Category Archives: Moon Exploration

Friday / 16 Feb 2024

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Commercial USA IM-1 Lander Odysseus on Direct Course for Moon

Intuitive Machines of Houston TX working around the clock to achieve first USA Moon landing in 21st century and first commercial landing ever with Nova-C ‘Odie’ on Trans-Lunar Orbit (TLO); Odie is expected to archive Lunar Orbit Insertion (LOI) on 21 Feb, followed by landing site near the eastern rim of Malapert A crater (80.2°S, 1.0°E) 22 Feb; Carrying 6 NASA and 6 independent payloads under $118M NASA CLPS contract + undisclosed private freight charges, the IM-1 mission was inspired by Space Policy Directive-1 per CEO Steve Altemus; SPD-1 calls for public-private and international partnerships to ‘enable human expansion across the solar system’

Credits: SpaceX, Intuitive Machines, LinkedIn

New Year / Holiday Edition
Fri-Tues/ 22 Dec 2023 – 2 Jan 2024

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Japan Lander Near Moon Orbit as USA CLPS Providers and CNSA Ready Early 2024 Lunar Launches

SLIM set to perform LOI maneuver 25 Dec ahead of 20 Jan 100-m precision landing attempt near Shioli crater as JAXA engages global public with enhanced project website and amateur radio band transmissions to / from onboard LEV rover; Astrobotic Peregrine, now integrated within payload fairing atop the first fully stacked ULA Vulcan Centaur rocket, has 4-day launch window opening 02:18 EST on 8 Jan and anticipated landing 23 Feb on Sinus Viscositatis; Intuitive Machines Nova-C now targeting mid-Feb launch on SpaceX F9 due to weather / launchpad congestion with landing near Malapert A crater in the MSP region after ~7 days transit; CNSA Queqiao-2 communications relay to launch NET March 2024 followed by Chang’E-6 farside sample return NET May 2024, continuing 10+ years of China lunar surface exploration

Credits: JAXA, Intuitive Machines, IM, Astrobotic

Tuesday / 12 Sep 2023

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India Planning Next Lunar Missions as Chandrayaan-3 Data Being Analyzed

As ISRO awaits the possible reactivation of Chandryaaan-3 Vikram lander and /or Pragyan rover, scientists are just beginning the task of working with data delivered over the course of the 14-Earth day nominal mission including first in-situ evidence of sulphur observed by Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectroscope (LIBS) and Alpha Particle X-ray Spectroscope (APXS), first recorded Moonquake since Apollo with Lunar Seismic Activity (ILSA) and findings of sparse ionosphere of 5,000,000 – 30,000,000 electrons per meter2; ISRO expected to collaborate with JAXA on LUPEX polar mission NET 2025, and may announce Chandrayaan-4, Chandrayaan-5 timelines soon per Chandrayaan-1 mission director Mylswamy Annadurai

Credits: ISRO, Twitter / @EarthTathya

Friday / 25 Aug 2023

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JAXA Counting Down to Launch of Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM)

SLIM set to lift off on H-2A rocket with XRISM rideshare from Tanegashima Space Center 26 August 09:34 JST (00:34 UTC) for 4–6-month journey to landing site at 13.2°S, 25.2°E, an area east of Shioli, a 270-m diameter crater emanating distinctive bright rays (itself within 98-km Cyrillus crater, west of Mare Nectaris); 200-kg (dry) SLIM will take fuel-efficient route to lunar orbit taking ~3-4 months, followed by ~1 month in lunar orbit prior to surface descent; Primary mission objective is validation of vision-based navigation system with <100m accuracy; JAXA will stream launch with live coverage starting 09:00 JST (00:00 UTC)

Friday / 24 March 2023

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Chandrayaan-3 on Track for Mid-Year Launch, ISRO Chief Adamant on Precision Landing Near Manzinus Craters

Speaking at 3-day Indian Planetary Science Conference (IPSC) at Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad attended by ~225 delegates, ISRO Chairman S Somanath identifies precision landing near 70.83°S, 22.67°E as “primary objective” of Chandrayaan-3 Moon mission, adding that science objectives will remain largely similar to those of failed Chandrayaan-2 (study and mapping of lunar resources especially hydroxyl / water ice); Somanath also indicated ISRO-JAXA joint mission dubbed ‘LUPEX’ may proceed, Shukrayaan-1 Venus mission to launch NET 2028, and “meaningful” science rational for Gaganyaan human spaceflight program must be developed

Credits: ISRO

Tuesday / 14 March 2023

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LEAG Holding Town Hall Periphery Event at 54th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference

Interdisciplinary Lunar Exploration Analysis Group (LEAG), tasked with advising NASA HEOMD, SMD and NAC, to host hybrid Town Hall 16 March from 12:00-13:00 CDT at Houston-area convention center / online with Microsoft Teams; Presentations include Continuous Lunar Orbital Capabilities Specific Action Team Final Report from Paul Lucey (Hawai’i Institute of Geophysics & Planetology), Lunar Exploration and Science Orbiter from Michael Amato (NASA Exploration Science Strategy Integration Office), Joining The Moon And Mars Communities To A Common Goal by Clive Neal (University of Notre Dame) with Q&A to follow

Pictured (L-R):Amy Fagan, Erica Jawin, Paul Lucey, Michael Amato, Joel Kearns, Clive Neal; Credits: NASA, LinkedIn, Twitter / @NMNH, SSERVI, LPSC, LEAG, ND

Tuesday / 7 March 2023

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Dynetics Touts Human Landing System Technology Advances Ahead of June HLS SLD Selection

Under NASA NextSTEP-2 Appendix N US$45M award, Leidos subsidiary Dynetics has matured key equipment it hopes will strengthen its bid with partner Northrop Grumman for Appendix P: Human Landing System Sustaining Lunar Development & Demonstration contract / uncrewed & crewed demo missions around Artemis 5 or later (NET 2028); Tech validations include methalox main / RCS propulsion testing at MSFC, Cryogenic Fluid transfer demonstration at GRC, Electrodynamic Dust Shield modules (first created at KSC); Blue Origin-led team including Draper, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Astrobotic, Honeybee Robotics also competing for Appendix P contract

Pictured: Dynetics HLS Manager Andy Crocker; Credits: Dynetics, NASA

Friday / 24 Feb 2023

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India Chandrayaan-3 Major Modules and Rover Advance Toward June-July Launch, Pass Key Tests

 Aiming for ~110km east of Chandrayaan-2 attempted landing site, Chandrayaan-3 propulsion module, lander and 26-kg rover undergoing major evaluations at U R Rao Satellite Centre in Bengaluru for NET June launch to 70.83°S, 22.67°E; Passing Electro Magnetic Interference/ Electro Magnetic Compatibility (EMI-EMC) tests early February for radio-frequency communication links between modules allows further subsystems & payload checks to continue; Mission will use Indian Deep Space Network for Earth comms and has agreements with NASA Deep Space Network & Estrack network as backups

Credits: ISRO, TAVD / URSC

Friday / 10 Feb 2023

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Capstone Lunar Orbit Pathfinder Team Attempting to Establish 2-Way Communication / Navigation Link with LRO

Led by Advanced Space, Capstone mission on 13th orbit of Moon, will soon exceed 3 months in 1,500 x 75,000-km near-rectilinear halo orbit (NRHO), the intended path of Lunar Gateway human waystation (launching NET Nov 2024); The Terran Orbital-built 6U CubeSat has ~56% fuel (120 m/s ΔV) remaining, on track to surpass 6-month goal in orbit following 11-day command loss / recovery; Team working to validate spacecraft-to-spacecraft navigation tech demonstration Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System with LRO, and attempt stand-alone navigation with Chip Scale Atomic Clock measurement of DSN radio signal

Pictured: Advanced Space CEO Bradley Cheetham; Credits: Advanced Space, NASA, Terran Orbital

Friday / 3 Feb 2023

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India and USA Advance Cooperation on Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), Human Spaceflight, Space Science

Several areas of space collaboration between nations to be nurtured following first meeting of U.S.-India initiative on Critical and Emerging Technology (iCET) in Washington DC: CLPS providers to meet with India commercial space companies to identify partnership opportunities; Astronaut exchange will see an ISRO astronaut undergoing training at JSC; Purview of Professional Engineer & Scientist Exchange Program to include space science; U.S. Commerce and India Space departments to lead commercial working group; iCET to solidify details at next meeting in New Delhi within 2023

Pictured: USA National Security Advisor Jacob Sullivan, India National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, Scientific Advisor to the Prime Minister Ajay Kumar Sood, ISRO Chairman S Somanath; Credits: @IndianEmbassyUS via Twitter