Tuesday / 4 Dec 2018

South Korea Launch Advances Lunar Missions

South Korea Successfully Launches Locally Built Rocket Engine To Altitude Of 209 Km, First Launch Since 2013 Orbital Flight On Budget About US$670M; Korea Satellite Launch Vehicle (KSLV-2) To Carry Satellites, Lunar Orbiter And Lander With Rover In Separate Launches; Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) Carrying NASA ShadowCam Preparing For Dec 2020 Launch On Falcon 9; Ukraine, One Of 10 Nations With Full-Cycle Rocket Production Capability, Assisting With Engineering; South Korea Hosting Light Dark International Forum On Astronomy 17-21 Dec In Daejeon And Preparing For International Astronomical Union Meeting In 2021

Credits: KARI, Seoul Post, Buzz Aldrin/Facebook

Special Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 Oct 2016

First Woman On The Moon:
Chinese? American? Other?

international-woman-on-the-moon

While 46 Of The 60 Women Astronauts Are American, NASA Has No Plans To Put 1st Woman On Moon, Reclaim Greatest Advance In Human History / Multi World Species, Reach New Frontier Of Moon South Pole; China May Be Well Positioned To Put 1st Woman On Moon As Chang’e, Tiangong, Long March Rocket Programs Prove Reliability, And Planning Shows Step-By-Step Logical Progression; Russia & ESA Hope For Eventual Human Lunar Bases, Japan Plans Human Lander After SELENE-3, Canada Participating In ISECG Road Map Which May Include Moon Missions & On NASA Robotic Resource Prospector Mission 2018, S Korea Focusing On 1st Moon Orbiter 2018, Robotic Lander / Rover 2020

Pictured: L-R, T-B: Wang Yaping, Liu Yang (China), Julie Payette (Canada), Naoko Yamazaki (Japan), Yelena Serova (Russia), Yi So-yeon (S Korea)

Credits: CNSA, NASA, CSA, KARI, RSA, JAXA

Friday / 22 July 2016

UAE Satellite Maneuver Pays Tribute To Humankind’s Greatest Achievement

Moon 47th International

UAE Dubai-Sat-2 Earth Observation Satellite Turns Face & Captures Images Of Moon To Mark Achievement Of 1st Human Moon Landing, Inspire Future Space Scientists; Salem Al Marri Of Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre Notes Apollo As “A Pinnacle Of Engineering Development & Exploration” And Hopes To “See People On Mars & Other Celestial Bodies”; Nations Including China, India, Japan, Russia, S. Korea & ESA Are Focusing On Moon Missions And Outposts; U.S. Has The Technologies & Could Catalyze Space Race With Prioritization

Credit: Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre, Dubai Eye Radio, NASA

Wednesday / 25 November 2015

Korea First Lunar Mission To Begin Flight Development Phase Jan 2016

11252015Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) Lunar Exploration Program With Expected 2-Year Budget Of 197.8 Billion Won (US$172.5M) To Begin Call For Instrument Proposals In Jan 2016; Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO) To Launch In 2018; Lander & Rover Expected 2020; Goal Is To Develop & Verify Lunar Technologies, Establish Korea Deep Space Network & Cooperate With International Partners In Lunar Exploration; Lander Mission Likely To Use Indigenous KSLV-2 Launch Vehicle; ISRO & KARI To Collaborate In India Deep Space Missions & Utilize Lunar Surface Data Collected By Chandrayaan-1; KARI Lunar Exploration Program Also Planning To Participate With NASA SSERVI To Gain Expertise In Solar System Science

Pictured: Dr. Seung-jo Kim, KARI President

Credit: Korea Aerospace Research Institute

Weekend Holiday Edition
Friday-Monday / 3-6 July 2015

Moon South Pole Landers 2017-19
Point To 2020s Human Lunar Decade

July 4 Edition, Moon South Pole

International Fleet Of South Pole Lunar Landers Developing From India (Chandrayaan-2, 2017), China (Chang’e-4 & -5, 2017), Japan (SLIM, 2019), Russia (Luna-25, 2019), Korea (2020), As Well As Independent Enterprises Moon Express, ILOA, Canadensys, Golden Spike Company & Shackleton Energy Company; American Flags On Moon Commemorated 4 July As Pioneering Individuals Look Forward To Earth / International Flags & Multi World Species Endeavors

Credit: NASA, JAXA, CNSA, IIT-Kanpur, ISRO, ILOA, ME

Wednesday / 20 May 2015

India & Korea To Collaborate On Lunar Exploration

IndiaKoreaMoon

ISRO & KARI Issue Joint Statement Committing To Cooperation In Areas Of Lunar Exploration, Satellite Navigation & Space Science; Two Organizations Will Work On Deep Space Cross Tracking / Communication Support For Deep Space Missions, Sharing Of Chandrayaan-1 Lunar Surface / Radiation Data, & Technological Cooperation; India Planning Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter / Lander Rover In 2017, South Korea Advancing 2020 Moon Lander Mission

Image Credit: ISRO, KARI, Yonhap

Thursday / 19 February 2015

South Korea Unveils Moon Rover

SKoreaRover0215

Korea Institute Of Science & Technology Displays Moon Rover Destined For Lunar Landing In 2020; Rover Is 50cm Wide, 70cm Long, 25cm High, Weighs 20kg (China Yutu Moon Rover Is 120kg); Project Elevated As National Objective By President Park Geun-Hye; Mission – Which Also Includes A Moon Orbiter – Expected To Cost ~US$630M; 2 Separate Launches Of Korea Space Launch Vehicle-2 Will Boost The Orbiter & Lander

Image Credit: Korea Institute Of Science & Technology, Korea.net

Friday / 14 November 2014

S Korea Advancing Toward 2020 Moon Mission

KARI 2020

S Korea Indigenous Lunar Orbiter & Module / Launch Vehicle-2 Feasibility Study Conducted By Ministry Of Strategy & Finance States Project May Create ~US$296M Added Value & 4,800 Jobs, Potential Value From Lunar Exploration Is ~US$3.5B (5.17 Times Budget Allotted – $677M); Hopes To Launch Orbiter In 2020 With Help From NASA Joint Research Agreement, 15 Government-Funded Research Institutions Led By KARI; Also Planning To Develop 10-20 Kg Rover To Look For Rare Minerals

Pictured: S Korea President Park Geun-Hye (L) & KARI President Seung Jo Kim

Image Credit: KARI

Thursday / 30 January 2014

Moon Mining – A Rising Priority

MoonMining0114

Private Companies & Government Agencies See Moon Mining As Critical Step Towards Future Sustainability, Expansion Of Humans Through Solar System; China Eyeing Lunar Helium-3; Russia Planning Prospecting & Sample Return Missions By 2020; USA Likely To Collaborate With Japan, Korea, Canada, Private Companies To Achieve US$250M Resource Prospector Mission At Moon South Pole ~2018 To Advance ISRU Capabilities; Moon Mining Plans Lead Inevitably To Property Rights Considerations

Image Credit: NASA, Roscosmos

Tuesday / 28 January 2014

South Korea Initiates Moon Exploration Program

KoreaMoon2Program0114

2020 South Korea Moon Mission Preparations Initiated With Launch Of Program For Research & Development Of Basic Lunar Exploration Technologies; 15 State-Run & Private Institutes Will Collaborate To Develop 4 Major Technologies In Information-Technology, Nuclear Energy, Robotics & Resource Exploration; Pictured (TR): Choi Mun-Kee, Minister Of Science, ICT & Future Planning

Image Credit: msip.go.kr, KARI