barrier to settlement, water management will dictate the upper limit of how many people can realistically survive on the lunar surface. Smaller settlements appear far more sustainable: a population of about 100,000 could potentially stretch the same...

on two separate rocket launches and a critical orbital rendezvous. The plan, which aims to place taikonauts on the lunar surface before 2030, marks a significant shift in the nation’s spaceflight development. A Strategic Two-Launch Architecture The...

as a near-total lunar eclipse sweeps across the night sky. The event will see Earth’s shadow cloak 96.3 percent of the lunar surface, bathing the Moon in the deep, rusted hues often referred to as a blood moon. Unlike solar eclipses, which demand...

AI-made lunar crater catalogs require stricter validation to reliably aid planetary science research. A recent paper in The Planetary Science Journal demonstrates that several AI‑produced lunar crater inventories fall short of the accuracy levels...

utilizing a fleet of robotic landers, nuclear-powered rovers, and robust transportation networks to prepare the lunar surface for astronauts long before they touch down. Building a Sustainable Outpost, Mission by Mission The updated roadmap, unveiled on...

New research reveals how lunar gravity alters water flow, posing significant challenges for future efforts to grow plants on the Moon. Water management on the Moon may present a much steeper engineering challenge than previously anticipated. Recent...

system, dubbed the Power Tower, is engineered as a deployable solar array that rises approximately 65 feet above the lunar surface. By elevating its photovoltaic panels, the design aims to overcome a persistent challenge in lunar exploration: the sun’s...

affect crew health, as future missions will require astronauts to repeatedly transition between habitats, tools, and the lunar surface while limiting the amount of dust they bring back. The Handheld Lunar Electrostatic Dust Mitigation tool is tested...

of the Apollo era to the rugged, volatile terrain of the poles, NASA intends to build a sustainable footprint on the lunar surface. The De Gerlache-Kocher massif is currently under consideration as a candidate landing zone, with mission planners...

A massive collision that carved the Moon’s largest basin appears to have driven widespread volatile loss, leaving an isotopic fingerprint that still survives in lunar materials billions of years later. From Earth, the Moon appears calm and unchanging,...

development, targeting a crewed Moon landing by 2028. NASA has recalibrated its roadmap for returning humans to the lunar surface, setting a firm target for a crewed landing in 2028. The updated strategy leans heavily on a dual-track approach involving...

to the Moon, thereby lowering schedule risk as NASA readies future crewed missions. “The crew can also abort off the lunar surface nearly any time, versus waiting up to days from NRHO,” Jensen said. “In addition to improving crew safety, these new...

tracking how seismic waves travel through lunar rock. Water is seen as a cornerstone for long‑term human presence on the lunar surface, and while recent observations hint at ice near the poles, the exact locations of the most extensive underground...

A new study reveals a critical hidden challenge NASA must address before returning astronauts to the lunar surface to ensure mission safety and success. Tiny stowaways from Earth might be capable of enduring the harsh conditions of the Moon, according...

Led by the Planetary Science Institute (PSI), the GIMLI team plans to deploy specialized instrumentation directly to the lunar surface to characterize the terrain surrounding the pit. The project is a collaborative effort involving the Norwegian Space...

Moonquakes may pinpoint hidden lunar ice, offering a breakthrough that could reshape Artemis mission planning. A novel approach that listens to the Moon’s own tremors could soon reveal hidden stores of water ice at the lunar south pole, offering a...

activity. Deep within the Moon, a localized region may have once acted as a geothermal engine, potentially fueling the lunar surface’s long-standing history of volcanic activity. New numerical simulations suggest that gravitational interactions between...

toward the first crewed lunar landing in five decades. NASA has recalibrated its roadmap for returning humans to the lunar surface, imposing a rigorous series of technical milestones on SpaceX and Blue Origin. The revised strategy shifts the focus of...

already had much of its water early on, possibly captured during planet formation rather than added later. A Well-Mixed Lunar Surface One striking result is how similar the impact signal looks across the Moon. Samples from different locations and...

new theoretical framework, detailed by a team led by SETI Institute affiliate scientist Lewis Pinault, proposes that the lunar surface could serve as a cosmic archive, holding microscopic remnants of alien technology that have drifted across...