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Everyone is going to the moon, so they say. Between national space programmes and private initiatives, 2018 is the goal launch year for at least eight different missions to the moon, making it the most popular destination outside low Earth orbit.
Elon Musk said last year that SpaceX plans to send two tourists on a jaunt around the moon in 2018 using his Falcon Heavy rocket and Crew Dragon capsule. Neither of these have flown yet, so they face significant testing before their intended launch date at the end of the year, and even a minor issue with one of…
![Small dome in the Compton-Belkovich region (61.33 ?N, 99.68 ?E). Evidence indicates a volcanic origin for this and other intriguing features in the region. Incidence angle is 64?, Sun is from the SSW, image is ~510 m across. NAC image number M139238146L [NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University].](https://images.newscientistbeta.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/07172644/SEI_163208069.jpg)
