Tag: CLPS

Odysseus moon lander snaps final image of a crescent Earth before dying
Technology

Odysseus moon lander snaps final image of a crescent Earth before dying

[ad_1] In a poignant moment captured amid the vastness of space, the Odysseus moon lander, operated by Intuitive Machines, sent back its final transmission before succumbing to the lunar night. With one of its legs askew during landing and power lost, the spacecraft left us with a lasting and wondrous image — a snapshot of Earth seen as a distant crescent shining against the grey expanse of the lunar horizon.The image, received on February 22nd but shared by Intuitive Machines on X on February 29th, serves as a reminder of humanity's lonely presence in the vastness of space. Despite its compromised state, Odysseus completed its mission, becoming the first commercial spacecraft to touch down on the moon. The spacecraft, funded by NASA as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLP...
Space Startups Are Trying to Make Money Going to the Moon
Technology

Space Startups Are Trying to Make Money Going to the Moon

[ad_1] For years, NASA has been planting the seeds of what it hopes will one day sprout into a full-fledged lunar economy. In the future, private companies could ferry people and cargo to and from the moon, creating a base to conduct science and, eventually, mine resources and even lunar ice as an ingredient to make rocket propellant. It's a grand vision that could start to take shape this year and eventually lead to a marketplace in which companies could use the lunar environment to turn a profit as they do now with orbiting satellites.Much will have to go right for that future to coalesce over the next decade or so, starting with making trips to and from the moon as routine as satellite launches. For now, the lunar economy consists mainly of money from NASA contracts, and it will pro...