Deep space tracking is hard and mistakes happen. It seems that SpaceX rocket does not yet get to hit the moon soon as earlier expected. Ironically, it now appears that the off the course object comes from a Chinese mission to return a sample of lunar rock to help scientists understand why the Moon is so heavily cratered. Soon they might have a new crater to the moon to research.
Sources to read more:
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/feb/15/rocket-on-collision-course-with-the-moon-built-by-china-not-spacex#aoh=16450345909834&csi=1&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=Julkaisija%3A%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.theguardian.com%2Fscience%2F2022%2Ffeb%2F15%2Frocket-on-collision-course-with-the-moon-built-by-china-not-spacex
https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamiecartereurope/2022/02/15/revealed-china-not-spacex-is-to-blame-for-the-rogue-rocket-that-will-soon-hit-the-moon-says-scientist/
3 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/09/22/capstone-the-story-so-far/
After decades of delays and false starts, NASA is finally returning to the Moon. The world is eagerly awaiting the launch of Artemis I, the first demonstration flight of both the Space Launch System and Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle, which combined will send humans out of low Earth orbit for the first time since 1972. But it’s delayed.
While the first official Artemis mission is naturally getting all the attention, the space agency plans to do more than put a new set of boots on the surface — their long-term goals include the “Lunar Gateway” space station that will be the rallying point for the sustained exploration of our nearest celestial neighbor.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2023/05/03/moon-mission-failures-or-why-are-lunar-landings-so-hard/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2024/11/21/measuring-the-mighty-roar-of-spacexs-starship-rocket/