Category Archives: India

Tuesday / 29 Aug 2023

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BRICS Nations Consider Establishment of Space Exploration Consortium

5-member BRICS economic bloc consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (with Argentina, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and UAE set to formally join 1 Jan 2024) may cooperate on space development per comments given by India PM and Foreign Secretary in the wake of the historic landing of Chandrayaan-3 at Shiv Shakti, ~20° from the lunar south pole; Existing BRICS Remote Sensing Satellite Constellation could serve as ‘base layer’ from which consortium may grow per Secretary Kwatra; Collaboration between China-led ILRS and Artemis Accords signatory India may accelerate USA Moon action

Pictured: India Prime Minister Narendra Modi (T), India Foreign Secretary Shri Vinay Kwatra (B); Credits: ILOA, Twitter / @ani_digital, India Ministry of External Affairs

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 25-28 August 2023

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India Exploring Area Near Moon South Pole with Chandrayaan-3

ISRO now conducting the farthest expedition into the lunar south ever, with landing site 69.374454°S, 32.318695°E ~625km from the southernmost point on the Moon (90°S on Shackleton crater rim); Lander Module Vikram and Pragyan rover operating nominally with ILSA, RAMBHA and ChaSTE instruments activated and ready to take seismic, ionic and thermal readings; APXS and LIBS will perform X-ray and laser spectroscopy to determine chemical, mineralogical and elemental composition of regolith from Pragyan, now rolled out and >8 meters from LM

Tuesday / 22 Aug 2023

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ISRO Making Final Checks While Awaiting Lunar Daybreak at Chandrayaan-3 Landing Site

Chandryaan-3 Vikram lunar lander in elliptical 25 x 134 km lunar orbit as ISRO operators at Mission Operations Complex in Bengaluru ensuring craft readiness ahead of powered descent to Moon surface ~20° from MSP set to begin 23 Aug 12:15 UTC, with touchdown on lunar surface now scheduled ~19 minutes later at 12:34 UTC; Landing to be supported by NASA and ESA Deep Space Network antennas in Canberra and Madrid with backup relay via Chandrayaan-2 orbiter; ISRO encourages schools to observe historic moment which will ‘fuel curiosity’ and ‘spark passion for exploration’; Live coverage starts 11:50 UTC

Tuesday / 8 Aug 2023

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Chandrayaan-3 Tightening Orbit Around Moon Ahead of Landing Attempt as Luna-25 and SLIM Launches Approach

ISRO Moon lander Chandrayaan-3 now in an elliptical 170 km x 4313 km lunar orbit as ISTRAC controllers at Mission Operations Complex (MOX) in Bengaluru prepare to execute orbital reduction maneuver 2 of 5, planned for 9 Aug 13:00-14:00 IST (07:30-08:30 UTC) to bring craft into circular, polar 100-km orbit ahead of 23 August landing; Luna-25 rollout set for 8 Aug, with previously reported 10 Aug 2:10:57 MSK (23:10:57 UTC) launch now officially declared by Roscosmos; JAXA SLIM to follow 26 Aug 09:34:57 JST (00:34:57 UTC)

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 4-7 August 2023

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August Moon Landings by Russia, India, Launch by Japan, Raise Major Challenges for USA

As Roscosmos readies Luna-25 / Soyuz-2.1b rocket at Vostochny Cosmodrome for launch to Moon from Site 1S reportedly set for 11 Aug 2:10 MSK (backup launch 12 Aug 2:35 MSK, landing NET 20 Aug), ISRO preps for 5 Aug 19:00 IST lunar orbit insertion / 23 Aug landing of Chandrayaan-3, and JAXA planning SLIM lander launch via H-2A on 26 Aug 09:34 JST, 21st Century USA Moon landings remain unrealized; Impact on USA world standing and space leadership may be profound if CLPS robotic landers / Artemis human Moon return are further delayed

Tuesday / 1 Aug 2023

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Chandrayaan-3 on Course for Lunar Orbit Insertion Following Successful Trans Lunar Injection

ISRO lunar lander Chandrayaan-3 on 5-day cruise to lunar orbit, expected to arrive 5 Aug after set on its way with TLI maneuver firing at 1 Aug perigee (00:15 IST) commanded from ISRO ISTRAC facility in Bengaluru; India is set to become 4th nation to soft-land on Moon, and may become 1st to explore Moon South Pole region; Meanwhile origin of wreckage found near Jurien Bay, Western Australia affirmed by Australian Space Agency to be PSLV stage 3; ASA to store material for ISRO retrieval as obligations under the United Nations space treaties considered

Credits: ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 28-31 July 2023

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India Chandrayaan-3 Successful TLI Will Propel Craft to Join USA, PRC, S Korea in Cislunar Space; Soon Followed by Russia, Japan

Rounding out July ‘International Space / Moon Month’ is TransLunar Injection (18:30-19:30 UTC 31 July / 00:00-01:00 IST 1 August) planned for Chandrayaan-3, setting it on course for lunar orbit, lander / propulsion-module separation 17 Aug, lunar touchdown 23 Aug; Luna-25 and SLIM landers may be on track for NET 10 Aug and 26 Aug respectively, while commercial Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines hope for 2023 launches; Continually operating are: landers CE-3 & CE-4, rover Yutu-2, and orbiters LRO, ARTEMIS P1 & P2, CE-4 Queqiao, Chandrayaan-2, CE-5-T1 Service Module, CAPSTONE & Danuri

Credits: NASA, CNSA, KARI, ISRO, Advanced Space

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 21-24 July 2023

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India, Russia and Japan Landers to Summer on Moon as USA Commercial Outfits Aim for Autumn / Winter

Chandrayaan-3 lander (449 kg dry) on track for 5th / final Earth orbit raising maneuver to be performed by ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command Network from Bengaluru 25 July between 14:00–15:00 IST, followed by lunar transfer 31 July and landing on lunar surface 23 August 17:47 IST; Roscosmos Luna-25 (800 kg) set for 11 Aug launch with Moon landing NET 20 Aug, being promoted with ‘Sonota’ mascot; JAXA SLIM (190 kg) to launch 26 Aug, demonstrate computer vision-based precision landing system; CLPS providers Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic preparing for Q4 launches

Credits: ISRO, Roscosmos, JAXA

Tuesday / 18 July 2023

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Chandrayaan-3 Operating Nominally as its Orbit is Raised in Preparation for Trans-Lunar Injection

ISRO is working to conduct next raising maneuver of Chandrayaan-3, which is currently maintaining 41,603 km x 226 km orbit; Apogee firing to occur 17 July between 14:00-15:00 IST will be 3rd of 5 such maneuvers prior to TLI, which is set for 31 July, followed by ~5.5-day transfer and Lunar Orbit Insertion around 5 Aug; Propulsion Module to maintain 100 x 100 km circular orbit while Vikram lander containing Pragyan rover to descend to MSP area surface from 100 x 30km lunar orbit

Credits: ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 July 2023

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India Moon Lander Launch Leads Wave of Back-to-Back-to-Back National Missions Headed to Moon

ISRO ~US$75M Chandrayaan-3 on Earth Centric Phase 1 of Moon transit, in which 5 orbital raising maneuvers are set to occur prior to Lunar Transfer Phase 2 and Moon Centric Phase 3-10 with lander & rover landing at MSP region (69.367°S, 32.348°E) NET 23 Aug and Propulsion Module placed in 100-km circular orbit; Roscosmos to launch Luna-25 on 11 Aug at 23:10 UTC with direct TLI route, possibly reaching MSP region landing site (69.545°S, 43.544°E) before Chandrayaan-3; JAXA Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) “Moon Sniper” launching with XRISM space telescope 26 Aug at 00:34:57 UTC

Credits: ISRO, JAXA, Roscosmos