Tuesday / 13 July 2021

SpaceIL Redoubling Efforts Toward Private Lunar Landing NET 2024

Israel nonprofit prepares for Beresheet-2, an ambitious 3-craft mission; 2 landers (120kg wet) are to study Moon from Near and Far Sides, while “Mothership” will remain in orbit for nominal 2-year duration to facilitate science and student communication; US$70M of estimated total $100M cost being provided by philanthropists Patrick Drahi, Morris Kahn, Martin Moshal; SpaceIL now led by Shimon Sarid, formerly of IAF, and will again partner with state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries, Space Agency and Ministry of Science & Technology

 

Credits: SpaceIL

Wednesday / 16 June 2021

Malapert Mountain Likely To Be Among Key Loci Of International Lunar Community

Lunar Landing Sites Under Consideration At Global Space Exploration Conference 2021 In St Petersburg, Russia Include 5-km Peak Malapert Mountain (86°S, 0°); Possessing Numerous Attributes Conducive To Scientific Observation, Communication, IRSU, Habitation; Containing Areas Of Near (90%+) Continuous Illumination And Shadowed Cold-Traps Possibly Harboring Water Ice; Earth Line-Of-Sight From Peak Rarely Interrupted; Shielded Far Side Flank Appropriate For Radio Astronomy; As USA President Biden And Russia President Putin Meet Today In Geneva, And China-Russia International Research Station Is Presented, Malapert Could Be Focus Of Cooperation Between Space Powers

Credits: NASA, GSFC, Arizona State University

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 11-14 June 2021

3 NASA Lunar Science Payloads Slated For 2024 Commercial Delivery To Moon

Payloads And Research Investigations On The Surface Of The Moon (PRISM) Selections Include 2 Far Side Deployments To Schrödinger Crater (75.0°S, 132.4°E): Farside Seismic Suite (FSS), Containing Very Broadband Seismometer And Short Period Sensor, Investigating Subsurface Structure / Tectonics Over Several Lunar Days / Nights With Internal Thermal Regulation; Lunar Interior Temperature And Materials Suite (LITMS) To Study Internal Heat Transfer; Nearside Payload Lunar Vertex Lander / Rover To Measure Lunar Swirl Reiner Gamma (7.5°N 59.0°W) Via Magnetometer; CLPS Transport Provider(s) TBD

Credits: NASA, PTScientists

Tuesday / 8 June 2021

ispace To Deploy Multiple International Space Agency Moon Rovers 2022-2026

ispace Of Japan, Under CLPS-like Contract From JAXA, To Carry Small (80mm Diameter, 250g Mass) 2-wheeled Spherical Rover To Moon; Hakuto-R Mission 1 Is Slated To Launch To Lacus Somniorum (37.56°N / 30.8°E), Possibly In Competition With USA Enterprises Astrobotic And Intuitive Machines For Historic First Private Landing On Another World; ispace Is Also Scheduled In 2022 To Deliver 10kg Rashid Rover For UAE Mohammed bin Rashid Space Centre, Instruments From Mission Control Space Services, Canadensys And NGC Of Canada Through US$124M Lunar Exploration Accelerator Program; CSA-ASC / NASA Rover By 2026

Credits: ispace, JAXA, CSA-ASC, UAESA

Tuesday / 20 Apr 2021

Artemis 3 Crew Could Arrive On Moon In SpaceX Human Landing System Starship

The NASA-led Artemis Coalition Will Transit From Lunar Orbit / Orion Spacecraft To Surface Via Moon-Specific Variant Of SpaceX Starship, Possibly By 2024 But Likely NET 2026; Firm-Fixed-Price US$2.89B Contract Awarded Through Next Space Technologies For Exploration Partnerships (NextSTEP-2) Thought To Be Reflective Of SpaceX Technical Prowess, Compatibility With Future Launch Systems, And Lowest Bid; Award Is To Be Followed By A Long-Term Contract Opportunity, Open To Other Enterprises, To Provide Lunar Surface To Gateway Transport For Ongoing, Sustainable Operations

Credits: SpaceX, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 9-12 Apr 2021

Russia Aims For First Moon South Pole Landing 2021 Q4 With Long-Awaited Luna-25

Roscosmos Plans Landing Slightly North Of Boguslawsky Crater (69.55°S, 43.54°E) With Launch NET 1 Oct / 30 Oct Backup; 6 Onboard Instruments Seeking Data On 2 Science Topics: Investigation Of Polar Regolith Composition And Plasma & Dust In Exosphere Study; Lander Equipped With Lunar Robotic Arm, Designed To Excavate 20-30cm Depth, Move 1-2cm3 Sample To LASMA-LR Laser Mass Spectrometer For Analysis; ADRON-LR & LIS-TV-RPM To Measure Water Content Via Neutron Sensing / IR; ARIES-L & PML To Quantify Dust And Charge Particles In Exosphere; STS-L To Image Local Landscape; Sequence To Continue Through Decade With Crewed Mission By 2030

Credits: Roscosmos, NPO Lavochkin

Tuesday / 30 Mar 2021

Artemis Program Human Landing System Award Expected Within Month, New Budget Within Week

HLS, The Human-Rated Lander System Planned To Ferry Humans From Lunar Orbit To/From Surface, Is On Track For One Or More Selections For Flight Demonstration, Per SpaceNews Coverage Of Comments Made By NASA MSFC Director (T) Jody Singer And Acting Administrator Steve Jurczyk Both Affirming Timeline And Opening Possibility Of Reducing SLS Launch Costs, Redirecting Saved Funds Towards HLS – Currently Funded ~US$850M With Projected ~$3.3B Required; FY2022 Biden / Harris Administration Budget To Focus On National Infrastructure, Space Advocates Urge Emphasis On Cislunar Infrastructure

Credits: NASA, Blue Origin

Tuesday / 23 Mar 2021

Astrobotic Griffin Lander Mockup Undergoing VIPER Integration Testing At Johnson Space Center

Full Scale Prototype Of Astrobotic Medium Payload Capacity (475kg) Lunar Lander, Griffin, Being Evaluated For Fitment With Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, Special Attention Being Paid To Surface Deployability Via 20° Foldable Ramps; Flight Ready Version Of Griffin To Possess Landing Accuracy Within 100m And Hazard Detection Threshold Of 15cm Enabled By Avionics Suite Including LIDAR, DOPLER, Star Tracking, Inertial Measurement And Vision-Based Algorithmic Navigation; Agile Space Industries Providing Attitude Control System Comprised Of Seven A110 Thrusters), Five 3.1kN F500E Main Engines By Frontier Aerospace

Credits: Astrobotic, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 12-15 Feb 2021

NASA Office Of Inspector General Outlines Artemis Financials, Biden / Harris Administration Backs Program

US$85.7B Artemis Price 2012-2025 Represents < 30% Of Adjusted Apollo Budget, With $35.2B Already Allocated; Remaining $50.5B To Meet 2024 Goal Largely Needed For Human Landing Systems ($21.3B), Space Launch System ($10.9B) and Orion Spacecraft ($6.4B), NASA 2021 Fiscal Year Budget Stands At $23.3B Total; White House, 11 Senators Voice Support, Giving Boost To Multi-partisan Nature Of Program, Critical For Moving Appropriations Through Government; Vice President Typically Leads Administration On Space, Kamala Harris Yet To Opine

Credits: NASA, White House, OIG

Friday / 5 Feb 2021

Artemis Human Moon Landing Program Endorsed By White House, Legislators, NASA Acting Administrator

Political Consensus For NASA-led Return To Moon Emerging As White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki (C) Assures Press That Biden / Harris Administration Is Committed To Partnering With “Industry And International Partners To Send… Another Man And A Woman To The Moon” And That Congressional Support For Artemis Is “Broad And Bicameral”; Comments Come As 11 Senators Sign Letter Urging Executive Backing For Human Landing Systems – Key To Boots On Lunar Ground; NASA Leader Steve Jurczyk (R) Indicates Artemis 1 To Launch Q4; CLPS On Track To Support Human Missions

Credits: NASA, White House, Wikipedia