On this day in space! Sept. 10, 2011: NASA launches GRAIL probes to the moon to map lumpy lunar gravity

Written and edited by the WorldPing NewsdeskPublished Updated Original reporting: Space.com
On this day in space! Sept. 10, 2011: NASA launches GRAIL probes to the moon to map lumpy lunar gravityWorldPing
Image via Space.com.

What happened

10, 2011, NASA's GRAIL spacecraft launched on a mission to the moon!

Here's why the moon gravity mapping mission mattered.

Key facts

  • 10, 2011, NASA's GRAIL spacecraft launched on a mission to the moon!
  • Reported by Space.com and published Thu, 10 Sep 2026 18:01:18 UTC.

Why it matters

Research findings and mission results set the evidence base that policy, funding and later discoveries build on.

What to watch next

  • Peer review status and replication of the findings
  • Mission milestones and next scheduled attempt
  • Funding or policy decisions that follow

Coverage timeline

When each newsroom published on this story, oldest first — all times UTC.

  1. Iconic Star Trek filming location spotted from space | Space photo of the day for Sept. 10, 2026

  2. NASA, NFL Team Up to Showcase Space, Aeronautics Innovation

  3. LINK spacecraft gets close to NASA's Swift Observatory, but not close enough to save it

  4. On this day in space! Sept. 10, 2011: NASA launches GRAIL probes to the moon to map lumpy lunar gravity

Sources

The original report was published by Space.com. WorldPing does not claim that reporting — this page summarises and contextualises it.

Read the full report at Space.com

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