Category Archives: Cislunar Space Development

Friday / 26 April 2024

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Intuitive Machines Well Positioned to Capitalize on Growing Cislunar Economy

Predicting US$250M revenue in 2024 and estimating $70M cash on hand, market analyst Stephen Tobin makes bullish case for Houston TX-based Intuitive Machines (LUNR) despite $53M negative equity as of Q4 2023 earnings report; Pointing to success of IM-1 and upcoming NASA CLPS-funded IM-2 and -3 missions NET Q4 2024 / 2025 as well as $30M Lunar Terrain Vehicle (with Boeing, Northrop Grumman), $719M Joint Polar Satellite System (with KBR), and $5M Fission Surface Power (with X-energy) contracts, Tobin suggests IM lunar services will be in demand by commercial interests and small national space agencies eager to utilize Earth-Moon / cislunar transport, operational and communication capabilities

 
Credits: Intuitive Machines

Thursday / 25 April 2024

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International Lunar Observatory Association Selected for Chang’E-7 Galaxy Imaging Payload

ILOA Hawai’i is honored to be selected as a Chang’E-7 payload to conduct Galaxy / Astronomy imaging from Shackleton Rim on the surface of the Moon about 2026; ILOA advances its Moon missions, most especially its flagship ILO-1 destined for Malapert Summit for observation and communication, in the spirit of peaceful and productive cooperation, equality and mutual benefit – in Space, on Earth, and perhaps most importantly, on the Moon; ILOA, and ILOA-affiliated Space Age Publishing Company, also advocate that independent associations, business enterprises, universities and non-profits (NGOs) be encouraged and accepted for participation in the USA-initiated Artemis Accords, as they are in the UN and the China-led ILRS International Lunar Research Station

 
Credits: ILOA, CNSA, DSEL, NASA

Friday / 19 April 2024

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Firefly Aerospace Set to Announce Blue Ghost Mission 1 Q3/Q4 Launch Window to Moon

Austin TX-based Firefly building on 2-m tall, 3.5-m diameter Blue Ghost lunar lander at newly-expanded 19,231 m2 work space under CLPS US$93.3M task order 19D; Blue Ghost M1 could be 4th Moon surface mission to ride on SpaceX Falcon 9 (Beresheet, Hakuto-R, IM-1) with 30-day launch window TBA in May; The 150-kg capacity lander is to carry 10 NASA payloads with 94-kg mass including regolith-repelling Electrodynamic Dust Shield (KSC), solar wind-Earth magnetic field investigation Lunar Environment Heliospheric X-ray Imager (Boston University), and Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (MSFC), first attempt to utilize GPS on Moon

Pictured (T-B) Firefly CEO Bill Weber, Advisory Board Member Jim Bridenstine, CFO Darren Ma
Credits: Firefly

Tuesday / 9 April 2024

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NASA Tasked with Development of Lunar Time Standard NLT 31 Dec 2026

As Moon mission cadence continues to grow, and in recognition of gravity-induced spacetime dilation resulting in 58.7-μs offset from Earth, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy is directing NASA (with Commerce, Defense, State, Transportation departments) to define and implement time reference frames for non-Earth celestial bodies, beginning with Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC) in support of Moon surface and cislunar activity; Elements to be considered by National Cislunar Science & Technology sub-Interagency Working Group (NASA + National Space Council) include: Traceability to UTC, Accuracy for PNT, Resilience when out of Earth contact, and Scalability for bodies beyond Earth-Moon system

Pictured: OSTP Director Arati Prabhakar; Credits: NASA, T. Pyle/Caltech/MIT/LIGO Lab

Tuesday / 5 March 2024

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Blue Origin and SpaceX Compete to Realize 21st Century Human Moon Landings

Senior VP of Lunar Permanence at Blue Origin John Koulouris says ‘country needs competition’ which brings ‘innovation’ in CBS interview; Blue Moon Mark 1 lander expected to complete 2 demonstration landings NLT 2026 prior to Artemis 5 mission NET 2029 in which human-rated variant to carry 2 crewmembers from Gateway to lunar surface under $3.4B contract; SpaceX working to achieve launch of Starship, slated to deliver 2 crew from Orion in lunar orbit to Moon surface during Artemis 3 NET July 2026 under US$2.89B contract and again for Artemis 4 NET Sep 2028 under US$1.15B contract; IFT-3 expected to launch mid-March following successful WDR of Booster 10 / Ship 28

Credits: Blue Origin, SpaceX, NASA

Friday / 9 Feb 2024

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Lunar Mining Company Interlune Plans NET 2026 Surface Operations

Interlune of Tacoma WA developing equipment to extract resources from Moon with US$18.19M funds including $246,000 SBIR Phase I grant; Led by former Blue Origin leaders (L-R) Rob Meyerson (CEO), Gary Lai (CTO) and Indra Hornsby (COO, formerly of Rocket Lab), Interlune is reported by TechCrunch to be targeting helium-3 (3He), a resource long considered for radiation-free fusion power and other medical and computing applications whose quantity was measured in Chang’E-5 samples; The company projects the market for 3He will be 4,000 kg / yr by 2040

Credits: Interlune, US Congress, Twitter / @blueorigin, UVic / Brandon Hill

Tuesday / 16 Jan 2024

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Peregrine Set for Controlled Reentry into Earth Atmosphere as Astrobotic Works to Collect Data from Payloads

Now ~350,837 km from Earth, Peregrine Moon lander on 8th day of operation in cislunar space is in stable condition with propellant leak ‘practically stopped‘ as Astrobotic and USA government agencies work to determine trajectory for Earth reentry expected NET 18 Jan, although Astrobotic reserves right to determine final flight path independently; 10 payloads continue to receive power despite inability to conduct long duration corrective maneuvers; Joint press conference with NASA discussing mission set for 18 Jan 12:00 EST, which may shed light on Dynetics-built propulsion system valve anomaly

Credits: Astrobotic

Tuesday / 5 Dec 2023

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Lunar Surface Science Workshop Focuses on Artemis Orbital Observations

LSSW Virtual Session 21, organized by Lunar and Planetary Institute and Universities Space Research Association, to be convened virtually by (L-R) Kelsey Young of NASA GSFC 5 Dec; Young along with Artemis 3 science lead Noah Petro to give update on Artemis 2 followed by Q&A moderated by LPI lunar geologist Julie Stopar; Reflections on imaging from LRO, Apollo missions, ISS, Orion / Artemis 1 to be considered for future lunar orbit-based science; Workshop to conclude with group discussions on crewed science objectives and observation strategies

Credits: NASA, LPI

Tuesday / 3 Oct 2023

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Artemis and ILRS Scientists and Engineers Working to Design Human Moon Habitats

Supported by US$57.2M NASA SBIR phase 3 award, ICON of Austin TX developing Project Olympus construction system using additive 3D printer and lunar materials as in-situ feedstock; ICON is refining process by building for homes unhoused individuals at Community First! Village, with 400 printed to date; ICON also constructing 2,601-m2 Materials Exploration and Advanced Materials Processing Facility at University of North Dakota with Stantec of Edmonton AB; Chinese Society of Astronautics and Harbin Institute of Technology conducting lunar base design competition ending Feb 2024; Zhang Chongfeng of Shanghai Academy of Spaceflight Technology proposing lunar lava tubes be utilized

Credits: ICON

Friday / 18 Aug 2023

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International Lunar Year Being Fostered by US State Department as DARPA Advances 10-Year Lunar Architecture

US Department of State, led by Secretary Antony Blinken and Acting Deputy Secretary Victoria Nuland, is hosting high level discussions on the launch of an International Lunar Year (ILY), modeled on International Geophysical Year (1957-58), International Space Year (1992), International Polar Year (2007-08); Called for in US National Cislunar Science & Technology Strategy, an ILY would coordinate international developments in Moon studies, specifically geophysical networks, heliophysics and far-side radio astronomy; 1 July 2027 — 31 Dec 2028 suggested by Bobby Braun of JHUAPL; DARPA offering ≤US$1M for commercial lunar service plans under LunA-10 program, winners to be announced at LSIC 10-11 Oct