Mexico eagerly prepares for historic first Latin American lunar mission: 'Elevates the name of our country'

The United States and China explore the lunar presence of critical minerals. Mexico will launch its first lunar mission next month, a historic step for the country and Latin America as a whole, according to officials. "This project will make history and is the first of its kind in Latin America, which elevates the name of our country, confirming once again that Mexican engineering is at the level of the best in the world," Salvador Landeros, director of the Mexican Space Agency (AEM), said in a press release. A team of scientists and nearly 250 university students developed five microrobots that the AEM will launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, between Jan. 8 and Jan. 11 as part of project Colmena. Each robot weighs 60 grams -- a little over one-tenth of a pound -- and measures just under 5 inches in diameter.