Lunar and Planetary Science at the NSSDCA

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What's New in Lunar & Planetary Science

A set of coronal mass ejections are heading towards Earth and should arrive by late May 10th or early May 11th, triggering a severe (G4) geomagnetic storm. Effects may include aurora visible as far south as Alabama to northern California. For more information see the NOAA space weather page.

The CNSA (China) Chang'e-6 lunar sample return mission launched on May 3 at 09:27 UT (5:27 p.m. Beijing time) on a Long March 5 booster from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center and entered lunar orbit on 02:21 UT, May 8.

The Voyager 1 spacecraft successfully started transmitting engineering data on 20 April for the first time since November 14, 2023. A software fix circumvented a chip failure that had prevented useful data from being sent. For more, see the JPL news release.

This Day in Planetary and Lunar Exploration History

1884: Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) founded.
1946: Stalin signs decree to begin development of ballistic missiles in the Soviet Union.
1960: First launch of a Delta rocket, Echo-X fails to achieve orbit due to 2nd stage failure.