spark-major-incident-pentagon-2022-7">Chinese military expansion in the South China Sea</a> was an indicator of what might happen on the moon.Nelson said: "It is a fact: we're in a space race. And it is true that we better watch out that they don't get to a place on the moon under the guise of scientific research. And it is not beyond the realm of possibility that they say, 'Keep out, we're here, this is our territory.'"If you doubt that, look at what they did with the Spratly Islands."<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/photos-show-details-of-chinese-south-china-sea-military-bases-2022-12">Recently-published aerial photographs</a> show new military installations on the Spratly Islands, a disputed archipelago in the South China Sea. NASA completed its <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-artemis-orion-spaceship-enters-moon-orbit-progress-toward-astronauts-2022-11">Artemis 1 mission</a> in November, which involved flying an unmanned Orion spacecraft around the Moon. The mission preceded Artemis 3, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface by 2025.<a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/nasa-china-race-to-the-moon-photos-launches-2022-11">China</a> recently completed its new space station, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-space-station-nears-completion-sharpens-us-china-space-rivalry-2022-5">Tiangong</a>, and in November, launched a crew of taikonauts towards the station. Beijing plans to launch <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/china-plans-three-moon-missions-after-discovering-new-lunar-mineral-2022-9">three missions to the moon</a> over the next decade as part of its Chang'e lunar program, after saying it had discovered a new lunar mineral that could be used as an energy source.Nelson told Politico that China has enjoyed "enormous success and advances" in its space program over the last decade.NASA is working with Elon Musk's SpaceX on the Artemis 3 mission. Nelson told Politico: "I ask the question every day: 'How is SpaceX's progress?' And all of our managers are telling me they are meeting all of their milestones."NASA didn't immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside normal US operating hours.

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