Aditya-L1, India's first solar mission, to lift off on September 2

Recently Spotted Asteroid Set for Near Miss With Earth

Recently Spotted Asteroid, Set for Near Miss With Earth. ABC reports that an asteroid is set to make a close pass by Earth this weekend. Asteroid 2024 MK should be visible with the proper equipment and timing. . Asteroid 2024 MK should be visible with the proper equipment and timing. . The space rock will make its closest approach past Earth early on June 29, passing at just three-quarters of the distance between the Earth and the Moon. The asteroid, which was first spotted two weeks ago by an observatory in South Africa, is estimated to be about 393 feet to 853 feet wide. According to asteroid expert Davide Farnocchia, who works for NASA's Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, asteroids the size of 2024 MK only pass by about every 25 years. We’re going to see a few of those during our lifetimes, but it’s not something that happens every other day, Davide Farnocchia, NASA Center for Near-Earth Object Studies, via ABC. On June 27, a 7,579-foot asteroid just passed the Earth at a slightly greater distance and was only visible with professional telescopes. The upcoming 2024 MK will be visible with a small telescope but will not be visible to the naked eye. . ABC reports that skywatchers in the Southern Hemisphere will have the best odds of spotting the asteroid. The next major asteroid is set for April 13, 2029, when Apophis will pass Earth and be visible with the naked eye to viewers in Europe, Africa and Asia.

China brings back first samples from far side of the Moon

The probe landed in northern China on Tuesday.

ESA and China Space Agency Collaboration Detects Negative Ions on Dark Side of Moon

ESA and China Space Agency , Collaboration Detects Negative Ions , on Dark Side of Moon. China's Chang'e-6 lunar lander landed on the dark side of the Moon, successfully gathered samples and lifted off in just over 48 hours. . 'Futurism' reports that the historic feat resulted in the first-ever samples collected from the far side of the Moon, which permanently faces away from the Earth. The trip also saw the lander deposit several scientific payloads, including the Negative Ions at the Lunar Surface (NILS) instrument for the European Space Agency. This was ESA’s first activity on the surface of the Moon, a world-first scientifically, and a first lunar cooperation with China, Neil Melville, ESA’s technical officer for the experiment, via 'Futurism'. The moon's lack of a magnetic field makes the surface extremely vulnerable to charged solar particles, which create negatively charged ions. . Before it could make its observations, the NILS instrument had to be adjusted to the extreme lunar surface conditions, going through a cycle of reboots and blackouts. Once it adjusted, the instrument detected negative ions from solar winds bombarding the Moon's surface and successfully transmitted back usable data. We have collected an amount and quality of data far beyond our expectations, Neil Melville, ESA’s technical officer for the experiment, via 'Futurism'. 'Futurism' explains that the data could have significant implications for our understanding of how our celestial neighborhood deals without having a magnetic field. . These observations on the Moon will help us better understand the surface environment and act as a pathfinder to explore negative ion populations in other airless bodies in the Solar System, from planets to asteroids and other moons, Martin Wieser, NILS principal investigator, via 'Futurism'