Category Archives: South Pole Moon

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 13-16 Oct 2023

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Astronomy from the Moon is Increasing Focus of International Moon Missions

Unique vantage of lunar surface is attracting multitude of astronomy initiatives: ILO-X Galaxy imaging precursor instrument suite launching on Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander NET Nov 15; AstronetX Lunar-based Camera (L-CAM), led by Tabetha Boyajian of LSU, may launch on ispace Mission 2 NET 2024; Dipole antenna LuSEE-Lite heading to Schrödinger Basin aboard Draper / ispace APEX 1.0 lander NET 2025, while 4-monopole antenna LuSEE-Night expected to launch to Moon far side in late 2025 / early 2026 on Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost lander; CNSA Chang’e-8 to conduct soft-x-ray (<3 KeV) observation NET 2028

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Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 22-25 Sep 2023

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India and World Eagerly Await Chandrayaan-3 Reactivation, ISRO Leader Aiming at Human Moon Landing

Controllers at ISRO Telemetry, Tracking and Command center in Bengaluru working to reestablish communication with Vikram Lander (with ~ 90-kg fuel remaining) and Pragyan Rover at now-illuminated Shiv Shakti Point (69.373°S, 32.319°E) on Moon following failed attempts; ISRO Chairman Sreedhara Somanath tells local media mission has given India ‘great confidence’ to pursue even more ambitious goals such as lunar sample return and merging Gaganyaan human spaceflight program with Chandrayaan lunar series, stating ‘an Indian will definitely land on the Moon’; Director of Space Applications Center Nilesh Desai anticipates 23 Sep awakening

Credits: ISRO, ISRS

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 8-11 Sep 2023

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USA Artemis Moonships SLS and Starship Development Advancing Ahead of Human Moon Missions

Preparations for Artemis 2 (SLS rocket / Orion crew capsule) ongoing at KSC Launch Complex 39B – Mobile Launcher-1 being augmented with structural reinforcements while Emergency Crew Escape System and 41,730-kg Crew Access Arm being installed for first crewed lunar flyby in over 50 years NET Nov 2025; NASA considering future shift of SLS ownership and operation to private contractor in response to unsustainable costs per US GAO; SpaceX to make 63 corrective actions prior to FAA launch clearance for Starship, now fully stacked at Starbase TX, including changes to launch pad, propellant leak remediation, and Autonomous Flight Safety System testing

Credits: SpaceX, NASA

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 25-28 August 2023

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India Exploring Area Near Moon South Pole with Chandrayaan-3

ISRO now conducting the farthest expedition into the lunar south ever, with landing site 69.374454°S, 32.318695°E ~625km from the southernmost point on the Moon (90°S on Shackleton crater rim); Lander Module Vikram and Pragyan rover operating nominally with ILSA, RAMBHA and ChaSTE instruments activated and ready to take seismic, ionic and thermal readings; APXS and LIBS will perform X-ray and laser spectroscopy to determine chemical, mineralogical and elemental composition of regolith from Pragyan, now rolled out and >8 meters from LM

Tuesday / 15 Aug 2023

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India and Russia Reaching Final Stretch Before Landings in South Polar Region

ISRO Chandrayaan-3 now in 150 x 177 km orbit around Moon with next orbital reduction / circularization maneuver planned to retrofire on 16 Aug at ~08:30 IST ahead of expected 23 Aug 12:17 UTC landing at South Polar Region (69.368°S, 32.348°E) roughly 120 km west of Roscosmos Luna-25 prime landing site at 69.545°S, 43.544°E; Luna-25 operating nominally with stable comms and power following 13 Aug instrument / telemetry check and Earth / Moon imaging, activation of ADRON-LR cosmic radiation detector and final orbit correction maneuver 14 Aug; LOI to occur 16 Aug, while landing may happen on 21 Aug

Tuesday / 1 Aug 2023

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Chandrayaan-3 on Course for Lunar Orbit Insertion Following Successful Trans Lunar Injection

ISRO lunar lander Chandrayaan-3 on 5-day cruise to lunar orbit, expected to arrive 5 Aug after set on its way with TLI maneuver firing at 1 Aug perigee (00:15 IST) commanded from ISRO ISTRAC facility in Bengaluru; India is set to become 4th nation to soft-land on Moon, and may become 1st to explore Moon South Pole region; Meanwhile origin of wreckage found near Jurien Bay, Western Australia affirmed by Australian Space Agency to be PSLV stage 3; ASA to store material for ISRO retrieval as obligations under the United Nations space treaties considered

Credits: ISRO

Tuesday / 18 July 2023

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Chandrayaan-3 Operating Nominally as its Orbit is Raised in Preparation for Trans-Lunar Injection

ISRO is working to conduct next raising maneuver of Chandrayaan-3, which is currently maintaining 41,603 km x 226 km orbit; Apogee firing to occur 17 July between 14:00-15:00 IST will be 3rd of 5 such maneuvers prior to TLI, which is set for 31 July, followed by ~5.5-day transfer and Lunar Orbit Insertion around 5 Aug; Propulsion Module to maintain 100 x 100 km circular orbit while Vikram lander containing Pragyan rover to descend to MSP area surface from 100 x 30km lunar orbit

Credits: ISRO

USA July 4th Holiday Edition
Mon-Wed / 3-5 July 2023

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USA@250: Ready for Multi World Civilization?

Artemis 3 touchdown NLT 4 July 2026 brings challenges – Moonsuit, lander, fuel depot, funding; and consequences – first women, first person of color to advance gender, racial equality – in situ on the surface of Moon / in space and on Earth; International, economic egalitarian considerations likely to prompt new social movements, reevaluation of existing norms as sustainable lunar communities are established; Principles of autonomy and self-determination articulated 4 July 1776 in Declaration of Independence may inform both Artemis and International Lunar Research Station constituents, in peace for all

Credits: National Archives, SpaceX

Thursday / 8 June 2023

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Planetary Scientist to Delve into Expected Artemis 3 Moon South Pole Conditions

Lunar and Planetary Institute (LPI) Principal Scientist David Kring presenting What Might Artemis Astronauts Encounter at the Lunar South Pole?, an installment of LPI Cosmic Explorations Speaker Series, in hybrid online / in-person format today from Houston TX at 19:30 CDT; Low sun angle and jagged landscape may present unique challenges (visibility, traverse) and opportunities (PSRs, possibility of collecting 4.3 billion+ year old pre-Nectarian material) for 2-member Artemis 3 crew, now likely launching to MSP NET 2026 per NASA Exploration Systems Administrator Jim Free; Event will be live-streamed

Credits: LPI, NASA, KARI

Tuesday / 28 Feb 2023

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Lunar Crew Module / Lander Mockups on Display as CMSA to Announce Taikonauts for Shenzhou-16 & 17

30 years of steady progress toward and realization of human exploration in space (27 missions / 10 crewed) being celebrated at 3-month exhibit at National Museum of China in Beijing featuring models of China Manned Space Agency next-generation crewed spacecraft and lunar surface lander, which are to be launched via 25,906 kN-thrust Long March 10 (formerly LM-5DY) rocket in 2020s; 6 crewmembers for next 2 missions to Tiangong Space Station to be revealed as international astronaut exchanges under consideration

Pictured: (T-B) CMSA Director Hao Chun, Taikonaut Yang Liwei, CMSA Deputy Chief Designer Chen Shanguang; Credits: CMSA, CGTN screengrab, Wikipedia