Category Archives: Moon Exploration

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

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 28-31 Oct 2022

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NASA Economic Impact Study Shows US$71.2B Effect on Output, NASA OTPS Issues Lunar Exploration Policy Recommendations

While NASA itself employs some 19,000+ civil servants, its operations support an estimated 339,600 jobs nationally, per Economic Impact Report generated by IMPLAN modeling software, compiled by researchers at Voorhees Center in Chicago; Study estimates 1,000,000+ people in 90 nations employed in $469B global space industry; Lunar Landing and Operations Policy Analysis issued by Office of Technology, Policy, and Strategy identifies 7 lunar challenges / mitigation approaches: Landings, Surface Operations, Surface Movement, Radio-Frequency Interference, Areas with Special Characteristics, Unexpected Activities and Human Heritage Protection

 

Pictured: (TL-TR) Amanda Hernandez, Gabriel Swiney (NASA OTPS), (BL-BR) Yittayih Zelalem, Joshua Drucker, Zafer Sonmez (Voorhees Center); Credits: NASA, NSS, LinkedIn

Tuesday / 18 Oct 2022

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Moon Village Association and Beyond Earth Institute Advance Lunar Sustainability and Habitation

MVA Global Expert Group on Sustainable Lunar Activities (GEGSLA) meeting for 21st time on 19 October to formulate recommendations on sustainable governmental and independent Moon exploration best practices to be presented to United Nations Committee on the Peaceful Use of Outer Space; Meeting will conclude ‘Consensus Phase’, with ‘Harmonization Phase’ to follow for next 2 meetings (16 Nov, 21 Dec); Beyond Earth Institute also promotes guidelines for political, economic and environomental sustainability in paper Toward A Cislunar Ecosystem With Human Presence: The Underpinning For Permanent Lunar Communities

Credits: MVA, BEI

Friday / 14 Oct 2022

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ispace Counting Down to Mission 1 Launch, Hoping to Achieve First Successful Commercial Lunar Lading

M1 lander with integrated payloads from NGK (solid-state battery), Canadensys (360° cameras), UAE Rashid rover, JAXA transformable lunar robot to depart testing site IABG Space Centre in Ottobrunn, Germany for KSC LC-39, launching as secondary rideshare on SpaceX F9 rocket NET 9-15 November window; 3-month low-energy lunar transfer, tracked by ESA ESTRACK ground stations in Guiana, Australia, Spain, Argentina and UK, to be followed by 12-day lunar mission; 200+ employee ispace has US$237M+ funding, planning M2 NET 2023, M3 with Draper under $73M CLPS award NET 2025

Credits: ispace, MBRSC

Friday / 16 Sep 2022

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Capstone Team Working “Around the Clock” to Restore Spacecraft to Nominal Operational State

Advanced Space, Terran Orbital, and NASA focused on correcting anomalous behavior of ~US$30M Capstone, currently deemed stable, on trajectory to achieve lunar Near Rectilinear Halo Orbit and in communication with Deep Space Network, however still tumbling in safe mode after losing attitude control and comms in event associated with 8 Sep Trajectory Correction Maneuver 3; Sufficient solar power being generated to heat 8-thruster hydrazine propulsion system built by Stellar Exploration; Recovery operation may be possible, utilizing thrusters if 5° C thermal stability is achieved for 12 hours

Credits: NASA, Advanced Space