Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 24-27 June 2022

2022 Summer Around Moon About to Commence, Surface Landers Soon to Follow

Instantaneous launch window for CAPSTONE lunar orbit pathfinder set at 22:00 NZST, with live NASA coverage starting 1 hour prior; Artemis 1 mega Moon rocket deemed ready after 4th WDR reaches T-29 seconds, ship is returning to VAB for final launch preparations / hydrogen leak repair before possible 23 August inaugural launch to Moon DRO; Astrobotic CLPS Moon lander Peregrine may be first USA lander since Apollo if Q4 2022 goal is met; Astrobotic Mission 1 to carry international commercial payloads from Germany, Japan, Seychelles, Hungary, Mexico, UK, USA + 11 NASA experiments

Credits: NASA, Rocket Lab, Astrobotic

Tuesday / 21 June 2022

UAE Rashid Rover on Track for November Launch for Moon Landing on ispace HAKUTO-R Mission 1

Deigned by Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre engineers at Dubai ‘Silicon Oasis’, 10-kg Rashid Rover now in France for CNES thermal / vibration testing; Integration with Series 1 Lander to follow at ispace facility in Germany, with arrival of lander / rover at KSC NET September; SpaceX Falcon 9 launch window opening early November; M1 will also carry payloads from JAXA (2-wheeled spheroid rover), Canadensys (2 360° cameras), NGK (solid state battery experiment), Mission Control Space Services (AI flight computer)

Pictured: Emirates Lunar Mission Director Hamad Al Marzooqi
Credits: ispace, MBRSC, Twitter
 
 

Weekend Edition
Fri-Tues / 27-31 May 2022

Global Moon Regatta Preparations Advance as 2022/3 Launch Windows Approach

NASA now targeting 6-22 June window for inaugural Artemis-era CAPSTONE launch to validate unique orbit around Moon, holding virtual social launch day event with worldwide interaction via Facebook 6 June; Meanwhile Artemis 1 / SLS rocket begins return to KSC launch pad 39B also 6 June, WDR attempt scheduled 19 June; Roscosmos Luna-25 slated for 22 August sans ESA PILOT-D navigation system; ispace HAKUTO-R, CLPS missions IM-1 / PM1 striving for Q4 launch; ISRO Chandrayaan-3, JAXA SLIM pushed to 2023

Credits: NASA

Tuesday / 1 March 2022

Space Agencies Looking for Next Generation of Lunar Vehicles May Consider Tapping Electric Car Industry

2 USA commercial teams, 1 composed of Northrop Grumman, AVL, Intuitive Machines, Lunar Outpost, Michelin (with Moon workers Harrison Schmitt and Charles Duke serving in advisory roles) and partnership between Lockheed Martin, General Motors compete for contract to build modern Lunar Terrain Vehicle; JAXA works with Nissan and Toyota on electric and hydrogen powered concepts; Researchers at Keck Institute for Space Studies (Caltech) promote utilization of off-the-shelf components from production electric automobiles to minimize R&D cost of bespoke vehicles

Credits: NASA, Northrop Grumman

Tuesday / 14 December 2021

ESA to Work with ispace Europe and ArianeGroup on ‘Highway to the Moon’ Transit Program

Seeking to establish commercial access to the lunar surface, pilot phase of Lunar Transportation / Exploration Program began November 24 with MoU signing specifying 15-kg lander payload space / 5-kg rover payload space on missions beginning 2024 if ESA evaluation panel approves partnership NET 2022; Arrangement would see ispace landers launched on Ariane 6 rockets; ArianeGroup currently enjoys good working relationship with ispace EU, building propulsion elements for series 1 lander set for late 2022 launch on SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5

Credits: ispace EU, ESA, Arianegroup

Friday / 22 October 2021

Israel and UAE to Collaborate on Beresheet 2 Moon Mission NET 2024

With relations normalized under 2020 Abraham Accords, UAE and Israel now leading way forward with space diplomacy centered on US$100M Beresheet 2 lunar lander under MoU signed by (L-R) UAESA Chairwoman Sarah Al Amiri and Israel Minister of Science & Technology Orit Farkash-Hacohen; Beresheet 2 data to be used in educational program to precisely determine New Year under Islamic and Jewish lunar calendars; Data-sharing project in support of agriculture / climate monitoring from VENµS Israeli / France 12 spectral-band small sat also in works

Credits: SpaceIL, UAE / Israel governments

Tuesday / 19 October 2021

Explorers Club Examines Perennial Question “Who Owns the Moon?” as Independent Missions Near

Lunar property rights are subject of Explorers Club panel on Youtube and Facebook 18 Oct at 1900 EDT; Pioneering commercial spaceflight participant (L-R) Richard Garriott leads venerable group, founded in 1904 to further exploration and scientific pursuits; Panel includes Aeronautical Engineer Moriba Jah of University of Texas at Austin and attorneys Kristin Larson (bringing Antarctica background to discussion), Charlies Norchi and David Concannon; Outer Space Treaty of 1967 and Agreement Governing the Activities of States on the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies of 1987 likely starting points

Credits: Explorers Club, NASA

SpaceWeek Edition
Fri-Mon / 16-19 July 2021

Moon South Pole Malapert Mt. Next Goal for Space Billionaire Pioneers, Russia?

Critical to reclaim July 20 Apollo 11 Multi World Species existence is establishment of human base / operating center – likely at Moon South Pole, and most intriguingly perhaps is Malapert Mountain; 5-km peak (86°S, 0°) offers near-continuous line-of-sight for Earth observations and communications, ~85% illumination, more moderate thermal environment, shadowed cold-traps, shielded flank for radio astronomy; While Roscosmos Luna-25 aims for Boguslawsky 1 Oct, SpaceX plans Human lunar lander, Blue Origin Blue Moon cargo deliveries – unique real estate of Malapert high-ground for commerce, ISRU, observation, science, education should be utilized

Credits: Virtual Moon, NASA, GSFC, SpaceX, Blue Origin, Roscosmos, Lockheed Martin, ILOA

Friday / 25 June 2021

USA To Become 2nd Nation To Conduct Science On Moon Far Side Surface

First USA Attempt At Robotic Far Side Soft Landing Is Set To Be Conducted Via Commercial Lunar Payload Services Provider In 2024 As Part Of PRISM Series; Lunar Interior Temperature and Materials Suite (LITMS) Seeks Greater Understanding Of Lunar Maria, Source Of Volcanic Basalt Features Often Anthropomorphized In World Culture; LITMS PI Robert Grimm Of Southwest Research Institute Explains In Press Release That Heat Transfer / Electrical Conductivity Readings From 3m Depth Will Be Compared To Near-Side Apollo Missions To Unravel The Origin Of ‘The Man In The Moon’

Credits: NASA, SwRI, A Trip To The Moon, Lockheed Martin

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 5-8 Mar 2021

New Wave Of National Actors Announce Intentions To Reach Moon

Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter Launching In August 2022 To Map PSRs; Thailand Plans To Become 1st Space Faring Nation In SouthEast Asia With US$98M Program Launching 50-100kg Satellites By 2026, Culminating In Moon Orbit Mission By 2029, $100M Domestic Company mu Space Currently Developing Launch Capabilities; Turkey Plans Moon Landing By 2023 With SpaceCraft Developed By Contractor Delta V (Coinciding With National Centennial), Building Spaceport In Somalia; Israel Beresheet 2 Slated For 2024, As Is UAE Rashid Rover Mission; Space Commission Chairman / Astronaut Sultan bin Salman Al Saud Estimates Saudi Arabia Will Have Astronauts Trained For Moon Mission Within 2 Years

Credits: KARI, Turkish Space Agency, mu Space