Category Archives: Human Moon Missions

New Year / Holiday Edition
Fri-Tues/ 22 Dec 2023 – 2 Jan 2024

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Japan Lander Near Moon Orbit as USA CLPS Providers and CNSA Ready Early 2024 Lunar Launches

SLIM set to perform LOI maneuver 25 Dec ahead of 20 Jan 100-m precision landing attempt near Shioli crater as JAXA engages global public with enhanced project website and amateur radio band transmissions to / from onboard LEV rover; Astrobotic Peregrine, now integrated within payload fairing atop the first fully stacked ULA Vulcan Centaur rocket, has 4-day launch window opening 02:18 EST on 8 Jan and anticipated landing 23 Feb on Sinus Viscositatis; Intuitive Machines Nova-C now targeting mid-Feb launch on SpaceX F9 due to weather / launchpad congestion with landing near Malapert A crater in the MSP region after ~7 days transit; CNSA Queqiao-2 communications relay to launch NET March 2024 followed by Chang’E-6 farside sample return NET May 2024, continuing 10+ years of China lunar surface exploration

Credits: JAXA, Intuitive Machines, IM, Astrobotic

Friday / 22 Dec 2023

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Artemis 2 Astronauts Train for Moon Flyby as VP Harris Announces International Astronaut to Join Landing Mission

While Artemis 2 NASA crewmembers Christina Koch, Victor Glover, Reid Wiseman and Jeremy Hansen (CSA-ASC) undergo emergency preparedness exercises at JSC and build public excitement for the first human mission to the Moon in 51+ years with White House press event, Vice President Kamala Harris makes firm commitment to include an international astronaut on future Artemis 3+ surface mission at 20 Dec National Space Council meeting attended by representatives of the 33-nation Artemis Accords coalition; Europe, Japan, or India are likely nations from which as-yet-unannounced crewmember will originate

Credits: NASA

Friday / 8 Dec 2023

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India On Track to Achieve 3-Phase 2047 Space / Moon Exploration Plan

New strategy for India to achieve leading global space power status by 2047 revealed at ISG-ISRS National Symposium in Pune is divided into Technology Build Up (2023-28), Lunar Reach-out (2028-40) and Lunar Base (2040-47) phases; Space Docking Experiment (SPADEX) set for 2024, followed by continuation of Chandrayaan mission series of robotic landers with Chandrayaan-4,5,6,7; ISRO Chairman S. Somanath confident in meeting 2035 space station and 2040 human Moon landing goals set by PM Modi, telling TOI work “is progressing aggressively” on station and first module may be launched in 2028; Lunar habitation / tourism possible by 2047

Credits: NDTV, ISRO

Tuesday / 28 Nov 2023

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As USA Moon Return Imminent, Historical Impact of First Apollo Images Considered

With NASA working toward Artemis 3 human Moon landing hopefully NLT 4 July 2026, images of the first woman and person of color on the Moon, as well as Astronomy from the Moon images set to be taken via robotic commercial missions, may have societal influence comparable to iconic Apollo 8 Earthrise, which University of Central Lancashire historian Robert Poole argues was even more impactful than the Apollo 11 Moon landing; In article on ‘Image of the Century’, Poole recounts tension within NASA over viewing targets (lunar landscape vs Earth) and desire of crew to commemorate event with Frank Borman signing off ‘Merry Christmas, and God bless all of you – all of you on the good Earth’

Credits: NASA, Robert Poole

Tuesday / 31 Oct 2023

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Blue Origin Advances Blue Moon Line of Lunar Landers for Commercial and Artemis Missions

Pathfinder Mission MK1-SN001 to demonstrate 16-m tall Blue Moon Mark 1 (MK1) technology including 100-m accurate lidar-based landing system, BE-7 engines, cryogenics, and lunar comms ahead of first commercial mission MK1-SN002 offering 3 tons of payload capacity to customers; Demo missions slated for 2024 & 2025 per successful Blue Origin bid for second US$3.4B HLS contract awarded 19 May; Blue Moon Mark 2 (MK2) to carry 4 astronauts to lunar surface near MSP during Artemis 5 NET Sep 2029

Pictured: Blue Origin Founder Jeff Bezos, NASA Director Bill Nelson; Credits: NASA, GSFC, Arizona State University, Blue Origin

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 27-30 Oct 2023

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NASA Monitoring SpaceX and Blue Origin Progress on Human Landing Systems for Artemis 3-5

HLS Program Manager Lisa Watson-Morgan tells Spaceflight Now NASA is concerned about SpaceX schedule, expects 15-17 launches of Starship Moon lander variant prior to return of humans to the lunar surface during Artemis 3 NET Dec 2025 & Artemis 4 NET Sep 2028; Starship 26 currently fully stacked with Super Heavy booster 9 at Starbase TX awaiting resolution of <135-day U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service consultation with FAA for orbital test launch clearance; Blue Moon Mark 2 HLS contracted for Artemis 5 being developed by Blue Moon, Lockheed, et al with cargo version demonstration model at Huntsville facility toured by NASA officials during recent Von Braun Symposium

Credits: Blue Origin, NASA, SpaceX

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 20-23 Oct 2023

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Asia Space Powers China, India, Japan and S Korea Lining Up to Conduct Human and Robotic Moon Landings

CNSA to launch Queqiao-2 communications relay to an elliptical lunar frozen orbit NET March 2024 in support of MSP & far side Chang’E missions and as precursor for Solar System-wide interplanetary constellation; Inaugural launch of 92-m tall Long March 10 rocket expected NET 2027 ahead of 2020s human landings; ISRO tasked with human Moon landings NLT 2040 as Chandrayaan-3 data being analyzed and LUPEX, a south pole lander / rover collaboration with JAXA, planned for NET 2025; JAXA SLIM on route to Moon carrying LEV-1/2 surface probes with Lunar Obit Injection slated for late Dec; KARI Danuri orbiter continuing 1-year nominal mission ending 16 Dec, striving for lunar lander / rover mission NLT 2030

Credits: JAXA, KARI, CNSA

Tuesday / 17 Oct 2023

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Space Leaders in Major Himalayan Neighbors, India and China, Call for Human Moon Landings

While Chandrayaan-3 Vikram lander remains in sleep mode, ISRO Chairman S. Somanath (T) emphasizing independent access to space, telling students ‘It is not only ISRO, everybody can do it in space’, citing 5 India companies including Skyroot (Hyderabad) and Agnikul (Chennai) while sharing his prediction of a woman landing on the Moon during Chandrayaan-10, a sentiment shared by India Prime Minister Modi; CNSA Taikonauts preparing for 2020s lunar landings, inaugural launch of new-generation crew spacecraft set for 2027 per first China Taikonaut Yang Liwei in remarks commemorating 20th observance of the Shenzhou 5

Credits: SPC, CNSA, IISc

Tuesday / 10 Oct 2023

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ISRO Working Towards Lunar and Human Spaceflight Goals as Chandrayaan-3 Data Undergoing Analysis

As hope for Vikram lander / Pragyan rover reactivation diminishes, India is moving forward with ambitious space plans as outlined by Chandrayaan-3 Project Director P Veeramuthuvel (T) and Satish Dhawan Space Centre Deputy Director T S Raghuram at International Space Week events in Rajahmundry and Chennai; Space tourism and human Moon landings are on the horizon, with Veeramuthuvel stating ‘ISRO wants to send humans there [Moon]’, while both officials promoted space tourism, with Gaganyaan Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1) slated for 25 Oct (IST)

Credits: ISRO, Roscosmos

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 6-9 Oct 2023

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China 2020s Human Moon Landing Solidifying as Robotic Exploration Series Continues

CSA, DSEL, CASC, CMSA and CNSA advancing crewed lunar mission set to occur before 2030 utilizing redesigned 10.6-m diameter Long March 9 with 50-ton lunar transfer capability or Long March 10  (also called 5DY / 5G / 921) with 27-ton lunar transfer, which may launch by 2027; Lander with powered descent stage to carry 2 Taikonauts and 200-kg rover to lunar surface; CNSA also seeking international payloads for Chang’E-8 launching NET 2028 (letters of intent due 31 Dec) while Queqiao-2 and Tiandu-1/2 relay satellites expected to launch NET March 2024 followed by Chang’E-6 far side sample return NET May 2024, and Chang’E-7 MSP mission NET 2026

Credits: CNSA, CASC, Xinhua