Category Archives: Chang’e Program

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 22-25 April 2022

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2022 Moon Missions Preview: CAPSTONE Could Lead Way on 3 May

Launch window opening 3 May for CAPSTONE orbiter still on schedule; Artemis-1 SLS / Orion / 10 CubeSat launch now likely July-August; Intuitive Machines Nova-C cradle (built by Caldwell Group) to transport lunar lander to KSC arrives in Houston for testing / launch windows for IM-1 & IM-2 announced ‘soon’; Astrobotic Peregrine flight model to have solar panels, fuel tanks, engines installed – launch late 2022; Luna-25 ‘later this year’; Japan ispace lander end of 2022 via SpaceX, SLIM pushed to March 2023; Korea Pathfinder 1 August Launch; ISRO Somanath puts doubt on Chandrayaan-3 launch in 2022

Credits: Advanced Space / Jason Johnson, IM, Astrobotic, ispace, ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 8-11 Oct 2021

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Chang’e-5 Lunar Samples Show Late Lunar Volcanic Activity

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

Credits: CNSA, Washington University

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 30 July – 2 Aug 2021

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China Shares Moon Samples / Data, Plans Lunar Orbital Relay in Support of South Pole Missions

Data from 13 institutional analyses of Chang’e-5 samples (17 g) now available from CNSA Lunar Exploration and Space Engineering Center, applications for second sample release due 15 Sept; 1,731 g total collected within Oceanus Procellarum, site officially named Statio Tianchuan per IAU; With Chang’e-6 sample return mission targeting Aitken crater in vicinity of South Pole and Chang’e-7/8 explicitly targeting MSP, CNSA plans new data relay satellite – rather than operating in L2 halo orbit, new lunar relay to transmit from highly elliptical orbit nearer lunar surface, allowing up to 10 Mbps down/ 1 Mbps up

Credits: CAST, CLEP, CNSA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 Aug 2020

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USA, China On Fast Track For Human Moon Missions Through Sustained Science, Exploration Programs

NASA LRO Surpasses 5 Years In Polar Mapping Orbit Collecting Data For Landings; Part Of Extensive Artemis SPD-1 To Achieve Humans At Moon South Pole (MSP) 2024, CLPS Program To See 1st Commercial Landings [Astrobotic, Intuitive Machines] Second Half Of 2021, Masten To MSP 2022, VIPER MSP 2023, PRIME-1 & 19D Contracts Upcoming; China / Zhongguo Chang’e-4 Operating On Farside, CE-5 Sample Return Launching 24 Nov, CE-6 Payloads Being Selected, CE-7 Collaboration With Russia Developing, CE-8 In 2027 May Be Final Robotic Landing Before Crew

Credits: NASA, CNSA, NAOC-CAS

Friday / 15 May 2020

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2020 Q4 Moon Landings: China Chang’e-5 Sample Return On Track, India Chandryaan-3 May Still Be Possible

China Lunar Exploration Program Pushes Forward With CE-5 Launch Planned Late 2020, Return To Earth With Up To 2-kg Sample From Mons Rümker Within 1 Month; Recent Successful Long March 5 Launch From Wenchang Site 19°N At Hainan Vital For Program; India Accelerated Chandrayaan-3 Plans To Achieve Moon Landing Near South Pole Before 2021 Could Be Possible, Potentially With Lower Cost, Depending On Health Concern Delay — Ad Astra Per Aspera

Pictured: CLEP Chief Scientist Ouyang Ziyuan, ISRO Chair K. Sivan
Credits: CNSA, NOAC-CAS, ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 1-4 May 2020

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Artemis And Chang’e: Two Mythological Women Lead Humanity Forward, Upward

China Chang’e Program Of 4 Successful Missions To Date, 1st To Land On Moon This Century & 1st On Lunar Far Side, Prepares For Sample Return CE-5 Dec 2020, Continues CE-4 Astrophysics From Surface & Communications From Cislunar Space, Could See 2-4 More Missions Before Human Landings; USA 21st Century Artemis Program Est. 2017 Extends Its Branches Through Multiple Infrastructure Contracts (SLS, Orion, CLPS, VIPER, PRISM) To Realize First Women And Next Men On Moon – At Unexplored Moon South Pole 2024

 

Credits: NASA, CNSA, NAOC-CAS, CLEP

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 Feb 2020

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New Race To Moon South Pole – Malapert Mountain

Multiple Nations And Commercial Enterprises Aiming For Lunar South Polar Region; Following CNSA Chang’e-5 Sample Return In 2020, Chang’e-6 And Chang’e-7 Will Explore South Pole; ISRO Chandrayaan-3, -4 and -5 Will Continue Polar Landing Goal Of Chandrayaan-2; SpaceX Promises Lunar Landings By 2022; NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services May Carry Payloads Such As The International Lunar Observatory ILO-1 For Galaxy Imaging And Broadcasting From Malapert Mountain, One Of The Most Important And Valuable Sites In Solar System

Credits: NASA, CNSA, ISRO, SpaceX, ILOA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 10-13 Jan 2020

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International Moon Landings 2020-2021 Begin Lunar Decade

Multiple Nations And Commercial Enterprises Prepare For Landings In First Years Of Lunar Decade; India Proceeding At Full Speed With Chandrayaan-3 (BR) For November 2020; China (Zhongguo) Plans Chang’e-5 (TR) NLT Dec 2020; NASA Commercial Lunar Services Providers Astrobotic And Intuitive Machines (L) Both Plan Landings NET July 2021; Chang’e-6 And Chang’e-7 Planned For Near Future; Chandrayaan-4 May Follow In Cooperation With JAXA, And Possibly Chandrayaan-5; SpaceX And Blue Origin (C) Also Plan To Land Payloads In Early 2020s

Credits: NASA, Blue Origin, CNSA, ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 6-9 Dec 2019

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China (Zhongguo) Long March 5 Flight To Support Moon, Mars, Human Spaceflight Ambitions

 Long March 5 Critical Return To Flight Counting Down To 27 December 2019 Launch From Wenchang Spaceport On Hainan Island; Long March 5 Planned To Launch Chang’e-5 Lunar Sample Return And 2020 Mars Mission; Moon Samples To Be Analyzed At Special Facility Headed By China Lunar Exploration Program Chief Scientist Ouyang Ziyuan; China Plans 30 Orbital Launches In 2020; Space Station Modules, CE-6, CE-7 And CE-8 Planned To Be Launched By Long March Variants Starting In 2021

Credits: CAST, Shanghai Institute of Technology

Tuesday / 5 November 2019

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China Considers US$10 Trillion Earth-Moon / Cislunar Economic Zone

With Chang’e-4 Operating On Lunar Surface And Chang’e-5 Slated For Launch In 2020 On Long March 5, China Is Considering Establishing A Cislunar Space Economic Zone; Bao Weimin (R) Of China Aerospace Science And Technology Corporation Reveals Decades-Long Plan At Seminar On Space Economy; Key Technologies Would Be Finished By 2030 Including Long March 9 Heavy Lift Booster, And Regular Transportation To Moon Established By 2040; Earth-Moon Region Could Potentially Generate US$10T In Commerce By 2050

Credits: CAST, CNSA, Hong Kong Polytechnic University