June 2023
Thursday June 1
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The private Polaris Dawn mission may launch to attempt a spacewalk
In 2021, Jared Isaacman, the billionaire founder of the payments processor Shift4, took three people to space with him for the mission called Inspiration4. In 2022, he announced there would be additional flights. In 2023, with a new crew in the SpaceX Dragon capsule, Mr. Isaacman wants to fly to a higher orbit and attempt a spacewalk. Mr. Isaacman said the mission could occur this summer and we will provide a more precise launch date when the Polaris Program announces it. Read more about the Polaris Program:https://nyti.ms/3GgZV6D
Wednesday June 21
- All Day
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Summer solstice
It’s the scientific start to summer in the Northern Hemisphere, when this half of the world tilts toward the sun. Read more about the importance of the solstice for life on Earth here:https://nyti.ms/2yvKbf6
Friday June 30
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Intuitive Machines may launch a commercial lunar lander mission
NASA has relied on private companies to create new capabilities for the government agency, such as building spacecraft to carry astronauts and cargo to orbit. It is now trying a similar approach for transporting scientific instruments to the moon. A Houston company, Intuitive Machines, may launch its IM-1 mission, using its Nova-C spacecraft to carry payloads to the lunar South Pole region, potentially making it the first spacecraft to land there. Intuitive Machines, flying on a SpaceX rocket, says it will launch in late June. We will provide a more precise launch date for this mission when the company announces one.Read more about the NASA program:https://nyti.ms/3Wr1Tqv
July 2023
Thursday July 6
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Earth is at its farthest point from the sun.
Even as the Northern Hemisphere experiences the heat of summer, our planet is at aphelion, the farthest it will get from the sun during its elliptical orbit. Read more about aphelion, and what it's like on other worlds in our solar system, here:https://nyti.ms/2lVMf71
Wednesday July 12
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India could launch the Chandrayaan-3 mission to the moon.
While India successfully orbited a spacecraft around the moon in 2019, its attempt to land a rover to explore the lunar surface ended in a dramatic crash. The country’s space program is trying again. The Indian Space Research Organization has tentatively set July 12 as the launch date. Read about the crowdsourcing effort that helped locate the crash site of the Vikram lander in 2019 here: https://nyti.ms/3J92qaw
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