Lunar and Planetary Science at the NSSDCA

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What's New in Lunar & Planetary Science

Contact was lost with the Israeli Beresheet lunar mission as it attempted its landing on 11 April. Communications ended at about 19:25 UT with the craft about 150 meters above the surface. The cause of the failure is being investigated.

The JAXA (Japan) Hayabusa 2 mission completed its first touchdown and ascent from asteroid Ryugu at approximately 22:30 UT on 21 February (7:30 a.m. JST 22 February). An image of the touchdown site shows the shadow of the spacecraft and the discolored area of the touchdown.

On 3 January, the CNSA (China) Chang'e 4 lunar mission made the first landing ever on the far side of the Moon and deployed the Yutu-2 rover. They successfully ended hibernation after their second lunar night at the end of February and are continuing operations.

This Day in Planetary and Lunar Exploration History

1970: Apollo 13 astronauts first set foot on solid ground in Samoa and are then taken to Hawaii.
2014: The Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) impacts the far side of the Moon.