Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 30 June – 3 July 2023

USA, China, Canada and India Crewed Moon Missions on Horizon

As 2023 second half begins, NASA seeking ≤ 60 kg lunar surface science payloads under Artemis III Deployed Instruments (A3DI) Program, with Step-1 proposals due 30 June, Step-2 due 31 Aug; CNSA Chang’E-7 team evaluating international payload proposals, expert review due 1 July, final tech confirmation 1 Sep; CMSE working to land Taikonauts via LM-9 / 10 in 2020s, build ILRS with construction starting NET 2026; Astronaut Jeremy Hansen, set to be first Canadian to fly by Moon NET Nov 2024, celebrates Canada Day 1 July; ISRO Chandrayaan-3 launching 13 July at 14:30 IST, human landings may be accelerated via Artemis / USA-India partnership

Credits: NASA, USA, China, Canada, India

Tuesday / 20 June 2023

Artemis 2 Lunar Flyby Mission Advancing with Orion Testing / Integration, Crewmember Preparation

NASA will display Orion spacecraft to media in late summer including the capsule that is to fly Artemis 2 crew 8,889 km past Moon prior to lunar flyby, powered by ESA European Service Module-2 now in NASA possession at KSC undergoing testing; Orion Artemis II Optical Communications System (O2O) being integrated; Artemis 2 Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen of CSA-ASC will carry lessons to Moon from Vision Quest with Anishinaabe Elder on Sagkeeng First Nation land in Manitoba, and is to participate in Canada Day celebrations in Ottawa 1 July and lead Calgary Stampede Parade 7 July

Credits: NASA, ESA, CSA-ASC, Twitter / @Astro_Jeremy
 

Friday / 7 April 2023

Artemis 2 Crew Set to Be First Astronauts to Reach Moon in Modern Era, Travel Further from Earth than Any Previous Mission

Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, and Mission Specialists Christina Hammock Koch & Jeremy Hansen are training intensively for 10-day lunar flyby Artemis 2 mission launching to multiple-burn trans lunar injection NET Nov 2024; Luna flyby will take crew 7,400 km past Moon, setting record for distance currently held by Apollo 13 (1970), which flew 254 km from lunar far side; Koch, Glover and Hansen to be first woman, person of color and non-USA citizen (respectively) to fly past LEO, cross Van Allen Belts and flyby Moon

Credits: NASA

Canada-USA Holiday Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 1-4 July 2022

Closest Neighbors Canada and USA Advance Mutually Beneficial Moon Missions

North America nations share holiday weekend commemorating national foundations: Canada observes 155 years since Federation on 1 July, while USA observes 246 years since Independence Declaration 4 July; Building on ~500 past space agreements between nations, CSA-ASC to provide robotic grappler Canadarm3 for Lunar Gateway, launching NET Nov 2024, and Canada astronaut to join NASA Artemis 2 crew on mission around Moon NET May 2024; MDA working with Lockheed / GM on unpressurized, driver-optional rover for Artemis surface exploration; Canadensys supplying high definition cameras for International Lunar Observatory Association precursor mission ILO-X

Pictured: CSA-ASC Astronaut David Saint-Jacques, NASA Anne McClain
Credits: NASA

Friday / 3 June 2022

Businesses Develop Moon Infrastructure Technology with Canadian Space Agency Support

CSA-ASC funding 5 companies to advance Lunar Surface Exploration Initiative with 7 studies (~US$200K/ea, $1.4M total) on agricultural science, avionics/comms, mining/ISRU, power; Canadensys (Bolton ON) to study lunar greenhouse, modular rover concepts; MDA (Brampton ON) to study nuclear power generation, autonomous robots / rovers; MPB Communications (Pointe-Claire QC) to study Earth-Moon optical comms, Canadian Space Mining Corporation (Toronto ON) to study lunar prospecting; Honeywell Ltd. of Canada (Ottawa ON) to study Moon surface / orbit communication network

Credits: CSA-ASC, Canadensys, MDA, MPB Communications, Honeywell, Canadian Space Mining Corporation

Friday / 6 May 2022

Canada Celebrates Space / Moon with AstroFest in Montreal While Parliament Advances Cislunar Law

Astronaut David Saint-Jacques to speak on future of Canada Moon exploration activities as first Artemis program partner at Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium, part of Space For Life Museum in Montreal 7 May; Canada to contribute Canadarm3 to Lunar Gateway, send Astronaut on Artemis 2 Moon orbit mission NET 2024; Lawmakers in Ottawa include language extending Canada legal jurisdiction to / from Gateway and lunar surface for both Canada citizenry and those of ‘Partner States’ in House of Commons bill

Credits: CSA-ASC, Ecosystem, Space For Life

Tuesday / 8 June 2021

ispace To Deploy Multiple International Space Agency Moon Rovers 2022-2026

ispace Of Japan, Under CLPS-like Contract From JAXA, To Carry Small (80mm Diameter, 250g Mass) 2-wheeled Spherical Rover To Moon; Hakuto-R Mission 1 Is Slated To Launch To Lacus Somniorum (37.56°N / 30.8°E), Possibly In Competition With USA Enterprises Astrobotic And Intuitive Machines For Historic First Private Landing On Another World; ispace Is Also Scheduled In 2022 To Deliver 10kg Rashid Rover For UAE Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, Instruments From Mission Control Space Services, Canadensys And NGC Of Canada Through US$124M Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program; CSA-ASC / NASA Rover By 2026

Credits: ispace, JAXA, CSA-ASC, UAESA

Friday / 20 Nov 2020

20th Annual Canadian Space Summit Convenes Virtually 24-27 November

Canadian Space Society (Société Spatiale Canadienne) Is Premier Space Advocacy Organization Of Canada With Calgary, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Winnipeg Chapters; Canadian Space Summit 2020 Continues Mission To Inform, Educate, Engage And Shape Policy In Advancement of Human Activity In Space With Theme ‘To Lunar And Beyond’; Keynote Speakers Include (L-R) Parshati Patel Of Institute For Earth And Space Exploration, Former UN COPUOS Chair David Kendall, Kate Howells Of Planetary Society And IIAS Space Medicine Director Shawna Pandya; Montreal Student Space Associations To Give “180-Seconds To A Degree” Award Selected From Submissions Due 21 Nov

 

Credits: CSA, CSS, Twitter, Planetary Society, IIAS, WU

Friday / 6 Nov 2020

Canada Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program Announces New Opportunities, US$2.5M Awards

Canadian Space Agency LEAP Offering Capability Demonstration Funds From US$115M / 5-year Allocation; Projects Intended To Display Canada-Produced Technology Useful To International Artemis Partnership; $1.9M Already Granted To Canadensys Aerospace Of Ontario For Development And Deployment Of 360° Panoramic Lunar Surface Imager, $644,000 Awarded To NGC Aerospace For GNSS-style Moon Network Which Will Aid Precision Landing, Both Are Expected To Launch NLT April 2024; Upcoming LEAP Cycles 3 And 4 (Due 26 Feb And 27 Aug 2021, Respectively) Are To Distribute Up To $3.1M/Each

Pictured: CSA President Lisa Campbell; Credits: CSA, CSYS, NGC, NASA

Tuesday / 25 February 2020

  Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program To Encourage Canada Companies In Artemis Supply Chain

Canada Space Agency (CSA / ASC) Releases Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program Announcement Of Opportunity; LEAP AO Is Intended To Position Canada Companies In Lunar Mission Supply Chain For The 2024 Artemis Human Landing Date; LEAP Program Is Funded At US$150M With AO Funded At $13M And Individual Companies Receiving Up To $2M; Interested Commercial Enterprises Include ABB Canada, Canadensys Aerospace, Mission Control Space Services And Moon Express Canada; Letters Of Intent Are Due 20 March, With AO Due 31 Mar

Credits: CSA / ASC, Canadensys, Mission Control Space, Moon Express