Wednesday / 24 Aug 2022

Several Lunar Businesses to Participate During NewSpace 2022 Conference in Seattle

Space Frontier Foundation continues annual NewSpace series with 49 speakers including dynamic Moon businesses & ventures: Gateway Habitation and Logistics Outpost contractor Paragon Space CEO (L-R) Grant Anderson; Xcraft interplanetary / lunar orbital vehicle builder Xplore of Seattle WA COO Lisa Rich; Breaking Ground trust lunar regolith contracted customer Orbit Fab CEO Daniel Faber; Ardoride spacecraft builder Momentus CTO Rob Schwarz (launching to Moon orbit NET 2024 with Qosmosys); Blue Origin, continuing to advance Blue Moon lander and lunar-hardened technology, will be represented by private Astronaut / keynote speaker Audrey Powers

Credits: SFF, Northrop Grumman

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 19-22 Aug 2022

Artemis Program Getting New Director as Critics Sound Alarm on Need for Organizational Coherency

As directed by congress in NASA Authorization Act of 2022, the agency is to appoint Director of Moon to Mars office, responsible for development of “an integrated master plan, integrated master schedule, and integrated risk management procedures” and reporting to Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate Administrator (T-B) Jim Free; Executive restructure comes amid stern warnings from prominent space community members to Politico, including NASA Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel Chair Patricia Sanders and AIAA Director Daniel Dumbacher; VP Kamala Harris to discuss “new rules framework” at National Space Council meeting 9 Sep

Credits: NASA

Friday / 19 Aug 2022

NASA to Declare Candidate Regions for Artemis 2025 Human Moon Landing at Press Briefing

Potential landing areas for Artemis 3, with crewmembers including the first woman and first person of color on the Moon, to be revealed at media teleconference with NASA officials (L-R) Mark Kirasich, Jacob Bleacher, Sarah Noble and Prasun Desail; Regions are within 6° of MSP, are of scientific interest and contain viable landing sites; Criteria including communication coverage, illumination, and topographical considerations given weight in decision; NASA to outreach to “broader science community” to make final human landing site selection; Meeting audio to be broadcast Friday 19 Aug at 14:00 EDT

Credits: NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 12-15 Aug 2022

Commercial and National Moon Mission Cadence to Continue Through 2022, Increase in 2023

Artemis 1 launching to Moon orbit NET 29 Aug with 10 rideshare cubesats, NASA test dummy Commander Moonikin Campos, DLR / ISA torso radiation ‘phantoms’ Helga & Zohar, mascots Snoopy & Shaun the Sheep; Race to landings led by ispace, aiming for Nov launch, Astrobotic working to launch NET Dec, seeking to acquire Masten assets with US$4.5M bid; Intuitive Machines striving for Jan 2023 followed by ISRO Chandrayaan-3 NET Q1, JAXA SLIM NET March and Roscosmos Luna-25 NET September; Xplore of Redmond WA and Turkish Space Agency have also declared for uncrewed lunar orbit in 2023, SpaceX plans crewed dearMoon

Credits: Lockheed Martin, NASA, ispace, ESA

Friday / 12 Aug 2022

NASA Mega Moon Rocket Inaugural Flight Approaches as Astronaut Corps Trains for Lunar Orbit NET 2024

Long-awaited USA flagship spacecraft Artemis 1, comprised of $US23B+ Boeing / Northrop Grumman developed Space Launch System (SLS) and $20B+ / 4-crew Lockheed Martin Orion capsule slated to roll out to LC-39B at KSC 18 Aug ahead of 29 Aug launch to Moon; 42-day mission includes 4-day outbound phase, 6-day retrograde orbit; 5-m diameter, 186-piece AVCOAT heatshield must withstand 2,760°C while travelling 11 km/s upon reentry, a record for human-rated craft; “Any one of our 42 active astronauts is eligible” for Artemis 2/3 human Moon Missions, per Astronaut Office Chief Reid Wiseman

Credits: NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 5-8 Aug 2022

Danuri and Capstone on Course Towards Lunar Orbit as Artemis 1 and Landers Prepare to Follow

Summer around Moon well underway with KARI KPLO Danuri joining NASA Capstone (operated by Advanced Space) on fuel efficient ballistic lunar transfer trajectory; Danuri expected to reach Moon orbit by 16 Dec, Capstone to arrive 13 Nov; NASA Artemis 1 (SLS megarocket + Orion crew capsule) to take direct 4-day trans-lunar injection route, rollout to KSC pad 39B anticipated 19 Aug, nominal launch date set for 29 Aug; ispace Hakuto-R targets launch to Lacus Somniorum ‘Lake of Dreams’ in Nov; Astrobotic Peregrine working towards Q4 launch to Lacus Mortis ‘Lake of Death’

Pictured: KARI Director Lee Sang-ryool, Advanced Space Capstone Program Manager Tom Gardner; Credits: KARI, Advanced Space, APRSAF

 

International Moon Day Edition
Wednesday / 20 July 2022

International Space / Moon Day Honors Past Achievements, Challenges Artemis Generation to Continue Exploration

UN-Declared International Moon Day (20 July) commemorating Armstrong / Aldrin first human landing on another world, fostered by Moon Village Association President Giuseppe Reibaldi and others, will be inaugurated in Huntsville AL and 39 Global Events in 24 countries / 6 continents; Robotic landings anticipated in 2022 include ispace Mission 1, Astrobotic Peregrine Mission One, Intuitive Machines IM-1; Orbiters NASA Artemis 1, KARI Danuri / NASA Capstone on route preparing for 3rd trajectory correction maneuver; Artemis 3 human Moon return NLT 4 July 2026

Credits: MVA, ESA, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 8-11 July 2022

New Lunar Era Underway with CAPSTONE On Route to Moon, Many Orbiters / Landers to Follow

Capstone Moon orbit pathfinder on nominal trajectory to achieve 4-body (Earth, Moon, Sun, Spacecraft) Ballistic Lunar Transfer; S. Korea Danuri orbiter next on Moon mission schedule, launching 2 Aug; NASA Mega Moon rocket SLS undergoing final prep with first Artemis 1 launch window open 23 Aug–6 Sep; Roscosmos Luna-25 lander tentatively set for late Sep; Window for ispace Hakuto-R carrying MBRSC Rashid rover open Oct-Nov; NASA CLPS providers Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines race to land Peregrine and Nova-C before EOY; SpaceX Starship 24 / Booster 7 on orbital launch pad at Boca Chica

Credits: NASA, Advanced Space

Tuesday / 5 July 2022

CAPSTONE Begins 4-Month Ballistic Lunar Transfer to Unique Moon Orbit

US$32.7M Capstone now being controlled from Advanced Space HQ in Colorado as it navigates 1,300,000km from Earth, utilizing Sun gravity and 8-thruster propulsion system (built by Stellar Exploration) before reaching Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit with apolune 70,000km from MSP, perilune 1,600km from MNP; Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck heralds “perfect Moon mission success” following 28 June launch to LEO on Rocket Lab Electron / 7 raising maneuvers via Lunar Photon interplanetary stage, culminating in translunar injection from 70,000km above Iberian Peninsula

Credits: Rocket Lab, Advanced Space, NASA

Canada-USA Holiday Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 1-4 July 2022

Closest Neighbors Canada and USA Advance Mutually Beneficial Moon Missions

North America nations share holiday weekend commemorating national foundations: Canada observes 155 years since Federation on 1 July, while USA observes 246 years since Independence Declaration 4 July; Building on ~500 past space agreements between nations, CSA-ASC to provide robotic grappler Canadarm3 for Lunar Gateway, launching NET Nov 2024, and Canada astronaut to join NASA Artemis 2 crew on mission around Moon NET May 2024; MDA working with Lockheed / GM on unpressurized, driver-optional rover for Artemis surface exploration; Canadensys supplying high definition cameras for International Lunar Observatory Association precursor mission ILO-X

Pictured: CSA-ASC Astronaut David Saint-Jacques, NASA Anne McClain
Credits: NASA