All articles tagged with #moon crash
Astronomers in Ireland detected a rare, brief flash on the Moon caused by a small object, possibly linked to the Geminid meteor shower and asteroid 3200 Phaethon, highlighting ongoing lunar impacts during meteor showers.
Japanese lunar lander Hakuto-R captured a stunning photo of Earth during a solar eclipse before crashing into the Moon due to a software glitch, highlighting the challenges of lunar landing and providing valuable scientific data for future missions.
A Japanese private lunar lander from ispace crashed during its attempt to land on the moon, marking the second failed mission for the company, which aims to advance commercial lunar exploration despite setbacks.
A mysterious object, known as WE0913A, that crashed into the far side of the moon in March 2022 was most likely a Chinese booster rocket from the Chang'e 5-T1 mission, according to new research. Scientists mapped the object's trajectory and found evidence of an undisclosed additional payload. The object's stable rotation and the presence of twin craters suggest the rocket had a counterweight and an unknown object attached to it. The researchers admit that the nature of the undisclosed payload may never be known.
Scientists from the University of Arizona have determined that a stray rocket from China, specifically a Long March 3C, collided with the moon's far side on March 4, 2022, creating a double crater. The findings, based on trajectory and spectroscopic analysis using ground-based telescopes, have been published in the Planetary Science Journal. Chinese officials have rejected the conclusion, while the US Space Command supports the study.
Russia has identified a malfunction in the on-board control unit as the cause of its lunar lander crashing into the moon in August. The control unit failed to turn off the propulsion system, resulting in it blasting for longer than necessary. Russia is now considering speeding up the timetable for its next two moon missions, Luna-26 and Luna-27, in order to obtain results more quickly. The country aims to establish the extent of frozen water near the moon's south pole to support future human presence. Despite the failure, Russia remains committed to its space exploration program, including plans for a new orbital station to replace the International Space Station.