SpaceX and Boeing Race to Construct Moonships to Achieve Artemis Moon Return
Space Launch System, fully stacked with Orion spacecraft in Block 1 configuration stands 98 m tall / 8.4 m diameter at KSC FL; to undergo interface, stage systems, communications, countdown sequencing, wet dress testing prior to Artemis I inaugural uncrewed Moon flyby, launch window opening 12 Feb 2022; SN20 prototype at Starbase TX is 120 m high / 9 m diameter stacked; Elon Musk claims orbital test ending near Kaua’i HI NET November, with utilization of Mechazilla “robot chopsticks” affixed to launch tower to catch Super Heavy first stage
Cislunar space is subject of USA commercial and government attention with US$697,000 SBIR phase 2 award to Rhea Space Activity funding development of cislunar tracking system as plans are made for refueling / resupply depots at Earth-Moon Lagrange points; Access to key trajectories / areas in and around Moon will be competitive, highlighting need for 1959 Antarctica Treaty-style diplomacy guaranteeing Apollo ‘In Peace for All’ ethos in keeping with spirit of 1967 Outer Space Treaty, foundation of modern Artemis Accords
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
Lunar property rights are subject of Explorers Club panel on 
Extending 
First commercial orbital mission ‘Inspiration4’ on SpaceX Dragon capsule, sending humans furthest from Earth in 21st century, reaching 585km; Inspiration4 Commander Jared Isaacman reflects on “single most impactful moment” being Moonrise, urges space travelers push “little bit more and get out there [Moon]”; William Shatner, famous for Star Trek Captain Kirk portrayal, insists “everybody in the world needs to do this” after Blue Origin flight; Yusaku Maezawa and assistant Yozo Hirano launching to ISS 8 Dec via Soyuz; Maezawa organizing lunar orbit on Starship with 10-12 member crew NET 2023
Space-based technology and techniques with applicability to Earth climate and airspace management will be discussed 12 October at NASA Silicon Valley facility; Approach to coordination of wildfire fighting, Scalable Traffic Management for Emergency Response Operations (STEReO), and air traffic control Airspace Technology Demonstration-2 (ATD-2) to be presented; VP Kamala Harris, leader of agenda-setting National Space Council, may take opportunity to advance space priorities including Artemis first woman / person of color on Moon
Analysis of Moon rocks (~1,731g) collected within Oceanus Procellarum (43.06°N, 51.92°W), first returned to Earth in half century, show volcanism persisted longer than previously believed, until ~ 1.96 Gya ± 57 Ma – 1Gy older than Apollo samples indicate; Study conducted by Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe Center in conjunction with McDonnell Center for Space Sciences and Australia, UK, Sweden partners concludes “alternate explanations are required for the longevity of lunar magmatism”; co-author Brad Jolliff heralds international effort as “diplomacy by science”; Chang’e-6 to target MSP 2024
CEO Pavlo Tanasyuk indicates UK company Spacebit will plant Ukraine national flag on Moon, held aloft by Ukrainian-mined titanium pole along with radiation and thermal sensors; Comments given during National Day at Expo 2020 Dubai (a 182-day event hosted on 4.4 km2 grounds in UAE) were unclear on which lander will be booked for mission, with Astrobotic to deliver 1.4-kg Asagumo walking rover on Peregrine and unspecified Spacebit payload on Intuitive Machines IM-1; Both CLPS providers striving for Q1 2022 launch
UN-declared commemoration of Sputnik-1 (4 Oct 1964) and Outer Space Treaty (10 Oct 1967) commences next week with Women in Space theme, during a new era of space and lunar exploration with revitalized 21st Century goals to land the First Women and People of Color on the Moon; 8,000+ events across nearly 100 countries to occur, supported by organizations including Space Foundation, International Astronomical Union, SETI Institute, UNOOSA, Philippine Space Agency, European Space Education Resource Office, and Phoenix Space