Spacecraft

A moon lander has reached lunar orbit, heading for an attempt at the first US touchdown on Earth's nearest celestial neighbour in more than 50 years.

A Queensland-built rocket will strive to reach orbit from the northern town of Bowen in what company bosses say is the first locally made craft to lift-off from Australian soil.

The launch further enhances the country's space credentials, following the historic "pinpoint" moon landing of Japan's SLIM spacecraft last month.

Only five countries have scored a successful lunar landing and no private business has done it yet. 

Oleg Kononenko is expected to reach a total of 1,000 days in space on June 5, and by late September he will have clocked 1,110 days.

A change in the sunlight's direction is believed to helped Japan's SLIM lunar probe regain power more than a week after it ran out.

While the module landed successfully and precisely where it was supposed to, its solar panels are not facing the sun so are unable to generate power.

Japan's space agency says it hopes a shift in the sunlight's angle will hit the solar panels of its 'Moon sniper' in a way that can restore its functions.

The Australian Space Agency says it monitored the re-entry to make sure it posed "no threat to people or property".

Japan is planning to land a car-sized spacecraft on the Moon this week. If SLIM succeeds, it will make history and pave the way for building landers that can explore the Solar System's  planets and moons.

The debut of NASA's X-59 quiet supersonic aircraft is hoped to revolutionise commercial air travel in the US, paving the way for flights that can travel faster than the speed of sound. 

A new chapter of Australia's space race is being written with a massive expansion planned for a rocket base in east Arnhem Land. 

A space company with plans to launch 50 rockets a year from the remote NT has dismissed fears about missiles being launched from the site, but still has ambitions to work with defence.

The US space agency pushes back Moon flights due to safety and technical issues, after the Peregrine lander suffered a major blow.

A high school art teacher from Wollongong is among 30,000 creators from around the world whose art has been digitised for a commercial mission to the moon. 

The rocket made it out of the Earth's atmosphere, but the Moon lander on board later suffered a fuel leak.

A private company's Peregrine lander appears unlikely to complete its original mission after running into issues on its way to the Moon.

Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic Technology aims to be the first private company to successfully land on the Moon, something only four countries have accomplished.

Two private companies in the US are attempting the country's first Moon landing since its Apollo program ended more than five decades ago.

The US military's X-37B space plane, which launched without anyone on board, is expected to be carrying out its mission for at least a couple of years. 

The first locally made rocket to be launched into space from Australian soil is scheduled for lift-off from a commercial facility in Queensland early next year.

The owner of an orange tabby cat called Taters is celebrating after a video of the feline was sent to Earth from 31 million kilometres away.

The new Australian space rover 'Roo-ver' will fly to the moon later this decade to collect space soil, known as regolith.

A cheeky moniker for the country's first lunar rover is confirmed by the Australian Space Agency, following almost 20,000 votes.

North Korea says it will consider any interference with its satellite operations a declaration of war and mobilise its war deterrence.