Lunar success stories

It’s time to name that asteroid! Again! While the Hayabusa2 spacecraft (pictured) makes its way to rendezvous with an asteroid, JAXA is hosting a competition to name its destination. The asteroid, which currently has the temporary designation 2001 CC21, became Hayabusa2’s next stop after the probe successfully visited asteroid Ryugu and dropped samples back to Earth. The contest ends May 9, and Hayabusa2 will arrive at the asteroid in 2026. Image credit: German Aerospace Center (DLR).

SLIM has survived the lunar night. JAXA’s SLIM spacecraft had already beat the odds once when it accomplished all its mission goals despite landing upside-down. Now it has defied expectations again by making it through the cold lunar night. After going 14 days without sunlight and enduring temperatures sometimes lower than -130 degrees Celsius, SLIM responded to a wake-up call and continues to study the Moon.

India has chosen astronauts for its spaceflight program. ISRO revealed the group of astronauts who will crew India’s Gaganyaan-1 mission, which aims to inaugurate the country’s entry into human spaceflight with a week-long journey in Earth orbit. The four astronauts are far from India’s first — Indian nationals and U.S. nationals of Indian descent have been to space as part of U.S. and Soviet space programs — but the crew still marks a milestone for India’s future in space.

Can SpaceX’s Starship save Mars Sample Return? With NASA’s budget still uncertain, it’s tempting to consider whether technology like Starship can provide a way forward for Mars Sample Return. We took a closer look at the mission’s science and found alternatives probably aren’t practical — which means our communal efforts to support the mission make all the more difference.

Red Rover went to Mars. Join Abigail Fraeman, deputy project scientist for NASA’s Curiosity rover, and Courtney Dressing, associate professor at the University of California at Berkeley, on this week’s Planetary Radio to hear about the impact our collaboration with NASA and Lego made on a generation of scientists and space advocates.

We’ve got tips on hosting an eclipse party. The April 8 total solar eclipse is only weeks away, and our guide can tell you everything from how to pick a viewing spot to what songs are perfect for your party playlist. Learn how to make a pinhole projector, find your eclipse glasses, or check out a map of the eclipse’s path.

Speaking up for your place in space. We make it our mission to advocate for space exploration on behalf of our community. This past week, our senior communications adviser Mat Kaplan and board secretary Jim Bell each spoke on CNN to emphasize the historical importance of the Intuitive Machines lunar landing, while our president Bethany Ehlmann wrote an op-ed arguing in support of Mars Sample Return.

Snuggle up with a new space book. Join our digital community’s Book Club as we read “Space Shuttle Stories,” a collection of over 100 interviews with astronauts written by shuttle astronaut himself, Tom Jones.