Category Archives: International Cooperation

Tuesday / 10 Jun 2025

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Open Lunar Foundation Seeks Shared Landing Info to Foster Mission Success

Open Lunar Foundation (OLF) seeks Moon mission success via open / non-siloed data sharing, Moon Positioning, Navigation, Timing (PNT) services, transparent coordination — for all entrepreneurs and agencies seeking to foster peaceful enduring presence for humans on the Moon that benefits all life; with 20+ infrastructure projects, 30+ research fellowships, 50+ experts, 70+ papers, 1,500+ members, OLF runs Lunar Registry database, called a Wikipedia of Moon missions, participates in UNCOPUOS, compiles lunar achievements by country: China, USA, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, Europe

Credits: Open Lunar Foundation, ispace; Pictured L-R: Founder Jessy Kate Schingler, Co-founder Chelsea Robinson, Science Communications Lead Jatan Mehta, Director Carlos Alvarado Quesada 48th President of Costa Rica, PNT Project Contributor Peng Hu

Tuesday / 20 May 2025

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JAXA Chief Offers Technology Partnership to Keep NASA Moon Missions On-Track

 JAXA President Hiroshi Yamakawa offers response to NASA budget proposal cutting ~6% of current US$24.8B, although not human exploration portion, says Japan has high-precision Moon landing technology, lunar rover, resupply capabilities and lunar water data to offer Artemis missions; emphasizes lunar Gateway or similar infrastructure needed, could include JAXA human habitation module created with ESA; SLS / Orion are 140% over budget at US$23B, cost US$4B per launch, had been planned to deploy Gateway; NASA budget proposal for FY 2026 beginning Oct 2025 earmarks over $7 billion for lunar exploration, introduces $1 billion in new investments for Mars-focused programs

Credits: JAXA

Friday / 16 May 2025

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ispace Lander in Lunar Orbit, 20 Days Ahead of Anticipated Moon Landing

 ispace 340-kg lunar craft Resilience in stable Moon orbit due to ~9-minute main thruster burn ahead of final maneuvers before anticipated 5 Jun (UTC) touchdown near Mare Frigoris with 5-kg rover Tenacious; rover will shovel regolith, analyze and send data; ispace aiming to fulfill US$5,000 NASA Lunar Regolith Transfer Contract; Resilience also carries water electrolyzer, food production experiment with algae, Moonhouse by artist Mikael Genberg, deep space radiation probe, UNESCO memory disk, commemorative plaque based on Charter of the Universal Century fictional document from Japanese science fiction franchise Gundam

Credits: ispace-Inc

Friday / 25 April 2025

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China National Space Agency Shares Moon ‘Wealth’ with International Scientists

Zhongde Shan, CNSA Director, announced 24 April, China Space Day that 7 applicants are awarded lunar regolith samples from Chang’E-5 for scientific research; awardees are Institute of Geophysics of Paris (France), University of Cologne (Germany), Osaka University (Japan), Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission of Pakistan, Open University of United Kingdom, Brown University of United States and Stony Brook University of State University of New York, with 5 signing “Lunar Sample Loan Agreement” that day; Shan emphasizes China lunar exploration program follows principles of equality, mutual benefit, peaceful use and cooperative success

Credits: CNSA, IPGP, U of Cologne, The Open U, Brown U, Osaka U, Stony Brook, SUPARCO; Dir. Zhongde photo courtesy Harbin U

Tuesday / 22 April 2025

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Now One Year Out: Artemis 2 Human Mission to Moon

Artemis 2 lunar flyby 10-day mission set for Apr 2026, though NASA is working for Feb; Will be first human Moon mission in 54 years, and will occur in 2026 – the 250th observation of USA Declaration of Independence; Orion solar panels now installed, SLS upper stage connected to interim cryogenic propulsion stage (ICPS), return trajectory adapted to de-stress heat shield; ICPS will fire to reach HEO of 185×74,000km, where manual piloting mode and other systems are tested for 93.5 hours; Orion will make TLI burn to reach 7,400km beyond Moon far side ~370,000km from Earth before Earth-Moon gravity pulls craft back, entering atmosphere at 40,000kph, enduring heat ~2,760°C before splashdown

Credits: NASA

Friday / 18 April 2025

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Artemis Accords Continues Peaceful, Scientific Moon Cooperation Goal – Now with 54 Signatories

The Artemis Accords promote collaboration, ethical conduct and sustainable methods for space exploration, beginning with the Moon; 54th country, Bangladesh, signed Accords 8 Apr; not a treaty but a set of principles, areas of cooperation in the Accords include: Peaceful Purposes, Transparency, Emergency Assistance, Space Objects / Heritage / Resources / Activities, Scientific Data; as more nations join, it is hoped the influence of Accords will increase; China-led International Lunar Research Station project has 14+ national and private NGO signatories for robust, inclusive participation

Credits: NASA, ESA, Datawrapper

Tuesday / 1 April 2025

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Moon Village Association and its Global Expert Group Emphasize International Cooperation and Sustainability

Moon Village Association (MVA) supports diverse projects in many fields, fosters communications and cooperation, advises UN COPUOS (Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space), had UN declare International Moon Day July 20 annually, Abu Dhabi hosting 2025 main event as well as NET Nov Workshop & Symposium; the Global Expert Group on Sustainable Lunar Activities (GEGSLA) sprang from MVA to advance peaceful lunar governance and sustainability, will have 10th operational meeting 22 May; other MVA projects include promoting innovation, coordination and standardization toward lunar positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) services and a Lunar Governance Working Group

Credits: XTEND, MVA 

Tuesday / 25 March 2025

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Artemis 2: On-Track to Bring Humans Closer to the Moon than We’ve Been in More Than 50 Years

NASA Astronauts Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen are training meticulously for a million-km, 10-day Moon flyby in Orion spacecraft, 1st crewed flight of the Artemis campaign, Artemis II; set to launch NET April 2026 via Space Launch System (SLS), Orion is now at Kennedy Space Center; also there, SLS now has its 64-meter core stage — largest component of the rocket — joined with stacked solid rocket boosters; crew are testing Orion life support, communications and navigation systems and speaking with its engineers

Credits: CSA, NASA

Friday / 21 March 2025

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Philosophy of Solar System Exploration: Moon and Then Mars

Pioneering thinkers Astronaut Suni Williams, Bhavya Lal of NASA / Rand, Ryan Faith of US House / SpaceNews and Brent Sherwood of AIAA, Blue Origin and NASA agree on fundamentals: Moon is the proving ground for Mars and the start of a multiplanetary legacy, priorities must be sustainability, collaboration, creativity, economic integration and innovations that benefit everyday life; collaboration internationally and public / private makes Moon / Mars and beyond accomplishment a shared human achievement; exploring allows philosophical musing on our purpose, learning how we solve problems of materials, chemicals, technology; Williams is honored by ISRO and her father’s village in India, as well as by friendly dolphins greeting her capsule at splashdown

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Credits: Suni Williams, Bhavya Lal, Ryan Faith, Brent Sherwood, ILOA, NASA, NASA/Don Pettit

Friday / 13 December 2024

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ILOA-CSA Galaxy Forum China 2024 in Wenchang Impacts Global, Inter-Global Cooperation for Moon / Solar System

Experts from 13 countries at Galaxy Forum exchange visionary ideas on astronomy from the Moon, international human Moon landings, first women on the Moon, NewSpace commercial, lunar property rights, and planned international lunar base projects / payloads; Lunar talks included Wang Wei (CNSA, DSEL), Xuelei Chen (NAOC), Bernard Foing (ILEWG), Margarita Safonova (M. P. Birla, India), Jatan Mehta (Moon Monday), Boonrucksar Soonthornthum (NARIT), Mei Yang (CAST), Steve Durst (ILOA Hawai’i), many others; Galaxy Forum 2024 in Wenchang, near to Wenchang Space Launch Center and Wenchang Aerospace City, hopes to influence and advance robust, international, peaceful, scientific exploration of the Moon and complete Solar System in the 21st Century, with Aloha   

Credits: International Lunar Observatory Association, Chinese Society of Astronautics