Category Archives: India

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 1-4 Feb 2019

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Three More International Lunar Landings Preparing In 2019

Israel “Beresheet,” First Privately Built Lunar Lander To Reach Launch Site, Prepares At SpaceX Processing Facility In Cape Canaveral For Launch NET 18 February On 8-Week Voyage To Mare Serenitatis; NASA Contributes Laser Retroreflector Array And Use Of Deep Space Network For Beresheet; India Chandrayaan-2 (L) Set For Launch By End Of Apr; First Mission To Moon South Polar Region Consists Of 2380-kg Orbiter, 1470-kg Lander And 27-kg Rover; While Zhongguo Chang’e-3 And Chang’e-4 Are Operating, Chang’e-5 Lunar Sample Return (R) Scheduled For Late 2019, Depending On Launch Success Of Long March 5 In July

Credits: ISRO, SpaceIL, NAOC, CNSA

Friday / 4 Jan 2019

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2019 Begins With First-Ever Landing On Lunar Far Side

50th Observation Of Year Of Apollo Lunar Landings Begins With New Horizons Flyby Of Ultima Thule And China Chang’e-4 Landing On Far Side Of Moon; 1200 Kg Lander Touches Down At Von Karman Carter Within South Pole-Aitken Basin; Landing On Lunar Far Side Is Long-Term Goal Advocated By Apollo 17 Astronaut Harrison Schmitt; India Chandrayaan-2 Aims For Early Feb 2019 Launch To South Polar Region; Israel SpaceIL Aims For NET 13 Feb Lunar Launch On SpaceX Falcon 9; Chang’e-5 Scheduled For Dec 2019 Subject To Availability Of Long March 5 Booster

Credits: CNSA, China Daily, ISRO

Tuesday / 27 Nov 2018

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Chang’e-4 Science Teams And Chandrayaan-2 Testing Over Analog Site

China Establishes Science Teams For Chang’e-4 Lunar Mission; Four Research Groups Devoted To Data Processing, Geological Background, Lunar Surface Morphology, And Low-Frequency Radio Environment; Launch Of Chang’e-4 Planned For 8 December, To Land In Von Karman Crater At 47° South Latitude On Lunar Farside 30-31 Dec; India Chandrayaan-2 Launch Moved To 31 Jan, Planned As First Landing In South Polar Region At 70° South Latitude; Chandrayaan-2 Sensors Being Tested In Aircraft Flying Over Analog Site: “Science City” Of Challakere In Karnataka State Hosts ISRO Research Center

Credits: CNSA, ISRO

Thanksgiving Weekend Edition
Thu-Mon / 22-26 Nov 2018

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Upcoming Lunar Launches And Landings From Multiple Nations

8 December China Plans Launch of Chang’e-4, First Mission To Lunar Farside; Lander And Rover To Explore South Pole Aitken Basin; Landing Targeted For 30-31 Dec In 186 Km-Wide Von Karman Crater At 44.8° South Latitude; India Plans Launch 30 Jan Of Chandrayaan-2, First Mission To South Pole Region; 3,877 Kg Spacecraft On GSLV Mark 3 Launcher Composed Of Orbiter, Lander And Rover; Chandrayaan-2 Landing Site At 70° South Latitude; Israel SpaceIL Plans Lunar Launch On SpaceX Falcon 9 In Early 2019, Landing NET 13 Feb

Credits: CNSA, NASA, ISRO

Friday / 16 Nov 2018

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China And India Prepare For Lunar South Pole

Two Most Populous Earth Nations Aiming For Moon; China Chang’e 4 Prepares For Launch From Xichang Satellite Launch Centre 8 December And Landing 30-31 Dec; First Ever To Land On Lunar Farside; India Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mark 3 Successfully Launches GSAT-29 To Orbit, GSLV Mk 3 Will Launch Next Moon Mission; Chandrayaan 2 Has Launch Window From 3 Jan To 16 Feb; 3.8 Ton Spacecraft Consists Of Orbiter, Lander And Rover; Will Be First To Land Near South Pole

Credits: China News, ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 5-8 Oct 2018

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Lockheed Martin Unveils Lunar Lander Concept, Joins Multiple Nations And Enterprises Planning Moon Missions

Lockheed Martin Releases Detailed Concept For 62,000 Kg Reusable Human Lunar Lander, Launching From Lunar Orbital Platform To Support 4-Person Crew For 2 Weeks On The Surface; Also Soliciting Proposals For Payloads To Fly On Orion; Russia And China Express Interest In Joint Projects, Including Space Center On Hainan Island To Heavy-Lift Launch Vehicles; India Chandrayaan-2 And Israel SpaceIL Planning Moon Landings In Early 2019; Private Companies Aiming For Moon Include Blue Origin, Bigelow Aerospace, Astrobotic, Moon Express, ispace Japan, Golden Spike Company.

Credits: Lockheed Martin, Airbus

Wednesday / 3 Oct 2018

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India Launching Chandrayaan-2 To Lunar South Pole January 2019

India Space Research Organisation Aiming For 3 January – 16 February 2019 Launch Of Second Lunar Mission; Lander Will Separate From Orbiter 100 Km From Surface; First Lander To Explore South Polar Region Will Carry Six-Wheeled Rover; Landing Site Will Be More Than 70° South Latitude; Rover Will Carry Drill To Obtain Samples, Instruments To Analyze Composition Of Lunar Regolith, Tunable Diode Laser, And Laser-Induced Ion Mass Spectrometer To Search For Lunar Water.   

Credits: ISRO

Wednesday / 8 Aug 2018

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ISRO Reschedules Chandrayaan-2 Launch To 2019

Indian Space Research Organization Is Postponing Launch Of Chandrayaan-2 Moon Orbiter, Lander & Rover From October-November To Likely January — To Change Lander Design To Eliminate Risks From Vibrations During Rethrottling; U R Rao Satellite Centre Director Dr M Annadurai (M) Says The Mission Will Now Use GSLV MK-3 Rocket Instead Of MK-2 Due To Increased Rover Weight: Spacecraft Weighing ~3,290 Kg Total Will Take Max 2 Months To Reach Lunar Orbit; Annadurai Hopes To Manage End Of This Year To Roll Out Rs 800 Crore (US$117M) Chandrayaan-2 From Bengaluru To Sriharikota For Launch

Pictured: U R Rao, M Annadurai, ISRO Director K Sivan; Credits: ISRO, SAC

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 29 June – 2 July 2018

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Chandrayaan-2 Lunar South Pole Mission To Target Water, Possibly He-3

GSLV Mk II Launch NET Oct / Nov Of 3,290-kg Chandrayaan-2 Orbiter, Lander, 6-Wheel Rover, Will Research Topography, Mineralogy, Exosphere, Prospects For Ice-Water Utilization, Consider Future Helium-3 Extraction; Rover To Operate In Semi-Autonomous Mode For 2 Weeks; ISRO Chairman K. Sivan States India Plans To Be A Leader In Space Resource Utilization, Aims To Put India Crew On Moon

Credits: ISRO, NASA

Friday / 13 Apr 2018

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India PSLV Launch Bodes Well For Chandrayaan-2; China Advancing CE-4 And Planning For Human Moon Missions

The 3rd Successful Rocket Launch Of 2018 For India, PSLV-XL On C41 Mission After C40 In January & GLSV F08 In March, Boosts Further Confidence For Upcoming Chandrayaan-2 Lunar Lander, Rover, Orbiter Mission Launching First Week Of October On F10 Mission; CAST Chief Designer Of Tianzhou-1 Craft Bai Mingsheng States China Working Toward Human Lunar Landing Program To Be Initiated ~2020; Chang’e-4 Orbiter Launching May-June To Lunar Far Side, Followed By CE-4 Lander In December To Host Neutron Dosimeter And “Lunar Mini Biosphere” Of Potato, Flowering Arabidopsis, Silk Worms

 

Credits: CNSA, CAST, NAOC, CAS, ISRO, NASA