Category Archives: Lunar Landers

Thursday / 29 May 2014

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GLXP Team SpaceIL Advances Mission Funding

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SpaceIL Crowdfunding Campaign Seeks To Raise $1 For Every Mile To The Moon (240,000), Runs Through 17 June, US$58,000 Raised In First Week, Team Says Overarching Goal Is To Raise Awareness / Create Apollo-Like Excitement Among Youth; Israel-Based Team Already Raised $20M Of Projected $36M Mission Budget, Including $16.4M Grant From Casino Magnate Sheldon Adelson; A Private Group Is Looking To Send Hand-Printed Torah Scroll To Moon, Group Working On Payload Contract With Barcelona Moon Team After Talks With SpaceIL Broke Down

Image Credit: SpaceIL, Yuya Shino

Weekend Edition
Fri-Tues / 23-27 May 2014

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Morpheus Lander Tests Paving Way For Human & Robotic Moon Missions

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Final Morpheus Lander Flight Test At NASA KSC Next Wednesday Night Will Seek To Fine-Tune Performance & Demonstrate How Sensors Work In Darkness; Latest Free Flight Test Attempted To Rely Solely On ALHAT Landing Sensors To Guide Craft To Best Landing Site; Vehicle Rose To 240m Then Used Laser Sensors To Identify Up To 5 Safe Landing Sites; ALHAT Sensor Performance Not As Precise As Engineers Hoped & Pre-Set Trajectory Was Implemented To Land Morpheus; Successful Flight Tests Will Increase Likelihood Technology Will Be Incorporated Into Human / Robotic Moon Missions

Image Credit: NASA

Wednesday / 21 May 2014

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Team Phoenicia Supports RevUp Render Lunar Iditarod Challenge

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Dogecoin-Fueled Competition Will Take Place In Several Stages Culminating In 3-Way Mini-Rover Race On Moon; DogeSled Rovers Will Be Transported To Lunar Surface Aboard Phoenicia-1 Mission, Along With Penn State Lunar Lion GLXP Rover, Q4 2015; Registration To Compete In 1st Stage Of Competition Due 21 May, Entry Fee 2,250,000 Dogecoins (~US$1,100); Team Phoenicia CEO Will Baird Believes Bringing Together Dogecoin, Robotics, NewSpace Communities Will Help Each Grow Stronger 

Image Credit: Lunar Iditarod, Dogecoin, Team Phoenicia

Tuesday / 20 May 2014

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USA Lunar Surface Mission In The Works: NASA Issues RFI

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RFI Submitted By NASA KSC Seeking Private Industry Sources / Information On Payload Avionics Systems & Avionics Elements For Use In Short-Duration Lunar Surface Resource Prospecting Mission; Submissions Must Be Sent To Christopher Zuber By 20 June 2014; South Pole Moon Resource Prospector Mission (RPM) With RESOLVE Payload Notionally Targeted For 2018 Launch; NASA Has Spent Just Over US$20M On The Mission, Expects Total Mission Cost ~US$250M

 Image Credit: NASA

Wednesday / 14 May 2014

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India Advancing Towards Moon Landing

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  India Seeks 2nd Consecutive Successful Launch Of GSLV Rocket In July; GSLV Will Be Needed To Achieve Chandrayaan-2 Moon Orbiter / Lander / Rover Mission NET 2016; Rover Prototype Now Undergoing Tests At ISRO Lunar Terrain Facility With Anorthosite-Based Lunar Regolith Simulant Harvested From Sithampoondi India; Rover Will Carry A Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectrometer & Alpha Particle-Induced X-Ray Spectroscope To Study Chemical Properties Of Lunar Regolith

Image Credit: ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 2-5 May 2014

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SpaceX Innovations

Boost Future Of Lunar Exploration

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NewSpace Powerhouse Disrupting Launch Industry, Driving Innovation & Efficiency – Boon To All Who Seek High Frontier; Successful Tests Of F9 First Stage Controlled-Flight Recovery (18 Apr) & Grasshopper 1000-Meter Hop (2 May) Show Company Is Revolutionizing Future Of Exploration; Re-Usability Might Reduce Cost-To-Orbit By Half, Controlled Landing Systems Have Applications For Lunar / Planetary Exploration

Image Credit: SpaceX

Friday / 2 May 2014

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Lunar CATALYST Partnerships Begin

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Astrobotic, Moon Express & Masten Negotiating No-Funds-Exchanged Space Act Agreements With NASA For Lunar Cargo Transportation And Landing By Soft Touchdown (Lunar CATALYST) Initiative To Advance Lunar Lander Capabilities; NASA To Provide Technical Expertise, Equipment / Software Loans, Access To Test Facilities For 3 Years; Astrobotic (Griffin Lander) & Moon Express (MX-1) Plan To Launch To Moon 2015 / Win GLXP; Masten Refining / Testing Xombie & Xaero, Designing Xeus

Image Credit: ME, Astrobotic, Masten, NASA

Wednesday / 30 April 2014

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China Lunar Exploration Program Advancing With Fleet Of Missions

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Launch Of Test Probe Later This Year Will Verify High-Speed Reentry Capability Of 2017 Chang’e-5 Sample Return Mission; Chang’e-4 Lander May Not Just Repeat Chang’e-3 Mission But Could Achieve Something More Innovative, South Pole Landing Would Be Just That; China Officials Confirm Goal Of Building 36-Square Meter Lunar Base Known As ‘Lunar Palace 1’, Beijing University Of Aeronautics & Astronautics Reportedly Has Completed Design, Details Of The Moonbase Plan Will Be Released Later In 2014

Image Credit: CNSA, CLEP, Moonbase Alpha

Thursday / 24 April 2014

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Morpheus / ALHAT Tests May Revolutionize Lunar / Planetary Exploration

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Free Test Flight Today At NASA JSC Of 3-m Diameter, 1090-Kg Morpheus Lander With 2404-Kg-Thrust, Methane & Oxygen-Fueled Engine Will Allow ALHAT Sensor System To Prove Its Capabilities; ALHAT System Will Have 10 Seconds To Map & Choose Landing Site After Craft Flies To ~150m; ALHAT Project Manager Chirold Epp Says Team Is Shooting For System That Can Land Within 3m Of Given Spot, Current Best For Landing Precision Is ~80m

Image Credit: NASA

Wednesday / 9 April 2014

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SpaceIL Participating In Google Hangout Today

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ISRAEL21c Hosting Google Hangout With (R-L) SpaceIL Co-Founder Kfir Damari, Head Of Mission Analysis Adam Green, Business Development Director Daniel Saat On 9 Apr, Noon EDT (19:00 IDT); Members Of The Israel-Based GLXP Team Will Be Interviewed By Viva Press Of ISRAEL21c, Then Address Questions Submitted Through Facebook & Youtube Livechat; At Least 10 Schools To Participate In Hangout; SpaceIL Intends To Donate GLXP Winnings To Israel STEM Education   

Image Credit: SpaceIL, Google, ISRAEL21c