Category Archives: Cislunar Space Development

Wednesday / 11 November 2015

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Lunar Power Utility Necessary For Commercial Lunar Enterprise

11112015Commercial & Sustainable Activity On Moon Surface Could Be Advanced By Lunar Power Utility (LPU) Construction According To Authors V. Beldavs, D. Dunlap, J. Crisafulli & B. Foing Of “The Lunar Electrical Power Utility”; Two Powersats (Developed For ~US$250M) In Lunar Orbit Could Beam Power To ISRU Rovers / Equipment, Providing 168 Kilowatts Of Generating Capacity; Anticipated Long-Term Demand For LPU May Reach Megawatt Levels Beyond 2030; International Lunar Decade To Kick Off 2017 Promoting Sustainable Space Economy, Commercial Space Development, Infrastructure & Financing

Credit: NASA/John Frassanito and Associates, Shimizu Corporation

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 6-9 Nov 2015

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National Space Society Advocates Urgent Renewal For NASA Moon Missions

11062015Vital Studies Needed At Moon Lunar Poles To Verify Water Sufficiency For Sustainable Human Moon, Mars, Solar System Exploration; NASA-Funded Evolvable Lunar Architecture (ELA) Study Demonstrates Humans Could Return To Moon In 5-7 Years For US$10B & Establish Permanent Industrial Base Within 10-12 Years For $2.8B Per Year; Lunar Pole Robotic Survey Of Water Resources Imperative To Advance ELA In ~2020; Survey Reveals Commercial Enterprise Benefits By Supplying 200,000 Kg Of Propellant Per Year Placed Into Lunar Orbit Creating NewSpace Economies Via In Situ Resource Utilization

Credit: NASA

Friday / 6 November 2015

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Who Will Be The Next Astronaut To Reach The Moon?

Humans to MoonNew Class Of NASA Astronauts To Be Chosen Mid-2017, Agency Accepting Applications 14 Dec 2015 To Feb 2016; More Than 6,100 Applied During Last Call 2011 – 8 Chosen In 2013: 4 Women & 4 Men Who May Be The First Humans To Perform Lunar Mission Since 1972, Flying Aboard Orion ~2023; Private Golden Spike Co. Still Hoping For ~2020 Flights; China & India Steadily Advancing Moon Missions & Human Spaceflight Capabilities; Russia Proclaims Human Moon Mission 2029; ESA Discussing Eventual Permanent International Moon Station On Far Side

Credit: NASA, ESA

Thursday / 5 November 2015

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Moonspike May Continue Efforts To Reach Moon, Other Private Ventures Advancing

11052015US$122K Raised From Over 1,000 Supporters Fell Short Of Crowdfunding Goals For Moonspike Spacecraft & Rocket To Crash-Land On The Lunar Surface;  Moonspike Founder Chris Larmour States “We Are Going To Spend Some Time Reviewing Our Options”; Britain Commercial Lunar Mission One Raised Over US$1.3M & Planning To Land Probe On Moon Surface & Drill 20-100 Meters For Samples To Return To Earth By 2024; Israel SpaceIL GLXP Team Set a US$240K Campaign Goal – One Dollar For Every Mile To The Moon, Team Secured Launch Services With Spaceflight Industries To Launch NLT 2017

Credit: Moonspike, Lunar Mission Ltd., SpaceIL

Friday / 30 October 2015

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China Planning Chang’e-5 Lunar Sample Return & 1st Ever Landing On Far Side With Chang’e-4

Chang'e Program

Chang’e-5 Being Developed For 2017 Mission While 5-T1 Test Service Module Remains In Lunar Orbit Gathering Data On Landing Sites & Rendezvous Procedures; Chang’e-4 Lander & Rover With Numerous Advanced Instruments To Launch Before 2020 To Far Side, With Relay Orbiter Launched ~2018 To L2; Chang’e-3 At 44.12°N 19.51°W In Lunar Day 24 Successfully Operating 1st Robotic Telescope On Moon; Zou Yongliao From Chinese Academy Of Sciences States “If We Can Place A Frequency Spectrograph On The Far Side, We Can Fill A Void [In Astronomy With Chang’e-4]”

Credit: Xinhua, CNSA, CSA, CCTV, China Space Website

Thursday / 29 October 2015

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Russia Focused On Luna-2015 Simulation & Proclaims Humans To Moon 2029

10292015RSC Energia Head Vladimir Solntsev (TL) Reveals Human “Lunar Landing Is Planned For 2029”; Spacecraft For Mission Currently Being Built In Moscow With Inaugural Flight Aiming For 2021, ISS Space Dock 2023, Un-Crewed Moon Mission 2025, Astronauts To Moon 2029; Luna-2015 Female-Only Crew Simulations Commence, Gathering Data With “Over 30 Experiments” As Stated By Crew Member Daria Komissarova (LC); Experiment Taking Place At Moscow Institute Of Medical-Biological Problems; Potential Collaboration Efforts Also Underway With ESA For Moon Settlement & Joint Lunar Station Prospectively With China

Credit: ESA, IMBP, RSC Energia

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 23-26 October 2015

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Stanford On The Moon (SOM)
Launching The Next 50 – 75 Years

10242015Stanford University President John Hennessy (TL) Commends SOM At Reunion Weekend “It’s A Good Project, Keep It Up”; SOM Advisory Committee Consists Of 12 Alum: Founder Steve Durst 1965, Lois Driggs Aldrin 1951, Bruce Lusignan 1958, Jim McCotter 1965, Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides 1996, Grant Anderson 1985, Henning Roedel 2011, Jim Michaelis 1960, John Kleeman 1969, Alicia Kavelaars 2002, William Brown 1965 & Professor Sigrid Close; Committee Drawn To Critical Thinking To Address The Need To Explore New Horizons Vital To The Future Of Humanity; SOM Launching For The Next 50-75 Year Trajectory, Planning For Stanford Center On The Moon Before 2091 University Bicentennial

Credit: SOM, NASA, Space Age Publishing Company

Friday / 23 October 2015

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Stanford On The Moon 2015:
Sustaining And Realizing The Vision

SOM 2015

Stanford On The Moon Conference Being Held 23 Oct 15:00-17:00 At Stanford Campus Bld 260, Rm 113 In Conjunction With 2015 Stanford Homecoming Reunion; Will Feature Presentation By (Pictured L-R) SOM Founder Steve Durst & Stanford Director Of Development (Humanities & Sciences) Denise Ellestad On SOM Endowment Fund, Sasha Maldonado From Stanford Student Space Initiative, Jim Keravala From Shackleton Energy Co. On Lunar Property Rights: Who Owns The Moon?; And Introduction Of SOM Advisory Committee Members

Credit: SOM, ILOA, SSSI/S. Maldonado, D. Ellestad, Shackleton

Thursday / 22 October 2015

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Russia-Europe To Collaborate On Human Lunar Settlement At Late 2016 Meetings

10222015Moscow Space Research Institute Prof Igor Mitrofanov (TL) Asserts “We Have To Go To The Moon” Due To Commercial, Astronomical Observation & Utilization Of Lunar Resource Benefits; Meeting Of Ministers To Decide Europe Participation Late 2016; Russia Vostochny Cosmodrome For Lunar, Planetary, Human Missions Described As “Biggest & Most Ambitious Projects” By Pres Putin (TR); ESA Lunar Exploration Head, Bérengère Houdou (BL) States “Ambition To Have European Astronauts On The Moon” & Lead Scientist Dr. James Carpenter (BR) Notes Moon South Pole Unique Characteristics Includes Possible Water Ice For “Use As Rocket Fuel; Luna-25 Luna-Glob Lander Expected 2018 & Luna-Resurs 1 Lander Expected 2020

Credit: ESA, EPA/ Alexei Nikolsky, University of Bristol, IKI

Tuesday / 20 October 2015

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LEAG 20-22 October Focus On Moon Utilization For Sustained Human Space-Faring Capabilities

10202015Public & Private Sector To Discuss Common Goals Of Lunar Exploration, Apply Results Of Recent / Ongoing Missions Toward Future Exploration, Provide A Community Forum At 2015 LEAG In Columbia MD; Along With Various Information Sessions, ESA Will Offer Update On Current Lunar Exploration Activities & Plans With International Partnerships; Rob Kelso Of PISCES To Brief On PISCES-NASA “Additive Construction With Mobile Emplacement (ACME)” Project Demonstrating Technologies Associated With Planetary Robotic Construction Using Basalt; Final Day Includes In Situ Resource Utilization Session About Key Factors For Sustainable Human Spaceflight Programs

Credit: LEAG, UH Hilo, PISCES, ESA