Author Archives: LED Editor

Friday / 2 Dec 2022

Posted on by

Artemis 1 Orion Spacecraft Departing Lunar Distant Retrograde Orbit for Moon Flyby, Earth Return and Reentry

Orion headed back toward Moon following 105-second main engine trajectory maneuver, a 4-day leg of Artemis 1 journey which has seen the furthest travel of any human-rated vessel (aside from Apollo 10 ascent module in heliocentric disposal orbit) at 432,210-km from Earth; Final powered lunar flyby set to occur at 8:43 PST on 5 Dec, sending Orion on a 6-day trip towards Earth; 11 Dec reentry at 9:40 to be fastest (39,429 kph / Mach 32) and hottest (2,760°C) to date, first to employ ‘skip’ technique allowing precision splashdown and lowered g-forces

 Credits: NASA

Tuesday / 29 Nov 2022

Posted on by

Japan Focuses on Moon with OMOTENASHI and EQUULEUS in Cislunar Space, ispace M1 Launching to Luna Surface

Despite 6U CubeSat OMOTENASHI ‘semi-hard impact’ failure, JAXA team led by Tatsuaki Hashimoto still working to reestablish communications and carry out testing in lunar orbit around March, at which time solar panels will be oriented towards Sun; Meanwhile fellow Artemis rideshare EQUULEUS, powered by 6-water thruster AQUARIUS propulsion system, on 18-month route to Earth-Moon L2 following 5,550-km lunar flyby / imaging; ispace expected to launch Hakuto-R lander via SpaceX F9 on Nov 30 with landing within Mare Frigoris (56°N, 1.4°E) in April-May 2023

 Credits: NASA, JAXA

Thanksgiving Holiday Edition
Wed-Mon / 23-28 Nov 2022

Posted on by

8 International Lunar Missions May Follow Artemis 1, Capstone, Danuri in Remainder of 2022 and 2023

As Artemis Orion spacecraft occupies cislunar distant retrograde orbit (130 x 64,000 km) with splashdown expected 11 Dec, NASA Capstone tests cislunar near rectilinear halo orbit (1,600 x 70,000 km) and KARI Danuri on course to reach 100km lunar orbit 16 Dec, numerous global efforts work to follow with ispace M1 launching NET 29 Nov 2022; Throughout 2023: Astrobotic Peregrine Mission One NET Q1, Intuitive Machines IM-1 NET March, JAXA SLIM NET April, ISRO Chandrayaan-3 NET June, Roscosmos Luna-25 NET July; IM-2 and Turkish Space Agency AYAP-1 aim for late 2023

Credits: NASA, KARI, Astrobotic, IM, JAXA, ISRO, TSA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 18-21 Nov 2022

Posted on by

Cislunar R&D: Antarctica Peace Treaty May Serve as Model for International Cislunar Activity

Peaceful use norms regulated by Antarctic Treaty Secretariat in Buenos Aires, Argentina may be useful example as Cislunar Technology Strategy Interagency Working Group of USA OSTP predicts human activity in cislunar space over coming decade ≥ all previous since 1957, issues 4 main guidelines in National Cislunar S&T Strategy: support for long-term growth, international cooperation, space situational awareness and comms / PNT; JHAPL issues advice for Cislunar Security; AFRL Cislunar Highway Patrol Satellite now ‘Oracle’ to be operated by Advanced Space near Earth-Moon L1 under US$72M contract

Pictured: (Clockwise) OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar, Assistant Director Matthew Daniels, Policy Fellow Kathrine Bretl, Acting Executive Director Kei Koizumi; Credits: OSTP, NASA, LinkedIn, Antarctic Treaty Secretariat

Tuesday / 15 Nov 2022

Posted on by

NASA Moon Flagship Artemis 1 Ready for Inaugural Launch to Lunar Orbit and Secondary Payload Deep Space Delivery

Weather forecast estimated at 90% favorable for 2-hour window set to begin on 16 Nov 01:04 EST for launch of Artemis 1 mission from historic KSC Launch Pad 39B; Live broadcast to begin with SLS core stage fueling with Launch Control Center commentary at 15:30 on 15 Nov followed by launch coverage starting at 10:30, continuing through SRB (~T+2 minutes), core stage (T+8 minutes) and upper (Interim Cryogenic Propulsion) stage separation and TLI; Post-launch news conference with mission team scheduled for 04:00 16 Nov

Pictured: (Clockwise) NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, Artemis Mission Manager Michael Sarafin, JSC Flight Director Emily Nelson, Orion Program Manager Howard Hu, SLS Program Manager John Honeycutt, Exploration Ground Systems Program Manager Mike Bolger; Credits: NASA, LinkedIn, ULA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 11-14 Nov 2022

Posted on by

Apollo 11 ‘Peace For All’ Ethic Observed Around the World as Veterans, Remembrance, Armistice Day 11 Nov

“We came in peace for all mankind” reads inscription left on plaque mounted between 3rd and 4th rung of Lunar Module Eagle within Moon Sea of Tranquility (0.67°N, 23.47°E), words inspired by first Congressional Declaration of Policy and Purpose of the National Aeronautics and Space Act, updated in 2010 to read “Devotion of Space Activities to Peaceful Purposes for Benefit of All Humankind”; Celebrated as Veterans Day in USA, Remembrance Day in Commonwealth Nations and Armistice Day in France and other nations, 11 Nov is an appropriate date to meditate on importance of peaceful off-world exploration

Credits: NASA

Friday / 11 Nov 2022

Posted on by

Japan Authorizes ispace to Prospect on Moon During HAKUTO-R Mission 1 Launching NET Nov 22

First license under Japan Space Resources Act now held by ispace, which is set to lead wave of commercial Moon landing activity with M1, currently awaiting launch opportunity via SpaceX F9 at KSC SLC-40 to ~3-month low energy transfer, landing at Lacus Somniorum (37.56° N, 30.8° E) on Moon; ispace plans to collect and sell lunar regolith ‘in place’ to NASA during M1 under US$5,000 contract; CEO Takeshi Hakamada says “Space resource utilization is another step toward our goal of establishing the cislunar economy” in release

Pictured: ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada, Japan Minister of State for Space Policy Sanae Takaichi; Credits: ispace, Twitter, PM Office of Japan

Tuesday / 8 Nov 2022

Posted on by

MVA Symposium 2022 Opens with Total Lunar Eclipse, Egalitarian Considerations, on USA Election Day

Advancing Cislunar development with best practices for the benefit of all 8,000,000,000 is the business of the Moon Village Association 6th annual Workshop & Symposium 8-10 Nov at the LAX Sheraton Gateway; inaugurated early 8 Nov by a reddish Moon total eclipse amidst Galaxy Stars, the MVA WS&S will introduce the Lunar Commerce Portfolio, well timed for addressing the perennial question “Who Owns the Moon” and exploring Moon South Pole development, while Republicans and Democrats, Libertarians and Egalitarians, amongst others, determine USA policy futures

Pictured: Giuseppe Reibaldi, John Mankins, Guo Linli, P. Sreekumar; Credits: MVA, NASA, Twitter

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 4-7 Nov 2022

Posted on by

Rocket Lab Solar Panels to be Integrated on Artemis Lunar Gateway PPE by Maxar as Thales Alenia Welds HALO Module

Panels of 30% efficienct Z4J multi-junction solar cells made by Rocket Lab subsidiary SolAero Technologies (Albuquerque NM) under contract for Maxar Technologies, builder of Lunar Gateway Power and Propulsion Element; Redwire subsidiary Deployable Space Systems (Goleta CA) to integrate panels into PPE Roll Out Solar Array, providing ~70 kW to power 6 kW Hall-effect ion thrusters made by Busek (Natick MA); PPE to launch with Cygnus-based Habitation and Habitation and Logistics Outpost (HALO) NET Nov 2024, forming core of cislunar space station; HALO being fabricated by Thales Alenia in Turin, Italy for Northrop Grumman

Credits: Rocket Lab, NASA, Northrop Grumman, Thales Alenia

Friday / 4 Nov 2022

Posted on by

Astrobotic PM1 Advances with Precision Landing Validation as BE-4 Engines Being Integrated on Vulcan Centaur

100-km test flight of Optical Precision Autonomous Landing system aboard King Air B200 twin turboprop confirms functionality 9 km above mountainous northern region of Mojave Desert analogous to lunar surface while providing Astrobotic with data to be utilized for US$79.5M Peregrine Mission 1 to Lacus Mortis (NET Q1 2023) and $320.4M Griffin Mission One to Nobile Crater (NET Nov 2024); Meanwhile Blue Origin working with ULA to complete Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle with BE-4 LNG / LOX (“methalox”) engines at Decatur, Alabama ULA facility

Credits: Astrobotic, ULA