NASAの探査機「サイキ」は、目的地である小惑星への重力アシストを得るため、5月15日に火星から約2800マイルの距離を通過する予定です。この操縦により探査機の速度を向上させるとともに、観測機器の試験が行われます。
このフライバイは、探査機が火星の夜側から接近する際、時速約12333マイルで行われます。遭遇時、火星は細い三日月状に見えるため、2029年の小惑星サイキ到着に向けたマルチスペクトルイメージャーなどの機器の校正を行う好機となります。
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NASA's Artemis II mission lifted off successfully on April 1, 2026, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sending astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen aboard the Orion spacecraft for the first crewed Moon flyby since Apollo 17. Powered by the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the 10-day test flight will validate critical systems for future lunar landings and Mars missions, looping around the Moon's far side.
US company ExLabs announced that its ApophisExL mothership passed a key review ahead of a 2028 launch to rendezvous with asteroid Apophis. The spacecraft will deploy two landers as part of multiple missions studying the asteroid during its close pass by Earth on 13 April 2029. Apophis, 400 metres across, will come within 32,000 kilometres, visible to the naked eye.
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NASA's Artemis 2 four astronauts are approaching the Moon, with the mission's climax set for Monday's flyby of its far side, the first since Apollo 8 58 years ago. They may view regions never seen by human eyes, such as Mare Orientale. The crew will set a new record for distance from Earth.
NASA's Artemis II crew became the first humans in over 50 years to loop around the moon's far side on April 6, traveling farther from Earth than any before them. The astronauts captured unprecedented views, including close-ups of craters and a unique solar eclipse. They are now heading back for a splashdown off California on April 10.
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A two-day countdown is underway for NASA's Artemis II mission, scheduled to launch four astronauts on a flight around the moon from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is set for a two-hour window opening at 6:24 pm EDT on Wednesday, with backup opportunities through April 6. The crew will test the Orion spacecraft on a 10-day journey, marking humans' first deep space voyage in more than 50 years.
Scientists from the University of Basel, ETH Zurich, and the European Space Agency have tested a quadrupedal robot equipped with a robotic arm to explore planetary surfaces more efficiently. The robot navigated rocky terrain autonomously, identifying targets and collecting data faster than traditional human-guided methods. The findings, published this week, suggest it could accelerate resource prospecting and searches for signs of life on the moon and Mars.
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NASA is working with SpaceX and Blue Origin to simplify requirements for their Human Landing Systems, aiming for a 2028 moon landing. Lori Glaze, head of NASA's deep space exploration, said both companies have submitted proposals to speed up development by avoiding complex orbits. Officials are analyzing compatibility with the Orion spacecraft.