Sunday, December 31, 2023

Navaho Indians attempt to claim ownership of the Moon, delay Vulcan launch Glenn Reynolds is pretty sure that someone is looking for a payday. I wonder if the Navajo are going to try to go to court to get their way. In any case, this blatant claim of ownership of the moon is a violation of the Outer Space Treaty.
Former Rep Eddie Bernice Johnson just passed. She was a well know player in space policy, albeit not always to the benifit of the cause of space exploration, as I note here. In any case, RIP.
Top 7 space technology stories of 2023
Now, it’s America’s turn to land on the moon. Again.

2024 will usher in America’s turn to once again land on the moon.

First, the Astrobotic Peregrine lander will launch on a United Launch Alliance Vulcan-Centure rocket, currently scheduled for Jan. 8. The Peregrine will take a leisurely, fuel-saving voyage to the moon before attempting to land on Feb. 23.

Next, the Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander will launch sometime in mid-February on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 and will take a quicker path to the moon. The launch date will set up a lunar landing attempt sometime in late February, within days of the Peregrine landing attempt.

US Navy sinks 3 Houthi boats attacking merchant ship in Red Sea, US says
Space race heats up again
Mexico eagerly prepares for historic first Latin American lunar mission: 'Elevates the name of our country'
Japan's ispace shows off a tiny moon lander for its 2nd moon mission in 2024
A NASA Spacecraft Just Had A Close Encounter With A Volcanic Moon—See The Stunning First Image
Jaw-Dropping News: Boeing and Lockheed Just Matched SpaceX's Prices
SpaceX test fires giant Starship booster  — and spaceship  —  for 3rd test flight
Life lessons from NASA legends
UFOs, commercial spaceflight and rogue tomatoes: Recapping 2023's wild year in space
NASA's Curiosity rover films from dawn to dusk on Mars during downtime
The Man from Mars: The Asteroid Mining Caper #CommissionEarned
2023 Was a Wash. 2024 Could Be Historic
America’s obligation to Ukraine began with nukes in the early 1990s
The political winners and losers of 2023