Category Archives: Artemis Program

Labor Day Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 30 Aug – 2 Sep 2019

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New Race To New South Pole:
Malapert Mt, Shackleton Rim In 2021?

USA Artemis Hopes To Land First Woman And Next Man On Lunar South Pole In 2024; India Chandrayaan-2 To Land At 70° S On 7 September; Chandrayaan-3 Planned With Japan Cooperation; Zhongguo Chang’e-4 Operating On South Pole-Aitken Basin With Chang’e-5 And Chang’e-6 Under Construction; Russia Luna 25 Hoping To Reach Polar Region In 2021; Moon Village Association Forecasts International Lunar Base; Blue Origin And SpaceX Among International Enterprises Racing To Bring Payloads To South Pole

Credits: ILOA, SPC, Canadensys Aerospace, ISRO, CNSA, Lockheed Martin, ESA, Roscosmos, SpaceX, Blue Origin

Friday / 23 Aug 2019

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Planetary Scientists Support NASA Budget Request For Lunar Discovery And Exploration Program

76 Lunar And Planetary Science Community Members Sign Letter Supporting Lunar Discovery And Exploration Program Along With An Increased NASA FY2020 Budget Request; Scientists Point Out That Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Program Provides Opportunities For Science Payloads; Signers Of Letter Include (L To R) Clive Neal Of Notre Dame University, Jeffrey Taylor From University Of Hawai’i, Jack Burns From University Of Colorado, Carle Pieters Of Brown University, Astronaut Harrison Schmitt, And Bob Richards Of Moon Express

Credits: Moon Express, Notre Dame University, University of Hawaii

Tuesday / 20 Aug 2019

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National Space Council Faces NASA And Private Options For Reaching Moon

USA National Space Council Chaired By VP Mike Pence Meets 20 August At National Air And Space Museum Udvar-Hazy Center, Venue Where Pence In 2017 Has Already Committed To Lunar Return; Former House Speaker And Free Enterprise Advocate Newt Gingrich Proposes US$2B Prize To First USA Company To Land Humans On Moon; SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell Claims They Can Land On Moon With Starship By 2023; Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin Is Also In Competition

Credits: SpaceX, NASA, Blue Origin

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 16-19 August 2019

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Orion Tests Propulsion System; NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Managing Artemis Lunar Lander

European-Built Orion Service Module Completes Critical 12-Minute Firing Of Propulsion System At White Sands, New Mexico, Simulating Insertion Into Lunar Orbit And Return Trajectory To Earth; NASA Administrator Bridenstine With Members Of Congress Announce Marshall Space Flight Center Will Manage Artemis Lunar Lander With Large Portion Of Work At Johnson Space Center In Houston; Lisa Watson-Morgan Will Manage Lander Program; Orion Environmental Tests Will Be Conducted At Glenn Research Center

Credits: NASA

Friday / 2 Aug 2019

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New USA Commercial Lunar Lander Provider Contracts Could Be Awarded Before Oct 2019

As Announced By NASA Solicitation 80JSC019R0013, New Contracts For Lunar Landers Capable Of Delivering >10kg Payloads To Lunar Surface By 31 Dec 2023 Planned To Be Awarded To Begin 15 Oct 2019 And Possibly Extend Through 28 Nov 2028; RFP Responses Due By 29 Aug 2019; Urgency To Support Artemis Human Moon South Pole Landing By 2024, This Opportunity Will Add New Contractor(s) To Existing CLPS Contracts Which Are Now Held By Astrobotic ($79.5M) And Intuitive Machines ($77.2M), After Orbit Beyond Withdraws From Its $97M Contract

Credits: International Lunar Observatory Association, Astrobotic, Moon Express

Friday / 26 July 2019

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Artemis Spacecraft, Service Module, And Habitability Module Making Progress Toward 2024 Human Lunar Landing  

Orion Is Ready For Integration Into Artemis-1 Mission Planned By 2021; Vice President Pence At KSC Unveils Spacecraft Accompanied By Buzz Aldrin And Rick Armstrong Before Visiting Launch Complex 39A; Northrop Grumman Is Awarded Contract To Develop Minimum Habitation Module Based Upon Cygnus Spacecraft; ESA Formally Agrees To Contribute Additional Orion Service Module For Artemis-3 Human Lunar Landing; White House Reaffirms Commitment To Send Next Man And First Woman To Moon In 5 Years

Credits: NASA

Apollo11@50 Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 19-22 July 2019

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In Peace For All: Significant Time To Advance 21st Century Vision For Multi World Species

50th Observation Of 1969 Apollo 11 Landing At Tranquility Base Comes At Exciting And Critical Time For New Human Moon Landings; Crew Members Buzz Aldrin And Michael Collins Along With Neil Armstrong Family Meet At White House With USA President; Vice President Pence Giving Speech At Kennedy Space Center 20 July; Artemis Plan To Land First Women And Next Man At Moon South Pole 2024 Requires Additional Investment, Ideally 1% Of Federal Budget

Credits: NASA

Friday / 19 July 2019

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Jeff Bezos And Caroline Kennedy Make Enterprising, Opportune Comments For USA Return / First Women To Moon South Pole ASAP  

During Interview With CBS News On Apollo11@50, Bezos Shares His Hope For Blue Moon Lander(s) To Be On Mission To Land First Women On Moon – Which Is “Long Past Due” As Stated By Caroline Kennedy, Daughter JFK; Blue Origin Plans To Be Instrumental To USA Artemis Program, Envisions Cooperation With Dozens Of Other Companies & Governments To Achieve This Goal; Govt Commitment To Necessary Funding To Realize 2024 / Sustainable Moon Return Remains Significant Challenge

Credits: Blue Origin, NASA, LRO, LROC

SpaceWeek Edition
Mon-Sun / 15-21 July 2019

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US President, VP, Step Up For Artemis Moon Success
First Women Soon To South Pole Moon

Political And Financial Support For America Moon Return Imperative 2024 Has Broadest And Strongest Opportunity With Apollo@50 Lunar Highest Tide This July Space Month 2019: If Not Now, When? $20-40B Required For Artemis: NASA 1% Of US Govt FY Budget, New PPPs, International Cooperation For Moon, Mars, 21st Century Solar System Complete; Note Zhongguo / China Chang’e-4 Moon Far Side Jan 2019, India Chandrayaan-2 Moon South Pole Region Sep 2019

Credits: White House, Smithsonian, NASA, CNSA, ISRO

Tuesday / 2 July 2019

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Buzz Aldrin Pivots Support Toward Moon Before Mars 

Buzz Aldrin, On Eve Of July Apollo 11 Observations, Says Stephen Hawking Convinced Him That Humans Should Return To Moon First; At Starmus V Festival In Zurich With Theme ‘A Giant Leap’ Aldrin Receives Stephen Hawking Medal For Lifetime Achievement, Recalls Visit To Cambridge UK And Late Physicist Tapping Out ‘Moon First’ On Computer; Aldrin Will Land In Luxembourg For USA Independence Day, Hopes That Costs Of Lunar Return Will Be Shared By International Partners

Credits: Starmus Festival, NASA