Chang'e-6 Blasts Off🌓 - SpaceNews This Week

Top stories of the week from SpaceNews

A weekly roundup of the top SpaceNews stories from this week, every Friday Welcome to our weekly roundup. This week, China launched a sample return mission to the far side of the moon, Lockheed Martin backed out of plans to acquire Terran Orbital and more. Our Top Story China launches Chang'e-6 mission to collect first samples from the moon's far side By Andrew Jones, May 3 2024 HELSINKI — China launched its complex and ambitious Chang'e-6 mission Friday to collect the first ever samples from the far side of the moon. A 57-meter-tall Long March 5 lifted off from the Wenchang Satellite Launch Center at 5:30 a.m. Eastern (0930 UTC) May 3, carrying the roughly 8,200-kilogram Chang'e-6 into orbit. A first second stage burn was completed 12 minutes after launch, with a translunar injection burn set for around 14 minutes later. Spacecraft separation is scheduled for around 37 minutes into flight. If successful, samples delivered by the 53-day-long mission could change our understanding of the Earth and moon and the history of the early solar system. Other News From the Week COMMERCIAL NASA awards studies for commercial Mars missions NASA has selected nine companies to perform feasibility studies of commercial approaches to deliver spacecraft to Mars and provide services there. The agency announced May 1 the selection of the companies for its "Exploring Mars Together: Commercial Services Studies" program. Astroscale to go public on Tokyo exchange Astroscale, the satellite servicing and debris removal company, will go public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in June. Astroscale announced May 1 that it had filed to go public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market, a portion of the exchange for companies with higher growth potential but also higher risk. Shares will start trading on June 5. Lockheed drops bid to acquire Terran Orbital Lockheed Martin has abandoned plans to acquire the portion of satellite manufacturer Terran Orbital it does not own for more than $500 million. In a filing, Terran Orbital said it was notified by Lockheed on April 30 that Lockheed was withdrawing a proposal made March 1 to purchase all outstanding shares for $1 each. GOVERNMENT & POLITICS NASA inspector general report highlights issues with Orion heat shield A report by NASA's inspector general has disclosed new details about problems with the Orion spacecraft's heat shield and other issues that delayed its first crewed launch. Advisory committee recommends moving FAA commercial space office out of the agency An advisory committee for the Federal Aviation Administration's commercial space office has recommended that the office be moved out of the FAA. Major changes approved for ClearSpace-1 mission The European Space Agency has approved major changes in the ClearSpace-1 debris-cleanup mission. Under the new plan approved April 23 by ESA, OHB SE of Bremen, Germany, will provide the satellite bus in addition to leading systems integration and launch. Lawmaker presses Pentagon official on Russia's potential space nuke U.S. intelligence reports on Russia's development of a space-based nuclear weapon were a key point of discussion at a congressional hearing May 1. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Space Policy John Plumb faced questioning from lawmakers about the weapon's capabilities and potential impact. Nelson lobbies Congress to fund ISS deorbit vehicle in supplemental spending bill NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told a House committee that budget caps forced cuts to agency programs while pleading with them to include money for a space station deorbit vehicle in a supplemental funding bill. OPINION A religious test for space exploration? By Charles M. Chafer, May 1 2024 An editorial recently published on SpaceNews took the position that my company's Luna Memorial Spaceflight service should not be permitted on the Moon because the Navajo Nation views the Moon as sacred. In essence, the author is arguing that lawful space missions should be subject to the religious test of a single culture. The heart of the argument, however, really comes down to how we see our future and the moon's role in it. Is the moon a celestial body meant only for science and passive art, as the author says, or is there a more robust future for our nearest neighbor? Let's shoot for the stars like Robert Goddard By Supriya Chakrabarti Nurturing U.K. expertise: a strategic imperative in the emerging space era By Shonnel Malani SpaceNews is committed to publishing our community's diverse perspectives. 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