Friday / 29 May 2015

India SRM University Preparing For
2018 Moon Satellite Mission

India Moon Satellite

Sri Ramaswamy Memorial (SRM) University Of Chennai, India To Develop 10-20kg Nanosatellite To Study Moon Rocks & Chemistry Of Surface; Craft Will Contain Onboard Ignition System, Take 3 Months To Achieve Lunar Orbit From Earth Polar Orbit After Piggybacking On ISRO Rocket Launch; 1st SRM Satellite “SRMSat” Continues Operating In LEO, Team Also Participating In University Rover Challenge 28-30 May In Utah, USA

Image Credit: SRM University, SRMSat, ISRO, NASA

Wednesday / 20 May 2015

India & Korea To Collaborate On Lunar Exploration

IndiaKoreaMoon

ISRO & KARI Issue Joint Statement Committing To Cooperation In Areas Of Lunar Exploration, Satellite Navigation & Space Science; Two Organizations Will Work On Deep Space Cross Tracking / Communication Support For Deep Space Missions, Sharing Of Chandrayaan-1 Lunar Surface / Radiation Data, & Technological Cooperation; India Planning Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter / Lander Rover In 2017, South Korea Advancing 2020 Moon Lander Mission

Image Credit: ISRO, KARI, Yonhap

Wednesday / 13 May 2015

India Advancing Historic Mission To Lunar Pole

AnilChandrayaan

ISRO Officials Inform India Parliament That Chandrayaan-2 Mission Is On Schedule For 2017 Launch; Space Physics Laboratory Director Anil Bhardwaj Notes Mission Will Be 1st-Ever India Soft Landing On Planetary Body & 1st Attempt By Any Nation To Land At Lunar Pole; Mission Will Be Entirely Indigenous & Include Orbiter, Lander & Rover; Will Be Launched By GSLV Rocket; Orbiter Expected To Include 5 Scientific Payloads, & 2 More On Rover, Still Possible Lander Could Host Astronomical Observatory Payload Similar To Successful LUT Of China Chang’e-3 Lander

Image Credit: K. Ragesh, Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, ISRO

Thursday / 23 April 2015

Japan Moon Plans Stimulated By Ambitions & Successes Of Asian Neighbors

JapanMoon0415

JAXA Moon Program Proposal – Which Includes Announcement Of Plan To Send Robotic Lander Mission To Moon In 2018 – Cites Increased Competition For Resources On Moon, Risk Of Power Imbalance As Russia, China, India Advance Lunar Surface Development Plans; Proposal Includes Initial Phase Of Robotic Missions, Possibility Of Human Lunar Visits – Facilitated By International Cooperation – In Post-2025 2nd Phase

Image Credit: JAXA, CNSA, ISRO

Wednesday / 22 April 2015

India Advancing Chandrayaan-2

Chandrayaan-2Dathan2

Vikram Sarabhai Space Center Director M Chandra Dathan Says Chandrayaan-2 Preparations Are In Full Swing At Various ISRO Centers, Still Planning On 2017-2018 Launch; 2nd India Moon Mission Will Place Lander & Rover Near South Pole To Test New Technologies & New Experiments; Ranked 6th In Global Space Positioning – India Becoming A Role Model For Other Countries Due To Self-Reliance & Cost Effectiveness; India Spends US$3 / Per Capita On Space Technology, Compared To $7.5 For China & $123 For USA

Image Credit: ISRO, K. Murali Kumar

Tuesday / 31 March 2015

Japan & India GLXP Teams Advancing

StabMoon0315

Japan-Based Team Hakuto Working With Anime Show Evangelion In Crowdfunding Campaign To Recreate Scene From The Show During Lunar Mission; Campaign Quickly Became Fastest Growing Japanese Crowdfunding Initiative  Ever, Has Raised US$338K Of $832K-Goal, Deadline For Campaign Is 5 April; India-Based Team Indus Set To Close US$1.5-M Pre-Series A Funding Round After Significant Investments From Infosys Co-Founder Nandan Nilekani (Inset) & Others; Indus Goal To Raise $30M For Mission, Including $20-25M For ISRO Launch

Pictured: (R) Japan Astronaut Naoko Yamazaki, (L) Celebrity Natsuki Katou

Image Credit: Team Hakuto, Pradeep Guar

Wednesday / 11 March 2015

India Space Budget Indicates GSLV & Chandrayaan-2 Remain Top Priorities

ISRO$$0315

ISRO Allocated US$1.2B For Space Activities In 2015-2016 Fiscal Year (Begins 1 Apr); Budget Includes $50M For Continued Development / Operation Of GSLV Mk-3 Which Is Capable Of Lifting 4 Metric Tons To GTO, Critical For Next Steps Of Moon Program & Carrying Out India Human Space Missions According To Former ISRO Director Suresh Naik; $47M For Space Science, Including $6.3M For Chandrayaan-2 Lunar Rover / Orbiter Should Land At Moon South Pole 2017 / 2018; India Is Garnering A Reputation For Accomplishing Challenging Space Missions With Efficient / Frugal Budget

Image Credit: ISRO, NASA

Thursday / 5 March 2015

Team Indus Confirms Communications Partner

TeamIndusTata0315

Sole India GLXP Team Partners With Tata Communications; Team Indus Will Use Company’s Low-Latency Network For Final Mission Interconnection Between Deep Space & Network Stations, Also Will Handle Communications Between USA-Based Earth Stations & Command Center In India; New Delhi-Based Team Intends To Launch Mission From Sriharikota In 2016, Land 2 Rovers On Moon Surface; Team Indus Is Among Front Runners Of Competition After Winning US$1M Landing Milestone Prize

Image Credit: Team Indus, GLXP, Tata Communications

Friday / 20 February 2015

India May Boost Space Spending
For Fiscal Year 2015-16 India ISRO

Increase In India Space Budget 2015-16, Similar To 50% Increase Of 2014-15, Could Help Program Continue Its Momentum, Build Upon Successes Of 2014; Planning & Budget Allocation Underway For India Fiscal Year Beginning 1 Apr; ISRO Developing Indigenously Built GSLV-Mk 3 – Key To Reducing Launch Cost & Launching Heavy Spacecraft Such As Lander & Rover Chandrayaan-2 To Moon In 2016-17 & Human CARE Capsule; Working On Astronomical Laboratory (Astrosat), Venus & Solar Missions, Potential 2nd Mars Mission, & Infrastructure / Construction At Sriharikota Launch Site

Image Credit: ISRO, NASA

Friday / 13 February 2015

GLXP Team Indus “We Will Definitely
Land On The Moon”

India Team indus

India Team Indus Describes Support Received From Various ISRO Branches, Silicon Valley Entrepreneurs, General Public; Team Estimates It Will Need To Secure US$35M To Complete Lunar Lander ‘HHK1’ & Rover, And Launch To Moon On PSLV; Core Team Of 9 Plus 31 Other Young Engineers Continues To Overcome Technological / Financial Challenges, Inspire STEM Education, Encourage Technology Startups & Advance Space Exploration Activities In India; Hosting Reddit “Ask Me Anything”
On 14 Feb 11:00-12:30 IST

Image Credit: GLXP, Team Indus, NASA