Tag

Lander

All articles tagged with #lander

spaceflight2 years ago

Lander Conquers Europa's Harsh Terrain: Watch the Video

Engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory tested a landing system for a hypothetical future mission to Jupiter's moon, Europa. The lander, equipped with a sky crane mechanism, slowly lowered onto simulated terrain resembling Europa's surface. The legs of the lander adjusted and bent to maintain stability, and the craft would stop its descent when encountering terrain to lock the legs and keep the spacecraft level. NASA plans to perform several flybys of Europa with the Europa Clipper, and a lander mission to the moon is highly anticipated.

space2 years ago

India's Moon Lander and Rover Remain Silent, Dimming Hope for Revival

India's Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission may be over as attempts to wake up the lander and rover have been unsuccessful. The frigid lunar night lasted two weeks, and with the new day, hopes of revival are diminishing. Although the mission is considered a success for being the first to land in the Moon's south pole region, the chances of the spacecraft awakening in the Sun are decreasing. The lander and rover were not designed to withstand the extreme cold temperatures, and their survival remains uncertain.

science-and-astronomy2 years ago

Upcoming ExoMars lander contract announcement expected soon

The European Space Agency (ESA) is set to issue a contract opportunity to design a new lander for the ExoMars mission, following the loss of the Russian lander due to the severed partnership between Russia and ESA. The mission, originally scheduled for 2020, is now expected to launch no earlier than 2028. To save the mission, ESA has approved a record-breaking budget of 16.9 billion Euros ($17.6 billion) over three years, with hopes of receiving additional funding from NASA. The ExoMars mission includes the Trace Gas Orbiter and the Rosalind Franklin rover, which is designed to search for signs of Martian life.