After being in space for almost a year, it was revealed yesterday that the upper stage of the Falcon 9 rocket has collided with the Moon. The 4000kg rocket body crashed into the Moon’s surface, and, according to scientists, the impact created a crater approximately 20 to 30 metres in diameter.

Will this collision have an impact on Earth?

According to NASA, this poses absolutely no danger to Earth or the Moon. According to researchers, this rare event provided valuable scientific data, offering new insights into the Moon’s surface and helping improve planning for future lunar exploration missions.

SpaceX, via an X post, clarified that solar activity and gravity led the second stage toward the Moon. It is said that impacts like this are rare, but they can happen with objects in these types of orbits, and the company has worked with NASA on the optimal disposal solution.

It is also revealed that this impact was not deliberately planned by NASA, but it does outline opportunities to study crater formation, dust ejection, and high-speed impact dynamics.

Stay tuned for more such updates!

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Hello space, we have arrived! Vikram-1's Test Flight-1 has completed it's mission.

The first ever Indian private sector launch has been successfully completed. #Vikram1 #MissionAagaman #OpeningSpaceForAll

— Skyroot Aerospace (@SkyrootA) July 18, 2026

India’s Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, has also congratulated Skyroot Aerospace on this historic achievement.

Spoke to the team of Skyroot Aerospace and congratulated them on the successful launch of Vikram-1.

This is a defining moment in India’s space journey. The growing participation of our private sector is opening new frontiers and accelerating innovation.

This achievement will… pic.twitter.com/epWjOY8yKa

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 18, 2026

Vikram-1 launched six payloads into a 450km LEO from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota. These include Skyroot’s SCOPE satellite, DCUBED’s technology demonstration payload, Grahaa Space’s SOLARAS S3 satellite, and Cosmoserve Space’s Embrace. It also carried two symbolic payloads: Cosmic Bloom and an 18K gold micro-rocket (features microscopic sculptures of C. V. Raman, Vikram Sarabhai and APJ Abdul Kalam)

This successful mission has made India the third country with a private orbital launch capability. This achievement showcases the growing strength of India’s private sector, advancing innovation and the potential of India’s space economy. Meanwhile, as the Prime Minister mentioned in his X post, this achievement will encourage countless youngsters to dream bigger and innovate fearlessly.

Stay tuned with The Tech Outlook for the latest tech updates!

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For the first time, doctors have completed two surgeries with the use of remotely controlled humanoid robots. According to the study published in Nature, “In Vivo feasibility study of humanoid robots in surgery”, it was revealed that a team of engineers and surgeons at the University of California San Diego has demonstrated that teleoperated humanoid robots can successfully perform live minimally invasive surgery during preclinical trials.

In one surgery, a human-robot team made up of a humanoid robot and a human surgeon acting as an assistant successfully performed a gallbladder removal. A second successful surgery was performed by two humanoid robots working side by side in a robot-robot team, while surgeons controlled them remotely. Both procedures were performed on large non-primate mammals.

It is revealed that the robots used in the study, nicknamed Surgie, are 5 feet tall and weigh 60 pounds. The robots were designed to work with standard laparoscopic instruments rather than custom-built surgical hardware. This latest achievement moves humanoid robots beyond laboratory demonstrations and simulated surgical exercises. The research team measured how close current humanoid systems are to the standards expected in real surgical environments.

It was observed that the humanoid robots were able to operate within an existing operating room environment. Although researchers did have to build adapters to allow Surgie to hold traditional surgical tools, controlling humanoid robots felt more natural to them.

One of the assistant professor of surgery at the UC San Diego School of Medicine said, “It’s a fraction of cost and it takes a fraction of the space in an operating room. So it’s easy to deploy, anywhere from rural areas, to the battlefield, and even to space.”

Healthcare systems in many countries are facing a shortage of surgeons; this leads to delays in the treatment of patients, widening disparities, and more. The use of humanoid robots is expected to expand access to surgical care to more patients and locations.

Apart from this major achievement, the researchers did go through some adjustments like robots had to be reclibrated several times during surgery, and latency is also being improved. Researchers also discovered a different role for surgie- it could fetch tools for the surgeons and could clean up an operating room after a procedure.

Via.

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Today, NASA revealed that it is investing more than $500 million to deliver more science and technology to the lunar surface, and for this, the agency has selected three companies to land four new missions on the Moon in late 2028 to advance its Moon Base development.

NEW: NASA is investing more than $500 million to deliver more science and technology to the lunar surface. The agency has selected three companies to land four new missions on the Moon in late 2028 to advance @NASAMoonBase development. https://t.co/We89abfvue

— NASA (@NASA) June 30, 2026

The three companies include:

• Astrobotic: Awarded $297.9 million total for two deliveries
• Firefly Aerospace: Awarded $144.2 million for one delivery
• Intuitive Machines: Awarded $148.3 million for one delivery

Each company will use updated versions of already-flown lander designs to enable NASA’s increased mission cadence. The companies are responsible for initiating and executing procurements, providing an assessment of a similar previous lunar lander, and incorporating lessons learned to improve the overall mission reliability.

Each delivery will carry three NASA payloads to the lunar surface:

• Stereo Camera for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS)
• Laser Retroreflector Array (LFA)
• Linear Energy Transfer Spectrometer (LETS)

NASA is also reviewing options for these landers to deliver potential additional payloads to the Moon.

“By flying the same science instruments on multiple landers, we will better understand potential hazards during landing and built out a global network of environmental data and location markers on the Moon,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters. “It’s akin to having weather stations in different locations on Earth. These three payloads are flight-proven and their data is critical to supporting safe human exploration of the lunar surface.”

Apart from this, NASA is also considering plans to send PROMISE (Polar Rover for Observation, Mapping, and In-Situ Exploration) to the Moon, a hybrid engineering development version of the Mars Perseverance and Curiosity Rovers. Agency experts will define potential opportunities for PROMISE to characterise the lunar surface, subsurface, and prospect for resources.

NASA plans to solicit proposals in the coming months for lunar landers to deliver a power and avionics technology demonstration, another science manifest, and a South Polar optical imager. The agency will also share an open solicitation for Moon Base technology demonstrations and seek a lunar communication and navigation relay constellation to enable improved communication between Moon Base elements and Earth.

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Read more about the update below.

Rare Red Sprites Captured Over Tibetan Plateau!

Recently, a rare display of red sprites was captured by Chinese astrophotographer Dong Shuchang from ~5,000 m elevation, and the glowing crimson-coloured flashes were seen high above massive thunderstorm clouds. These red sprites are classified as a type of Transient Luminous Event (TLE), and unlike ordinary lightning that usually arcs between clouds and the ground, these form much higher in the atmosphere. The red sprites are said to appear at an altitude between 50 km to 90 km, and last only for a few milliseconds, thereby making them very difficult to observe.

Speaking more, these red sprites as mentioned are triggered by intense positive cloud-to-ground lightning strikes that take place in massive and powerful storm systems below. These strong lightning strikes send a large surge of electrical energy upward, and when this discharge interacts with the upper atmosphere, it excites the thin nitrogen molecules present there. Notably, the excited nitrogen molecules then emit the characteristic glowing red or reddish-orange colour, which gives the red sprites their unique appearance.

 

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Regarding why these red sprites are considered rare, the luminous bursts can spread across tens of kilometres in the sky, but they remain visible only for a very short time. As mentioned, they usually last only for a few milliseconds, and this makes it almost impossible to see them clearly with the naked eye. In addition to this, since they occur above the clouds and also rely on the unpredictable intensity of thunderstorms, scientists have only recently been able to study them better with the help of advanced high-speed and long-exposure astrophotography.

The visuals recorded over the Tibetan Plateau offer an awe-inspiring look at the glowing pillars of light and jellyfish-like tendrils formed by these red sprites. This rare observation also further contributes towards understanding such short-lived upper-atmosphere events better, while also showing how powerful storm systems can lead to such unusual and beautiful light displays above the clouds.

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About Moon Base

As defined by NASA, the Moon Base is the home base for Artemis astronauts who will live and work at humanity’s first lunar outpost. NASA is leading global teams of innovators across international space agencies, industry, and academia to build the Moon Base and establish an enduring human presence near the South Pole for the benefit of all.

Moon Base Development in Phases

Phase One (Now- 2029)

Phase One of Moon Base development includes:

• A major increase in lunar activity, with up to 25 missions, including 21 landings.
• Crewed and autonomous rovers for mobility demonstrations and surface preparation, along with 4 drones known as MoonFall and communications relay and observation satellites.
• Early demonstrations of power, navigation, communications, and nuclear radioisotope heater unit technologies designed to endure the long lunar night.
• Scientific payload opportunities integrated across landers and rovers.
• The first tangible footprint of the Moon Base effort, with four tons of payload delivered to test what works on the lunar surface.

Phase Two (2029-2032)

By 2029, NASA will transition to assembling semi-permanent infrastructure and initiating early habitation and logistics operations. Phase Two of Moon Base Development includes:

• Deployment of expanded solar power systems and initial nuclear surface power capabilities, potentially including fission reactors and radioisotope power systems.
• Upgraded rovers, potential advanced MoonFall drones, and early habitation elements.
• Enhanced surface-to-orbit communications networks to provide reliable connectivity across the lunar South Pole region.
• Delivery of up to 60 tons of cargo through as many as 24 landings using low-, medium-, and heavy-class cargo landers.

Phase Three (2032-Beyond)

This phase will scale operations to achieve a sustained presence, with routine crew rotations and continuous surface activity. Phase Three of Moon Base development includes:

• Semi-permanent habitation modules with more spacious interior for crew living and operations.
• Operational fission surface power systems capable of delivering steady, reliable energy through the long lunar nights, leveraging in-situ resource manufacturing.
• Pressurized rovers enabling long-distance travel, exploration, and science operations.
• Advanced logistics networks supported by crewed and autonomous rovers to keep the base supplied and functioning year-round.
• Delivery of up to 38 tons of cargo annually to sustain habitats, power systems, logistics operations, and major science outposts, enabled by low-cost reusable heavy-lift capabilities.

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The crew members include payload specialist Lai Ka-ying (a former Hong Kong police inspector with a doctoral degree in computer forensics), the first astronaut from the city to take part in a Chinese space mission; commander Zhu Yangzhu; and pilot Zhang Zhiyuan.

Among the three astronauts, one will stay on the Tiangong Space Station for a year (one of the longest space missions of China), enabling the study of long-duration human physiology in space. According to the China Manned Space Agency, the astronaut who is supposed to stay will be decided later, depending on the progress of this mission.

This launch is a crucial step as Beijing is said to be working towards its ambition of a crewed moon landing by 2030. The launch comes amid an accelerating race to the moon with the US, which has warned about Beijing’s alleged plans to colonise and mine lunar territory and resources. Though Beijing has denied such claims.

Until its 2030 deadline, NASA will have to develop entirely new hardware and software specific to its lunar mission, proving it is mission-ready. That will ensure its astronauts, used to the relative safety of Tiangong in low-Earth orbit, can safely make the riskier transition to the moon’s surface. Reportedly, the Chinese space agency is training two Pakistani astronauts, one of whom could join an expected mission to Tiangong this year on a short-duration basis.

It is revealed that scientists will study the physiological effects of radiation exposure, bone density loss and psychological stress in space for the extended duration of the Shenzhou-23 mission.

China also plans to establish a permanent base on the moon by 2035 with Russia, if the crewed landing before 2030 becomes successful.

Apart from China, NASA is also seeking to achieve a crewed moon landing in 2028 while the US aims to establish a long-term lunar presence as a stepping stone to eventual human exploration of Mars.

Via.

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Let's take a (space)walk!

On May 27, two Roscosmos cosmonauts will exit the @Space_Station to install a solar radiation experiment on the Zvezda service module. Learn how to watch live: https://t.co/4grz6HMM5X pic.twitter.com/eyu40CQnVE

— NASA (@NASA) May 22, 2026

You can watch NASA’s live coverage beginning at 945 AM on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and the agency’s YouTube channel. The Roscosmos spacewalk will be the second for Kud-Sverchkov and the first for Mikaev. Kud-Sverchkov will wear a spacesuit with red stripes, and Mikaev will wear a spacesuit with blue stripes. It will be the 279^th spacewalk in support of space station assembly, maintenance, and upgrades.

As revealed by NASA, International Space Station Expedition 74 commander Sergey Kud-Sverchkov and flight engineer Sergei Mikaev will install a solar radiation experiment on the Zvezda service module and remove other science hardware from the Poisk and Nauka modules of the orbiting complex’s Roscosmos segment. If time allows, the duo also will photograph one of the Progress 94 cargo spacecraft’s Kurs rendezvous antennas, which failed to deploy in March following its launch to the space station.

Stay tuned with The Tech Outlook for all the latest updates.

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It is now announced that the Starlink team is exploring ways to extend connectivity beyond Earth.

The Starlink team is exploring ways to extend connectivity beyond our planet pic.twitter.com/MJLKNvWdxK

— Starlink (@Starlink) May 21, 2026

Starlink has also shared some conceptual designs for interplanetary connectivity, focusing on a lunar relay system to provide gigabit speeds for rovers, habitats and astronauts on the Moon’s surface.

In the above images and demo video, orbital relay shells around Earth and the Moon are seen linked by laser or radio beams, alongside surface terminals featuring tall, illuminated antennas. In the future, this development could help in supporting crewed missions in space. It is said that currently, the SpaceX and Starlink teams are laying the groundwork for this vision to support future human settlements on the Moon, Mars, and beyond.

Today’s announcement signals early development toward seamless data links between Earth and lunar operations. In the coming days, the company is expected to shed some more light in the development of this interplanetary connectivity mission.

Stay tuned with The Tech Outlook for all the latest updates.

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Here’s more about it.

NASA’s Psyche Spacecraft Successfully Completes Mars Flyby

After the successful flyby maneuver, NASA’s flight team analyzed radio signals exchanged between the spacecraft and the agency’s NASA Deep Space Network so as to verify that the spacecraft was moving along the planned trajectory. As per Don Han – Psyche’s navigation lead at Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Mars gravity assist has now provided the spacecraft with a speed boost of around 1,000 miles per hour while also shifting its orbital plane by nearly one degree relative to the Sun. With this, the spacecraft is now expected to arrive at asteroid Psyche in the summer season of 2029.

Ahead of and during the close approach, all scientific instruments onboard the spacecraft were powered up as part of various calibration activities. This included the imagers, magnetometers, and gamma-ray and neutron spectrometer instruments. The Mars encounter also offered a valuable testing opportunity for the mission team before the spacecraft eventually reaches asteroid Psyche. In addition to this, the spacecraft was also able to capture unique images of Mars from a rare viewing angle.

Because the spacecraft approached Mars from a high phase angle, the planet appeared as a thin crescent illuminated by sunlight reflected from its surface. Observations captured using the spacecraft’s multispectral imaging system revealed that the crescent appeared brighter and stretched farther across the planet’s disk than initially expected due to the scattering of sunlight through Mars’ dusty atmosphere. Around the moment of closest approach, the spacecraft also captured a rapid sequence of surface images while transitioning from the nighttime side of Mars toward daylight.

Jim Bell – the Psyche imager instrument lead at Arizona State University, also revealed that thousands of images of Mars and its atmosphere had been captured during the flyby process. As per him, the collected data will help the mission team calibrate the spacecraft cameras and improve image processing tools that are currently being developed for use once the spacecraft reaches asteroid Psyche.

It has also been revealed that several other Mars missions contributed complementary imaging and navigation data during the flyby. These include NASA’s Perseverance rover mission, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, 2001 Mars Odyssey, Curiosity rover, along with the European Space Agency missions Mars Express and ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter.

With Mars now behind it, the spacecraft is expected to resume its solar-electric propulsion journey toward the asteroid belt. Upon arrival in August 2029, the spacecraft will enter orbit around asteroid Psyche, which scientists currently believe could be the exposed metallic core of an ancient planetesimal. Through multiple orbital phases at varying altitudes, the spacecraft will map the asteroid and gather scientific data in detail. If confirmed to be a metallic planetary core, the asteroid may provide researchers with valuable insight into the interiors of rocky planets such as Earth.

Stay tuned for more updates.

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