Category Archives: China

New Year 2019 Edition
Fri-Thur / 21 Dec 2018 – 3 Jan 2019

Posted on by

2019 Could Be Historic Year For Lunar Landings

21-27 December Is 50th Observation Of Apollo 8 Mission; China Chang’e-4 Attempts Historic First Landing On Far Half Of Moon Targeting 187 Km Von Kármán Crater In South Pole-Aitken Basin; Lunar Dawn At Crater Illuminates Optimal Landing Date Of 3 Jan, Providing 2 Earth-Weeks Of Uninterrupted Light And Solar Power; Queqiao Orbiter Provides Radio Relay To Far Half Of Moon And Carries Netherlands-China NCLE Experiment; Chang’e-3 Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope (LUT) Is Still Operational On Surface, Powering Down To Avoid Radio Interference With Chang’e-4; 2019 Will See 50th Observation Of Apollo 9-12

Credits: NASA, CNSA

Friday / 14 Dec 2018

Posted on by

Chang’e-3 Enters 6th Year Of Operations, ‘Twin’ Chang’e-4 In Lunar Orbit To Land Far Side Early Jan 2019

China Chang’e-3, In Lunar Day 62, Begins 6th Year Of Operations 14 December At Sinus Iridum / Mare Imbrium, 44.12°N, 19.51°W; LUT Instrument Reportedly Working, Powered By RTG And Solar Panels; Chang’e-4 Lander And Rover In Elliptical Lunar Orbit With Perilune At ~100 km, Will Have Queqiao Relay Satellite Communications Link Tested Before Landing In Very Early January 2019 At Von Kármán Crater / South Pole-Aitken Basin About 46°S, 177°E; Lander Carries Low Frequency Spectrometer And Lunar Lander Neutrons & Dosimetry Experiment, Queqiao Equipped With NCLE Low-Frequency Pathfinder To Detect Cosmic Dark Ages Radio Signals

Pictured: CNSA Administrator Zhang Kejian; Credits: CNSA, CAS, NAOC, CAST, NASA, GSFC, DLR, ASU, LRO

Friday / 7 Dec 2018

Posted on by

International Lunar Missions Featured At Galaxy Forum China 2018: Beijing On Eve Of CE-4 Launch

As China Counts Down To Chang’e-4 Launch On 8 December At 02:15 Local Time To Lunar Farside, Galaxy Forum Meets At NAOC In Beijing 7 Dec; Themes Are International Human Moon Missions And Astronomy From The Moon; Opening Address Given By Yang Liwei (L) First China Astronaut; Europe Perspective Delivered By Christian Feichtinger Of International Astronautical Federation, Followed By Dong Nengli Of China Manned Space Agency; International Lunar Observatory Association Presents Plans For Telescope And First Women On Moon; Participants Describe Thailand Astronomy, India LUCI Telescope, South Korea Astronomy And First Lunar Mission

Credits: CNSA, ILOA, China News Service, NAOC

Tuesday / 27 Nov 2018

Posted on by

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

Thanksgiving Weekend Edition
Thu-Mon / 22-26 Nov 2018

Posted on by

Upcoming Lunar Launches And Landings From Multiple Nations

8 December China Plans Launch of Chang’e-4, First Mission To Lunar Farside; Lander And Rover To Explore South Pole Aitken Basin; Landing Targeted For 30-31 Dec In 186 Km-Wide Von Karman Crater At 44.8° South Latitude; India Plans Launch 30 Jan Of Chandrayaan-2, First Mission To South Pole Region; 3,877 Kg Spacecraft On GSLV Mark 3 Launcher Composed Of Orbiter, Lander And Rover; Chandrayaan-2 Landing Site At 70° South Latitude; Israel SpaceIL Plans Lunar Launch On SpaceX Falcon 9 In Early 2019, Landing NET 13 Feb

Credits: CNSA, NASA, ISRO

Friday / 16 Nov 2018

Posted on by

China And India Prepare For Lunar South Pole

Two Most Populous Earth Nations Aiming For Moon; China Chang’e 4 Prepares For Launch From Xichang Satellite Launch Centre 8 December And Landing 30-31 Dec; First Ever To Land On Lunar Farside; India Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark 3 Successfully Launches GSAT-29 To Orbit, GSLV Mk 3 Will Launch Next Moon Mission; Chandrayaan 2 Has Launch Window From 3 Jan To 16 Feb; 3.8 Ton Spacecraft Consists Of Orbiter, Lander And Rover; Will Be First To Land Near South Pole

Credits: China News, ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 26-29 Oct 2018

Posted on by

Space Academic Conference In China Announces Lunar Crew Spacecraft

Biennial 5th Manned Space (International) Academic Conference Opens In Xi’an; Senior Designer Yang Lei Announces New Spacecraft For Lunar Missions; Will Have Command And Service Modules Plus Crew Of 4-6; Equivalent Capability To USA Orion; Uncrewed Model To Be Launched On First Flight Of Long March 5B Booster Scheduled For June 2019;  Conference Invites International Participation From France, Germany And Ukraine; Taikonauts Yang Liwei, Wang Yaping, And Germany Astronaut Ulrich Walter Featured

Credits: Xinhua, CASC, Space Inventor

 

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 19-22 Oct 2018

Posted on by

International Efforts Aiming For Village On Moon

European Space Agency, Major Advocate Of International Moon Village, Planning 1000 Square-Meter Luna Facility At ESA Astronaut Centre In Cologne, Germany; Regolith Simulant EAC-1 Will Be Used For Experiments To Construct Habitats;  China “Lunar Palace” Yuegong-1 Simulates Moonbase On 370-Day Mission; 500 Cubic-Meter Habitat Contains Integrated Living / Work Module And Two Plant Cultivation Modules; Experimental Crops Including Corn And Peanuts Grown In Closed Environment; International MoonBase Alliance Aims To Build Lunar Analog On Island Of Hawai’i

Credits: Beihang University, ESA

 

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 5-8 Oct 2018

Posted on by

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

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 27-30 July 2018

Posted on by

Chang’e-4 Far Side Moon Lander On Track For Dec Launch; Beijing Big Moon Expo Continues

China Long March 3B Set To Launch Chang’e-4 Lander & Rover Dec 2018 To Lunar Far Side South Pole Aitken Basin; Lander To Carry High-Res Cameras, Low Frequency Spectrometer, “Lunar Lander Neutrons & Dosimetry”; Rover Equipped With Panoramic Camera, Lunar Penetrating Radar, Visible / Infrared Spectrometer, “Advanced Small Analyser For Neutrals”; Queqiao Relay Satellite At L2 Orbit; Longjiang-2 Operates In Elliptical Lunar Orbit Transmitting Images From Moon; Lunar Exploration Technology Exhibition Featuring 10-meter Moon Continues To 9 Oct At Beijing National Aquatic Center “Water Cube”

Credits: CNSA, CASC, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing National Aquatic Center, NASA