Lunar and Planetary Science at the NSSDCA

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What's New in Lunar & Planetary Science

The NASA Mars 2020 Ingenuity helicopter's first flight attempt has been delayed indefinitely (roughly a week) while a software update is validated and uploaded. For more detail see the NASA Status Update.

The CNSA (Chinese National Space Administration) Tianwen 1 mission arrived at Mars and successfully went into orbit on February 10. It is expected to deploy the rover/lander to the surface in May.

The United Arab Emirates Hope mission reached Mars and went into orbit on February 9. it is planned to study the martian atmosphere from orbit for 2 to 4 years.

This Day in Planetary and Lunar Exploration History

1946: First test launch of German V-2 rocket in the United States, to 5 miles, White Sands, New Mexico.
1972: Launch of Apollo 16, fifth astronaut mission to land on the Moon.