A private spacecraft carrying NASA instruments to the surface of the moon in preparation for astronauts to return in the years ahead has reached lunar orbit about a month into its spaceflight.

The Odysseus lunar lander fired its main engine for six minutes and 48 seconds Wednesday, putting the spacecraft into a 57-mile-high orbit around the moon and setting the stage for a landing try ...

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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A private U.S. lunar lander reached the moon and eased into a low orbit Wednesday, a day before it will attempt an even greater feat — landing on the gray, dusty surface. A ...

Resilience, the second lunar lander by Japanese company ispace, during prelaunch preparations. Credit: ispace WASHINGTON — Japanese company ispace says its second lunar lander in now in orbit around ...

After a four and a half day journey from the Earth, the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, or LRO, has successfully entered orbit around the moon. Engineers at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in ...

A private spacecraft from Japan whizzes around the moon just weeks ahead of a planned landing attempt. Credit: ispace A Japanese commercial spacecraft is zeroing in on its second attempt at a lunar ...

(via minutephysics) We think of the moon as orbiting the earth, following a spiraling trajectory as the earth itself orbits the sun. But this is wrong. Not only is the moon's orbit NOT a spiral ...