Category Archives: Moon Exploration

Friday / 12 February 2016

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Luna 9 Inspires Giant Leaps For Future
Moon Landings

Luna 9

NewSpace Companies, Universities, Space Agencies Developing Breakthrough Technologies For Moon, Planetary, NEO Missions As 50th Anniversary Of Luna 9 – 1st Soft Moon Landing Is Observed This Week; Mission Trajectory, Sensors, Deceleration Technologies, Imaging / Instruments, Propellants Proven By Past Missions Being Improved Upon; Morpheus / Landers Using ALHAT, Moon Express Lander To Be A ‘Hopper’, SpaceX & Blue Origin Reusable Rockets Soft Landing On Earth, ESA Philae & Huygens Probes Significant For Landing On & Relaying 1st Ever Images Of Uncharted Areas

Credit: NASA, CAS, CNSA, JPL, ESA

Friday / 5 February 2016

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KSC Investments Promising For Moon,
Space Access

KSC ME Blue Origin

Space Florida Approves Funding For KSC Improvements With Blue Origin (US$26.4M), Moon Express (US$1.6M), CASIS ($1.1M); Blue Origin – With Ultimate Goal Of Launching Humans / Cargo Into Space – Will Operate At Launch Complex 36; Moon Express Testing MTV-1 Lunar Lander, Will Build MTV-2 & MTV-3, Operate From Complexes 17 & 18, Working Under Lunar CATALYST Agreement, Planning To Launch To Moon 2017 Via Rocket Lab; Other Unnamed NewSpace Companies Interested In KSC May Invest $80M+ In Historic Moon Mission Launch Site

Credit: Moon Express, Mike Brown/Space Florida

Friday / 29 January 2016

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Long March 5 Maiden Flight Planned For Sep-Oct, Will Carry Chang’e-5 In 2017

China Rockets

China Long March 5 Heavy-Lift Rocket With Maximum Payload Capacity Of 14,000kg To GTO Is Being Set Up For Launch Rehearsal, Tested & Assembled At Wenchang Satellite Launch Center (19°N) On Hainan Island In Preparation For Sep-Oct Initial Flight According To Lei Fanpei (CASC); Rocket Launching From Hainan To Loft Chang’e-5 Lunar Sample Return Mission In 2017; Long March 7 Medium-Heavy Rocket Maiden Flight Planned For June, Will Launch Future Cargo For Next-Gen China Space Station

Credit: CASC, Bing Map, sinodefence, CALT, NASA

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

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

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

Friday / 11 December 2015

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Japan To Develop Moon / Planetary Robots & Analog Test Site, Expected To Launch 2nd Epsilon Rocket 2016

JAXA SLIM Moon

JAXA To Partner With Domestic Companies To Create Robotic, Vehicle, Other Technologies For Human Missions To Moon (2030) & Mars (2040); Low-Cost (US$38M Per Launch) Epsilon Rocket 2nd Flight Planned For 2016, Will Enable ~$126M SLIM Moon Lander Mission Capable Of Landing Within 100 Meters Of Target Area In FY2018; SLIM Mission To Be Discussed At Galaxy Forum Japan 20 February 2016 At NAOJ Mitaka; New Online JAXA Hub Invites Information Exchange With Industries To Participate In Sustainable Moon / Planetary Activities

Pictured L-R: Yasuhiro Morita (Epsilon Program Manager), Yoshisada Takizawa & Susumu Sasaki (SELENE Project Managers)

Credit: JAXA, NASA

 

Thursday / 10 December 2015

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ISRO Announces Opportunity For India Scientists To Conduct Lunar Research With Chandrayaan-1 Data

12102015India Researchers, Universities & Government Bodies May Submit Proposals To ISRO To Utilize Data From Chandrayaan-1 Terrain Mapping Camera (TMC) With 5m Resolution & Hyperspectral Imager (HySI) With Spatial Resolution Of 80m & Swath Of ~20km; Proposal Submissions Due 15 Dec; TMC & HySI Data Meant For Photo-Geological Mapping & Understanding Moon Evolutionary Process; Projects Must Be Completed Within 3 Years & Limited Financial Support By ISRO To Be Provided For Selected Proposals; Finalists May Be Announced 31 Dec; ISRO Developing Chandrayaan-2 For 2017 Launch Of Moon Orbiter, Lander, Rover

Credit: ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 4-7 December 2015

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Sustainable Revitalization Strategies For Lunar Exploration To Be Discussed At “Moon 2020-2030”

1252015Moon 2020-2030 Symposium On Human & Robotic Exploration Being Held At ESTEC Noordwijk, The Netherlands 15-16 Dec Will Examine & Build Upon Approaches And Innovations For Lunar Missions; Symposium “Will Be A Key Step In Advancing The International Approach For Lunar Exploration Together With Key Players From Agencies, Academia, And Industry”; Objectives Invite Contributions In Multiple Areas Including: Operational Human Roles, Opportunities Of Lunar Exploration For Society, Planned Missions & Capabilities; Opening Plenary Session By ESA Head Of Propulsion And Aerothermodynamics Division Giorgio Saccoccia To Discuss Exploration Technology Roadmaps In Support Of Moon Initiatives & Technology Prioritization

Credit: ESA, Foster + Partners

Friday / 4 December 2015

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SSERVI-Hosted Lunar Workshop Discusses Permanently Shadowed Regions Regolith, Effects On Rovers & Volatiles

Lunar Volatiles

Six-Hour Virtual Workshop Held Yesterday, Featuring Dr. David Kring (R) PI At Center For Lunar Science & Exploration And Brad Bailey (L) Staff Scientist SSERVI, Sought To Collect Data On Potential Trafficability Issues Rovers Can Face In PSRs; Proposed Resource Prospector With RESOLVE Payload Would Map Polar Surface & Subsurface Hydrogen, Extract O2 From Regolith & Process With Hydrogen To Make H2O For Life Support Or Propellant – Could Launch 2018 & Involve Canada Or Japan Collaboration; Lunar Flashlight CubeSat To Locate Volatiles May Launch Dec 2017 On SLS EM-1

Credit: NASA, SSERVI, LPI, Center for Lunar Science & Exploration, GSFC, SVS