Category Archives: Lunar Landers

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 8-11 April 2022

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2022 Moon Fleet Preparations Continue in USA and Around the World

NASA SLS Mega Moon Rocket set to resume WDR at KSC Launch Pad 39B as Axiom-1 private mission heads to ISS on Crew Dragon Endeavour; 12U cubesat CAPSTONE to test near-rectilinear halo lunar orbit with Rocket Lab launch window opening 3 May at Mahia, NZ; Intuitive Machines 1st lander aims for NET June launch; Roscosmos Luna-25 lander on track for 23 July launch from Vostochny after Doppler radar-based landing system test success; ISRO Chandrayaan-3 lander and Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter NET Aug; Intuitive Machines still set to deliver TRIDENT drill / MSolo spectrometer NLT December

 

Credits: NASA

Tuesday / 5 April 2022

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Robotic Lunar Lander Peregrine, Set to Land Within Lacus Mortis in 2022, To Be Presented

Astrobotic working to complete Peregrine lander at 4,645-m2 Pittsburgh HQ, flight model to be unveiled at Keystone Space Collaborative Inaugural Conference (20-21 April) at Carnegie Science Center alongside Axiom, Redwire, Sierra, Voyager; CMU holding crowdfunding effort for Moonshot Mission Control, where 2-kg Iris (Astrobotic, 2022) and 19-kg Moonranger (Masten, 2023) lunar rovers are to be remotely controlled – donations of ≤US$100 rewarded with supporters’ name flown to Moon; Blue Origin partnering with GE Aviation subsidiary Unison Industries for design / manufacture of engines including BE-4 for ULA Vulcan Centaur

 

Credits: Astrobotic, CMU, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 1-4 April 2022

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National Space Agencies and Independent Venture Updates for 2022

NASA Artemis 1 undergoing 45-hour WDR at KSC 39B ahead of June Moon launch, LOX/LH2 core propellent tank fill-up set for 3 April (06:40 EDT); CAPSTONE launch window 3-15 May, Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter launching NET Aug; Intuitive Machines partnering with Jeff Koons: Moon Phases NFT project to land sculpture within Oceanus Procellarum via Nova-C NET June; Roscosmos Luna-25 still officially set for July; ISRO Chandrayaan-3 on track for Q3 launch; Astrobotic Peregrine to be unveiled at Keystone Space Conference 20-21 April, launching NET Nov; ispace and JAXA SLIM launching Q4

 

Credits: NASA, Intuitive Machines, Astrobotic, Jeff Koons

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 25-28 March 2022

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2022 Moon Missions Update

≥9 robotic expeditions to Luna are set to occur before years end: Artemis 1 EGS team performing Engineering Tests ahead of 1 April start of WDR with final countdown sequence 3 April at KSC pad 39B, launching to Moon orbit NET June; 2 additional orbiters from NASA (CAPSTONE) and KARI (KPLO) being prepped for 3-15 May and NET Aug launch time frame, S. Korea also plans lander NET 2030 per President Moon Jae-in statement; National flagship missions from India (Chandrayaan-3, NET Aug), Russia (Luna-25, NET July) and Japan (SLIM, NET Q4) aiming for Moon surface, as are 2 USA commercial missions (Intuitive Machines NET June, Astrobotic NET Nov) and 1 Japan commercial mission (ispace, NET Oct)

 

Credits: NASA, Draper, Astrobotic, Intuitive Machines, Orbit Beyond

Tuesday / 15 March 2022

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India Space Research Organisation (ISRO) Determined to Land Chandrayaan-3 Near Moon South Pole in 2022

Speaking to TOI, ISRO Chair S Somanath reiterates commitment to reaching lunar surface NLT year end, claiming place in history as 4th nation with a Moon landing mission after USSR, USA, China; “Final call” on launch date will depend on orbital parameters following craft testing, including drop test / landing simulation to be carried out at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota similar to testing of Chandrayaan-2 in Mahendragiri with 100-m crane / bungee cord used to simulate 1/6 Moon gravity, testing maneuvering; Somanath has also made clear that Chandrayaan-3 will include a stripped-down orbiter in addition to lander and rover, despite early reports that ISRO would forgo orbiter

Credits: ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 11-14 March 2022

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Lunar Fleet Buildup Advances as 7 Landers and 3 Orbital Missions Prepare for Launch

Wet Dress Rehearsal (propellant loading, countdown sequencing) of flagship ‘Mega Moon Rocket’ SLS expected 17 March at KSC Launch Pad 39B pending NASA test readiness review / subsequent press conference March 14 and inaugural launch to Moon orbit NET May; Rocket Lab Capstone orbiter launch window now set for 3-15 May; Intuitive Machines IM-1 launching NET June; Roscosmos Luna-25 NET 23 July; ISRO Chandrayaan-3 NET Aug; Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter NET 1 Aug; ispace HAKUTO-R NET Oct, Astrobotic Peregrine Mission One NET Nov; IM-2 NET Dec, JAXA SLIM launching late 2022

Credits: NASA, Rocket Lab, IM, Roscosmos, ISRO, KARI, ispace, Astrobotic; JAXA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 25-28 Feb 2022

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Flagship Boeing SLS and SpaceX Starship Race to Achieve Deep Space Ascendency as Global Fleet Preps for 2022 Moon Missions

NASA planning Artemis I wet dress rehearsal NET March, inaugural flight of US$17B Space Launch System within 3 defined windows: 7-21 May, 6-16 June, 29 June – 12 July; Human Moon flyby Artemis II NET May 2024; Starship (SN20 / BN4) undergoing engine reconfiguration, now with 33 Raptor 2 engine specification on Super Heavy; Initial SLS variant Block 1 anticipated to make ~ 4000t thrust, BN4 ~ 7500t, Saturn V by comparison made ~ 3500t; Roscosmos, ISRO, KARI, JAXA, ispace, Intuitive Machines, Astrobotic also striving for 2022 Moon exploration

Credits: NASA, SpaceX

Weekend Edition
Fri-Tues / 18-22 Feb 2022

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Leading Geostrategic DC Think Tank Emphasizes Importance of Cislunar Space, Chronicles Global Exploration Efforts

Deputy Director of Aerospace Security Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Kaitlyn Johnson compiles international missions to Moon surface and surrounding space, 2022 highlights include: USA CAPSTONE orbiter (19 March); Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic CLPS missions; Artemis 1 lunar flyby + payloads Lunar Icecube, LunaH-Map and international rideshares from Japan (EQUULEUS, OMOTENASHI), Italy (ArgoMoon); Russia Luna 25 lander (MSP, May); India Chandrayaan-3 lander (August); Japan SLIM lander; Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter with USA rideshare ShadowCam; China Chang’e-3,4,5 operating on Moon + orbital relay satellite Queqiao, Chang’e-6,7,8 following

Credits: CSIS

Friday / 18 February 2022

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Precision Technology for Landing Within Shadowed Regions of Moon Surface Sought by NASA

Nighttime Precision Landing Challenge No. 1 offers ≤US$650,000/ea for 3 proposals on lunar landing sensing systems designed to function absent light from ≥250m altitude – a common condition especially in Moon polar regions rich in volatiles such as hydrogen, oxygen, water termed Permanently Shadowed Regions, cold traps on crater floors that are seldom / never illuminated; Hardware such as optical, radar and lidar sensors coupled with machine learning software are likely approaches to challenge; Submissions accepted until 19 May 17:00 PDT

Credits: NASA, Masten, Astrobotic

Friday / 28 January 2022

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Russia Declares 23 July Preferred Landing Date for First Lunar Mission Of Modern National Era

Luna-25 is focal point of Russia space activity as Roscosmos subsidiary NPO Lavochkin announces with great specificity 23 July 02:21:45 MSK ideal launch date / time for Luna-25 robotic lander, 24 July 02:55:49 backup; Lunar daybreak occurring 1 August at landing site north of Boguslavsky Crater (69.55°S, 43.54°E) will provide power augmentation for RTG / battery system; 30kg science payload includes laser mass spectrometer; Luna-26 orbital mapping mission to follow in 2024; Luna-27 lander to utilize ESA regolith drill / PROSPECT sensor array within South Pole-Aitken basin NET 2025

 

Credits: Roscosmos, NPO Lavochkin