Category Archives: Cislunar Space Development

Friday / 25 July 2025

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The Exploration Company Motto Is “We Build Space Vehicles for a Cooperative Future”

Successful 47-second test firing by The Exploration Company (TEC) of “Breeze” thruster for “Nyx Moon” lander service module follows 6 months’ development on GOX/GCH4 (gaseous Oxygen / Methane) engine; TEC founded 2021 to build modular, reusable spacecraft to Earth and lunar orbits, lunar surface; HQ near Munich, Germany, test facility near Bordeaux, France; analysis of “Mission Possible” spacecraft ongoing since SpaceX rideshare launch after mere 3-year development with 45 suppliers in 11 European nations for €30 million including launch; Hélène Huby, Founder & CEO, wants “to change the world positively”; MoU with Axiom Space, ESA to have TEC deliver cargo to Axiom space station NET Q4 2027

Credits: The Exploration Company, Firefly Aerospace (Earth image)

Friday / 20 June 2025

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Newly Announced Mona Luna European Lunar Rover Model Is at Paris Air Show

Venturi Space of Monaco shows 750kg, 2.5m x 1.64m rover Mona Luna to CNES, ESA, 300,000 at Paris Air Show; Venturi working with Astrolab of Hawthorne, California for NASA LTV rover, both have lunar-night-surviving batteries, Swiss-developed hyper-deformable wheels; Mona Luna travels 20kph, climbs 20° slopes, hibernates 14 days; remote-control enhanced by onboard AI; designed to reach Moon on ESA Argonaut lander launching on Ariane 6.4 NLT 2030 

Credits: Venturi Space

Tuesday / 22 April 2025

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Now One Year Out: Artemis 2 Human Mission to Moon

Artemis 2 lunar flyby 10-day mission set for Apr 2026, though NASA is working for Feb; Will be first human Moon mission in 54 years, and will occur in 2026 – the 250th observation of USA Declaration of Independence; Orion solar panels now installed, SLS upper stage connected to interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS), return trajectory adapted to de-stress heat shield; ICPS will fire to reach HEO of 185×74,000km, where manual piloting mode and other systems are tested for 93.5 hours; Orion will make TLI burn to reach 7,400km beyond Moon far side ~370,000km from Earth before Earth-Moon gravity pulls craft back, entering atmosphere at 40,000kph, enduring heat ~2,760°C before splashdown

Credits: NASA

Friday / 7 March 2025

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Lunar Outpost Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) Now on Moon

Competing for NASA award to provide Artemis III rover, Lunar Outpost sent its MAPP to Moon and is currently awaiting orientation data from Intuitive Machines Athena IM-2 Lander to confirm whether the 45x38x40cm, 15kg MAPP becomes the 1st American rover to operate on the Moon; other firsts expected are lunar economy / commercialization via image of collected regolith sold to NASA for nominal amount US$1 and cellular network via Nokia (Finland) payload; other payloads from MIT (camera, tiny robots), Castrol (robot lubricant), and sports-oriented consortium (Italy and Germany); Lunar Outpost has offices in Colorado, Luxembourg, Australia

Credits: Lunar Outpost, NASA

Friday / 21 February 2025

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India to the Moon: Update and Focus

ISRO charting innovative course for human Moon landing by 2040, perhaps near Shiv Shakti where Chandrayaan 3 landed; LVM3 rocket being modified into Human-Rated HR-LVM3 ‘Soorya’ with safety systems, tripled liftoff mass capability ~1.8 million kg; higher-capacity lunar lander being built with Earth Departing Stage (EDS); crewed Moon missions to require minimum 2 launches, then in-space docking / assembly; inaugural double launch NET 2025 for Gaganyaan crewed Earth orbit, then Chandrayaan-4 lunar sample return NET 2027 (updated from 2028); IAF GLEX Conference upcoming May 7-9 in New Delhi

Credits: ISRO, NASA/JPL/USGS

Tuesday / 11 February 2025

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Dedication to Artemis Program Remains Strong

Artemis Accords represent collaborative, international effort with USA as a rallying point for now 50 nations and organizations; joint statement between Japan Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and US President Trump affirms continued partnership for Artemis missions; JAXA is developing pressurized lunar rover, will provide 2 astronauts, and works with ESA on lunar Gateway; NASA has issued RFP from companies to assume VIPER project search for water ice under a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement; other policy changes involve SLS shutdown; archived LEAG Artemis recommendations are now available here 

Pictured: PM Ishiba; Credits: The White House, JAXA, NASA, LEAG

Tuesday / 28 January 2025

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Intuitive Machines IM-2 Science and Discovery Class Lunar Delivery

IM-2 planned launch on Falcon 9 to Moon on 26 Feb prompts invitation from NASA to media for in-person attendance; lander Athena expected touchdown is 6-7 Mar at Mons Mouton, 84.6°S, with thermal-protected payloads from NASA, Lonestar Data Holdings, Columbia Sportswear, Nokia 4G/LTE cellular system, Lunar Outpost, Puli Space, Dymon Co. Ltd., German Aerospace Center; IM’s Micro-Nova Hopper “Grace” to explore shadowed craters, send data via Nokia to Athena and IM-2 system to Earth; IM-4 landing NET 2027 also headed to South Pole area, while IM-3 landing NET 2026 aims for 7.39°N

Credits: NASA, Intuitive Machines

Tuesday / 8 October 2024

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Astrobotic Working Toward 2025 Lunar Landing, Advancing Pittsburgh Infrastructure

Astrobotic Griffin lunar lander to launch on SpaceX Falcon Heavy NET September 2025 for Griffin Mission One; Griffin lander, built in Pittsburgh, will communicate via NASA JPL Deep Space Network antennae in Australia, Spain, California; 7 minutes after Florida launch, Polaris was photographed over skyline by Dustin McGrew, called “extraordinary” by Astrobotic founder William ‘Red’ Whittaker; University of Pittsburgh now has ‘Pitt Space,’ promotes research, offers graduate certificate; Astrobotic received NASA award to build solar array for Moon power infrastructure ~17x human height

Credits: Astrobotic, Dustin McGrew

Friday / 20 September 2024

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India Lunar Goals Boosted by Additional Funding, Aiming for 2027 Chandrayaan-4, Human Moon Landing 2040

One of 5 nations with Moon soft-landing, India plans its 2nd controlled Moon landing by 2027 with Chandrayaan-4, using 2 LVM3 rockets, docking / undocking in lunar orbit, regolith sample return / analysis, budget Rs 2,104 crore / US$251.6M, triple that of Chandrayaan-3; New launch vehicle development given Rs 8,240 crore / US$985.3M to triple payload of LVM3 at 1.5 times cost; Chandrayaan-5 (previously LUPEX) plans Indian launch vehicle / lander and JAXA rover to explore Moon South Pole permanently shadowed regions; crewed Moon landing sought 2040

Credits: (L – LVM3 rocket, ISRO; C – Chandrayaan-3 lander now at Statio Shiv Shakti 69.373°S 32.319°E, ISRO; R – JAXA Lunar Polar Exploration rover, Mitsubishi)

Tuesday / 17 September 2024

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Intuitive Machines Continues Search for Moon Ice / Water

NET January 2025, Intuitive Machines (IM) plans to launch IM-2 “Athena” Nova-C lunar lander and Lunar Trailblazer orbiter aboard Falcon 9; lander headed for Shackleton connecting ridge near Moon South Pole has Micro-Nova Hopper propulsive drone to measure surface hydrogen, PRIME-1 drill ~1 meter long, commercial off-the-shelf spectrometer, Nokia LTE 4G communications system to test; orbiter will map light wavelengths on Moon surface continuing search for water begun by Chandrayaan-1; as part of Artemis, IM receives its 4th NASA CLPS award, CP-22, US$116.9 M to deliver six instruments in 2027 to the Moon South Pole; IM is on NASDAQ as LUNR

 

Credits: (L-orbiter) Lockheed Martin, (C-hopper) Intuitive Machines, (R-light map, water / hydroxyl are blue / violet) ISRO/NASA/JPL-Caltech/Brown University/USGS