Category Archives: Cislunar Space Development

Friday / 3 June 2016

Posted on by

Astrobotic Signs More Partners For Lunar Lander Development, Payload Delivery Services

Astrobotic Lunar Delivery

Astrobotic CEO John Thornton Unveils New ~1.5-meter Tall Peregrine Lander, New Partners DHL & Airbus Defence And Space, Adding To Existing Support From Aerojet Rocketdyne & NASA CATALYST Program; Astrobotic Stacking Up Contracts & Agreements For Lunar Delivery (US$1.2M/kg To Surface) Including GLXP Teams AngelicvM & Hakuto (With 2 Rovers), Payloads From Mexican Space Agency, DLR, Astroscale, Lunar Mission One, Elysium Space, Carnegie Mellon University & Celestis, Stating “Launch Procured From SpaceX” Q4 2017 To Lacus Mortis Without Verified Launch Contract As Of Yet

Credit: Astrobotic, AngelicM, Hakuto, AEM, Elysium, CMU, LM1, DLR, Celestis, Astroscale, GLXP

Thursday / 2 June 2016

Posted on by

3 International Lunar CubeSats To Join Orion/SLS On Cislunar Journey

LED-6-1-16

Exploration Mission 1 (EM-1) First Test Flight Of New Space Launch System With Uncrewed Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle On 21-Day Circumlunar Trajectory NLT Nov 2018; Will Also Carry And Deploy 10 Other CubeSat Missions; Latest Announcement Introduces JAXA EQUULEUS (EQUilibriUm Lunar-Earth point 6U Spacecraft) And OMOTENASHI (Outstanding MOon exploration TEchnologies demonstrated by NAno Semi-Hard Impactor), As Well As ASI / Agrotec ArgoMoon

Credit: NASA, JAXA, AIS / Argotec

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 27-30 May 2016

Posted on by

6 Current Moon Craft Operated Solely By China And NASA

China NASA 2016 Moon Craft

2017 Brings Hope For 1st Commercial Moon Missions, India Chandrayaan-2 & China Chang’e-5 Sample Return, While NASA LRO Continues Collecting Data On Lunar Poles, New Surface Features – Will Enter 8th Year At Moon 23 June, Data Release #26 Upcoming; NASA ARTEMIS 1 & 2 Studying Moon Plasma Wake & Solar Wind Interactions, To Enter 6th Year At Moon In July; China Chang’e-3 Lander & Yutu Rover At Guang Han Gong, 44.12°N 19.51°W To Celebrate Start Of 4th Year On Surface 14 Dec; Chang’e-5T1 Service Module Almost 17 Months In Orbit, Continues Observations / Tests For Future Landing Missions

Credit: NASA, GSFC, CNSA, CSA, NAOC, CCTV

Friday / 27 May 2016

Posted on by

Russia Lunar Reports: Nuclear-Powered Moon Base, Mission Cost Estimates, Moon Shuttle Service

Russia Moon 2016

Russia Overarching Plan To Put Humans On Moon By 2029 / Set Up Lunar Base 2030-2035 May Involve Inflatable Modules & Nuclear-Power According To Russian Academy Of Cosmonautics President Igor Barmin; Deputy President Of Energia Aleksandr Derechin States Mission To Moon Will Cost 10x More Than LEO With Mars Being 50x More; Energia Rep. Yuri Makushenko Details Reusable 4-Person Ryvok Craft (Launched By Angara A5 From Vostochny) Which Could Dock At ISS & Transport Crew, Cargo To Moon Surface

Credit: NASA, ROSCOSMOS, Architecture and Vision / A. Vittori, A. Vogler, D. Martini, R. Tchakerian

Wednesday / 25 May 2016

Posted on by

Moon In Focus As Lawmakers Push NASA Toward Lunar Landings, Reject Asteroid Redirect Mission

LED-5-24-16

Scientists, Engineers And Administrators At NASA Are Preparing For Tidal Shift As USA House Of Representatives Calls For Return To Moon To Refine Capabilities Including Landing, Ascent, Habitation, And Prospecting; Budget Committee Draft Bill Cites Moon Development As Best Strategy For Sustainable Future Mars Exploration; ‘The House’ Is A Legislative Body Made Up Of 434 Voting Members Elected To Represent Each State Proportionally To Its Population

Credit: House.gov, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 20-23 May 2016

Posted on by

Bigelow Closer To Realizing Lunar Habitats, BEAM Expansion At ISS Planned Next Thursday

image

Robert Bigelow Goal Of Human Habitats On Moon, In Cislunar & Deep Space Remains Primary Focus For Company In Its 18th Year; As US$17.8M, 16-Meter3 Volume Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) Will Be Tested At ISS Over Next 2 Years, Bigelow Will Be Working To Fabricate & Test 2 Habitats For Deployment In 2020; Hoping Lunar Habitats & Tourism Accelerate Deep Space Exploration, And Customers Could Be Flown To & Access 1/3 Of 330-Meter3 Habitat For $60M A Year

Credit: Bigelow Aerospace, NASA

Friday / 20 May 2016

Posted on by

Human Missions To Moon, Mars Will Happen States Astronaut Alexander Gerst

Gerst ISS, Moon, Mars

To Be 1st German ISS Commander, Astronaut Gerst Says Society Needs To Be Ready / Decide On Human Missions To Other Celestial Bodies Beyond The ISS, And “We Are Ready To Go, Basically”; Acknowledges Great Value Of ISS Research, Resource Conservation, Human Space Studies Toward Establishing Moon & Mars Missions And Outposts; ISS Funding Through 2024 Still Being Decided By Europe, Which Has Proposed A Moon Village As Next Logical Step, Before Mars, Asteroids

Credit: ESA, Orbiter Forum / Carmen Felix, NASA

Friday / 13 May 2016

Posted on by

ESA Lunar South Pole Drill Undergoing Tests For Russia Luna-27 Mission ~2021

Russia Luna Program 25-29

Ice Drill Prototype Intended To Penetrate 1-2 Meters Into Lunar Surface Near South Pole Being Tested At -140°C (Will Aim To Test At -240°C); Drill Developed For ESA By Finmeccanica Of Italy, Will Allow Samples To Be Chemically Analyzed & Resources Identified; Aligns With Russia Luna Program Launching From New Vostochny Cosmodrome At 53°N & 128°E To Set Up Future Human Base Beginning With South Pole Missions: Luna-25 Lander (2018), -26 Orbiter (2020), -27 Lander (2021), -28 Sample Return (2023), -29 Lander & Rover (2025)

Credit: ESA, Finmeccanica, Roscosmos, Anatoly Zak, RussianSpaceWeb, NASA, LROC, LCROSS

Friday / 6 May 2016

Posted on by

Two Conferences Supporting Moon, Mars, & Asteroids Investigate Opportunities

Two ConferencesStimulating Renewed Support In Moon / Space Activities Two Conferences Moving Into Year 8 Scheduled To Address: Lunar Exploration & Enterprise, Solar System, Near Earth Asteroids; 7-9 June Golden Colorado School Of Mines To Host  SRR, PTMSS & LPI With PISCES Rob Kelso Discussing ISRU Construction – Lunar Launch/Landing Pad; Ames Research Center Holding Annual Lunar & Small Bodies Graduate Conference (LunGradCon 2016) In Mountain View California 19 July; NASA SSERVI Topics To Include Missions & Human Exploration

Credit: SRR, PTMSS, LPI, NASA, SSERVI, PISCES

Wednesday / 4 May 2016

Posted on by

Discussions Continue With Renewed Energy At ‘New Views Of The Moon 2’ Lunar Workshops 24-26 May

USRA LPI Wrokshop

Workshop In Houston Texas Held By USRA / LPI Soliciting Lunar Community Support, Proposing New Ideas, Collaborating & Developing Writing Teams; Clive Neal (L) & Charles “Chip” Shearer (R) To Host Welcome Reception / Opening Remarks; Goal Of Updating The 2006 (New Views Of The Moon 1) Publication Is Instrumental In Providing Current / Relevant Data From Lunar Missions & Up-To-Date Earth-Based Observations; Paul Spudis To Speak On “Development Of The Moon”; Plenary & Oral Presentations, Workshop Sessions, Extensive Poster Session Part Of Event Covering Topics Including: Volatiles, Magmatic Evolution, Future Lunar Exploration & Commerce

Credit: LPI, USRA, University of Notre Dame, University of New Mexico