Category Archives: Lunar Landers

Thursday / 25 September 2014

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India Next Steps Into Solar System:
Moon Lander, New Rocket, Crew Module

IndiaNextSteps0914

ISRO Looks To Advance Its Position As Global Space Power With Ambitious Slate Of Missions After Successful Mars Orbit Insertion; Chairman K Radhakrishnan Says Agency Has Completed Moon Rover, Developing Technologies For Soft Landing, Advancing Indigenous GLSV Launch Vehicle, Expects Chandrayaan-2 Mission 2016-2017; First Test Flight Of GSLV Mark-3 Rocket – With 4 Tonne Capacity To GTO – Expected Late 2014; Flight To Include Test Of Crew Module Re-Entry

Image Credit: ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 19-22 September 2014

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India & China Initiate Space Cooperation,
Joint Moon Mission Next?

IndiaChinaMoon0914

Top CNSA Representatives Accompany China President Xi Jinping On First Official Visit To India; ISRO Chair K Radhakrishnan (RF) CNSA Deputy Director Zhang Jianhua (LF) Sign MoU For Cooperation In Peaceful Uses Of Outer Space; Initial Focus Expected To Be On Space Science / Exploration, Remote Sensing & Disaster Management; China Has Asserted That It Is Open In Its Lunar Program For Cooperation With Other Nations; An India / China Partnership Could Facilitate Rapid Advancement Of Robotic & Human Moon Exploration

Image Credit: CNSA, sarkaritel.com

Wednesday / 10 September 2014

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Lunar Day 10: Chang’e-3 Lander Operating Nominally, Immobile Rover Still Interactive

Yutu0914

140-kg Yutu Rover Starting 10th Lunar Day With All 4 Payloads – Panoramic Camera, Lunar Radar, Infrared Imaging Spectrometer, Particle Excitation X-Ray Spectrometer – Operating Nominally According To Chief Designer Of China Lunar Exploration Program Wu Weiren; Rover Has Outlasted Designed Service Life By 7 Months; New Lunar Panorama Taken By Yutu Rover Released To Public; Chang’e-3 Lander With Lunar Ultraviolet Telescope Also Operating Normally

Image Credit: CCTV, Xinhua

Friday / 29 August 2014

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GLXP Teams: Moon Missions More Valuable Than Cash Prize

Penn State & Hakuto

Penn State Lunar Lion Aiming To Launch To Moon Dec 2015 Would Use US$20M Prize Money To Set Up Space Research Institute / Student Scholarships, Working On Integrating Propulsion & Control System Into Spacecraft – Recognize GLXP Isn’t Just An Investment To Make Money, But Make History; Japan Team Hakuto Stresses Lunar Skylights As Sites Of Potential Human Habitats (As Does Team Astrobotic), Hopes To Contribute To Human Understanding Of Moon, Working On Pair Of Rovers: 4-Wheeled 8kg Moonraker Would Lower 2-Wheeled 2kg Tetris Into Holes Using Tether

Image Credit: Penn State Lunar Lion, Team Hakuto

Wednesday / 27 August 2014

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Russia Lunar Ambitions Could Limit ISS Support

RussiaBeyondISS0814

Russia Actions / Statements Indicate A Growing Seriousness About Finally Fulfilling Long-Standing Plans To Put Humans On Moon; Roscosmos Recent Budgetary Request For US$770M To Advance Robotic Moon Program Includes US$55M To Complete Technical Specifications For Human Lunar Base; Development Of Prospective Piloted Transport System (PPTS) (TR), Next Generation Russia Crew Capsule With 4-Person Capacity To Moon Orbit; Angara Rocket (BR) Emerging As Contender For PPTS Launches; Projected Launch Schedule Sees Lunar PPTS Launching in ~2024 – Last Year Of Current ISS Program

Image Credit: Roscosmos

Tuesday / 26 August 2014

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Chandrayaan-2 On Schedule For 2017 Launch

Chandrayaan2Annadurai

M Annadurai Of ISRO, Project Manager For Chandrayaan-1 and 2, Confirms India Still Planning To Launch Its 2nd Moon Mission In 2017; GSLV Rocket Expected To Boost Probe Into Earth-Parking Orbit Of 170km X 18,500km; Mission Includes Orbiter With Scientific Payloads To Confirm Presence Of Water / Resources & Lander That Will Soft Land Then Deploy Rover To Conduct Mineralogical & Elemental Analysis Of Surrounding Area With 2 Spectroscope Payloads; Next GSLV Launch Expected Later This Year After Successful Launch In Jan 2014

Image Credit: ISRO

Thursday / 21 August 2014

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Moon Mining Featured On Science Channel Premier

MEmanVuniverse

GLXP Teams Moon Express & Astrobotic Featured In Premier Of ‘Man vs The Universe’ On Science Channel; Episode Entitled ‘Mining The Moon’ Relates How Private Enterprises Are Utilizing Efficient Low-Cost Designs & Youthful Ingenuity To Reassert USA Leadership In Moon Exploration; GLXP Winner Will Be Well Positioned To Develop Moon Mining Technology, Leading Edge Of Potential $Trillion Industry; Moon Express Confirms South Pole Moon As Ideal Destination

Image Credit: Moon Express, Science Channel, NASA

Wednesday / 20 August 2014

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Canada Space Agency Funding Moon Rover Development

CSAroverContracts0814

CSA Preparing To Fund 3 Rover Projects: ExCore Small Planetary Rover Platform – $600,000 CDN 1-Year Contract, Tender Closes 4 Sep; Lunar Polar Rover Night Survival Strategy To Develop Alternative Heat Sources To Protect Rover During Cold Night At Lunar Polar Region – $300,000 CDN 6-Month Contract, Tender Closes 18 Sep; Lunar Rover Drive-Train Prototype Platform, Develop Larger Prototype To Be Subjected To Rigorous Testing – $3.25M CDN 15-Month Contract, Tender Closes 29 Aug

Image Credit: CSA, NASA

Tuesday / 19 August 2014

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Stimulating Lunar Enterprise With Earth-Orbital Launch Platform

ColubiaMoonLauncher0814

Revisiting 1996 Proposal To Utilize Space Shuttle Columbia, With Its Extended-Duration Orbiter Modifications, As A Joint NASA / Private Sector Launch Platform For Rocket Stages Bearing Small Lunar Landers Which Would Then Deliver Teleoperated Micro-Robots; Current / Future Orbiter Vehicles Could Potentially Be Used For Such Purposes Helping To “Ignite A Billion Dollar, Sustained Enterprise On Moon” As Proposal Author Carey McCleskey Of NASA JSC Vehicle Engineering Directorate Originally Suggested

Image Credit: NASA, Eberhard Marx

Friday / 15 August 2014

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Moon / Small Body Spacecraft Initiatives Supported By NASA

NASA Mooncraft Intiatives

Scarab Lunar Rover Being Developed By Robotics Institute Of Carnegie Mellon University To Explore Dark Polar Craters At Moon South Pole; Powered By 100-Watt Fuel Cell Created Under NASA Game Changing Development Program, Rover Can Collect 1m Core Samples For Water & Gas Analysis; Marco Pavone Of Stanford University Awarded US$500K Through NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts Program To Continue Developing Hopping / Tumbling Craft With 3 Internal Flywheels Capable Of Exploring Small Bodies – Similar Technologies Could Be Applied To Future Mooncraft

Image Credit: NASA, Carnegie Mellon University