Moon News

Payload • Victoria Woodburn

ESA awards ispace-EUROPE €65M contract to develop and fly MAGPIE, Europe’s first lunar polar-ice rover

ESA has awarded ispace-EUROPE a €65 million contract to complete MAGPIE’s development and deliver the lunar rover to the Moon, targeting a 2029 mission. MAGPIE will fly on ispace’s Mission 4 lander, with ispace serving as mission prime under ESA-JAXA Luxembourg collaboration.

6 Sources

2026-07-24T05:49:48.342512-07:00

Politico

NASA leadership signals funding is in hand for expanded lunar return under new head

1 Source

2026-07-22T18:49:18.305075-07:00

Space.com

Artemis II pilot urges safer landing approach for next moon missions, weighing equatorial touchdown over south-pole site

2 Sources

2026-07-23T05:02:42.902476-07:00

Politico

NASA nuclear Mars mission slated to cost more than $2B, excluding science payload delivery costs

1 Source

2026-07-21T09:17:47.862775-07:00

Moon Exploration News Timeline

Payload

1 source

Lunar Outpost plans to send NVIDIA chips to the Moon Lunar Outpost says it will fly NVIDIA chips to the Moon, underscoring how the industry’s “chip race” is increasingly intersecting with the renewed push to return to lunar operations. The announcement frames onboard compute hardware as a key enabler for next-generation lunar missions.

2026-07-24T05:49:48.484882-07:00

Lunar Outpost plans to send NVIDIA chips to the Moon

Payload

6 sources

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ESA awards ispace-EUROPE €65M contract to develop and fly MAGPIE, Europe’s first lunar polar-ice rover ESA has awarded ispace-EUROPE a €65 million contract to complete MAGPIE’s development and deliver the lunar rover to the Moon, targeting a 2029 mission. MAGPIE will fly on ispace’s Mission 4 lander, with ispace serving as mission prime under ESA-JAXA Luxembourg collaboration.

2026-07-24T05:49:48.342512-07:00

ESA awards ispace-EUROPE €65M contract to develop and fly MAGPIE, Europe’s first lunar polar-ice rover

Space.com

2 sources

Artemis II pilot urges safer landing approach for next moon missions, weighing equatorial touchdown over south-pole site NASA is targeting the lunar south pole for its first crewed Artemis landing, but Artemis II astronaut Victor Glover argues Artemis should consider an easier, safer landing location. He suggests the lunar equator could reduce landing risk and improve mission execution for later Artemis flights.

2026-07-23T05:02:42.902476-07:00

Artemis II pilot urges safer landing approach for next moon missions, weighing equatorial touchdown over south-pole site

Politico

1 source

NASA leadership signals funding is in hand for expanded lunar return under new head NASA’s new agency head says Isaacman is not seeking additional money from the GOP as the agency aims to return to the Moon and push farther than the next-generation lunar plans. The message centers on having the cash needed to proceed with mission execution rather than additional appropriations.

2026-07-22T18:49:18.305075-07:00

NASA leadership signals funding is in hand for expanded lunar return under new head

SpaceNews.com

1 source

Artemis 2 astronaut urges equatorial first lunar landings An Artemis 2 crew member said NASA’s return to the Moon should begin with human landings in less challenging equatorial regions. The recommendation highlights a phased approach to lunar surface operations, aiming to reduce risk early in the program before expanding to more demanding landing sites.

2026-07-22T03:23:16.474273-07:00

Artemis 2 astronaut urges equatorial first lunar landings

Politico

1 source

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NASA nuclear Mars mission slated to cost more than $2B, excluding science payload delivery costs NASA’s nuclear Mars mission is projected to cost over $2 billion, but that figure does not include the additional expense of the science mission the new spacecraft would carry to the Red Planet. The total program cost will therefore be higher once science delivery requirements are accounted for.

2026-07-21T09:17:47.862775-07:00

NASA nuclear Mars mission slated to cost more than $2B, excluding science payload delivery costs

Space.com

1 source

Artemis III set for unprecedented complexity: 4 astronauts, 3 spacecraft, 2 weeks in orbit NASA is positioning Artemis III as its most complex mission to date, requiring tight coordination across the launch and rendezvous of three different spacecraft. With a crew of four planned and an early two-week in-orbit phase, mission design and integration timelines become central to execution.

2026-07-20T09:22:13.785463-07:00

Artemis III set for unprecedented complexity: 4 astronauts, 3 spacecraft, 2 weeks in orbit

Universe Today

2 sources

Artemis III: NASA to Run 2027 ‘Dress Rehearsal’ Lander Rendezvous & Docking Ahead of 2028 Moon Return NASA plans Artemis III as a key demonstration in 2027, before the first Artemis astronauts land on the Moon’s surface in 2028. The mission will let teams on Earth and in orbit rehearse rendezvous and docking between commercial human landing systems and the Orion spacecraft.

2026-07-18T20:05:32.160288-07:00

Artemis III: NASA to Run 2027 ‘Dress Rehearsal’ Lander Rendezvous & Docking Ahead of 2028 Moon Return

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