A spacecraft built and flown by Texas-based company Intuitive Machines landed near the moon's south pole on Thursday, the first U.S. touchdown on the lunar surface in more than half a century and the first ever achieved by the private sector.

Moon landing: US clinches first touchdown in 50 years

<p>Vulcan Centaur, the first American spacecraft to attempt a Moon landing in more than half a century, blasted off early Monday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.</p>

<p>This time, leading America&nbsp;back to the surface of the Moon is the nation's private industry.</p>

<h2><strong>A success</strong></h2>

<p>The brand-new rocket, by United Launch Alliance, lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 2:18 am (7:18 GMT) for its maiden voyage. Abroad the spacecraft is Astrobotic's Peregrine Lunar Lander, which is scheduled for touchdown in mid-February.</p>

<p>Taking to X after launch, ULA posted "Successful #VulcanRocket staging, ignition."</p>

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<p>As per AFP, if all goes to plan, Peregrine, which is headed for Sinus Viscositatis, a mid-latitude region of the Moon, will touch down on February 23.</p>

<p>"Leading America back to the surface of the Moon for the first time since Apollo is a momentous honour," said Astrobotic's CEO John Thornton before the launch.</p>

<h2><strong>Curious cargo</strong></h2>

<p>The lander Peregrine is carrying a suite of scientific instruments that will probe the Moon's radiation and surface composition. This will help pave the way for the return of astronauts to the lunar surface.</p>

<p>But it also has some controversial cargo: the cremated remains and DNA of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, legendary sci-fi author and scientist Arthur C. Clarke and a dog. It is also carrying&nbsp;a shoebox-sized rover built by Carnegie Mellon University and a physical Bitcoin.</p>

<h2><strong>Private companies&nbsp;helm the mission</strong></h2>

<p>Under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) programme, the United States has turned to the commercial sector to ship its hardware to the moon at a fraction of the cost.</p>

<p>For the moon landing, it paid Astrobotic more than $100 million for the task. Another moon mission, to land near the South Pole, will be undertaken by Houston-based Intuitive Machines in February.</p>

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<p>As per Joel Kearns, NASA's deputy associate administrator for exploration, "We think that it's going to allow... more cost-effective and more rapidly accomplished trips to the lunar surface to prepare for Artemis."</p>

<p>Artemis is the US' attempt to return humans to the Moon this decade.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>A momentous feat</strong></h2>

<p>Controlled touchdown on the Moon, as per the report, is a challenging undertaking. Roughly half the attempts to land on the moon have resulted in failure.</p>

<p>To date, only a handful of nations have succeeded: The Soviet Union in 1966, the United States in 1969 — the only nation to put humans on the Moon, China — which has successfully landed thrice in the last decade and India: the latest to achieve this feat, on its second attempt.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


Vulcan Centaur, the first American spacecraft to attempt a Moon landing in more than half a century, blasted off early Monday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Vulcan Centaur, the first American spacecraft to attempt a Moon landing in more than half a century, blasted off early Monday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. This time, leading America back to the surface of the Moon is the nation's private industry. A success The brand-new rocket, by United Launch Alliance, lifted off from Cape Canaveral at 2:18 am (7:18 GMT) for its maiden voyage. Abroad the spacecraft is Astrobotic's Peregrine Lunar Lander, which is scheduled for touchdown in mid-February. Taking to X after launch, ULA posted "Successful #VulcanRocket staging, ignition." Also read | US coal miners discover mammoth tusk buried for thousands of years As per AFP, if all goes to plan, Peregrine, which is headed for Sinus Viscositatis, a mid-latitude region of the Moon, will touch down on February 23. "Leading America back to the surface of the Moon for the first time since Apollo is a momentous honour," said Astrobotic's CEO John Thornton before the launch. Curious cargo The lander Peregrine is carrying a suite of scientific instruments that will probe the Moon's radiation and surface composition. This will help pave the way for the return of astronauts to the lunar surface. But it also has some controversial cargo: the cremated remains and DNA of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, legendary sci-fi author and scientist Arthur C. Clarke and a dog. It is also carrying a shoebox-sized rover built by Carnegie Mellon University and a physical Bitcoin. Private companies helm the mission Under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) programme, the United States has turned to the commercial sector to ship its hardware to the moon at a fraction of the cost. For the moon landing, it paid Astrobotic more than $100 million for the task. Another moon mission, to land near the South Pole, will be undertaken by Houston-based Intuitive Machines in February. Also read | Will a lost asteroid hit Earth this year? This is what NASA has to say As per Joel Kearns, NASA's deputy associate administrator for exploration, "We think that it's going to allow... more cost-effective and more rapidly accomplished trips to the lunar surface to prepare for Artemis." Artemis is the US' attempt to return humans to the Moon this decade. A momentous feat Controlled touchdown on the Moon, as per the report, is a challenging undertaking. Roughly half the attempts to land on the moon have resulted in failure. To date, only a handful of nations have succeeded: The Soviet Union in 1966, the United States in 1969 — the only nation to put humans on the Moon, China — which has successfully landed thrice in the last decade and India: the latest to achieve this feat, on its second attempt. (With inputs from agencies)

Vulcan Centaur, America's first lunar lander in more than 50 years, takes off for the Moon

<p>USA’s Artemis III mission, which intends to take it back to the Moon, is facing significant roadblocks and is expected to breach its 2025 schedule deadline.</p>

<p>The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) on Thursday (Nov 30) blamed the delay on two problems: SpaceX’s failure to fully develop its ‘Starship Human Landing System’ or HLS and the delay in developing the Axiom spacesuit, selected especially for lunar operations.</p>

<p>"NASA and its contractors have made progress, including completing several important milestones, but they still face multiple challenges," the GAO noted. "As a result, GAO found that the Artemis III crewed lunar landing is unlikely to occur in 2025," it added.</p>

<h2><strong>Problems with HLS</strong></h2>

<p>HLS has so far failed to reach the Earth’s orbit in tests, thus warranting a lot of work before it gets ready for the job.&nbsp;</p>

<p>As per the plans, the Starship will first reach Earth’s orbit unmanned. Astronauts will enter the Spaceship in the Moon’s orbit to get down on the lunar surface. Those humans are expected to get over to our natural satellite using NASA's Space Launch System and Orion crew capsule.</p>

<p><strong>Watch:&nbsp;Chandrayaan-3: First-ever recording of Moon-quakes | WION Fineprint</strong></p>

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<p>"NASA documentation states that SpaceX has made limited progress maturing the technologies needed to support this aspect of its plan," the GAO reported.&nbsp;</p>

<p><a href="https://www.wionews.com/science/earth-will-collide-with-moon-this-is-what-a-rogue-star-can-do-to-our-solar-system-664214"><strong>Also read:&nbsp;A rogue star can send Earth smashing into Moon, wiping out all life, study finds</strong></a></p>

<p>As per GAO, both SpaceX and HLS have delayed eight out of 13 key programmes. Of those 13 events, at least two will take place in 2025. It means that the 2025 deadline for the overall mission is not expected to be fulfilled.</p>

<p>"If the HLS development takes as many months as NASA major projects do, on average, the Artemis III mission would likely occur in early 2027," the GAO said.&nbsp;</p>

<h2><strong>Problems with the spacesuit</strong></h2>

<p>And then, the development of the spacesuit has also hit major roadblocks. For example, Axiom missed a key preliminary design review deadline which was scheduled to take place earlier this month.</p>

<p>GAO noted that the spacesuit was still “in the early phases of development."</p>

<p>“So don't expect to tune into another historic Moon landing in late 2025,” GAO concluded.</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from agencies)</em></p>


USA’s Artemis III mission, which intends to take it back to the Moon, is facing significant roadblocks and is expected to breach its 2025 schedule deadline. The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) on Thursday (Nov 30) blamed the delay on two problems: SpaceX’s failure to fully develop its ‘Starship Human Landing System’ or HLS and the delay in developing the Axiom spacesuit, selected especially for lunar operations.

USA’s Artemis III mission, which intends to take it back to the Moon, is facing significant roadblocks and is expected to breach its 2025 schedule deadline. The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) on Thursday (Nov 30) blamed the delay on two problems: SpaceX’s failure to fully develop its ‘Starship Human Landing System’ or HLS and the delay in developing the Axiom spacesuit, selected especially for lunar operations. "NASA and its contractors have made progress, including completing several important milestones, but they still face multiple challenges," the GAO noted. "As a result, GAO found that the Artemis III crewed lunar landing is unlikely to occur in 2025," it added. Problems with HLS HLS has so far failed to reach the Earth’s orbit in tests, thus warranting a lot of work before it gets ready for the job. As per the plans, the Starship will first reach Earth’s orbit unmanned. Astronauts will enter the Spaceship in the Moon’s orbit to get down on the lunar surface. Those humans are expected to get over to our natural satellite using NASA's Space Launch System and Orion crew capsule. Watch: Chandrayaan-3: First-ever recording of Moon-quakes | WION Fineprint × "NASA documentation states that SpaceX has made limited progress maturing the technologies needed to support this aspect of its plan," the GAO reported. Also read: A rogue star can send Earth smashing into Moon, wiping out all life, study finds As per GAO, both SpaceX and HLS have delayed eight out of 13 key programmes. Of those 13 events, at least two will take place in 2025. It means that the 2025 deadline for the overall mission is not expected to be fulfilled. "If the HLS development takes as many months as NASA major projects do, on average, the Artemis III mission would likely occur in early 2027," the GAO said. Problems with the spacesuit And then, the development of the spacesuit has also hit major roadblocks. For example, Axiom missed a key preliminary design review deadline which was scheduled to take place earlier this month. GAO noted that the spacesuit was still “in the early phases of development." “So don't expect to tune into another historic Moon landing in late 2025,” GAO concluded. (With inputs from agencies)

Artemis III: No Moon landing in 2025 as SpaceX keeps missing deadlines

<p>A limited TV series on the historic moon landing is in the pipeline and Barry Levinson has been attached to direct the show. It will be executive produced by Kevin Costner.</p>

<p>Titled ‘One Giant Leap’, the series will tell the story of moon landing. The project is being written and show run by Kronish.</p>

<p>It will look at one of the most historic events in US history from a slightly different angle, stressing the personality conflicts within the flight team that almost doomed the mission before it left the launch pad – and how a NASA psychiatrist’s predictions of disaster for astronaut Buzz Aldrin were ignored by her superiors.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The series will also look at the Soviet Union’s attempt to destroy Apollo 11 on its way to the moon, and the Cold War victory of America over its Russian enemy as well as celebrate the singular moment of accomplishment that drew together half a billion people around the world.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/hollywood/news-mayor-of-kingstown-trailer-and-first-look-released-by-paramount-410019">Mayor of Kingstown: Trailer and first look released by Paramount+</a></p>

<p>&nbsp;The makers are in progress to get actors for the roles of astronauts Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Mike Collins, and NASA psychiatrist Rachel Katherine Ludwig.</p>


A limited TV series on the historic moon landing is in the pipeline and Barry Levinson has been attached to direct the show. It will be executive produced by Kevin Costner.

A limited TV series on the historic moon landing is in the pipeline and Barry Levinson has been attached to direct the show. It will be executive produced by Kevin Costner. Titled ‘One Giant Leap’, the series will tell the story of moon landing. The project is being written and show run by Kronish. It will look at one of the most historic events in US history from a slightly different angle, stressing the personality conflicts within the flight team that almost doomed the mission before it left the launch pad – and how a NASA psychiatrist’s predictions of disaster for astronaut Buzz Aldrin were ignored by her superiors. The series will also look at the Soviet Union’s attempt to destroy Apollo 11 on its way to the moon, and the Cold War victory of America over its Russian enemy as well as celebrate the singular moment of accomplishment that drew together half a billion people around the world. Mayor of Kingstown: Trailer and first look released by Paramount+ The makers are in progress to get actors for the roles of astronauts Aldrin, Neil Armstrong and Mike Collins, and NASA psychiatrist Rachel Katherine Ludwig.

A limited TV show 'A Giant Leap' in works on the historic moon landing

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Moon landing: US clinches first touchdown in 50 years

Vulcan Centaur, America's first lunar lander in more than 50 years, takes off for the Moon

Artemis III: No Moon landing in 2025 as SpaceX keeps missing deadlines

A limited TV show 'A Giant Leap' in works on the historic moon landing