Artemis Era Robotic / Human Moon Vehicles Being Designed and Manufactured Internationally
NASA to construct its first autonomous Moon rover, VIPER, at JSC late 2022, with landing near Nobile Crater NET late 2023; VIPER weighs 450kg with 0.75 kp/h top speed at total cost of US$433.5M; <$500K Carnegie Mellon University 2kg micro-rover Iris, is launch ready; $37.6M Australia rover launching NET 2026; Custom fabricator Hookie of Germany / Russia designer Andrew Fabishevskiy will display Tardigrade concept Moon motorcycle at ADV: Overland in LA; Japan and USA industry including Toyota / General Motors in planning stages of pressurized and unpressurized crewed vehicles
Lunar exploration thought leaders are meeting at International Astronautical Congress 2021 in Dubai; ‘Towards Sustainable Lunar Activities’, presented by Moon Village Association / moderated by physicist (clockwise from TL) John Mankins will feature panelists including Mike Gold of Redwire and Romanian Astronaut Dumitru-Dorin Prunariu; ESA plan for cislunar communications will be discussed during ‘Moonlight: Connecting Earth with the Moon’ with panelists Nelly Offord (SSTL), Dan Hendrickson (Astrobotic); ‘Building the Lunar Ecosystem Today’ has focus on lunar economy
Space Launch System, fully stacked with Orion spacecraft in Block 1 configuration stands 98 m tall / 8.4 m diameter at KSC FL; to undergo interface, stage systems, communications, countdown sequencing, wet dress testing prior to Artemis I inaugural uncrewed Moon flyby, launch window opening 12 Feb 2022; SN20 prototype at Starbase TX is 120 m high / 9 m diameter stacked; Elon Musk claims orbital test ending near Kaua’i HI NET November, with utilization of Mechazilla “robot chopsticks” affixed to launch tower to catch Super Heavy first stage
Cislunar space is subject of USA commercial and government attention with US$697,000 SBIR phase 2 award to Rhea Space Activity funding development of cislunar tracking system as plans are made for refueling / resupply depots at Earth-Moon Lagrange points; Access to key trajectories / areas in and around Moon will be competitive, highlighting need for 1959 Antarctica Treaty-style diplomacy guaranteeing Apollo ‘In Peace for All’ ethos in keeping with spirit of 1967 Outer Space Treaty, foundation of modern Artemis Accords
With relations normalized under 2020 Abraham Accords, UAE and Israel now leading way forward with space diplomacy centered on US$100M Beresheet 2 lunar lander under MoU signed by (L-R) UAESA Chairwoman Sarah Al Amiri and Israel Minister of Science & Technology Orit Farkash-Hacohen; Beresheet 2 data to be used in educational program to precisely determine New Year under Islamic and Jewish lunar calendars; Data-sharing project in support of agriculture / climate monitoring from VENµS Israeli / France 12 spectral-band small sat also in works
Lunar property rights are subject of Explorers Club panel on 
Extending 
First commercial orbital mission ‘Inspiration4’ on SpaceX Dragon capsule, sending humans furthest from Earth in 21st century, reaching 585km; Inspiration4 Commander Jared Isaacman reflects on “single most impactful moment” being Moonrise, urges space travelers push “little bit more and get out there [Moon]”; William Shatner, famous for Star Trek Captain Kirk portrayal, insists “everybody in the world needs to do this” after Blue Origin flight; Yusaku Maezawa and assistant Yozo Hirano launching to ISS 8 Dec via Soyuz; Maezawa organizing lunar orbit on Starship with 10-12 member crew NET 2023
Space-based technology and techniques with applicability to Earth climate and airspace management will be discussed 12 October at NASA Silicon Valley facility; Approach to coordination of wildfire fighting, Scalable Traffic Management for Emergency Response Operations (STEReO), and air traffic control Airspace Technology Demonstration-2 (ATD-2) to be presented; VP Kamala Harris, leader of agenda-setting National Space Council, may take opportunity to advance space priorities including Artemis first woman / person of color on Moon
Analysis of Moon rocks (~1,731g) collected within Oceanus Procellarum (43.06°N, 51.92°W), first returned to Earth in half century, show volcanism persisted longer than previously believed, until ~ 1.96 Gya ± 57 Ma – 1Gy older than Apollo samples indicate; Study conducted by Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe Center in conjunction with McDonnell Center for Space Sciences and Australia, UK, Sweden partners concludes “alternate explanations are required for the longevity of lunar magmatism”; co-author Brad Jolliff heralds international effort as “diplomacy by science”; Chang’e-6 to target MSP 2024