Lunar and Planetary Science at the NSSDCA

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What's New in Lunar & Planetary Science

The OSIRIS-REx sample return capsule landed successfully on 24 September at 14:52 UT (10:52 a.m. EDT). It was picked up by helicopter and transported to a temporary clean room, and then flown to Johnson Space Center in Houston. More....

The JAXA (Japan) Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) mission launched on September 6 at 23:42:11 UT (7:42:11 p.m. EDT) and successfully separated 47 minutes later to begin its roughly 5 month journey to the lunar surface.

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) Chandrayaan 3 Vikram lander touched down successfully on the Moon on 23 August at about 12:33 UT (8:33 a.m. EDT) and is operating on the surface.

This Day in Planetary and Lunar Exploration History

1884: Asteroid 243 Ida discovered by Johann Palisa.
1962: Alouette 1 launched (by U.S.), Canada becomes third nation to completely design and build a satellite.
2009: MESSENGER makes its third flyby of Mercury at an altitude of 228 km.