Category Archives: Lunar Landers

Weekend Edition
Fri-Tue / 4-8 November 2016

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Reclaiming The Moon: America’s Preeminence In Space Starts With The Moon

return-to-moon-campaign-2016

Days Before USA 2016 Presidential Election, Congressman Jim Bridenstine (Rep-OK, Center) Discuses American Space Renaissance Act At LEAG Meeting For National Security, Economic Growth & Leadership, Stating “NASA Should Utilize Somewhere We Have Already Pioneered – The Moon”; Moon Could Provide Resources (Water, Solar Power, Regolith, Helium-3), Testing Ground For Human Solar System Complete Exploration & Settlement; Putting The First Woman On The Moon, Venturing For Science & Observation To Unexplored Moon South Pole, Solidifying Humans As Multi World Species Would Boost Any & Every Nation; Clear Vision Outlined By Incoming 2017 USA Administration From LEO To Moon And Beyond Could Set Up Strategic Path To Human Exploration Of Outer Solar System By End Of Century

Credits: NASA, US.gov, ESA, Foster + Partners

Special Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 Oct 2016

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First Woman On The Moon:
Chinese? American? Other?

international-woman-on-the-moon

While 46 Of The 60 Women Astronauts Are American, NASA Has No Plans To Put 1st Woman On Moon, Reclaim Greatest Advance In Human History / Multi World Species, Reach New Frontier Of Moon South Pole; China May Be Well Positioned To Put 1st Woman On Moon As Chang’e, Tiangong, Long March Rocket Programs Prove Reliability, And Planning Shows Step-By-Step Logical Progression; Russia & ESA Hope For Eventual Human Lunar Bases, Japan Plans Human Lander After SELENE-3, Canada Participating In ISECG Road Map Which May Include Moon Missions & On NASA Robotic Resource Prospector Mission 2018, S Korea Focusing On 1st Moon Orbiter 2018, Robotic Lander / Rover 2020

Pictured: L-R, T-B: Wang Yaping, Liu Yang (China), Julie Payette (Canada), Naoko Yamazaki (Japan), Yelena Serova (Russia), Yi So-yeon (S Korea)

Credits: CNSA, NASA, CSA, KARI, RSA, JAXA

Friday / 9 September 2016

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India GSLV Mk 2, May Take Chandrayaan-2 To New Frontier Moon South Pole, Performs 3rd Successful Flight

gslv-chandrayaan2

During 1-2 Sep Meetings With ILOA, Former ISRO Chair Prof UR Rao (L) Confirms Likelihood That Chandrayaan-2 Is Destined To Open Moon South Pole / Malapert Mountain New Frontier, Launching 1st Half 2018 With Lander, Rover, Orbiter; GSLV Mk 2 With Indigenous Cryogenic Upper Stage Proving Its Reliability With 8 Sep 16:50 Launch, Boosting India Capability / Launch Independence; 3 Future Flights Planned: SAARC Satellite End 2016 / Beginning 2017, GSAT-9 Satellite May 2017, Chandrayaan-2 Moon Mission Early / 1st Half 2018; GSLV Mk 3 Expected To Carry Human Missions

Also Pictured: ISRO Chairman Aluru Seelin Kiran Kumar

Credit: ILOA, ISRO

Friday / 2 September 2016

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Team Synergy Moon Launch With Interorbital Receives Official Verification By GLXP

LED-9-1-2016

The Announcement Out Of Los Angeles CA Verifies The Launch Agreement Between Synergy Moon And Team Member Interorbital Systems; Utilizes NEPTUNE 8 Rocket To Lift Off From Open-Ocean Platform Off California Coast During 2nd Half Of 2017; It Is The 3rd GLXP Team To Receive Launch Verification After SpaceIL (Via SpaceX – Falcon 9) And Moon Express (Via Rocket Lab – Electron); Synergy Moon Co-founders Are Kevin Myrick (USA) & Nebojša Stanojević (Bosnia And Herzegovina), Team Includes Randa & Roderick Milliron, As Well As Individuals And Working Groups In More Than 15 Countries

Credit: Synergy Moon, Interorbital

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 5-8 Aug 2016

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Parabolic Arc Poll:
Will Anyone Win the Google Lunar XPrize?

LED-8-5-2016

Even With Moon Rising Again As A Prime Focus Of National Space Agencies Doubts Are Being Cast On Whether Any Of GLXP Teams Are Adequately Positioned To Complete The Mission By 31 Dec 2017; Doug Messier’s Poll Of Readers (Still Open) Shows 52% No, 36% Yes, 12% Don’t Care; Commentary Overviews Many Challenges, Lack / Slow Pace Of Demonstrable Progress; Thomas Matula Notes That If Google Had Instead Directly Funded ILO From Beginning, The Mission Would Already Have Been Completed, Probably Beating China’s Dec 2013 Landing

Credit: Parabolic Arc, GLXP

Wednesday / 20 July 2016

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Full Moon Rising Again As World Observes 47th Anniversary Of Apollo 11

LED-7-19-2016

Space Community, Scientists Gather In Silicon Valley At Ames Research Center, NASA For The Exploration Science Forum (ESF 2016) Bolstered By Renewed Global Momentum Toward Lunar Landings & Crewed Habitats; An International Moon Surface Station With Commercial Services Integration Would Be A Major 1st Step Toward Reclaiming, Sustaining And Surpassing The Greatest Advance In Human History To Date; GOP Platform Supportive Of Space Exploration, Former Astronaut Eileen Collins To Speak At Republican National Convention; Louise Prockter Named As New Director Of Lunar & Planetary Institute

Credit: NASA, LPI, ESA

Thursday / 14 July 2016

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GLXP: Moon Express Expanding To LC 17 & 18 At Cape Canaveral; SpaceIL Testing Engine

LED-7-13-16

Moon Express Announces Agreement To License Historic Launch Complexes (LC) For Lunar Lander Development, Test Operations From USAF 45th Wing; State Of Florida Has Approved Up To US$1.85M In Matching Funds Toward Improving Facilities; Press Release Projects 25-50 New Jobs Enabled Immediately, 100s More Direct & Indirect Jobs Possible Over Next 5 Years; LC 17 Dormant Since Sep 2011 GRAIL Moon Launch; Israel Team SpaceIL Recently Tested Lunar Lander Main Engine At Facilities In England; Successfully Met Durability Requirements During Multiple Operation Modes, Shutdown Cycles Without Overheating

Credit: ME, SpaceIL, GLXP, USAF

Friday / 8 July 2016

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Rocket Lab Electron Rocket May Launch Late Summer, Qualifies Rutherford Engine For Flight

Rocket Lab

Rocket Lab Planning Maiden Electron Rocket Launch Within A Couple Months From Wairoa, New Zealand Followed By Launches From New Site At Onenui Station, Mahia Peninsula (39° S, 177° E) Which Is Close To Completion; CEO Peter Beck Notes Mahia Can Offer “Widest Range Of Orbital Azimuths Of Any Launch Site Globally”; Electron Is 10,000kg, 16-meters Tall, Able To Carry 150kg To 500-km Sun-Synchronous Orbit For Less Than US$5M; HQ In Los Angeles, Company Working With Moon Express For 2017 Launch To Moon & Potentially 3 Other Launches, And Up To 12 Missions For Spire Satellites

Credit: Rocket Lab, Google, Moon Express

Wednesday / 6 July 2016

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Team Indus Gets Boost From New CNES Lunar Payload For GLXP Mission

LED-7-5-16

India GLXP Team Indus To Carry French Space Agency CNES CASPEX (Colour cmos cAmera for SPace EXploration); Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) Technology And Patented (3DPlus) Integration Methods Reduce Size Of Optical Imaging Instrument By Factor Of Ten; System Is Also Reprogrammable & Radiation-Tolerant; CASPEX Micro Cameras To Aid Rover Movement By Detecting Ground Obstacles, No-Funds Exchanged Collaboration Saves Team Indus US$500,000 In Development / Procurement Costs; Total Project Cost Estimated At Over $60M; Team Founder Rahul Narayan Sees This As Huge Vote Of Confidence From Prestigious Global Agency

Credit: Axiom Research Labs, Team Indus, CNES, GLXP

Weekend Edition
Fri-Tue / 1-5 July 2016

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2017 USA Space Program And The Moon – Galaxy Forum USA Inaugurates Spacemonth July 2016 / July 4th Weekend

LED-7-1-2016

 GF USA 2016 In Santa Clara CA On 2 July; Presentations By Bruce Pittman Of NASA Ames On USA Space Direction 2017, Imke de Pater Of UC Berkeley Astronomy On Jupiter, Steve Durst Of SPC / ILOA On Getting Human Moon Missions & Jupiter Back Into American Space Program, Considerations For 21st Century Solar System Complete; Bipartisan Support & Implementation Of Evolvable Lunar Architecture (ELA) Study Partly Funded By NASA, Proposed July 2015 By Charles Miller Of NexGen Space; ELA Designed To Lead A Return Of Humans To The Moon Surface Within 5-7 Years For US$10B (+/-30%) Via Development Of 2 Independent Competing Commercial Service Providers

Credit: Space Age Publishing Company (SPC) , International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA), NASA, NexGen Space LLC, A. Nesterova, UC Berkeley, FreeFlagIcons.com