Sam's News — space — 2026-08-19¶
Space¶
7.5 Chinese private rocket LandSpace successfully lands Zhuque-3 on second flight¶
Beijing-based LandSpace achieved a major milestone by successfully landing its Zhuque-3 rocket on only its second orbital flight attempt.
Sources: Space.com RSS
7.5 Northrop Grumman Selected to Build NASA's Lunar Base Infrastructure¶
Northrop Grumman was selected to develop three Lunar Infrastructure Demo missions for NASA using HALO-derived technology to demonstrate power, thermal management, communications, and payload services needed for sustained human presence at the Moon's South Pole.
- Three-mission program: LID-1, LID-2, LID-3
- Reuses Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) technology
- Will demonstrate lunar surface power, thermal management, autonomy, communications, hosted payload services
- Designed to provide data for NASA's Artemis surface campaigns
Sources: Aerospace Manufacturing and Design AI Web Searched
7.5 NASA seeks ISRO partnership for cost-effective Moon base construction¶
NASA wants India's space agency ISRO to help build the first lunar base as a cost-effective collaborative approach.
Sources: India Today RSS
7.5 NASA extends Voyager 2 mission operations into 49th year in interstellar space¶
NASA has devised new methods to keep the 49-year-old Voyager 2 spacecraft operational in interstellar space.
Sources: Aerospace Global News Web Search, Aerospace Global News Web Search Update to: NASA Extends Voyager 2 Operations for Another Year of Science
7 NASA Engineers Extend Voyager Spacecraft Operations into 2030s with Power System Rework¶
NASA engineers are reworking the Voyager spacecraft's power systems to potentially extend their nearly 50-year-old exploration mission into the early 2030s.
Sources: The New York Times Web Search Update to: NASA extends Voyager 2 operations after 49 years in interstellar space
7 Astronomers discover 'mega-Earth' exoplanet 23 times more massive than Earth¶
Astronomers have discovered a giant rocky exoplanet with 23 times Earth's mass, challenging expectations about planetary formation.
Sources: Space.com RSS
7 NASA images reveal crater from SpaceX rocket impact on lunar surface¶
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has imaged the impact crater left by a SpaceX rocket that struck the moon on August 5, measuring approximately 60 feet wide.
Sources: WANDTV.com Web Search, Engadget RSS, Carolina Coast Online RSS, Bozeman Daily Chronicle Web Search, WANDTV.com Web Search, Live Science RSS
6.5 NASA opens Jet Propulsion Lab management contract to competition¶
NASA is opening its management contract for the Jet Propulsion Laboratory to competitive bidding, potentially allowing USC or other entities to take over operations.
Sources: ktla.com RSS
6.5 NASA lunar return mission teaches lessons on organizational transformation¶
NASA's effort to return humans to the Moon and establish a sustained lunar presence requires coordinating thousands of personnel and represents a transformation leadership case study.
Sources: SAP News Center RSS, SAP News Center Web Search, SAP News Center Web Search, SAP News Center Web Search
Space Exploration¶
7 NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captures Falcon 9 impact crater details¶
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter imaged a fresh crater formed on August 5, 2026 when a SpaceX Falcon 9 upper stage struck the Moon near Einstein Crater at 5,400 mph. The ~40-foot rocket stage, in orbit since January 2025, created a crater approximately 60 feet wide with impact force equivalent to three tons of TNT.
- Falcon 9 upper stage impacted August 5, 2026 at ~5,400 mph
- Rocket stage: ~40 feet long, ~4,900 kg, launched January 15, 2025
- Crater: ~60 feet (18 m) diameter, <10 feet (3 m) deep
- Impact force equivalent to ~3 tons of TNT
- LRO captured images August 11–12 at ~97 km altitude
- Second known uncontrolled human-made object crash on Moon
Sources: NASA Science AI Web Searched, LiveNOW from FOX AI Web Searched, UNN AI Web Searched, Phys.org RSS, phys.org RSS, kdhnews.com RSS