Space.com
• Elizabeth Howell, Robert Z. Pearlman
NASA’s Apollo 12 astronauts lifted off for the moon on Nov. 14, 1969, on a mission centered on achieving a pinpoint landing. The anniversary highlights a defining step in crewed lunar exploration: moving beyond reaching the moon toward targeting a specific landing site.
Space Exploration & Science Missions
Latest source-backed stories
High activity
NASA’s Apollo 12 astronauts lifted off for the moon on Nov. 14, 1969, on a mission centered on achieving a pinpoint landing. The anniversary highlights a defining step in crewed lunar exploration: moving beyond reaching the moon toward targeting a specific landing site.
Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope show that ice in a planet-forming disk predates the star it orbits. The finding indicates some of the solid materials that build planets can survive the radiation and collisions of star formation, preserving a record of conditions before the system formed.
High activity
A researcher at Freie Universität Berlin has developed a theoretical framework to search high-precision measurements of lunar tides for possible effects linked to gravitational waves. The work outlines a way to look for relativistic signals in tidal data; the article does not report a detection.
NASA’s Mariner 9 entered orbit around Mars on Nov. 13, 1971, becoming the first spacecraft to orbit another planet. Its close-up views of the Martian surface marked a milestone in planetary exploration and offered a new perspective on Mars.
The Leonids produced one of the most spectacular meteor storms in recorded history 60 years ago, with rates reaching 144,000 meteors per hour. As the shower’s 2026 peak approaches, attention is turning to what skywatchers can expect—and whether an event on that scale could recur.
High activity
Researchers are exploring soft, shape-changing robots that crawl rather than roll or fly, potentially addressing the limits of wheeled and rotor-based systems on jagged boulders and in tight crevices. The article frames the concept as a possible future tool for robotic space exploration; it provides no mission plans or development timeline.
High activity
Canadensys, MDA Space and Mission Control are nearing completion of a Phase 0 study for a Canadian lunar utility rover supporting NASA’s Artemis program. The work is intended to inform the rover’s next development phase, while the teams are also targeting an earlier launch than previously planned.
High activity
China’s Tianwen-4 mission is planned to orbit Jupiter, orbit its moon Callisto and attempt a landing there to advance studies of the Jupiter system. The space agency has invited payload development proposals, with designs and participating organizations to be selected through competition, seeking contributions from domestic and international teams.
Create a free account to see more recent Space Exploration & Science Missions stories and keep bookmarks in one place.
