Category Archives: India

Friday / 23 Mar 2018

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Japan Funds Space Start-Ups And Considers Lunar Land Ownership Laws, India Researching Lunar Habitats

Japan Government To Offer US$940M (100B Yen) To Space Start-Ups To Double The Scale Of $11B Space Industry In Japan By 2030s; Planning To Give Commercial Companies Up To $100,000 Each, Japan Also Considering Drafting Laws Similar To USA And Luxembourg For Ownership Of Space Materials & Property; India In Talks With Japan For Lunar Polar Exploration Through 2018 Meetings, Hopes For Mission Proposal By March 2019; India Junior Minister For Space Jitendra Singh Confirms ISRO R&D On Lunar ‘Igloo’ Habitats

Pictured (L-R): Japan Prime Minister Shinzō Abe, India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India Junior Minister Jitendra Singh, ispace Founder Takeshi Hakamada; Credits: ISRO, JAXA, NASA

Wednesday / 28 Feb 2018

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ISRO Developing Technologies For Building Igloos On Moon For Future Human Habitat

Indian Space Research Organization Starts Science Program On Building Lunar Habitat With Robots & 3D Printers Using Lunar Soil; Project Led By I Venugopal Has Manufactured 60 Tonnes Of Lunar Soil Simulant At US$15,000 – Properties Match Apollo Samples 99.6%; Currently 5 Proposed Habitat Designs, Similar To Those At India Antarctic Outpost; ISRO Satellite Centre Director Mylswamy Annadurai (Right) Says Many Countries Are Considering Building Permanent Structures On Moon India Wants To Contribute

Credits: TOI, ISRO, Behnaz Farahi / NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 9-12 Feb 2018

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India Chandrayaan-2 Updated Details On Lunar South Pole Landing

ISRO Chairman K Sivan Confirms April Launch From Sriharikota Satish Dhawan For GSLV MK2 / 3,290-kg Chandrayaan-2 Carrying Orbiter, Lander, Rover To Land ~600 km From Lunar South Pole, ~70° S, Between Craters Manzinus C And Simpelius N; 6-Wheeled Rover Will Have Solar Power For 1 Lunar Day (14 Earth Days), Ability To Travel Up To 200 Meters While Performing In-Situ Surface Chemical Analysis, Experiments, Observations That Could Be Relayed To Earth Within 15 Minutes; May Pave Way For Future Lunar Habitation Says Project Manager Muthayya Vanitha

Credits: ISRO, NASA, LRO

Wednesday / 24 Jan 2018

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Chandrayaan-2 To Attempt India 1st Touchdown On Another World

Chandrayaan-2 (Sanskrit “Moon Vehicle”) Indigenous US$93M Mission Consisting Of Orbiter, Lander, Rover At 3,250 kg Expected To Launch March-April On GSLV Mk 2; Orbiter To Maintain 100-km Lunar Polar Orbit; Mission Will Collect Data From Water-Ice, Lunar Topography, Mineralogy, Elements, Exosphere; Solar Powered 20-kg Rover Has 3D Vision, Laser-Induced Breakdown And Alpha Particle X-Ray Spectroscopes; Project Director Mylswamy Annadurai States 1,250-kg Lander To Take First On-Site Measurements Near South Pole Region With First Of Its Kind Radio Anatomy Instrument (RAMBHA)

Image Credits: ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 15-18 Dec 2017

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ISRO & Team Indus Preparing 2018 Q1 Launches Of India First Lunar Landers

ISRO Chandrayaan-2 Slated For March 2018 1st Deep-Space Launch Of GSLV Mk 2 Rocket; Its Lunar Orbiter To Carry 1st L-Band Radar Mapper To Orbit Moon; ~3.5-m Tall Lander To Cut Off Engine 2 Meters Above Surface For 1st Ever Landing Near Lunar South Pole; “Radio Anatomy Of Moon Bound Hypersensitive Ionosphere & Atmosphere” Probe To Measure Near-Surface Plasma – Implications For Lunar Dust Levitation & Future Astronomy; Chandrayaan-2 Total Cost US$93M; Commercial Team Indus Looking To Find Another US$35M For Launch On PSLV Rocket By March GLXP Deadline

Pictured: ISRO Chief Kiran Kumar; Credits: All in One, Team Indus

Friday / 1 Dec 2017

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JAXA And ISRO To Collaborate On Lunar Sample Return Mission

JAXA President Naoki Okumura And ISRO Chairman Kiran Kumar Sign Memorandum Of Understanding To Collaborate On Future Lunar Missions: Lander With Rover To Study Water & Return Soil Sample; Agencies To Finalize Implementation Agreement In Next 2 Months After Recent 24th Session Of Asia-Pacific Regional Space Agency Forum in Bengaluru; Also To Collaborate On Climate Change Monitoring

Credits: ThePrint, APRSAF, ISRO, JAXA

Thanksgiving Weekend Edition
Thu-Mon / 23-27 Nov 2017

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Lunar Interests / Plans Accelerate Globally

Moon Village Association / ESA Records Progress At ISU In Strasbourg, France; US National Space Council Working Scenarios For 3-7 Year Human Moon Return; India Early 2018 Chandrayaan-2 Moon South Pole Touchdown Could Startle Global Space Communities; China Expanding Astronomy From The Moon Activities With Chang’e-4 VLF Payloads And Technology; India-Japan Announce Lunar Sample Return Collaboration; Canada Space Agency LEAD Project To Support International HERACLES Moon South Pole Mission Concept; Prospective Candidates For ‘First Woman On The Moon’ Rising

 Credits: ESA/ Foster + Partners, WH.gov, ISRO, CAST, JAXA, SPC / ILOA, CSA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 27-30 Oct 2017

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India Chandrayaan-2 Pioneering
Moon South Pole

ISRO Confirms Q1 2018 Plan To Deploy Orbiter, Attempt Lunar South Pole Touchdown With Lander And Rover; Chandrayaan-2 Project Director Mylswamy Annadurai States Specific Landing Site Is Not Yet Determined, Total Mission Cost US$93M, Lift-off Mass 3,250 kg; First Mission Ever To New Frontier Moon South Pole And India 2nd Mission To Moon Could Prove To Be Game Changer For Lunar Base Build Out, Resource Prospecting, Science, Energy / Technology Advancements; Payloads On-board Lander Include Thermal Sensors For Temperature, And RAMBHA To Measure Near-Surface Plasma & Its Changes

Credits: ISRO, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 13-16 Oct 2017

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Busiest Year For Moon Landings Since 1970s:
2018 India And China Lunar Lander Plans

India Chandrayaan-2 Lander, Rover & Orbiter Expected To Launch To Moon Polar Region March 2018 On GSLV Mk 2; China Chang’e-3 Lander Still Operating On Moon Surface Could See CE-4 Orbiter May-Jun 2018, Followed By Lander / Rover In Oct To Far Side, And CE-5 Sample Return Mission To NW Near-Side Before End Of 2018; New Chapter In Commercial Space For India, GLXP Team Indus Carrying Japan Team Hakuto Planning To Launch On PSLV Early 2018 To Attempt Moon Landing; Enterprises Moon Express, Synergy Moon, SpaceIL Also Working To Win GLXP With Mission Completion Deadline Set Mar 31, 2018

Credits: ISRO, CNSA, NAOC, CAS, ME, GLXP, et al

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 28-31 July 2017

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India Rising Lunar Future With PSLV Team Indus Launch, GSLV Chandrayaan-2 Launch

Dramatically Boosting India Lunar Profile Early 2018, GLXP Team Indus Preparing To Launch 1st Commercial Lander & Rover To Moon (With Japan Team Hakuto Rovers) On India PSLV 28 Dec For Soft Landing At Mare Imbrium 26 Jan 2018; ISRO 2nd Moon Mission Chandrayaan-2 Lander, Rover, Orbiter Poised For Early 2018 GSLV Mk. 2 Launch Likely To Moon South Pole (Chandrayann-1 Impactor Hit South Pole 2008); India 20th Century Pioneering Visionaries Passing On ~ Ad Astra Farewell To Prof U. R. Rao And Yash Pal; APJ Abdul Kalam Memorial Being Inaugurated By Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Credits: ISRO, Team Indus