Category Archives: India

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 20-23 Jan 2023

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2 Newly Arrived Moon Orbiters May Be Joined by at Least Half-Dozen Landers in Coming Months

As NASA / Advanced Space Capstone continues pathfinder mission of NRHO (so far finding Δv orbital maintenance requirements to be substantially less than expected) and KPLO Danuri prepares to begin science operations in Feb, ispace Hakuto-R lander should start return towards cislunar space after having reached furthest point in nearly 5-month fuel-efficient trajectory (1,400,000 km); Astrobotic PM-1 (with Project Kuiper and Celestis) and Intuitive Machines IM-1 (with DOGE-1) to follow NET Q1 2023, JAXA SLIM (with XRISM) NET April, ISRO Chandrayaan-3 NET June, Roscosmos Luna-25 NET July

Credits: JAXA, ISRO, Roscosmos

 

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 Oct 2022

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2023 Lunar Missions on the Horizon as Artemis 1 Flyby and M1 Lander Preparing for Launches

NASA and ispace poised for 2022 Moon flyby / robotic landing, while several missions now targeting 2023; Astrobotic, Intuitive Machines, ISRO, JAXA to launch Peregrine, Nova-C and Chandrayaan-3, SLIM landers NET Q1; Roscosmos plans Luna-25 launch via Soyuz-2.1b NET Q3; Also within 2023 Intuitive Machines striving to launch IM-2 mission including first satellite of lunar data relay ‘Khonstellation’, μNova hopper, SHERPA-ES tug, Orbit Fab Tanker-002 in-space fuel depot; Rocket Factory Augsburg to begin deployment of Harmony cislunar constellation; SpaceX to take Yusaku Maezawa and 8 selected crew, 1-2 professional astronauts on dearMoon lunar flyby with Starship

Credits: ISRO, SpaceX, RFA, dearMoon

Tuesday / 20 Sep 2022

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Moon South Pole is Target for Increasing Number of International Robotic and Human Missions 2023-28

CLPS provider Intuitive Machines to redirect IM-1 mission NET Q1 2023 from mid-latitude to MSP at NASA request, IM-2 already slated for Shackleton Connecting Ridge (89.5°S); ISRO Chandrayaan-3 targeting 71°S NET Feb 2023; Roscosmos Luna-25 aiming for 70°S NET 2023; Astrobotic to deliver VIPER rover to 85°S NET Nov 2024; CNSA Chang’E-7 to land near (L-R) Shackleton (90°S), Nobile (85°S) or Haworth (87°S) craters NET 2026; Artemis 3 to target 1 of 13 regions within 6° of MSP via SpaceX HLS; 6.25-day Polar Sortie Mission and 33-day Polar Excursion Mission on 2nd HLS to be awarded May 2023, launch NET 2028

Credits: NASA, IM

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 9-12 Sep 2022

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2022/3 Moon Missions Approach as Capstone & Danuri Near Lunar Orbit, Artemis Team Working to Launch

NASA Capstone on route to 3,000 x 70,000-km near rectilinear halo orbit 13 Nov; Danuri not far behind on similar low-energy ballistic lunar transfer, to reach orbital insertion 16 Dec; Artemis 1 may launch 23 or 27 Sep if LH2 leak is remedied on launchpad, JAXA 6U Omotenashi semi-hard impactor is 1 of 10 CubeSat rideshares; ispace Nov launch of Hakuto-R / Rashid rover, also to 3-month low-energy trajectory, landing in equatorial Lacus Somniorum; Astrobotic Peregrine lander slated to launch before EOY; Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander striving for NET Jan 2023 launch; ISRO Chandrayaan 3 targeting Q1 2023; Roscosmos Luna-25 pushed to NET 2023; JAXA SLIM slated for NET March 2023

Credits: NASA, KARI, Advanced Space

Friday / 1 July 2022

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China and India Working on Spacecraft Technology for Crewed and Automated Moon Exploration

China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) prototyping new hydrolox rocket engine for lunar version of ‘New-Generation Manned Launch Vehicle’ / Long March 5DY, with component check, fault detection and ignition tests achieved; Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) advancing Chandrayaan-3 redesign, improving lander legs, sensors and propulsion system, with ongoing testing at ISRO Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri; China aiming for human Moon landings within 2020’s decade, India 2nd robotic landing attempt likely to occur NET 2023

Credits: CNSA, ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 29 April – 2 May 2022

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ISRO Proceeding Carefully with Chandrayaan-3 Moon Landing, Plans International LUPEX Mission

Chandrayaan-3 flight hardware on display in new documentary Space on Wheels, also featuring 74 other domestic spacecraft; Vessel currently undergoing analysis of propulsion and other systems in Mahendragiri; Officially set for August launch, ISRO Chair S Somanath tells TOI “The list of tests is long and we do not want to compromise on anything. It is unlikely that we launch Chandrayaan-3 this year”; Lunar Polar Exploration Mission to follow NET 2024, with JAXA (rover) and ESA (instrument suite) participation; ISRO cooperating with 60 nations per 2021-22 Department of Space Annual Report

Credits: ISRO

Friday / 1 April 2022

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ISRO Chandrayaan-3 Moon Mission Will Be Supported by ESA Global Deep Space Communication Network

On track for Q3 landing near Moon South Pole (70.9°S), Chandrayaan-3 may be the first India space mission to take advantage of ESA-operated 35-m (Australia, Argentina, Spain) and 15-m (French Guiana) Estrack antennae as well as 32-m commercial Goonhilly in England, all coordinated by 24/7/365 European Space Operations Centre (Germany); Aditya-L1 solar observatory and Gaganyaan human spaceflight will also utilize Estrack ground stations, as has CNSA during Chang’e mission sequence; In-kind use of ISRO ground stations will be available for future ESA deep space activities

 

Credits: ISRO, ESA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 18-21 March 2022

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2022 Global Effort to Launch Lunar Orbiters and Landers Advances with SLS Mega Moon Rocket Leading the Way

SLS stacked with Orion Crew Capsule on KSC Launch Pad 39B awaiting Wet Dress Rehearsal, with NET May launch to orbit Moon; Rocket Lab Capstone rectilinear halo orbit pathfinder to launch between 3-15 May; Dubai Week reports Roscosmos and ISRO on track for August launch to Boguslavsky crater (Luna-25) and summer launch to a plain between Manzinus C and Simpelius N craters (Chandrayaan-3); ispace HAKUTO-R (NET Oct), Astrobotic Peregrine (NET Nov) landers to be powered by Agile Space Industries thrusters

 

Credits: NASA, Purdue, DARPA

Friday / 4 February 2022

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India to Launch Chandryaan-3 Lander / Rover in August to Explore Moon South Pole Region

ISRO intends to launch Chandryaan-3 via GSLV Mk 3 NET August, soft-landing near originally planned Chandryaan-2 site; Area is within southern lunar highlands ~160km from Boguslawsky crater, preferred landing site of Roscosmos Luna-25 aiming for 23 July launch, and ~350km from South Pole-Aitken basin, an area currently being investigated by CNSA Yutu-2 rover from Chang’e-4 mission with sample return planned for Chang’e-6 NET 2024; Spectral analysis from Chandrayaan-1 orbiter indicates site is rich in iron (4.2%), magnesium (5.4%), calcium (10%) and titanium (0.3%)

 

Credits: ISRO

Thursday / 12 August 2021

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Molecular Water on Moon Surface Confirmed by Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter

Researchers with Indian Institute of Remote Sensing and U.R. Rao Satellite Centre, divisions of ISRO, confirm presence of lunar water H2O) in Current Science paper; Previous measurements taken during Chandrayaan-1 with Moon Mineralogy Mapper definitively prove existence of Hydroxyl (HO) but unable to differentiate from water; Imaging Infrared Spectrometer, with spectral range 0.8–5.0 μm in circular 100-km orbit since Sep 2019, provides clear evidence of H2O, varying by region with concentration in upper latitudes

Credits: ISRO, NASA