Category Archives: Advanced Technology

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 9-12 Nov 2018

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Surviving Lunar Night Becomes Focus For International, Sustainable Return To Moon Planning

Global Public / Private Interest In Moon Surface Missions Highlighted By ‘Survive & Operate Through The Lunar Night Workshop’ 13 Nov In Maryland, Preceding Annual Lunar Exploration Analysis Group Meeting On ‘Progress & Preparation Toward Exploring The Surface Of The Moon’ 14-15 Nov; Noah Petro, Sam Lawrence, Renee Weber, James Carpenter, Alison Zuniga, Clive Neal And Others Will Cover Surviving 14-Day Lunar Night At Temperatures As Low As -180°C, Various Latitudes, Polar Regions, Permanently Shadowed Regions, Peaks of Eternal Light, Power & Thermal Management Systems; Successful Missions Which Survived Lunar Night Include Chang’e-3, Surveyor, ALSEP, Lunokhod

Credits: NASA, CNSA, NAOC, CSA

Friday / 12 Oct 2018

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ispace Joins Draper And 2 Other Companies To Pursue NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services Contract

One Of Many Teams Competing On CLPS Contracts Releases Details On Moon Mission Planning: ispace Of Japan For Artemis-7 Lander Design, Draper Lab For Guidance & Nav System, General Atomics For Manufacturing & Testing, Spaceflight Industries To Broker USA Rocket Rideshare; Teams To Be Notified By End Of 2018 If Initial Proposals Qualify Them As Finalists; CLPS Contract Value Could Reach US$2.6B Total Over 10 Years For Multiple Providers; Public List Of CLPS ‘Interested Parties‘ Includes 29 Companies

Pictured: CLPS Interested Parties Point of Contacts for ispace, Draper, Spaceflight Industries; Credits: ispace, SEC, AIAA / UTU, KARI

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 5-8 Oct 2018

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Lockheed Martin Unveils Lunar Lander Concept, Joins Multiple Nations And Enterprises Planning Moon Missions

Lockheed Martin Releases Detailed Concept For 62,000 Kg Reusable Human Lunar Lander, Launching From Lunar Orbital Platform To Support 4-Person Crew For 2 Weeks On The Surface; Also Soliciting Proposals For Payloads To Fly On Orion; Russia And China Express Interest In Joint Projects, Including Space Center On Hainan Island To Heavy-Lift Launch Vehicles; India Chandrayaan-2 And Israel SpaceIL Planning Moon Landings In Early 2019; Private Companies Aiming For Moon Include Blue Origin, Bigelow Aerospace, Astrobotic, Moon Express, ispace Japan, Golden Spike Company.

Credits: Lockheed Martin, Airbus

Friday / 5 Oct 2018

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IAC 2018 Generating ‘Moon Rush’ Of Mission Agreements, MoUs, Collaborations

International Astronautical Congress 69th General Assembly Providing Major Opportunities For Lunar Advances: Moon Express & Canadian Space Agency MoU Establishes Potential Collaboration On Moon Landers, Orbiters, Payloads; Blue Origin Signs Letter Of Letter With Germany Companies OHB & MT Aerospace; Astrobotic Announces Deal With Space Agencies Of Ecuador (EXA) & Colombia (AEC) For Lunar Exploration Campaign Using Multiple Peregrine Missions; Tech Development Competition 2024 “Moon Race” To Be Detailed Soon; NASA Declares Intent To Contribute Laser Retroreflector Array To Israel 2019 Moon Lander

Credits: Moon Express, Blue Origin, Astrobotic, EXA, AEC, NASA, SpaceIL, Moon Race / Airbus, et al,

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 7-10 Sep 2018

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JAXA, ANA Holdings AVATAR X Program Aims For Remote Robotic Lunar Base Construction

JAXA And ANA Holdings Partner On AVATAR X Program To Develop Robotic Avatars To Remotely Build Lunar Camps, Support Long-Term Missions & Deep Space Exploration; Aims For Remote Lunar & Mars Construction, Space Station Operation & Maintenance, Space Entertainment & Public Travel; Consortium Phase Begins In 2018, Opening Construction Designs To Interested Space Industry Companies; Phase Two 2019 Building Of “AVATAR X Lab@OITA” In Oita, Japan To House Infrastructure, Telecommunication Hardware, Testing Facilities; Early 2020s Phase Three To Test In LEO, Leading To Final Phase On Moon, Beyond

Credits: JAXA, ANA Holdings, Inc.

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 31 Aug – 3 Sep 2018

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Roscosmos, ESA Collaborate On Luna 27 Payload For Moon South Pole Resource Investigation

ESA Developing In-Situ Drill / Sample-Analysis Payload ‘PROSPECT’ To Reach Moon South Pole-Aitken Basin 2022-23 Aboard Roscosmos Luna 27 Lander; Design Phase Scheduled Early 2019; ProSEED Drill To Probe Lunar Ice Where Subsurface Temperatures Could Reach -200° C; ProSPA Onboard Laboratory To Heat Ice Sample To 1,000° C For Volatile Extraction; ESA May Participate On Luna 25 Lander Aiming For Boguslavsky Crater Near South Pole NET 2019-20

Credits: Roscosmos, ESA, NASA, L. David

Tuesday / 28 Aug 2018

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First Woman On Moon Aspirant Works With Lunar Dust Simulant, Advocates For Sample Returns

ESA “Spaceship EAC” Initiative Focuses On Creating Bricks From Moon Dust Simulants, Dubbed EAC-1, Made Of Similar Basaltic Silicates To Allow Astronauts To Build Permanent Habitats On Lunar Surface Through ISRU; Unlike EAC-1, Lunar Dust Has Electrical Charge Due To Constant Radiation, Therefore Lunar Dust Topical Team Member Erin Tranfield, Who Dreams Of Becoming First Woman On Moon, Mentions Value Of Obtaining Pristine Lunar Dust To Further Science

Credits: ESA, NASA, Foster & Partners, SPC, ILOA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 10-13 Aug 2018

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Commercial Lunar, Space Enterprises Could See US$44M Through NASA Tech Partnerships

Third “Tipping Point” Solicitation By NASA – Focusing On Expanding Utilization Of Space, Enabling Efficient & Safe Space Transportation, And Increasing Planetary Surface Access – To Award $44M To 6 Companies: Blue Origin, SSL, ULA, Frontier Aerospace, Paragon SDC, Astrobotic; 10 Selected Technology Proposals Include Blue Origin Lunar Lander Cryogenic Liquid-Propulsion Systems Advancement And Precision Systems For Landing Anywhere On The Moon, Frontier Aerospace Deep Space Engine Flight Qualification As Part Of Astrobotic 2020 Peregrine Lunar Lander Mission, SSL In-Space Satellite Servicing

Credits: NASA, Blue Origin

Friday / 3 Aug 2018

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Surviving The Long Lunar Night Studies Ongoing Including Upcoming SSERVI Workshop

Sustainable Return To Moon Efforts Underway Globally To Address Surviving 14-Day Lunar Night At Temperatures As Low As -180°C: NASA R&D For Fission Surface Power, Energy Storage Ongoing At Glenn Research Center, China Lunar Night Survival Capabilities Proven With Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator & Solar Panels On Chang’e-3 Lander In Lunar Day 58, ESA Exploring Lunar Regolith Thermal Mass Techniques For Engine Power, Japan Space Colony Research Center Investigating Thermoelectric Generation Techniques; NASA, SSERVI, USRA Planning 13 Nov Meeting On ‘Surviving & Operating Through The Lunar Night’ In Conjunction With LEAG Annual Meeting

Credits: NASA, JPL, ESA, CNSA, NAOC / CAS, SSERVI, USRA, GRC

Friday / 6 July 2018

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Blue Origin Working ‘Step By Step’ Toward Human Moon / Solar System Expansion

Jeff Bezos, Blue Origin CEO, Vision Of ‘Trillions Of People Living & Working In Space’ Reinforced By Comments From Business Director A.C. Charania At SFF NewSpace 2018 Conference Outlining Company’s Blue Moon Lander Plans To Support People On Moon Surface NLT 2023; Committed To Long-Term Commercial Partnership With NASA And International Collaboration, Blue Origin Currently Developing Descent Stage To Land ‘Multi-Metric Tons’ Of Cargo On Moon Surface (Preferably Poles) To Enable Sustainable Settlement, And Scientific & ISRU Investigations

Credits: A.C. Charania (B) and Jeff Bezos (T) via Twitter, Blue Origin