Category Archives: Chandrayaan-2

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 31 May – 3 June 2019

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India Chandrayaan-2 Aims for Moon South Pole with 14 Science Payloads: 8 Orbiter, 4 Lander, 2 Rover

India Chandrayaan-2, Named For Moon Deity Chandra, Aims For First Landing In Lunar South Polar Region; Indian Space Research Organization Schedules Launch For 9-16 July And Landing ~6 Sep; ISRO Chairman K. Sivan States, “When Nobody Has Gone Near That Area, Some New Science Might Be There” About South Pole; Orbiter, ‘Vikram’ Lander And ‘Pragyan’ Rover Will Carry 14 Payloads Including Spectrometers, Solar X-ray Monitor, Radar, Seismometer And NASA Laser Retroreflector

Credits: ISRO

Friday / 17 May 2019

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Luna Firma Update From Chang’e-4, Beresheet, Future Chandrayaan-2

Zhongguo Chang’e-4 Is In Sleep Mode For Fifth Lunar Night; Yutu-2 Rover May Confirm First Signs Of Moon’s Hidden Mantle In South Pole-Aitken Basin; NASA Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Finds Beresheet Crash Site, Will Search For Signs Of Laser Retroreflector; SpaceIL To Build Beresheet-2 With Private Funding And Technical Help From NASA; India Chandrayaan-2 Scheduled For Launch To South Polar Region NET 9 Jul, Will Carry Another NASA-Built Retroreflector For Measuring Earth-Moon Distance

Credits: NASA, ISRO, CNSA

Tuesday / 7 May 2019

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Chandrayaan-2 Planned For July Launch To Moon South Pole Region 

Indian Space Research Organization Chief K Sivan States Chandrayaan-2 To Launch Between 9 July And 16 July For Landing 6 Sep; Will Be Carried By Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark III; First Mission To South Polar Region Will Land Between Manzinus C And Simpelius N Craters At 70° S Latitude; Times Of India Newspaper Reports That Only Orbiter Is Ready For Flight; Vikram Lander And Pragyan Rover Are Testing At Lunar Terrain Facility In Byalalu

Credits: ISRO, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 5-8 Apr 2019

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Major Spacefaring Powers Joined By Other Nations Reaching For Moon

Canada Launches US$150M Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program (LEAP) As USA Seeks Partners For Lunar Gateway; JAXA Investigates Using Robotics To Build Lunar Base; Germany PTScientists Rover May Launch In 2020; Russia Hopes To Develop Heavy Launcher For Moon Landings; Drop Test Delays India Chandrayaan-2 Until May; Zhongguo Chang’e-4 Operates During Its Fourth Lunar Day; Korea KSLV-II Booster Planned For 2021 Launch Of Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter; SpaceIL Beresheet In Orbit Photographs Hidden Side Of Moon

Credits: SpaceIL, ISRO, PTScientists, CNSA

Wednesday / 27 Mar 2019

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USA Sending Retroreflectors On International Lunar Missions 

 NASA Laser Retroreflectors Are On Two Upcoming Lunar Landings, Israel Beresheet (L) Scheduled For 11 April And India Chandrayaan-2 (R) Launching Apr; Unpowered Laser Reflectors Will Be Useful For Lunar Navigation, Measuring The Moon’s Changing Distance From Earth And Fundamental Physics; Retroreflectors Left By 3 Apollo And 2 Russia Luna Landings Still Returning Science; Apollo Lunar Laser Ranging Experiment Reports The 384,402-km Earth-Moon Distance Increasing By 3.82 cm/yr, An Anomalously High Figure That May Indicate The Speed Of Light Changing

Credits: NASA, SpaceIL, ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 22-25 Mar 2019

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2019 Moon Landers: Operational, Projected

Chang’e-3 Lander Station Collecting Science Data With LUT On Lunar Near Side; Chang’e-4 Operating At Statio Tianhe (Milky Way Base) On Far Side; SpaceIL / IAI Beresheet Lander Is On Track To Enter Lunar Orbit 4 April, Attempt Soft Landing At 33° N, 17° E On 11 April; India Chandrayaan-2 Vikram Lander Likely Launching End Of April To 70°S, Between Craters Manzinus C & Simpelius N; PTScientists Lander Could Launch On Falcon 9 In Second Half Of 2019; Wu Weiren, China Lunar Exploration Program Chief Designer, Confirms Chang’e-5 Sample Return Mission To Launch Dec 2019 To Mons Rümker Region 40.8° N, 58.1° W

Credits: SpaceIL, IAI, CNSA, CCTV, ISRO, PTScientists

Friday / 22 Feb 2019

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2019 Could See 4 International Moon Landers, Most Attempts Since 1970s

SpaceIL Beresheet “Genesis” May Become First Privately-Funded Lander To Reach Moon Surface ~11 Apr Depending On Falcon 9 Launch Set 21 Feb 20:45 ET; India Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter, Lander, Rover Launch On GSLV Mk 2 Scheduled Last Week Of March For 14-Day Journey To Manzinus / Simpelius Craters; Chang’e-4 Lander / Rover Operating On Far Side Since 3 Jan, And China Could Send Chang’e-5 Sample Return By End Of 2019 If Long March 5 Launch ~July Succeeds

Credits: SpaceIL, ISRO, CNSA, CLEP, NAOC, CAS, CCTV

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 1-4 Feb 2019

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Three More International Lunar Landings Preparing In 2019

Israel “Beresheet,” First Privately Built Lunar Lander To Reach Launch Site, Prepares At SpaceX Processing Facility In Cape Canaveral For Launch NET 18 February On 8-Week Voyage To Mare Serenitatis; NASA Contributes Laser Retroreflector Array And Use Of Deep Space Network For Beresheet; India Chandrayaan-2 (L) Set For Launch By End Of Apr; First Mission To Moon South Polar Region Consists Of 2380-kg Orbiter, 1470-kg Lander And 27-kg Rover; While Zhongguo Chang’e-3 And Chang’e-4 Are Operating, Chang’e-5 Lunar Sample Return (R) Scheduled For Late 2019, Depending On Launch Success Of Long March 5 In July

Credits: ISRO, SpaceIL, NAOC, CNSA

Friday / 4 Jan 2019

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2019 Begins With First-Ever Landing On Lunar Far Side

50th Observation Of Year Of Apollo Lunar Landings Begins With New Horizons Flyby Of Ultima Thule And China Chang’e-4 Landing On Far Side Of Moon; 1200 Kg Lander Touches Down At Von Karman Carter Within South Pole-Aitken Basin; Landing On Lunar Far Side Is Long-Term Goal Advocated By Apollo 17 Astronaut Harrison Schmitt; India Chandrayaan-2 Aims For Early Feb 2019 Launch To South Polar Region; Israel SpaceIL Aims For NET 13 Feb Lunar Launch On SpaceX Falcon 9; Chang’e-5 Scheduled For Dec 2019 Subject To Availability Of Long March 5 Booster

Credits: CNSA, China Daily, ISRO

Tuesday / 27 Nov 2018

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Chang’e-4 Science Teams And Chandrayaan-2 Testing Over Analog Site

China Establishes Science Teams For Chang’e-4 Lunar Mission; Four Research Groups Devoted To Data Processing, Geological Background, Lunar Surface Morphology, And Low-Frequency Radio Environment; Launch Of Chang’e-4 Planned For 8 December, To Land In Von Karman Crater At 47° South Latitude On Lunar Farside 30-31 Dec; India Chandrayaan-2 Launch Moved To 31 Jan, Planned As First Landing In South Polar Region At 70° South Latitude; Chandrayaan-2 Sensors Being Tested In Aircraft Flying Over Analog Site: “Science City” Of Challakere In Karnataka State Hosts ISRO Research Center

Credits: CNSA, ISRO