Category Archives: Lunar Landers

Friday / 22 January 2016

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Rocket Reusability Significant For Cislunar Space Development

Moon Rocket, Mining

Paul Spudis Article In Air & Space Notes Advancement Of Reusable Craft Capable Of Soft Landing, As Demonstrated By SpaceX & Blue Origin, Directly Relevant For Permanent Return To Moon & Supporting Missions To Mars / Solar System; Would Require Automated Landers & Reusable Propulsion Systems Utilizing Propellants Manufactured On Moon (Cryogenic Liquid O2, H, Methane); Inevitable Frequent Moon Missions & Cheaper Access To Space Bolsters Need To Define Lunar Property Rights

Credit: P. Spudis, NASA, EADS Astrium

Friday / 15 January 2016

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Russia Continues 10-Year Commitment To Human Moon Missions, Perhaps Including 1st Woman To Moon

Russia Moon Plans

Russia Asserts It Plans To Realize A Human Moon Mission By 2027, Touch Surface By 2029 & Begin Establishing Habitable Moon Base; Will Use Angara Boosters, Develop Reusable Capsule; Seeking International Collaboration; Luna-25 Lander Aims To Launch 2018 (Picking Up From Luna-24 Successful Sample Return Mission 1976) To Boguslavsky Crater Near Moon South Pole; Recent Female Moon Simulation & Legacy Of Sending 1st Woman In Space, Russia May Try To Send 1st Woman To Moon

Credit: Roscosmos, ESA, NASA, Anatoly Zak / RussianSpaceWeb

Friday / 8 January 2016

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India Planning Robust Lunar Program With Chandrayaan-2, 3, 4

Chandrayaan 2-3

Dr. Mylswamy Annadurai, Director Of ISRO Satellite Centre & Project Manager Of Chandrayaan-1, States India On Track To Launch Chandrayaan-2 (Indigenous Orbiter, Lander, Rover) In Late 2017 Or Early 2018 On GSLV Mark-2; Will Attempt High-Altitude Polar Landing & Perform In-Situ Chemical Analysis Of Lunar Soil; Planning Chandrayaan-3 & 4 “In The Near Future” Which May Utilize Nuclear Power Sources; Private India GLXP Team Indus Hoping To Rideshare On PSLV To Reach Moon 2016-2017

Credit: ISRO, NASA

Friday / 18 December 2015

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JAXA Plans To Achieve Japan 1st Soft Landing On Moon In Fiscal Year 2018

JAXA SLIM NAOJ

Smart Lander For Investigating Moon (SLIM) Mission Hoping To Secure Funding FY2016 To Launch FY2018 On Japan Solid-Fuel Epsilon Rocket; Will Improve Landing Technology To Be Used On SELENE-2 (Orbiter, Lander, Rover) And Human Missions To Moon Proposed For 2025; SLIM May Land In Crater / Area Mapped By Kaguya (SELENE) With Support Of National Astronomical Observatories Of Japan (NAOJ); Commercial GLXP Team Hakuto Aiming To Launch Pair Of Rovers To Moon Mid-2017 Aboard Astrobotic Lander

Credit: JAXA, SELENE, NAOJ, Team Hakuto

Wednesday / 16 December 2015

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China Chang’e-4 Readying For Moon Far Side Mission 2020, Relay Satellite 2018

12162015With Goal Of First Landing On Moon Far Side, CE-4 Communications Relay Satellite Being Prepared To Deploy In 2018 Via Long March 5 Rocket From Wenchang Satellite Launch Complex At Hainan Island; Satellite Will Serve As Communications Link Between Moon Far Side / Earth From L2; CE-4 Lander & Rover Slated For NET 2020 Launch & Will Have Low Frequency Radio Spectrometer For Astronomy; Chief Scientist Of China Lunar Exploration Program Ziyuan Ouyang States “Since Chang’e-3 Successfully Completed Its Mission We Have Had More Time To Explore A More Comprehensive Mission For Chang’e-4”

Credit: CNSA, CAST, CLEP, NASA

Tuesday / 15 December 2015

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China Chang’e-3 Spacecraft Enters Year 3 On Moon; Honorary Currency Celebrates China National Spaceflight

12152015Currently In Lunar Night 25 Chang’e-3 (CE-3) Expected To Awaken 21 Dec & Begin Lunar Day 26 Operations; First Long-Term Robotic Observatory Lunar-based Ultraviolet Telescope (LUT) On CE-3 Continues To Gather Images Of Galaxies / Binary Stars / Deep Space With Fewer Limitations Than Earth Due To The Thin Exosphere; Chinese Lunar Exploration Program Has 3 Phases: Orbiting CE-1 & CE-2 / Landing CE-2 & CE-4 (To Far Side NET 2018) / Sample Return CE-5 (Slated For 2017) & CE-6; China’s Central Bank Commemorates Chang’e-1 On Currency (Bill & Coin) 2015 Banknote Reads “Chinese Spaceflight Commemorative”

Credit: People’s Bank of China, CNSA, CAST, CLEP, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 11-14 December 2015

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International Moon Missions Being Discussed By UN With Lunar Mission One & By ESA At Dec 15-16 Moon Symposium

UN LM1 ESA

David Iron, Founder Of Lunar Mission One (LM1), With Advice From UNOOSA Director Simonetta Di Pippo And Her Predecessor Mazlan Othman (A LM1 International Advisory Board Member) Brings LM1 To Attention Of UN, Pointing Out Practical & Inspiring Reasons For International & Commercial Moon South Pole Mission ~2024; Upcoming ESA Symposium Focusing On Coordinated Human & Robotic Moon Missions 2020-2030 Features Similar Message: Significance Of The Moon As A Starting Point For Sustained, International Space Missions For The Betterment Of Humankind

Credit: Lunar Mission One, UNOOSA, ESA, V. Martin/ITU

Wednesday / 9 December 2015

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GLXP Confirms Moon Express, Rocket Lab 2017 Launch Contract; Possible ‘Test Flight’ In 2015

1292015Two 2017 Launches Scheduled For Moon Express (ME) Aboard The Electron Small Launch Vehicle (Still Under Development) By Rocket Lab; GLXP Senior Director Chanda Gonzalez Announced “We Are Extremely Proud To Officially Confirm Receipt And Verification Of Moon Express’ Launch Contract”; Rocket Lab Readying New Zealand Launch Complex After Which Test Flight Of Electron Vehicle Will Occur (Originally Planned For Dec 2015); ME CEO Bob Richards States “We Are Thrilled To Have Our Contract In Place With Rocket Lab” ME Chairman Naveen Jain Adds “Moon Express Is Building Disruptive Technologies…Like 3D Printing And Inexpensive Sensors To Collapse The Capital Needed To Access The Moon”

Pictured: Moon Express Inc Founders: Naveen Jain, Co-founder & Chairman, Bob Richards, Co-founder & CEO, Barney Pell, Co-founder & Vice Chairman

Credit: Moon Express, XPrize Foundation

Thursday / 3 December 2015

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Hawai`i Based PISCES Seeks Emergency Funds To Continue Moon & Deep Space Research Programs

1232015An Urgent Request To Hawaii Gov. Ige (R) To Appropriate Funds Of US$670k For Salaries To Pacific International Space Center For Exploration Systems (PISCES) FY 2016 (Jul ’15 – Jun ’16) Currently Being Deliberated; PISCES Director Rob Kelso (L) States Organization Will Continue To Operate Normally Until The End Of The Calendar Year 2015 But Without Approval “We Are Out Of Business After June”; PISCES MoonRIDERS (Research Investigating Dust Expulsion Removal Systems) Joint Partnership With NASA Kennedy Space Center & Google Lunar XPRIZE Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) Technology With High School Participants Kealakehe & Iolani Hope For Approval To Continue Hawaii High-Tech Advancement

Credit: PISCES, UH Hilo, State of Hawaii

Tuesday / 1 December 2015

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GLXP Team Indus Boosted By India Public / Private Space Enterprise

1212015Team Indus Aims For Late 2017 Launch & Expects To Sign Launch Contract By End Of 2016; Indus Co-Founder Dilip Chabria (L) States “We Are Developing Everything Out Of India”; ISRO Success Boosting Space Sector With Roger Moser (BR) (Director Of India Competence Center) Commenting “ISRO Is Already Looking To Fully Operationalize PSLV Development Via Private Industry”; Team Indus & Tata Communications Partnership To Bring State-Of The-Art Content Delivery Network (CDN), Web Hosting & Flight Path Big Data Analytics Including Secured Private Network Solutions With CEO Julie Woods-Moss (TR), Stating “There Are Few Projects That Are As Inspiring And Aspirational As A Space Mission”

Credit: GLXP Team Indus, ISRO, Tata, India Competence Center