Planetary

1. Organizing a Watch Party

   Watch parties are a fun and informal way to bring together space fans and the public to experience the excitement of space exploration.

2. LightSail Launch Event

   LightSail 2’s launch window opens on June 22, and we are finalizing plans for our launch viewing celebrations. Once we have finished coordinating the details with the Air Force’s STP-2 mission team and the Kennedy Space Center, we will share them with all of our members and backers so that you can join us in person or remotely via the internet.

3. Hayabusa2 Encounters Snag Trying to Drop Second Target Marker

   The spacecraft is healthy and safe, but time is running out to collect a second sample from asteroid Ryugu.

4. Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Images Beresheet Impact Site

   Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has successfully imaged the impact site of the Beresheet lander, which made a really good run at performing the first privately funded Moon landing on 11 April, but crashed after the failure of its main engine.

5. Chang’e-4 may have discovered material from the Moon’s mantle

   The first science results from the unprecedented Chang’e-4 lunar far side mission are in. The mission’s Yutu-2 rover, deployed from the lander shortly after the Chang’e-4 landing on 3 January, has, with the help of the Queqiao relay satellite, returned data which suggests it has discovered material derived from the Moon’s mantle.